by Stacy Gold
Table of Contents
In Deep
Publication Page
Dedication
PRAISE FOR AUTHOR
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
Also Available
Also Read
Thank You
In Deep
by
Stacy Gold
Emerald Mountain, Book Two
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
In Deep
COPYRIGHT © 2018 by Stacy Gold
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by Diana Carlile
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewilderroses.com
Publishing History
First Scarlet Rose Edition, 2018
Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-1822-6
Emerald Mountain, Book Two
Published in the United States of America
Dedication
To my amazing critique partner, author Laurel Greer. You make my writing so much better. I wouldn’t be published if it weren’t for you!
PRAISE FOR AUTHOR
Stacy Gold
JUST FRIENDS
“…electrifying chemistry, so much so that my fingers were singed. If you’re looking for a romantic quickie, pick up this book. Highly recommend!”
~N.N. Light POTL blog
“…plenty of heat and sizzle in the snow, and the heroine’s struggles with her self-esteem are really relatable.”
~Laurel Greer, Author Second Time’s the Charm
“…the writing was so good it caught my attention since the first page and the characters were so well depicted that I felt close to them right away.”
~Fede Maby, Ita Pixie’s Book Corner
“…strong characters and a lot of sizzling chemistry…Readers who enjoy a slow-build up to their romance should find this story very satisfying.”
~Long and Short Reviews
Chapter One
The wooden door of the ski patrol shack slammed into the wall. A gust of cold air and snow, and a tiny, powerful tornado, swept into the room. The door slammed shut, but the tornado kept coming.
“What is your deal, Max?” Sophie’s ski boots thudded on the plywood floor as she crossed the sparsely furnished room. Voice hard. Eyes flashing. All the fury of a goddess scorned aimed straight at me.
Shit. I crossed my ankles like my family jewels needed protecting—not that anything could save me from Sophie’s well-justified wrath.
“What do you mean, Soph?” I kept my face and tone innocent. I hadn’t wanted this damn job. Knowing she would be working for me would’ve been the nail in that coffin. Too bad I didn’t find out until my first day.
“You know good and damn well what I mean.” She pushed her way into my personal space. So close I could see the darker lines in her light blue irises. So close it made it damn hard for me to think about anything other than the taste of her mouth. Except maybe how it felt to have her naked and in my personal space two years ago. Before we worked together. Before we lived two doors down from each other in employee housing.
Before I became her boss.
I really didn’t need the reminder of those eight, incredible weeks we’d spent together, or the stiffy responding to the images in my head. Not when I wanted to think clearly.
Anger radiated off her like the sun’s heat radiates off the snow—hot, and able to burn you in minutes. If I wasn’t leaning my hip against the battered wood table, I would’ve taken a step back. Instead, I worked not to cross my arms. Setting up physical defenses wouldn’t help me here.
“Sam said he hired me because he wanted someone who was Mountain Travel and Rescue certified.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. “It’s been almost three months, and all I’m doing, every day, is sweeping easy groomers, working first aid, and repairing fences.”
“Standard procedure. You learn the mountain and the team before we send you out on serious rescues or avalanche mitigation work.” I picked up a clipboard of paperwork I didn’t need to look at and stared at the top page.
I never expected my strategy to work over the long haul. Not after she left a sweet job patrolling at Blue Sky to work for Emerald Mountain. I just didn’t know what else to do, and I had to do something.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Bullshit. Troy started when I did, and he’s been throwing bombs and ski cutting with Ryan for six weeks.” Her lips pursed. “No wonder you don’t have any other woman on Patrol.”
“Not true. Brit’s on maternity leave right now, but she’s slated to come back next season.”
“And do you let her do anything other than repair fences?” She raised her eyebrows and stared me down, shoulders back, arms crossed.
“Of course. Brit does every job on the mountain.” I put on my friendliest smile. “All ’trollers do, after a few months on the job.”
Memories of Anna in a full body brace made my chest tighten, but at least they also shrank my growing hard-on.
“You know, Max, I never took you for a misogynist. Guess we all can be wrong sometimes.”
“Wow! Sophie Tremore admits to being wrong. Even if it’s at my expense, I’m impressed.” I wracked my brain for the best way to handle this. Deflecting with humor would only work for, oh, about half a minute.
At least if she thought I was a misogynist, she wouldn’t figure out I still had feelings for her. That I’d been keeping my distance because I was afraid those feelings would cloud my judgment. And that I’d been keeping her on easy jobs because an irrational, selfish voice deep inside me screamed, Protect her. Keep her safe.
So stupid. Our jobs were inherently dangerous—something we all knew and accepted. When you work with explosives and avalanches and heavy sleds in tough terrain… Well, eventually someone is going to get hurt. Nature of the business.
Sophie had more training and experience than half the patrollers on staff. I trusted her with my life. I just didn’t trust myself with hers. I knew I couldn’t protect her any more than I could protect Anna. Still, I needed to try, for the sake of my sanity.
At the same time, I needed to keep her happily employed here. With Brit out and Joey injured, if we lost one more ski patroller, keeping the mountain open wouldn’t be easy.
“Actually, I’m glad you brought it up. I planned to set you up with a training partner for avy control this week, I just hadn’t sorted out the details yet.”
Every inch of her froze except her face. A series of unreadable thoughts flickered across it.
“Okay. Great.” Her shoulders dropped a fraction. So did the steel hard glint in her big, blue eyes. “When, and with who?”
Shit. Great questions. All the senior staff was already paired off, and I needed to make this happen asap. I wracked my brain for an option that made sense. Only one came to mind, and I had a feeling I would regret it, but I had to do something. “Me. Tomorrow.”
Her eyes narrowed. When Sophie’s eyes went slitty, it did not bode well.<
br />
Stupid idea, Max, my inner voice sneered. I know, but I don’t have another one, I told it and steeled myself for Sophie’s response.
“So now you’re going to have me chained to a desk doing paperwork?” Her hardened voice slammed into me. “No thanks. I’d rather stick to the groomers until I find another job.”
I stood up tall and pressed my hand over my heart. “I promise we’ll get out on the slopes every day. I just want to make sure you know this mountain and our protocols before I set you loose. I can’t have any of my ’trollers getting hurt.” That had to be the first true statement I’d made since she walked through the door.
“Fine.” Her tone softened, but her eyes stayed narrow. “When do we start?”
“Five thirty a.m.”
“See you then.” She crossed the room, opened the door, and turned to face me. Swirling snow and the gray glow of the storm framed her tiny body. Her expression remained unreadable. “Thanks, Max.”
“Sure thing.”
The door slammed behind her, and I wanted to heave a sigh of relief. Except now I was even more worried.
Chapter Two
I shoved open the door to the employee housing building.
That meeting with Max had not gone how I’d planned. I meant to be thoughtful and professional and well-rehearsed. I figured he’d try to sidestep my demands.
As usual, he’d been calm and professional while I flew off the handle. And he resolved the issue right away. Dammit. I’d been working up that mad for weeks. Being pissed at him gave me something to think about other than how much I still wanted him. Because he was damn sexy when he was all serious and professional. Even more so since I knew how deliciously unprofessional he could be.
Not that we were ever going there again. He was an asshole, and I didn’t want to screw up my whole career.
I clomped into my small, shared, two-bedroom apartment, trailing snow across the worn beige carpet. Not that it mattered. These units hadn’t been renovated in decades—if ever—and I sure as hell wasn’t the first staffer to drag snow in on my ski boots.
I threw my helmet, jacket, and gloves on the grizzled orange armchair, peeled off all but one of my layers, and plopped down on the sagging blue plaid couch to undo my boots. Jordan’s door was closed, but the thumping rhythm of old school hip-hop rumbled through the floorboards as I released my tired feet from their plastic prisons with a sigh of relief.
The only thing I’ve never liked about being on Ski Patrol was having to wear ski boots all damn day. Well that, and being treated like a weak, fragile little girl who couldn’t take care of herself. I had five older brothers I’d kept up with just fine all my life. I did not deserve that shit.
The music got louder, and Jordan’s footfalls sounded behind me, barely audible above the bass.
“Hey, Soph.”
“Hey.” I didn’t turn to look at him. Just sat there, hands on knees, emotions churning in my gut like the big tracks of a snowcat going around and around. I couldn’t tell if I was more pissed, confused, or worried.
Behind me, the fridge opened with a swoosh and closed with a rattle on its uneven feet. One bottle top clattered into the trash, then another. A beer appeared in front of my face. I took it.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
Jordan shoved my gear to the floor, sprawled in the old armchair, and stretched out his legs. He leaned back, the chair squeaking like it was in serious pain, and took a swig of his beer. “How was your day?”
“Weird and frustrating. How was yours?”
“Terrific. Fixed a buttload of fencing. Carted a wailing six-year old down the mountain while his mom skied next to me, telling me the best way to tow the sled. Sidestepped about a million vertical feet. The usual.” He shrugged and took another sip.
A smile twitched my lips but didn’t take hold. My meeting with Max kept eating at me. I couldn’t make heads or tails of what went down. He’d been avoiding me all season, giving me rookie jobs, acting like I wasn’t capable. Definitely not apologizing for two years ago—or even talking about what happened between us. Now, suddenly, we were going to be doing avy control together every day?
I should’ve been psyched, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t be.
The last thing I wanted was to spend more time with him. More time staring at his square jaw and broad shoulders. More time watching him calmly and methodically handle the craziest of situations. More time remembering how good it had been between us, with my face buried in his neck and his cock buried in my—
Dammit!
For eight weeks two years ago we’d been inseparable, a team. Max was smart and thoughtful and careful in the field during guide training. The best kind of partner, the kind I could trust with my life. That, I expected from anyone going for International Mountain Guide certification. What I didn’t expect were the nights we spent laughing and talking and having the best sex of my life.
Those two months in Chile, we couldn’t get enough of each other. Then we left, and he never returned my calls. Asshole.
Now I worked for him, and he’d been avoiding me and giving me scut work since day one.
Employees working together and screwing each other was against company policy, but we could’ve been friends. Except he barely even acknowledged that we knew each other. Yep. He was a grade A asshole. An asshole that happened to be a sex god, but an asshole nonetheless.
“Why was your day so weird?” Jordan asked.
I startled. “What? Oh…” I took a long pull from the bottle cooling my hand, trying to decide what, exactly, to say. Thumping bass filled the space between us. Not that the silence was awkward. We’d been friends for years. He knew I couldn’t keep anything in for long. All he had to do was wait and I’d spill.
The song ended, another one began, and I was no closer to figuring things out.
Ignoring his question, I jumped to the root of my issues instead. “What the fuck is Max’s problem?”
Jordan stared at me over the lip of his beer for a second. “What do you mean?”
“Why has he been treating me like an incompetent newbie?”
He rested an ankle over his knee. “Everyone starts out doing the easy stuff. Even experienced ’trollers. I was sweeping green runs and working first aid for the first month when I started. You just gotta be patient.”
“Yeah, I’ve been patient, but it’s been three fucking months. And I’ve got years more patrolling experience than you did when you started, plus my Avy 3, MTR, and IFMGA certs.”
“True.”
“So, I guess all my extra training doesn’t count for anything.” I took another swig of my beer. “I bet it would be different if I was a guy.”
Jordan’s brows lifted. “Maybe at some ski areas, but I never got the impression Max has anything but respect for the women he’s worked with. Including you.”
“Yeah, right. He has tons of respect for women. He just doesn’t believe I can do my job. Not the hard parts, anyway.”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Brit did every job on the hill. But that was before Max came on board. If it’s bugging you that much, go talk to him.”
I grit my teeth, making my already tense jaw ache. “I just did.”
“Well, what did he say?”
“He’s going to mentor me personally, starting with avy control at the butt-crack of dawn tomorrow.”
The chair squealed as he leaned forward with a curious expression. “So, what’s the problem?”
I didn’t know, but I definitely still had one. Maybe I just hadn’t gotten laid in too damn long, so my body was fixating on Max. Despite the fact that he was an asshole. Despite the fact that I was so not going there. Not after the way he’d been treating me—like I didn’t matter and wasn’t good enough.
“I guess there isn’t one anymore.” I stood and sucked down the rest of my beer, setting it in the sink empty. “I’m gonna grab a shower. You want to split a pizza?”
“Sure. The usual?”
&nb
sp; I nodded.
“Done.” Jordan reached for his phone to order one from the bar.
I closed my bedroom door, and the music dimmed to a low thump. Stripping off my long johns, I headed into my tiny en-suite bathroom, still trying to decide what was bugging me most.
Jordan was right. I’d gotten what I said I wanted. But I definitely wasn’t satisfied.
Chapter Three
The unevenly packed path from employee housing glowed white between the trees, even in the swirling snow. Stumbling along in the pre-dawn darkness, I followed it and the deep thrum of generators, to the base area.
The fresh snow on either side of the path looked deep enough to cover my boot tops. My first day on avy control at Emerald Mountain was shaping up to be a doozy.
A bright, haloed floodlight marked the entrance to the patrol shack, along with the not-so-distant laughter of the other ’trollers coming in for the early shift. Excitement and apprehension hummed in my ears.
Avalanche danger had to be through the roof and I needed to prove to Max I could do this job—every part of it, not just the easy stuff. Plus, the sooner he cut me loose on the hill, the less time I’d have to spend in close quarters with him. And the less time I’d spend trying not to think about his hands—or his mouth—on me, the better.
At one time, being alone together had been the best thing in my world, now it was just damn uncomfortable. The air between us hung limp and heavy with everything we left unsaid. And the area between my legs went tense and wet with the memories of everything we’d said, and done, two years ago. The combination made it hard to think straight, and even harder to know how to react. Especially now that I worked for him.
I yanked open the beat-up wood door and wrinkled my nose at the wave of warm dampness and eau d’old socks found in every ski area locker room and patrol shack.
“Hey, guys.”
Ten sets of eyes turned my way, but the only ones I really noticed were Max’s gray ones. Sparkling with intelligence and humor and something I couldn’t define, they sucked me in. A man with such dark hair and complexion shouldn’t have eyes that color.