Out of Bounds (The Summer Games #2) - R.S. Grey Page 0,111

onto the main floor, I swallowed past the lump in my throat. I’d competed with cameras on me before, but this was on a whole other level. NBC had set up a large announcer desk on the arena floor with multiple cameras angled around it.

“Is that Erik?” Lexi asked, pointing over to the desk.

I nodded. He was perched behind the desk with Valerie, Great Britain’s team coach, and an NBC anchor. It looked like they were in the middle of an interview, smiling at one another like they were old friends.

Even as I tried to resist, I scanned over him from afar. The Rio sun had given him a slight tan since we’d arrived, making it nearly impossible to ignore his chiseled features. The announcer asked him another question and I watched him smile, a slow, rolling grin that showed off his straight teeth and one isolated dimple.

He replied and Valerie laughed, leaning over to touch his shoulder. My stomach rolled.

“Relax,” Lexi said, forcing me to loosen my fists. I hadn’t realized I’d been clenching them until her fingers laced through mine. “They won’t make us do any interviews.”

Of course she assumed I was stressed about the cameras, not the man sitting in front of them.

“Right. Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

Still, I turned to watch him finish the interview, telling myself it didn’t matter if he liked Valerie. Erik was free to do whatever he wanted. We had never set up any rules. We weren’t in a relationship and we weren’t friends with benefits. Hell, we weren’t even friends. If he wanted to laugh with Valerie on television, he could be my fucking guest.

I shook my head and turned away, following the team over to where we had set up shop two days before during qualifications. We dropped our bags and started pulling out things we’d need for competition: water, grips, tape, and pre-wrap. I forced myself to focus on the little things: taking sips of water and rolling out my muscles. I mentally rehashed my practice from the day before and tried to ignore the crowd around me.

For the opening ceremonies, they lined up all the gymnasts by country and the announcers droned on about competition and international ties. I zoned out as they led us through introductions. One by one, they announced each country. As a group, the gymnasts stepped forward, waved, and then fell back in line.

I tried to keep my nerves at bay, telling myself I still had a while before competition would start, but after they introduced the United States, time started speeding by. They wrapped up the introductions and ushered us to our first event. The butterflies in my stomach were rioting. I pressed a palm against my abs, trying to calm the tension, but it didn’t help.

Our first rotation was beam, so after we went through the opening ceremonies, we stripped off our warm-ups and started practicing for the event. I watched Molly hop up first, starting with easy skills before she worked up to her tumbling passes. She nailed each of them, so lost in her own world; I envied her. I turned back to my warm-up area and smoothed the sole of my foot over the white strip on the ground that was the same length and width of the beam. I started on one end of the tape and practiced my skills on the floor, happy when I finished and found my feet still centered on the white tape.

“Looking good, B-dub,” Lexi called with a wink.

I shot her a small smile and then it was my turn to take the beam. Erik was there, standing a few feet away and watching me with crossed arms. God, he is good-looking up close.

“Hop up,” he said when I hadn’t made a move to take the beam.

I shook away my thoughts, trying to pretend his presence no longer had an effect on me. It was no use though; the last time I’d been on a beam he’d been making love to me.

Oh my god. I blushed from head to toe as if everyone around me could hear my thoughts.

“Focus on the beam,” he said with a commanding tone. “Nothing else.”

Right.

Easier said than done.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Brie

“WE’RE WORLD CHAMPIONS!”

“Lexi, you’re going to burst my eardrums,” I said, holding my hands over my ears.

“Like I care?!”

“We’re all excited,” Rosie said with a small smile, trying to contain her excitement.

It was no use.

We’d won gold for Team USA earlier that afternoon and the moment the gold medals had been