Stroke for Stroke: A Coxless Pair Romance

About this book:

The coxless pair is rowing's most unforgiving boat: two men, one shell, no coxswain to steer or settle the balance. Every millimeter of asymmetry capsizes you. Every fraction of mistrust drags you under. Ethan Vance is precision incarnate—an Ivy League technician who rows like an atomic clock. Liam Cross is six-foot-four of raw, West Coast power who treats a boat like a weapon. Forced together for the last Olympic qualification spot, they hate each other's rhythm, each other's history, and the terrifying fact that only the other man can make them fast enough to win.

On the water, the rivalry burns hotter than the lactic acid in their lungs. They breathe in unison, bleed in unison, and when the shell finally finds its perfect, frictionless glide, the connection between them stops feeling like technique and starts feeling like something dangerous. Off the water, the tension doesn't dissipate—it concentrates. A thumb wiping lake water from a cheekbone. A wink across a capsized hull. The shocking heat of a body that shouldn't fit beside yours but suddenly feels like the only thing keeping you afloat.

With the Lucerne qualifier looming and Coach Miller's patience exhausted, Ethan and Liam have weeks to turn two solitary careers into a single, synchronized weapon. But the closer they get to the line between victory and disaster, the harder it becomes to remember why they were ever rivals at all. *Stroke for Stroke* is a steamy, high-stakes sports romance about trust, technique, and the terrifying, exhilarating surrender of letting someone else steer your heart.