back and moaned, because while Tim’s touch was clearly meant to be therapeutic, it was nearly sexual too. How easy would it have been to turn around, to bury his face in Tim’s hair, to hug him and massage him in the same way, to grope and touch each other and get off right here in this locker room? After all, Tim was all but naked, sitting behind Isaac, massaging his back. Isaac was suddenly very conscious of Tim’s nudity.
“Lean forward,” said Tim, so matter-of-factly that Isaac figured he couldn’t be as turned on as Isaac was. “This might hurt a little.”
Isaac leaned forward. He couldn’t see what Tim was doing, but he sure as hell felt it when Tim put pressure on the knottiest muscles in Isaac’s shoulders. Isaac cried out, because it hurt like a bitch, but when Tim began to rub the muscles more gently, some of the tightness leaked out.
“You’re good. I’m hiring you as my personal masseuse.”
Tim laughed. “No such luck, big guy. I have to go climb up to ridiculous heights so I can jump and do three flips before I land in the water.”
Tim stepped away, so Isaac stood and took stock of his body. A lot of the tension had eased. “Still,” Isaac said, turning around. “You’re a goddamned miracle worker.”
Tim smiled. “I try. You better now?”
“Holy hell. Yeah.” Maybe the distraction of sexual arousal had helped ease his tension as much as anything else, though clearly Tim knew some things about the way muscles functioned if he was able to relax Isaac’s with only his hands. Good Lord. Isaac’s whole body sang. He felt like he had the power to do anything now. “I’m gonna go swim around the warm-up pool, and then I’m going to finish the hundred meters in forty-seven seconds, and I’m gonna anchor that goddamned relay if it kills me.”
Tim laughed. “Sounds like a solid plan.” His gaze settled somewhere near Isaac’s collarbone. “If the tension comes back, talk to the team doctor. See what they can do to help loosen those muscles. Acupuncture might work for you too.”
“Like, with the needles?”
“Don’t knock it. I see my acupuncturist once a week. There’s actual science that supports its therapeutic benefits.” Tim glanced at the clock in the corner. “Crap, I gotta go. Take care of yourself, all right?”
Isaac watched Tim go, momentarily distracted by the way Tim’s muscles rippled in his back as he moved, the way his round butt filled out his swimsuit. Thinking about the massage again, mentally picturing Tim nearly naked and sitting behind Isaac, his hands all over Isaac’s bare back, had Isaac’s skin tingling again. He grabbed a water bottle from the cooler in the corner and poured it over himself, trying to stave off an embarrassing situation.
But good God, he wanted Tim.
For months Isaac had tamped down the part of himself that wanted anything except to win swim races. He’d seen plenty of people—male and female—to whom he’d been attracted, but none that he’d wanted as viscerally as he wanted Tim Swan.
And if he was not mistaken, Tim wanted him right back. Maybe he could engineer a naked encounter before he flew home in three weeks.
So resolved, he pushed it all aside and walked out to the warm-up pool. He dunked himself in it and swam around a little before walking back out to the main pool. Adam was yelling something at Luke but looked up when Isaac approached.
“Luke’s in the relay,” Adam said. “As are Conor and Randy. Do you want that fourth spot?”
“Yes, Coach,” said Isaac.
“Forty-eight seconds.”
Luke stepped back. He didn’t say anything, but he crossed his arms over his chest. Isaac got up on the block and got himself into position. Adam got out the stopwatch and said, “Ready? Set. Go.”
Isaac shifted the angle of his entry and got in the water immediately, with very little time spent in the air. He felt good in the water, like he easily sliced through it. He put a conscious effort into tightening up his flip turn, then tore up the water on the way back—back straight, fingers together and pushing through the water like paddles, head straight. He caught the fifteen-meter mark out of the corner of his eye and felt good about his laps. He touched the wall and lifted his head.
Adam grinned. “Forty-seven point six. Hot damn.”
Luke slapped Isaac on the back as he got out of the pool. “Welcome to the relay team.”