He moved closer and caressed her sore shoulder with his fingertips. Her muscles tensed at his touch.
“Relax. Close your eyes and let your muscles relax.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to work. You’re naked and you’re touching me. The two don’t really add up to relaxation. In fact, they have quite the opposite effect on me.”
“I know it hurt your shoulder when we were…”
“A little.”
He moved in close and gazed into her eyes. The pain she was hiding, and the fear that lay beneath, tore at his heart.
“Can I get you some pain medication? Anything?” He pressed a kiss to her lips.
She shook her head. “I’m good.”
“I know. You’re good. You’re strong. You can take anything.” He fell back on the pillow with a sigh. “Would it be so bad to really let me in? It’s not like I’m going to run to the coach and tell him that you’re in pain. I told you I’d support your decision to compete before you see a doctor, and I will.”
“I know you will.”
“Then what’s the issue?” He leaned over her again and ran his finger down her cheek. “I know how strong you are, babe. I respect you for your strength, but I also love you, and you can let your guard down when we’re together.”
Jayla blinked several times. She reached for his hand and laced her fingers between his. “Coach asked about my shoulder. He said he noticed that I was favoring it.” Her forehead wrinkled and her eyes dampened.
“It’s okay,” he whispered.
“He said…” She swallowed hard. “He…”
A tear slid down her cheek, and Rush brushed it away. He pressed his cheek to hers and held her. “It’s okay, babe.”
Tears slid between their cheeks like secrets. Her body rocked with sadness. It killed him that he couldn’t fix this for her, and he knew the last thing she wanted was for him to try to fix it. They lay together for several minutes, until her breathing calmed and her tears dried. Then Rush held her until he felt the tension in her body ease as she sank into him. And then he held her a little longer. He wanted to protect her from all of it—the accusations, the pain, the sadness, and the fear they conjured. He wanted to be the person who brought a smile to her beautiful face and who made her lose her mind when they were close. When the emotions became too much to hold in, he let them free.
“You’re everything to me, Jayla. You don’t have to say anything. I know this is all overwhelming.” Her fingers pressed into his skin. “Why don’t I draw you a warm bath? It’ll help you relax.”
He pulled the sheet over her to keep her warm and went into the bathroom, which was tiled in earth tones with white ceramic floors. The mirror was framed in dark wood to match the antique-style double sink and the brushed bronze faucet. The oversized Jacuzzi tub was big enough for the two of them, but he didn’t want Jayla to feel like he was smothering her. He took a shower while the bathtub filled. When he returned to the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and Tylenol and Motrin in his hand, Jayla was sitting on the edge of the bed with the sheet tucked under her arms.
“I need to bring you one of my T-shirts so you don’t have to cover yourself with a sheet.”
She blushed.
“Let me remind you again. I have seen you naked.”
“I know. It’s weird, isn’t it? I mean, I always knew what you looked like, but now I really know what all of you looks like.” Her cheeks flushed.
He lifted her chin until their eyes met. “And we know exactly how the other tastes, too.” She dropped her eyes again, and he had to kiss her again. “You’re too damn cute for your own good. If I wasn’t worried about your shoulder, I’d lay you down and enjoy dessert.”
She pushed him playfully away. “Rush.”
“What? Just being honest.” He handed her the Tylenol and Motrin and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. “Are you sure you don’t want something stronger?”
“No. I’m good.”
He picked up his briefs from the floor and handed her the glass of water before dropping his towel and stepping into them. Jayla’s eyes shifted to his naked body, and the edges of her lips curled up.
“You better be careful, eyeing me like that.”
“Come here.” She swallowed the pills, took a drink of water, and set the glass on the nightstand.
Rush crouched before her so they were eye to eye, and for a minute Jayla just looked at him. She tilted her head to one side, then the other. She ran her fingers along the tattoo on his left arm and knitted her brows together. Finally, she sighed and touched his cheek.
“Coach said I need to think about the team, and if I can’t win, then I need to let someone else take my spot.”
“That’s bullshit. How can he say that? If you’re ready, you’ll compete.” The man in Rush reacted viscerally before the athlete or the boyfriend in him had a chance to weigh in. Rush didn’t like to be told what he could or couldn’t do.
“And if he’s right?” Her voice was a thin thread.
Rush weighed his answer, and in the silence, the sound of the tub caught his attention. “Hold up a sec.” He turned off the tub and then brought Jayla a towel.
“Here you go, Little Miss Modest. Why don’t you get in the tub and relax, and we’ll figure this out.”
She tucked the sheet under one arm and slid the towel beneath, exposing her naked body for only seconds when the sheet dropped to the bed and she stood, before wrapping the towel fully around her.
“So how does this work? After we have sex, I shouldn’t see you naked? Because if that’s your plan, I’m kinda hating it already.”
She laughed as she passed him on the way into the bathroom, looking adorable in the thick white towel that barely covered her ass. The bathroom was warm with steam, and when she set the towel on the sink and stepped into the tub, Rush realized he was staring and turned away.
“You don’t have to turn around.”
He faced her again with a wide grin. “Really? So I’m not banned from the naked Jayla show?” One look at her and he got hard again.
She shook her head.
He looked down at his tented briefs. “Maybe banning me isn’t such a bad idea.” He went to retrieve his jeans, then came back and leaned against the doorframe, putting a little distance between them, and hopefully, allowing himself to concentrate on something other than wanting to touch her again. “Sorry. What do you want to do about the competition?”
“I want to compete more than I want to breathe.”
Rush crossed one ankle over the other. “Okay then. That’s what we tell the coach.”
Jayla leaned her head back, exposing her long, graceful neck, and heat swept through him again. The way his body reacted to her took him by surprise and confirmed what he’d already known. He’d been burying his feelings for her for a very long time. He just hadn’t been anywhere near equipped to recognize or handle them before now.
She turned toward him with a tentative smile.
Rush couldn’t maintain the distance. He knelt beside the tub with a washcloth, dunked it in the water, and began gently washing her. He’d never bathed a woman before, and with Jayla, the desire came naturally. She closed her eyes as he washed her arms, chest, and shoulders.
“I’m not sure it’s fair to the team,” she said.
“You know that as a member of that team, I want to say he’s probably right, but as your best friend, I want to stand behind you and tell you to compete if that’s what you want to do. But as your boyfriend, I want nothing more than to take you to the doctor and find out what’s going on. You’re the strongest female competitor I know.” He bathed her legs with the cloth. “But you’re trying to make a decision without any concrete information. Why don’t we see the team doc and get a feel for how bad the injury really is? Then you can at least make an informed decision, knowing if this is a labral tear or something else altogether.”
She looked away, and he set the cloth on the side of the tub.
“Baby, level with me. How bad is the pain? One to ten?” He reached under the water and took her hand in his. Every silent second that passed held what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. She wasn’t going to budge, and he knew not to push. “This is your decision, and I’ll support whatever it is that you want to do.”
Her eyes found his again. “I’m not a quitter.”
“Everyone knows that.”
“I can do it. I want to do it. Even if I don’t win first place. I have to try. I haven’t come this far to just throw it away because of a little pain.”
It killed him to support her decision to compete, but if there was one thing Rush understood, it was a competitor’s mind-set. He’d feel the same way if he were the one injured. “Damn right.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
He had to try one more time. “Okay. Do you want to talk to the doc just to get a clear picture of—”
“No. No way. If he thinks I can’t push through the pain, he’ll pull me from the competition.” She sat up straight and tall. “And I can push through anything.”
“I know you can.”
She wrinkled her brow. “I think I need pizza.”
“And gummy bears.”
“Definitely.”
“I’m on it.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
TWO HOURS LATER, they were cuddled up on the couch in Jayla’s cabin watching Dirty Dancing. An empty pizza box sat open on the coffee table beside a half-full bag of gummy bears. The remnants of Hawaiian Punch pooled in the bottom of a wineglass on the end table.
“I love Patrick Swayze.” Jayla snuggled against Rush, his arm draped over her chest, her legs stretched along the couch. Rush’s feet were propped up on the coffee table, and Jayla traced the seam of his jeans. “He’s like the total package: hot, badass, and sensitive.”
“And what am I? Chopped liver?”
Teasing him as his lover was so much more fun than teasing him as his best friend. “Hm…” Jayla looked at his feet and tapped her chin. “Let’s see. Fuzzy slippers, and you’re watching Dirty Dancing.” She sat up a little and turned to him, using her left hand to steady herself as she raked her eyes down his tight T-shirt. “Not bad to look at.” She ran her hand along his tattoo. “You do have cool tattoos.” She touched his chin. “And stubble is definitely rugged and sexy.”
He clenched his jaw, and she touched the jumping muscle.
“And the jealousy is hot. Definitely hot.”
He kissed her, deeply and sensuously, sending her world spinning again.
“Definitely hot,” she whispered.
“Tease.”
Rush’s phone rang, and they stared at it like it was a foreign object.
“Who is calling this late?” Rush grabbed his phone from the coffee table. “It’s Jack. Hey, man. Is everything okay?”
Jayla mouthed, Want me to pause it?
He nodded and she did.
“That would be fantastic. Yeah.” He listened. “What are you doing up so late?” He mouthed, Everything’s fine, to Jayla. “Bummer. No, no problem. I’m just watching a movie with Jayla.” He listened again. “Mm-hm. I can’t really…Right. Mm-hm. Okay.” He pulled the phone away from his mouth and said to Jayla, “Some of my family’s coming to watch the competition on Saturday.”
“Great.” Jayla admired the way Rush’s family supported one another, and she was looking forward to seeing them again. As she listened to him wrapping up the call, the nervous flutter returned to her stomach.
“All right. Yup. See you then, bro.” Rush ended the call and tossed the phone onto the table. “So, looks like there’s going to be a Remington reunion here on Saturday. Apparently, Kurt has a book signing about two hours from here this weekend, and Siena and her boyfriend, Cash, are visiting his brother in Allure. I guess Jack’s flying my parents and Savannah in. Dex and Ellie can’t come because of some deadline or something, and Sage and Kate are in South Africa with their company, but Jack and the others are excited to see you.”
“I’m excited to see them. I love your family, but…”
“But what will they think of us as a couple?”
She reached for the bag of gummy bears, and he pulled her back against his chest.
“My family loves you, and if I’m happy, they’re happy.” He kissed the back of her head.
She popped a bear into her mouth. “Yeah, but what if this injury sinks me?” It was a little easier to say that time than it had been the first. “You fell in love with an Olympic athlete. What will they think if I can’t compete anymore? Oh God, Rush, what will you think? I’ll be like one of those has-beens. A hanger-on.”
She set the bag of candy on the couch, and he picked it up and took a bear between his finger and thumb; then he put it in his teeth and leaned in close. She laughed at him, loving how he tried to pull her out of her darker thoughts.
“You know you want me,” he teased.
She brought her lips to his, and he pushed the gummy bear into her mouth.
“There’s more than one way to win you over.” He pressed a kiss to her lips as she chewed the sweet, delicious candy.
“I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you way before you won your Olympic gold. And if you think I’m wrong and that I fell in love with you because you won it, then why would I have waited until two years after you won to make my move?”
“Because you had no idea you loved me.”
“Well, you’re right about that. I didn’t realize how much I loved you until, I don’t know, a year or so ago, but I fell in love with Jayla Stone, and whether you’re an Olympic athlete, a ski instructor, or a gummy-bear-eating ski bunny makes no difference to me. I love who you are, not what you do.”
“No difference? What if I were a pantyless ski bunny?” She heard his breathing quicken. “Candy might be one way to my heart, but I think I’ve learned a little something about the way to yours, too.”
“Babe, the organ you tweaked when you took your panties off was far lower than my heart.”
She slid her hand behind his head, where it fit perfectly against his short hair, and her pinky rested on the soft skin below. She loved this. Him. Being who they’d always been—only more.
She pulled him into another kiss and tried to ignore the worry wrapping its prickly little tentacles around her nerves.
Chapter Twenty-Four
BY FIVE THIRTY the next morning, Rush and Jayla were on the chairlift heading up the mountain with Cliff and Patrick in the chair behind them. The morning was bitter cold and windy. Night clung to the last thread of itself as a graying sky fought to keep the sun from rising.
“You sure you want to do this?” Rush asked.
Jayla exhaled a fluffy white burst of air. “You’ve asked me this four times already. Do you think I’m going to change my mind?”
He knew damn well she wasn’t going to change her mind, but once again the boyfriend side of his brain was having trouble stepping back after watching her cringe and wince while getting dressed that morning and then again when she put on her skis. She was so damned stubborn that he wanted to shake her and was proud of her in equal measure.
“Nope, just giving you the option.” He kissed the side of her head.
She turned to face him, looking a little like an Arctic robber. Her black balaclava covered her entire face, exposing only her beautiful—and at the moment, challenge-filled—eyes.
“Cliff and Patrick are used to seeing us together, but kissing might draw their attention, don’t you think?”
He pulled the cloth from in front of her mouth and kissed her again. “I don’t care. The coach knows, or at least strongly suspects, and no one else matters.”
The corners of her eyes wrinkled, and he knew she was smiling.
He watched her carefully as she skied off the lift. If he hadn’t been looking for it, he probably wouldn’t have noticed that she was leaning to the left, but he couldn’t ignore what was now blatantly obvious, and it made his gut w
rench.
Patrick came to a stop beside him. “What was that?”
Rush pulled down his goggles. “What?”
“The lip-lock on the lift.”
Rush set his jaw and flashed a serious don’t-fuck-with-me stare at him. “Exactly what you think it is.”
“What about your no-pussy rule for this competition season?”
Instinct and pent-up frustration over Jayla’s decision to compete drove Rush’s hand to Patrick’s collar. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Don’t ever refer to Jayla as that. Got it?”
Patrick’s jaw gaped in surprise and annoyance. He pushed away from Rush. “Dude. Whatever. Sorry, man.”
Rush released him but held his stare. His heart thundered against his ribs. He hadn’t expected such a visceral reaction to Patrick just being Patrick, but then again, when it came to Jayla, he hadn’t expected his emotions to take over like they had.
The morning light crept over the mountain, illuminating the slope and bringing with it a surge of adrenaline that made Rush break out in a sweat. He watched Jayla launch herself from the crest. Her form was immaculate, her speed immediate, and he worried like hell about her. He skied slower, more worried about her than his time. There was no hint of the leaning he’d noticed earlier in her positioning as she flew down the slope at lightning speed. Satisfied that she was okay, he let his body take over and sped past her to make the most of the remaining trail.
He waited for Jayla at the bottom and they rode the lift up together.
“How’s your shoulder?”
“Fine. Cliff asked if I was dating you.” Jayla scooted closer to him.
“And?”
“I told him that I was just making the rounds to see if our male ski team was as well endowed as the rumors say they are.” She leaned her head against his shoulder.
Slope of Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons) Page 16