Fighting to Win (The Elite Book 1) by Nicole Flockton Read Free Book Online Page A

on the cheek. “Congratulations on your win. It was a great race. ’Night, Anabel. Good to see you again.”
    Taking a step back from Mitch, she waved to them both and then turned to head down the path toward the athletes’ village.
    She didn’t look back even though she wanted to. If she looked back, she would be tempted to say to hell with it and run back into Mitch’s arms.

8
    “ J ulia , what’s wrong with you? You came of that turn far too early. You would’ve been deducted at least three points because of that splash on entry.”
    Mitch cringed at Mick’s critical tone. He couldn’t blame her coach; Julia’s dive was probably one of the worst he’d seen her do.
    “I know. I know,” she responded.
    “Well, get back up there and do it again. Try to relax and enjoy the process. You’re too tense.”
    Mitch could see her lips moving as she walked along the deck back toward the diving platforms. He imagined what she was saying was less than complimentary to herself.
    When she reached the end of the platform, he willed her to nail the dive this time around. A few seconds later, she was tumbling through the air before her arms and legs straightened. She cleaved the water on entry, and as she disappeared beneath the surface, the resulting splash was minimal. His breath whooshed out of him as he heard Mick clapping.
    “That’s my girl,” Mick said as Julia reached the edge of the pool. “That was beautiful. See what happens when you relax?”
    “Yes.”
    “Now go shower, and we’ll have another practice at four o’clock, okay?”
    “Sounds good, Mick.”
    Mitch made his way down from the stands to the pool. He knew she would probably do another two or three dives before she headed to the showers.
    “That last dive was good, Jules. Keep doing that and you’ll be a shoo-in for a medal.”
    Julia lost her grip on the edge of the pool and sank back down into the clear water. Mitch squatted down and grabbed her hand when she reached up for the edge again. He pulled her up and out.
    “Geez, don’t do that. How long have you been watching?” she demanded.
    “Since the beginning of your practice.”
    If his words shocked her she didn’t show it as she grabbed her chamois and dried herself off.
    “Then you saw some really crappy dives.”
    Mitch chuckled. “Yep, I have to admit I’ve seen you dive better. But that last one—whoa, that was spectacular.”
    “Thanks. It felt good to finally do a decent dive.” She paused and faced him. “Not that I’m complaining, but what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at practice?”
    Everything she said was true. He did have to compete again and he should’ve been practicing, but he wanted to see Julia.
    “Yep, but I told Anabel that after last night, I only wanted a light workout seeing as I have to compete later this evening. It took some persuading, but she agreed.”
    Mitch glanced around the diving pool. More people were coming in now, and he didn’t want their conversation overheard.
    “Are you done, or do you want to do some more dives?”
    “I don’t know. Why do you want to know?”
    “Because if you’re done, I thought maybe you could join me for something to eat. I remembered you’re always hungry after a practice session.”
    Her eyebrow rose at his comment. “Like you aren’t as well after you’re done practicing.”
    Mitch laughed. “Guilty as charged.”
    When they had been dating they’d often arranged their training schedules to match. Afterward they’d always gone to a café where they pigged out on bacon, eggs, hash browns, and strawberry milkshakes, as caffeine was a substance they both avoided.
    “Give me ten minutes. I want to go over a couple of my dives again, and then something to eat sounds good.”
    “Okay, I’ll meet you out the front.”
    “All right.”
    With that Julia walked away and headed back up to the platform. He watched as she waited for the person in front of her to complete their dive. He may not