Treading Water, page 12
“Does it matter?” I mutter.
She doesn’t answer, turning to watch silently next to me. It wasn’t like I wanted to withhold this from her, but what was the point now? We were over before we actually ever began. And there was only so long that I could be the only one fighting for us. He made his stance perfectly clear till he asked me not to date Alex, and then he muddied the waters. He hasn’t done anything since his birthday present, so I’m not sure where we stand.
The rest of the presentation is a blur as I fight back the desolation I’ve become familiar with over the past few months. Emily waves in front of my face, grabs my attention, and nods toward the stage. I turn back to Coach Amber stepping back, and Fallon is grabbing something off the table next to them and moving behind the podium.
He clears his throat, looking at the award in his hand for a second before facing the audience. My heart skips a beat when his gaze catches mine for a brief second before he looks away.
Fallon leans forward on the podium. “This award is for a player who has not only grown expeditiously this year, but inspired her fellow teammates to do the same. This is a player who met every obstacle with determination to overcome it. I’ve had the privilege to watch this player not only hone the skills we all knew she had, but blow our expectations out of the water.” He pauses, winking at the crowd because of the pun and a few pitying chuckles ring out around the stage.
Fallon locks eyes with me again. “This is a player who I saw a lot of myself in. Someone I believe has what it takes to not only bring this team to championships every year they attend, but perhaps grant this school their first Olympian. It’s been an honor for my first coaching job to contribute to someone with the magnitude of talent that she has. Please join me in congratulating Most Valuable Player Sage Peters, not only for her exceptional performance this year, but her All-America First-Team selection.”
Applause erupts around me, but I can barely breathe. Tears stream down my face, my nose stinging as I try not to let the sobs escape my throat. Emily nudges my shoulder to stand, and I look at her crying face. My legs are shaking as I walk to the stage, reaching Fallon’s side.
He gives me a soft smile before handing me my award.
I cradle it to my chest. “Thank you… for everything.”
Fallon swallows, his eyes misting before he looks away and nods. I don’t wait for him to respond as I make my way back to the table quietly. There isn’t much more we can say to each other in a room full of people. I set the heavy glass award before me, running my finger over where my name is engraved.
I look up, watching Fallon as he passes to a neighboring table and Coach Amber takes over at the podium. He must feel my eyes on him because he faces me, my heart thudding in my chest as he smiles. His eyes brighten with emotions, portraying everything he feels with a slight curve of his lips. It makes my chest ache because after weeks of silence, it erases away my doubts.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sage
I stare at the unknown number calling, tempted to send it to voicemail before I finally answer.
“Hello?”
“Is this Sage Peters?”
“Why?” I ask. I would be damned if I got caught up with a scammer.
“This is Bradly Phillip, the head coach for the U.S. Women’s National Water Polo team. Do you have a moment to talk?”
A squeak escapes my throat before I pull the phone away in disbelief. My face flushes with adrenaline, my hands trembling. I shake my head and grip the phone tighter. “Yeah, of course. I would love to talk.”
The conversation is like a fever dream, I can hardly believe every word that spills from his mouth. It is one thing to hear constant support from others around you and another to achieve what you’ve been aiming for. I am sitting outside the library as I accept the position on the team, unable to comprehend how my life is about to change.
The invitation came a few weeks after the season ended, just hours after I finished my last final and returned my borrowed textbooks. As I stand there elated that my dream is happening, there is only one person I want to share it with. It doesn’t matter that he’s barely acknowledged me over the course of the school year. Only he understands the significance of the offer I have gotten, and after his speech at the banquet. I sprint to the athletic department, determined to get him to see me.
I find him in his office, his head tilted down as he scribbles something on the papers spread across his desk. Slamming the door shut behind me, his green crystal eyes snap to mine as I walk to him.
“Sage…” he utters in warning.
Ignoring it, I move around his desk and straddle his lap. His hands immediately cup my ass and pull me in. My lips crash to his and he moans into my mouth. My fingers tangle into his hair as I rock my hips further onto him, feeling his cock harden underneath me.
I pull away, kissing down his jaw as his grip tightens on me.
“Sage…”
“Shh,” I snap, moving to devour his mouth again, but he leans back. I groan, dropping my hands between us.
Fallon squeezes my ass, pushing his cock up between my legs. “We can’t, you know that.”
“I got invited to the national team,” I whisper.
“What?”
I focus on him. “I got invited to the national team.”
He beams. “Baby, that’s amazing. I knew you would.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I frown. “You were the first person I thought to tell.”
Fallon’s expression falls, his breathing becoming uneven as we stare silently at each other. Then he picks me up, setting me on his desk before him. My ass is resting on the edge of the wood as he stands between my open legs.
“Fuck it,” he growls, undoing my jeans and stripping them off. He shoves his pants down, his cock springs out and he strokes it. With a quick yank, he moves my panties to the side and thrusts into me.
My legs wrap around his waist, my heels digging into his lower back and pulling him deeper.
Fallon pauses, buried inside me to the hilt. His mouth crashes to mine again, biting and sucking at my bottom lip.
“I‘ve missed you so much,” he breathes as I moan, clinging onto his shoulders as he starts thrusting short, quick strokes. My pussy gets wetter with every single second he’s moving, drenching his thick cock and dripping between my ass cheeks.
“Never leave me again,” I pant between every jolt of my body as he pounds into me. I let go of his arms, leaning back onto the desk and gripping the edges.
Fallon pushes my shirt and bra up, baring my breasts with their hard rosy pink nipples to the room. He watches them bounce as he fucks me. Each pump of his hips fills me with pleasurable pain from the stretch of his dick.
“Baby, you’re making a mess of my desk,” he whispers, pulling out till only his crown remains inside me and staring at the glistening of my arousal smeared all over him.
“Oh fuck,” I cry out when he thrusts forward, bumping against the end of me and I drop my head back. My legs tremble as his thumb reaches between us and rubs my clit, his other hand wrapping around my thigh and holding me in place as he picks up his pace.
“You gotta come, baby. I can’t last much longer. I need to fill this pussy up, but you gotta come first,” Fallon moans.
“Please, please,” I beg. The thought of feeling the warmth of his cum again sets me off.
“Fuck,” he hisses, “strangling my cock.”
Fallon pulls me closer, leaning over my chest and grunting into my neck as he floods my pussy. I clench around him, milking every drop of cum from him. His cock throbs, slowly softening before he slides his hands under my back and lifts me up with him. He kisses down my neck, moving to suck on my breasts and pulling a nipple into his mouth. After a moment, he moves to the other one before leaning back to admire his work and then fixes my shirt over them.
My legs drop as he steps back, tucking his half-erect dick into his sweats and staring at my leaking pussy. His fingers push our dripping mess back inside me and then he puts my panties back into place.
“I want you to wear my cum for the rest of the day,” he says throatily.
I stare up at him, my eyes watering as he cleans off his hands with a hoodie lying nearby. He turns back to me, his eyebrows furrowing when he sees my unshed tears.
“What’s wrong?”
Clutching onto his shirt, I pull him back between my legs. His hand slides into my hair, tilting my head back to look up at him.
“I might be pathetic for saying this, but I don’t want you to push me away again.”
He sighs, resting his forehead against mine. “You’re no more pathetic than me. I stalk you across campus half the time to get a glimpse of you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah,” he chuckles and then pulls away. “I quit the college.”
My heart sinks into my stomach. “What?”
He clutches me closer. “It’s a good thing, baby. And it makes the last few months worth it because they’ve been watching me as much as they have you. I got offered a spot as an assistant coach for the men’s national team.”
My mouth drops open. “We’re both joining the national teams?”
“Yes, and it’s perfect. Because I’ll be close enough without suspicion. It would make sense for an old coach to see how his star pupil is doing,” he explains enthusiastically.
I swallow down the tinge of disappointment. “But you would still want to hide our relationship?”
A soft growl rumbles from his throat. “You think I want to hide you? So punk bitches like Alex can keep asking out my woman?”
Shivers skitter across my spine at his claim and I smile. Fallon’s fingers tangle in my hair tighter.
“One more year. We get you to the Olympics and then the whole world will know you’re mine, okay? You haven’t experienced the downfall of the media, baby. Trust me on this. I’m trying to protect you.”
He kisses me hard and I kiss him back. We’re panting by the time we pull away. His green eyes sparkle.
“I really have missed you every day.”
I smile, rubbing my nose against his. “I’ve probably missed you more.”
“I believe that. You’ve always been my little stalker,” he says with a laugh as I go to push him away.
Fallon catches my wrists, kissing my knuckles. “Can I take you home, baby?”
“Please.”
Epilogue
Fallon
One year later
My ass hovers right above the seat as I squat, slowly standing up the further she drives the ball down the pool.
“Come on, baby. Come on,” I whisper into my clasped hand before moving them to rest on my forehead. I’ve never been so nervous in my life, I don’t even think with my own games.
Sage gets within the two-meter line, grabbing the ball as the goalie extends forward from the post. Sage’s arm winds back before she lifts out of the water and shoots it into the corner of the net. The whistle blows signaling a valid score the same time me and half the stadium jump to our feet.
“Woo! Fuck yes, Sage!” I shout, cupping my mouth with my hands. I know she can’t hear me, but a small part of me hopes she does. Her name is going to be splashed all over the news the next few hours for scoring the winning goal against Spain. My baby is officially a gold-medal Olympian.
“That’s a bad word,” Val scolds, standing on the seat next to me.
I scoop her up, laughing. “Sometimes bad words are allowed.”
Her eyes blink wide. “Really?”
“Uh, no. Not really,” her mother corrects behind her.
Blushing, I set Sage’s little sister down. “Sorry.”
She smiles. “You’re good, Fallon. Sage has taught her much worse.”
I turn back to the pool, watching the U.S. Women’s Water Polo team celebrate their win with tears in my eyes. We didn’t think Sage would be here this year, but we were hopeful. In the first game, she was a sub before they moved her to start for the last two. Proud doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel watching her play.
“I’m going to try to catch her before the award ceremony. Want to meet back at the front?” I ask her mom. She nods, tucking Val into her side as she tries to lead her up the stairs and out of the stadium.
I make my way down, heading to the closed-off area for coaches and helpers of the team. Her coach will let me through if I get his attention. I’m almost to the designated spot when a woman steps in front of me, shoving a microphone in my face and a camera standing behind her.
“Fallon Harris. We didn’t expect to see you here tonight. Do you have time for a quick interview?” Her smile is bright.
I give her a small nod, not wanting to, but it would look worse if I declined.
“I have four-time U.S Olympian Fallon Harris here with me tonight. What did you think about how the women played tonight?”
“Phenomenal. As a retired player turned coach, to see and hear their communication through the game and watch them making smart plays is everything we dream of seeing on our team.”
She nods. “And, among the team, is a player you coached personally. Sage Peters, correct?”
My heart thuds for a second, but I push the panic away. “Yes. I had the honor of watching her play her first year at Slater Hills.”
“We love to see the support in the community. With Peters scoring that last goal, do you think she’s vastly improved since your time with her?”
I chuckle, rubbing at my jaw. “I mean, we all have room for improvement, no matter where we are. But she’s on the Olympic team for a reason, right?”
Her bringing up Sage makes familiar doubts resurface. I don’t want to take this night from her, and my hugging or kissing her in front of a world broadcast would shine the light on the wrong thing.
“What about the rumor–”
I see the team starting to make their way out of the stadium, and my chance at seeing her before she leaves to prepare to receive her medal.
“Sorry, excuse me. I just want to congratulate them before the award ceremony,” I say, sidestepping the woman and walking briskly away from the media coverage.
I wait in the hallway leading to the locker room, congratulating the players as they walk by. She spots me immediately and sprints to me. I catch her easily as she jumps, not caring that I’m getting wet from her suit. Her mouth crashes to mine and I kiss her back vigorously, wishing we were alone so I could give her all the attention she rightfully deserves.
“I made the winning goal,” she whispers against my lips.
I pull back and set her down on the ground. “You did, baby. It was amazing to watch.”
Sage looks behind me, slight disappointment dulling her eyes and I know she’s looking for her family.
“They’re waiting up front for the award ceremony. Go get ready and we’ll see you after. I just couldn’t wait. I’m so proud of you.”
She beams, rising on her tiptoes for another kiss that I give her. “I love you, Fallon Harris.”
“And I love you, Sage Peters.”
I watch as she disappears into the locker room, bouncing on her feet in excitement. I couldn’t have predicted that two years ago when I sought a coaching position, it would lead me to the love of my life. I’ve never been happier and I’m beyond grateful that her mother accepted our relationship with open arms. Staying in Slater Hills had never been the plan, but everything changed when I fell in love with my athlete. My life became hers; I adjusted my plans to center around her needs.
Pulling out the vibrating phone in my pocket, I smile when I see my mom calling. If I don’t answer, Eli won’t be that far behind to blow up my phone. I know my family is eager to know when I’m going to ask Sage a very important question with the ring burning a hole in my pocket. If they had it their way, we would already be on our second kid.
With one final glance at the door my future wife disappeared through, I answer, excited to share Sage’s accomplishments with anyone who will listen.
Acknowledgements
New year, new book. And I hope you enjoyed it!
Sage and Fallon will hold a piece of my heart forever. I jokingly said I was going to write a water polo romance for years before I started publishing, so to be writing this at the end of my water polo romance is a bit emotional. When I started this journey, I never knew what would come from it. The tremendous support and love I continue to receive from everyone are beyond anything I could have imagined.
Thank you to Justine, who worked tirelessly to shine this book into perfection. I am so glad to have found you, not only as a wonderful friend but to witness as you start your editing career. You were made to do this. I'm so proud and grateful to have you by my side.
Thank you to Emily and Rachel, my OG alphas. You two have been here from the very rough beginning and are my always-hype women. I know I can always trust you to keep me humble and guide me through the days I'm doubting myself. LYLAS!
Thank you to Nicole, Stephanie, Sam, and Karen for your invaluable feedback as my betas. You helped shape this story into one that Sage and Fallon deserved.
Thank you to everyone who has taken a chance on me and read my work. It's still scary to know people are out here reading what I wrote, but the fear is worth the thrill. I love sharing these stories with you!
About the Author
Brooke is obsessed with caffeine, sleep, and creating erotic novellas that push the socially acceptable norm.
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Other Works
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Becoming His
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