He leaned closer to Jayla. “Sorry I’m late. Got stuck on the phone and forgot about the time.”
She wondered who he was so lost in a conversation with. It’s none of my business. I’m the one who said I didn’t want more right now.
“It’s fine.” Jayla settled onto the lift and tried not to think about Rush and the pretty woman behind her. Rush was right; she needed to remain focused.
At the top of the mountain, she counted heads and gathered the kids in a group as Rush skied off the lift. He reached out to steady the pretty woman he’d ridden with. The woman flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder and fluttered her lashes. Jealousy prickled Jayla’s nerves again.
She had to distract herself before she literally turned green with envy. “Does anyone have any questions before we start?”
Meg had her eyes locked on Taylor, and Taylor was soaking up the attention, playing the disinterested attitudinal teen, checking out the woman who was still talking to Rush. The others were perched at the edge of the slope and ready to ski. Jeffrey stood off to the side, and Suzie was busy eyeing Rush. Jayla remembered what it was like to look at Rush that way at that very same age. I still do it. She only wished that Suzie was more focused on skiing, or even boys her own age. She wondered if her mother’s infatuation with Rush had anything to do with Suzie’s obsession with him.
It’s none of my business.
She went over to try to distract Suzie. “You’re going to do great. You know that, right?”
“I know. I’m a little nervous.” She lifted her blue eyes to Jayla and brushed her hair from her face.
“I am, too. I’m always nervous when I’m up here.” She looked over the beautiful sea of white below and sighed. “But once I’m on the slope, it all comes together, like my legs weren’t made for walking at all, and I should have been born with skis for feet.”
Suzie laughed and stole another glance at Rush.
Jayla wanted to tell her that she was pretty and strong and didn’t need to put herself out there in inappropriate ways, but that wasn’t her place any more than it was her place to tell Taylor that he didn’t need to be a show-off.
“Come on. Let’s show everyone just how good of a skier you are. I’ll go down with you.” She cast a glance over her shoulder at Rush. “You guys ready?”
“Always,” Rush answered.
In her mind she heard a sexual innuendo in his tone. Unfortunately, she knew it was in her mind because he hadn’t even looked over when he’d said it.
Taylor descended the slope fast and confidently as the others tried to keep up. Meg tumbled over a small bump in the snow. Rush helped her up, then followed her down the slope.
Jeffrey was the last to join them at the bottom.
“About time,” Taylor said with an eye roll.
Jeffrey looked away.
Stand up for yourself. She knew better than to come to Jeffrey’s defense. It would only make him look weaker to the others. Rush slid Taylor a dark stare and Taylor turned away. Problem solved, for now.
“Hey, Rush!” The dark-haired woman who had ridden up the slope with him waved as she skied over to the lift. “I did what you said and it worked perfectly. Thanks.”
She smiled, and even Jayla couldn’t look away from her glistening white teeth and flawless olive skin. She could have been the face of Dove. Jayla didn’t even have the right to feel the jealousy that gripped her—she’d turned Rush away.
“Glad to hear it.” Rush cocked his crooked grin.
“Ride up with you?” the woman asked.
Rush glanced at the kids, then at Jayla.
She shifted her eyes away.
“Can’t, sorry,” Rush said to the woman. “I gotta stick with the class.”
The corners of the woman’s mouth turned down.
Can’t? This was new. It gave Jayla pause.
“Grab a drink later?” she asked.
Wow, you’re persistent. Jayla settled into the chairlift and turned away from them. It was hard enough listening to her flirt with Rush. She didn’t need to watch them, too. And if Rush was the guy he’d always been, then she already knew what he’d do. He’d meet her for a drink, get his ego—and particular body parts—stroked, and forget her name by the next morning.
“Sorry. We have practice, but thanks anyway,” Rush said as he settled into the chairlift beside Jayla.
She whipped her head around. You turned her down? You turned her down! Oh wait…we’re still officially in competition season.
But you kissed me and we’re still in season.
JAYLA SAT RIGIDLY beside Rush, her eyes narrowed and maybe a little angry. She was still so goddamn beautiful it made Rush ache. After a minute of uncomfortable silence, he said, “I’m really sorry I was late.”
“We were fine, but I can’t take them down the mountain alone, so…”
“Today was a fluke. I was talking to Jack.”
She turned toward him, and his whole body went hot.
“How is Jack?”
Although Rush had never shared what Jack had said to him, he had shared with Jayla how Jack had basically escaped to the Colorado Mountains for two years after Linda’s death, maintaining connections as a survival training guide and bush pilot and not much else. That is where he met his now-fiancée, Savannah Braden, when she’d taken one of his survival courses, and the connection finally helped Jack heal.
“Good. He and Savannah set a wedding date.” He felt a fissure between them and wondered if it was due to his being late that morning, or the feelings they were trying to ignore.
They joined the group. Meg was talking with Taylor, and Taylor was staring at Jeffrey with a challenging look in his eyes. Jeffrey was bent over, tightening his boot dejectedly, and Suzie stood with the other kids. At least Suzie was starting to blend in with kids her own age.
“Can I go?” Taylor asked Rush.
“In a minute.” Rush skied over to Jayla. “Want me to take the moody teens or the others?”
“I’ll take the attitudes. They suit me today.”
He watched her ski away and was beginning to think that he had made a huge mistake by telling her how he felt. He’d managed to screw their friendship up even more by practicing together and then leaving her high and dry. He should have left well enough alone.
By the end of class, Taylor and Meg were a unit. Where one went, the other followed—and Jeffrey’s sad puppy eyes trailed behind them. If Rush had one week with Jeffrey, he knew he could bolster his confidence, and he’d never have to look that way again. Then again, his own love life was messed up beyond control. He had no business trying to help anyone else.
After class, Rush watched Meg fidgeting with her gloves as she and Taylor stood inches apart, and it made him think of kissing Jayla at the bonfire. Rush had the whole womanizing thing down pat. That didn’t take emotions. It wasn’t complicated. Find a hot woman, gauge her interest, and the rest was a given. He’d known Jayla forever. He loved her. Kissing her should have been anything but nerve-racking. Instead, it had made him feel like a kid going in for his first lip-lock.
“Hey there.”
Suzie’s mother, Kelly, smiled up at him with an I’m-yours-for-the-taking look in her eyes. She licked her lips and flipped her blond hair over one shoulder. That’s where Suzie learned it. It was a look that Kelly had probably practiced in the mirror a thousand times, and it was spot-on hot.
“Hi.” Rush looked around for Jayla. Where are you?
“So, I was thinking…” Kelly glanced at Suzie, standing a few feet away and talking with Chris. “Suzie’s dad has her this weekend. I know it’s sort of forward of me, but I figured, what the hell. Any chance you’d like to have a drink Friday night?”
“Mom, are we going?” Suzie called over.
Rush wondered if he was wearing a sign around his neck that read, Test me. See if I’ve really changed. “Thanks, but I’m in training. I really can’t. Sorry.”
“Mom!”
Kelly sighed without answering Suzie. She furrowed her brow. “Well, if you change your mind…” She shoved a piece of paper in his hand and turned away. She glanced over her shoulder at Rush and smiled.
Not a chance in hell. He crumpled the paper in his fist and stuffed it into his pocket as he spotted Jayla walking away.
Chapter Fifteen
JAYLA CLOCKED IN at two seconds faster than she had the evening before, and when Coach Cunningham patted her on the back and smiled, it was all the encouragement she needed to know she was doing the right thing with Rush. She’d watched him with Kelly Baker after class, and she’d been surprised to see his eyes darting around instead of giving Kelly his swoon-worthy stare. She’d gone back to her cabin to take medicine for her shoulder, which ached like a bad tooth, and when he didn’t text or stop by, she panicked a little. Rush had to go and open his mouth and say all the things she felt. She didn’t like the awkwardness between them, and she never would have believed that anything could rock their friendship.
This is so stupid. We need to talk. Clear the air. I just need to get through the competition, then go to the doctor to see if I can compete next year or not. Then we can figure out if there’s an “us” to think about.
She rode the lift up with Kia and focused on the next run down the mountain. Focusing on training kept her mind off of Rush, which drove away the thoughts of whether she could trust him or not. That wasn’t the most important thing at that moment. Neither was the hot pain spearing her shoulder. All that mattered was bettering her time and winning the competition. If she could make herself believe that, the rest of the week would be livable.
“You were out early this morning. I heard you leave at, like, five.” Kia’s cheeks were bright pink, and she had mischief in her eyes. “How’d you get them to turn on the lift? Teri said she saw it running.”
It was Rush. Isn’t it always? Jayla wasn’t about to say that he had arranged it. Kia gushed over him, and just about every other guy around, and she’d seen enough women swooning over Rush today. She shrugged.
“Are you going tomorrow? Can I come with you? I’d love to hit the slopes for some extra practice.”
“I’m not sure if I’m going tomorrow or not, but if I do, I’ll let you know.” She definitely wanted to hit the slopes in the morning, but she had to find out from Rush who ran the lift, and she’d been doing all she could to avoid him.
After practice, Rush caught up with her on the way to the cabins. “Hey, good job out there.”
“Thanks.”
He whipped off his hat and shoved it in his pocket. “Everyone’s getting together for dinner. Wanna go?”
Go, like together, together?
He must have read her mind, because he followed that up with, “Don’t worry. Not a date. Just friends. All of us.”
“You’re not meeting Suzie’s mom?”
He glared at her.
“Sorry. I couldn’t help it. Sure, I guess I’ll go, if you’re sure you won’t mind.”
“Why would I mind? Friends, right?”
Then why is your jaw twitching? “Right, yeah,” she practically whispered. “Hey, who can I talk to about running the lift tomorrow morning?” The cabins came into view, and she fought the urge to slow her pace just to spend a few more minutes alone with him. Maybe they could just be friends, even after those mind-blowing kisses. She snuck a glance at his profile, and butterflies fluttered in her belly. Nope. Friends won’t work anymore.
“They’re set for the next few days. They’ll have them running by five each morning.”
“Really? Thanks. That’s great.”
When they reached her cabin, Rush slowed but didn’t stop to say goodbye. “I’ll see you at dinner.” He turned and jogged up to his cabin, and she longed to relive the moments of intimacy they’d shared that went beyond friendship. She wanted to relive all of them—the looks, the kisses, the feel of his hands on her waist, his whiskers against her skin, the taste of him…
JAYLA SHOWERED AND changed three times, finally deciding on a see-through sweater with the lacy cami that had drawn Rush’s attention the other night. With that, she wore a short black skirt and knee-high black boots. Maybe she’d garner a few glances and give Rush a dose of jealousy so she wasn’t the only one sweating over wanting what she couldn’t have.
Her phone vibrated with a text from her sister. Every time Jennifer texted about Rush, it was a reminder of what she was trying so hard to push away, and it made her nerves pinch.
So???
She texted a message she hoped would stop her sister’s constant inquiries.
Decided not to pursue it.
Her phone vibrated a minute later with a text from Kia. Ready?
She had assumed that Rush was coming to get her, but now she realized how stupid that was. He’d asked her to go as part of the group. Why would he stop by to get her? Because he always has.
She texted Kia. Yup. Where should I meet you?
Jennifer’s text came in next. Chickenshit.
She texted back an emoticon of a person sticking out their tongue, then read the text from Kia. Parking lot. Now if you’re ready.
She grabbed her coat and purse and headed out the door.
Chapter Sixteen
LAYERS OF DEEP blues and pinks danced above the mountains as the sun descended behind their snowy peaks. The cold air stung Jayla’s legs as she headed for the parking lot. She contemplated going back to the cabin and throwing on a pair of jeans, but when the others came into focus, she didn’t want to hold them up. Her eyes fell on Rush, leaning against the hood of the black SUV, his muscular legs crossed at the ankles, his face partially hidden by a baseball cap, and his attention completely captured by Teri and Kia, who stood in front of him wearing ungodly short skirts.
Glad I didn’t go for my jeans.
“Oh good. You’re here,” Kia said to her as she clicked the key fob and unlocked the doors to the SUV. “I almost forgot to tell you. I heard Marcus already moved on to some other chick. He’s such a dick.” Kia rolled her eyes.
Thank God. “You won’t get an argument on that from me.”
Rush’s eyes landed on Jayla’s boots and ran slowly up her legs, lingering at her skirt, then roved north, finally landing on her face. He narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together. She took his dark stare as a compliment, and when he climbed into the passenger seat without saying a word, she knew she’d chosen the right outfit.
While she was busy watching Rush climb into the passenger seat, Patrick, Cliff, and Teri claimed the three rear seats.
“Looks like you’re on Patrick’s lap,” Kia called to Jayla.
Rush whipped his head around and shot her a narrow-eyed dark stare. His jaw clenched, lips pressed tightly together. She knew he wouldn’t offer for her to sit up front with him when they were trying to remain just friends. She’d felt the effect she had on his body when they’d kissed, and given his reaction, she was pretty sure the short skirt had an even stronger effect. The thought sent a thrill vibrating through her.
“Oh yeah, climb in, baby.” Patrick patted his thighs.
Patrick was known for having roaming hands. She was just about to offer to squeeze between Cliff and Teri when she had another idea. Why not torture Rush a little? She climbed onto Cliff’s lap.
“Okay, ready.” She could feel Rush’s eyes on her, and at the same time, she realized she had the same effect on Cliff as she had on Rush. Ugh.
They drove into the next town over, Allure, and parked at Bar None. Rush sidled up to her as they walked across the parking lot. “What the hell was that?”
“What?” Oh, this is fun.
“You could have sat on my lap.” He latched on to her arm and slowed her pace.
“I didn’t hear you offer.” Jealousy isn’t fun, is it?
“I didn’t hear Cliff offer, either.”
Good point. “Trust me, he didn’t seem to mind. Besides, I’m not trying to walk a fine line with my feelings for Cliff.”
Patrick held the door open, and she broke free from Rush and followed the others to a table. Cliff settled in beside her. Patrick and Teri claimed the chairs at the ends of the table, and Rush sat across from Jayla, with Kia—of course—sitting beside him.
Jayla had no idea how to do whatever it was she and Rush were doing, but by the way the muscles in his jaw were jumping, she’d clearly struck a nerve. She drew her eyes away, thinking about their predicament. Was she being stubborn and stupid? She loved him. Oh, how she loved him. What if they didn’t work as a couple? She couldn’t stand losing their friendship—but look how awkward things were now. Wouldn’t it be ten times worse if they dated and then Rush realized he couldn’t date and still focus? All that left them with was remaining friends. Forever. And that made her ache all over.
Her phone vibrated. She pulled it out to read a text and was surprised to see Rush’s name on the screen. She lifted her eyes and saw him staring down at his lap. She couldn’t help but smile as she read the text.
Cliff?
She texted back. It’s not like we’re dating. No dating during competition remember?
Her phone vibrated a few seconds later. That’s my rule not urs.
She tried not to enjoy his jealousy, but it was damn hard. Oh. Right. But we said we wouldn’t date each other bc of distractions. So…it’s kind of the same thing.
He texted back right away. Good.
She needed a drink, or twelve, to weed through this friendship of theirs. And she could only have one. Any more than that and she’d never get up at four thirty to practice.
AFTER DINNER THEY moved to a table in the dimly lit bar, where a band was playing. Teri and Patrick headed for the dance floor. Rush pulled out a chair for Jayla, but before he could claim the seat beside her, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and found Rex Braden smiling down at him, a leather Stetson set high on his head. Rex was one of Savannah Braden’s brothers. All the Braden men were tall and well built, and Rex was no exception. At six four with thick black hair and a body built from years of hard work on their family ranch, Rex had a formidable presence.
Slope of Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons) Page 11