Page 44 of Forbidden

Joy frowns, the adorable line forming between her dark brows that she gets when she’s concentrating really hard. Or pissed. Usually at me. Some things never change.

She glances at me, taking a breath, then leans close enough to say against my ear, “I’m quitting swimming.”

I lean away, staring at her for a moment, wondering if she’s joking. But as tension ripples off her in waves, I realize it’s the truth.Well, shit.“Why?”

“Because I’m not in love with it anymore.”

Her words are soft, and I almost miss them over the thumping of the music, but they might as well have been a kick to my nuts. Swimming has been Joy’s life since . . . forever. Her whole damn life. Her first love. And now it’s just . . . not? But it’s not just swimming that she’s fallen out of love with, and I’m not sure whether I’m projecting extra meaning to her words.

I sit back against the booth, my mind reeling. Joy was going to swim in the Olympics. It was a given. I’ve pictured her standing there with medals around her neck, the image as clear as day. The idea that it might not happen, and it be her choice? It just doesn’t fucking compute.

My head snaps to her as another thought registers. “What did your parents say when you told them?” She visibly flinches and I groan. “You didn’t tell them.”

“Can you blame me?” Joy glances at me with fear in her eyes and it’s an emotion that I understand only too well when it comes to Roger and Emi Blake.

“You’re going to have to tell them,” I say carefully. “You only have—”

“I’m aware,” she snaps. “And it’s none of your damn business, Lane. It stopped being your business a long fucking time ago.”

She sits up, making to move out of the booth, and for a second, I contemplate staying there and blocking her way, but I wouldn’t put it past her to climb over me. And the heel on her boots is something I don’t want anywhere near my junk.

Reluctantly, I slide out and let her past. She stalks off, disappearing into the crowd just as Aldo arrives back with the drinks.

“Where’s Joy?” he asks, glancing toward the dance floor.

“Bathroom,” I lie.

He accepts my answer without question, and I sit back down, him sliding in after me. It’s hard not to go after Joy. Every atom pleads with me, but I know she needs her space. If I chase after her, I’ll only be pushing her further away. She might not be the girl I walked away from, but there are still some things I know about Joy Blake that will never change.

“So how are you finding Franklin West?” Aldo asks, taking a sip of his drink.

I grimace. What a loaded fucking question. “Fine.”

Aldo laughs, and I glance at him, my mouth curving into a smile that surprises me. He’s got a great laugh, rich, deep, and warm. If I ever wanted to wrap myself up in a sound, it would be that laugh.

“Dou—Coach McMann hasn’t made it easy for you,” Aldo says, shaking his head.

I shake my head, my eyes finding the constant pain in my ass chatting with Parker James, one of the juniors, at the edge of the dance floor. “You could say that.”

Aldo leans a little closer, so he doesn’t have to shout over the music, his cologne clouding my senses. He smells freaking phenomenal. Like vanilla, but deeper and woodier. “It’s not personal. You know that, right?”

I huff a laugh, giving him the side eye. “It feels fucking personal.”

“Dou—Coach is a good guy,” Aldo says. “He’s just pissed because he wasn’t consulted. He’d be like this with anyone who took the job.”

I ignore the fact that he’s almost first named his coach twice, and that he seems to know the guy well. Then again, he’s been on the team since freshman year. It would be weird not to know each other well after that long. Right?

“I know you’re trying to make me feel better,” I say, giving him a small smile. “But it doesn’t matter. He hates me and that’s not going to change.”

Aldo opens his mouth to say something else, but then presses his lips together instead.

“Are you pursuing swimming after college?” I ask, hating the awkward silence that’s settled between us.

He shakes his head. “Nah. Going into the family restaurant business. Swimming’s been fun, but it’s not where my future is.”

“I wish I’d had that choice.” The words slip from my lips as I think them, and I scowl at my rum and coke as though it’s responsible.

Aldo turns toward me a little more, his knee brushing my thigh. “What do you mean?”

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