Page 27 of Vexatious Queen

“I did say that. You took me by surprise this morning. I use this time to think and be alone. Once I’m warmed up, do you want to race? All in good fun, of course,” I said with as much of a smile as I could muster for this asshole.

“I’d never pass up an opportunity to wipe the floor with you. All in good fun, of course.”

“Great.”

“Great.” He smiled back at me.

It was official, I was getting rid of this guy.

I didn’t give a fuck if he was Ren’s long-lost sorta-brother. I knew that she wanted a chance to reconnect with Sabastian, but everything in me screamed that he couldn’t be trusted. He knew that Lawrence was going to hit Volatile on New Year’s Eve. I was sure of it. The only reason he showed up that night was to get a front-row seat for the action.

My feet slapped on the deck as I rounded the edge of the pool, heading for the lane right beside him. Dangerous considering how much I wanted to drown the fucker, but I wasn’t giving him a chance to weasel out now.

Sabastian was already halfway back when I jumped in and set my goggles in place. Surprisingly, the rhythmic sound of him swimming wasn’t as annoying as I thought it would be. Not that I was going to invite him to join me all the time, but as the water flowed over my body and my muscles worked, I felt less like killing him.

I swam three lengths and met him at the end, where he lounged with his arms on the deck.

“You ready?”

“Born ready,” Sabastian replied with a smirk.

“Uh huh…individual medley?”

His eyebrows shot up.

“Not going with your strongest stroke? I don’t know if I’m shocked or impressed.”

Sabastian pulled his goggles down and smirked, and my fist itched to hit him. I bit back my sarcastic remark and climbed out of the pool beside him.

“Who will do the countdown?”

“You can,” I said, ever the gentleman. “I wouldn’t want you to claim that I was cheating when I beat you.”

“If you beat me.”

Stepping up onto the block, I grinned.

“I know I will,” I said, assuming the start position. Everything stilled in my mind the moment he started the countdown. It was just me and the pool.

“Go.”

Diving off the block, the same rush and surge of excitement that filled me during competition raced through my system. Cutting through the water, I ignored Sabastian even though I felt him in the lane beside me. I broke the surface with the first pull of the butterfly. It felt like breathing for me, and my limbs fired on all cylinders in perfect sequence.

I reached the wall, drew my feet up, and pushed off in a streamline position. The lights overhead blurred as I returned in the back stroke. In my mind, I could hear the crowd cheering my name.

My next turn was just as smooth as the last. The breaststroke was my least favorite swim, but it couldn’t hold me back this morning. Every pull of my arms felt like a victory.

As I pushed off for the final length in freestyle, I became aware of just how close in time Sabastian and I really were. My arms cut through the water as I forced my body to go a little faster and a little harder…to be better.

Swimming had always been the one thing I could control. Success was all on me. I competed against myself as much as anyone else in the pool. It was just one of the reasons I loved it so much.

I looked over with my final stroke and touched the wall a fingertip before Sabastian. We both gasped and leaned on the edge of the pool as we stared at one another.

He shook his head slowly, knowing he’d lost.

“Fucking asshole,” he grumbled, making me smile. “It’s a good thing you decided to wimp out and not join the World’s team,” he said, climbing out of the water.

My smile immediately fell.