What if she hadn’t betrayed me?
All a waste of my fucking time.
I was here. I had to be here. And it looked like I was going to get my revenge on the only two things that I’d ever loved and the only two things that had ruined me: the mountain and Jessa Lynn Madison.
J-bird.
I waited until they left before walking into the gym to meet my trainer. “Monroe?” The blonde girl turned to face me.
“Chance Ryder,” she said in awe before her face broke out into a smile. “Oh my gosh, I’m such a huge fan of yours. Totally unprofessional right now, but I had to tell you. I’m Monroe, your physical therapist.”
Already knew your name, sweetheart. At least she wasn’t too bad on the eyes.
“Thanks,” I replied tightly waiting for her to remember that she actually had a job to do; I was on a tight schedule.
“Right—ok,” she said as she stepped in way too close to be professional with a hooded gaze that told me she was about to offer me something I really wasn’t interested in. “I’m so excited to be working with you.” Christ. “I just want you to know that even outside of our sessions, if there is anything that I can do to help you…”
A week or so ago, I would have skipped the Physical Therapy for some Personal Time with the petite blonde but not today. The strands of revenge weaving together inside my mind were creating something much sweeter than a quick fuck. Although, I wouldn’t completely rule out that possibility.
I cleared my throat. “I was told we were going to start with aquatherapy.” I didn’t even bother to look at her when I said it. Unfortunately, it only made her desire for me roll off her faster.
“Of course. Right this way,” she said with a breathy, desperate voice that made her sound pathetic.
I followed her, my eyes glued to where we were headed—the glass door that I’d been watching Jessa’s perfect ass when she stared through it a few minutes ago.
It took nothing away from my goals to admit that even after eight years she was still hotter than any woman I’d ever seen, fucked, or wanted to fuck.
The definition of J-bird.
God. If I could find some way to fuck Jessa again through all of this… Well, that would make this whole process even more satisfying.
“Who was that?” I demanded, nodding in the direction where Dr. Lev and Jessa had walked off.
Christ. If this girl batted her eyelashes any fucking faster she was going to take flight. That’s ok. I could put her attraction to good use.
I watched as Monroe’s face scrunched into an expression that resembled a ferret before she replied, “Oh, Dr. Lev? He’s the director of the center. He usually isn’t down here.”
Clever but no, sweetheart. “Who was the girl with him?”
My thumbs hooked into the waist of my sweats waiting for her to answer; I’d strip once she told me what I wanted to know. Now, pick up your damn drool off of the floor and tell me. Annoyance etched deeper into her features as she replied tightly, “No idea.” But because she wanted to please me, she volunteered more information. “Probably someone he is looking to hire. A little unprofessional with the bright pink hair.”
‘A little unbelievably irresistible,’ I wanted to say but instead bit my tongue. I needed more information from the twat.
“So, can I request the same PT every week?” I wondered as I slid my sweats down. “Or will it be a different one each time?”
Five… four… three… two…
“Y-you can definitely request me,” she stammered as her eyes finally left my groin.
And welcome back from the dick-daze.
Her eyes still were bulging at the outline of my cock in the tight-ass swimsuit they’d insisted I had to wear. Not like I was fucking training for the Olympic swim team or some shit like that. No, the fucking speedo was still strongly recommended.
I turned towards the pool, attempting to hide my smile. I wasn’t going to request her. I wasn’t going to tell her that nor was I going to tell her that what had my dick at attention had nothing to do with the way she’d been throwing herself at me.
A half an hour working in the water and I was almost as wet as my therapist’s underwear. Almost. Then it was back into the gym to work on my muscle strength and flexibility. Seeing how weak my knee was pissed me off further with every rep of every stupid fucking exercise.
It hurt. It burned so goddamn bad. But I took it all—all the pain I stored up as anger against her.
Even after the surgeries, even though everything was “fixed,” I still couldn’t snowboard. Just like even though Jessa was here, I still couldn’t have her.
So. Fucking. Irritating.
But I could have this chick. I mean, her mouth had been hanging open for the past forty-five minutes, it was rude of me not to put my dick inside of it.
“Ok, Chance. I think we are done for today,” she informed me with her arms crossed underneath her chest, shoving her tits up high and onto display.
I stood up from the machine and asked, “Are we?”
One glance down to where she was already looking was all it took. Two minutes later, we were in the unisex bathroom and I was testing the strength and flexibility of the back of her throat. Maybe a little too roughly, but only because I kept looking down at her head and expecting to see pink.
With a groan, I filled Blondie up with my release. At least one fucking part of my body was still in good working condition. Meanwhile, the rest of me struggled with exercises that would have been a piece of cake five months ago.
Disentangling myself from Monroe, I gave her a ‘job-well-done’ smile as I made my way back to the locker room to change.
Fuck.
Texts from Channing and Ally, my twin and my younger sister, lit up my phone.
Yeah, I’d kill for them—and die for them—but as much as I cared about them, I hated how much they cared about me right now. Fucked up, I know. But their concern reminded me of my fucking misery and trust me, I didn’t need any reminders. Every day, I drove past the mountain that was no longer part of my life. Every day, I watched Frost leave the house to go boarding while I went to work or got stoned.
It was one reason why I decided to move in with Nick Frost. The other big one? The fucker was the only person I knew that was colder, more depraved, and more miserable than I was—and misery loves company.
Now, it was time to pay the good doctor a visit. I smirked and knocked on Dr. Lev’s door.
“Yes? Come in,” the deep merry boomed from the other side.
He set down his pen and pulled his glasses from his nose when I opened the door and walked in and introduced myself “Dr. Lev. Chance Ryder.”
“Yes, yes, Mr. Ryder. I know who you are. I’m so glad to finally see you in here. I was expecting you several weeks ago.” He stood and bent forward to extend his hand over his desk to greet me.
My smile tightened with restraint as I firmly gripped his outstretched hand and returned the shake.
“How can I help you?” he asked as he sat down and motioned for me to take a seat, hooking his glasses back on his face.
I made a point to stay standing. This wasn’t going to take long.
“Is Jessa Madison going to be working here?” I asked bluntly. I’d waited eight years for this; I didn’t have time to play games. Not with him.
He pulled the tiny frames down the bridge of his nose to stare at me. “I… Well…” he stuttered for a moment at my bluntness. “Yes, I… She will be joining our staff here.”
“Wonderful.” I broke out the golden-boy smile for this one. “I’d like to request her as my therapist for the remainder of my program.”
Unlike wine or whiskey, revenge doesn’t age well. And if I couldn’t get it on the mountain, I would get it with her.
She was going to regret ever coming back here.
If at all possible, he looked even more flustered before quickly recovering to advise me. “Well, now… This is highly irregular. We specifically select
a therapist based on the injury and their unique approach to recovery. Not to mention, moving a patient from our senior therapist to a new addition…” He trailed off, understanding that I would get his implication. Too bad I didn’t care. He had about another five seconds before my patience was up.
“Were you not happy with Monroe?”
I was happy with her throat.
“She was fine,” I opted for instead. “And while I appreciate the approach, Dr. Lev. I think that patient preference comes first and I would prefer to work with Ms. Madison since we are old friends. I feel that my time here will be more… successful… with her helping me.”
My voice caught on an edge—one that grew sharper with each word.
He eyed me up for a second. But I knew who I was—and so did he. I was the hometown hero who was injured; I was going to be big news if his clinic was the one responsible for putting me back on the mountain. A pipe dream at this point.
“Alright, Mr. Ryder,” he begrudgingly agreed. “She is starting tomorrow, so I will put you in her schedule for the afternoon.”
“Great.” The smirk finally slipped out. “Thank you for your consideration.”
I turned and let myself out.
I was Chance-fucking-Ryder. I was the Pride before the fall. And I always got what I wanted.
And what I wanted was Jessa Madison screaming my name with tears streaming down that beautiful face of hers.
First, when I fucked her. Then, when I broke her.
I’m coming for you, J-bird.
The Fool: Given the number zero, this card shows the Fool at the beginning of his journey with unlimited potential. It shows the highest potential for your life—a state of renewal and new beginnings. The Fool is about to step off the cliff—to take a leap of faith—into the world, but is she prepared?
The Fool may represent a choice to be made—one of critical importance. The Fool says to follow your heart, no matter how crazy your impulses may seem.
Nine years ago
“WHY DON’T YOU WANT TO be my girl, J-bird?” He growled against my neck, chasing another shiver down my spine.
I did. I really did. “Because I know what happens to your ‘girls’, Chance.” My pulse raced like a freaking freight train as his finger traced along the edge of my jaw.
This—right here, right now—had been happening for weeks. Stolen moments between classes, during lunch, or before heading up the mountain. This was something that I’d tried to avoid and I’d almost made it to senior year. Almost.
Chance Ryder was the poster-child of effortless popularity. He was an Abercrombie model, Axe body spray, and a pair of white Jordans all rolled into one. Keep in mind, he didn’t actually wear any of those things. And that was exactly why none of them were popular in our high school. If you wanted to be liked… if you wanted to have friends… heck, if you wanted to have a life, you ran it through Chance first.
Feared, followed, and fawned over for his incredible face and indifferent attitude, everyone sought to please him.
Everyone but me.
I tried to stay under the radar by living in my own little world, but Chance Ryder, he was a different breed. He wasn’t thrown off by my currently blue hair or my Zen-loving ways. I wasn’t faking any of it, but I was flaunting it. And it didn’t faze him.
“Fuck them.” When his lips touched me it was like water being thrown in a pan full of hot oil—smoke, sparks, and a potential fire hazard. “You are nothing like them.”
Didn’t I know it.
That’s why I was the way that I was. I had plans—goals—for my life. I worked hard in school because I wanted to become a physical therapist. And I wanted to go to college in Texas to do it. I wasn’t naturally a good student. It took me time and tons of focus to learn things—especially anything to do with science. Which is why I couldn’t afford any distractions. Especially from one of the SnowmassHoles. Especially from Chance.
“I told you… I can’t.” I shivered against the tree he had me up against, one hand cupping my face, the other holding my waist to his.
“I know you want me, Jessa.” The backs of his fingers skated up my ribs and grazed over my nipple. “Just as much as I want you.” He didn’t have to push; I’d felt the hard ridge of his erection from the second that we’d gotten into this predicament.
He was relentless. Tempting me. Teasing me. Staring at me like he could melt the clothes right off of my body. Most days, I believed he actually could.
“It… doesn’t matter. I can’t… be distracted.” I told him all of this flat-out the first day of school this year when he’d asked me out and made me late to the very first class of senior year because he wouldn’t leave without an answer. And ‘asked’ was being generous. I told him the truth—and the truth was I wasn’t trying to play hard-to-get. I didn’t want him wasting his time. Unfortunately, they called him ‘Pride’ for a reason—he knew what he wanted and what he deserved—and right now, that was me. And after my whole embarrassingly long refusal, he’d smiled. Now, I knew why.
“It’s more distracting to keep turning me down.” Somewhere along the way he’d found the super-sensitive spot right beneath my ear and he always licked it—driving me crazy.
And I let him because I liked crazy a little too much for my own good.
I savored it for one guilty second before I planted my hands on his hard chest—the kind of hard that had my fingertips itching to press into his skin to see just how far I could make him budge—and pushed myself away.
“No, it’s only distracting because you refuse to be turned down.” He stepped towards me and in an equal and opposite fashion, I stepped back.
“Exactly, so maybe you should move onto plan B.” That smirk of his really screwed with my mind—and my panties. And then he was too close to me again.
“Fine!” I put my hand up. Think, Jessa. Think before—“I’ll be your girl on one condition.”
The electricity in the air sparked like never before. He’d never been so close to getting what he wanted.
“Name it.” His bright blue eyes danced with the prospect of possessing me.
Not so fast there, Pride. If he wanted me, that was going to have to be his price.
“I’ll be your girl.” I closed the distance between us, putting my mouth in the danger-zone inches from his, “if you challenge Emmett tonight at the Winter Games and lose.”
The air between us cracked like thunder.
The Winter Games were his domain. His and the other SnowmassHoles—Emmett ‘King’ Jameson and Nick ‘Frost’ Frost. Every week during the winter season, they broke into the Aspen Snowmass ski resort after the resort officially closed—at midnight—and held a little competition of their own. Each week bets were placed. Money, drugs, or girls were won. And no one stopped them.
Chance, when he competed, always won. Another sliver of the pie that contributed to his nickname. Pride. He was the best and he knew it. He would beat anyone—soundly—who thought differently. I knew and I’d seen it for myself. I’d been to the Games a few times this season. I did allow myself some distractions—just not the kind that would consume me like Chance would.
Which is why this was what I demanded—the one thing I knew he wouldn’t be able to give. His pride.
Present
JESSA
I GOT THE JOB!!!
I barely hit send before my phone started buzzing in the cup holder of my Ford F-150. Trucks were a universal commodity between Texas and Colorado. Thankfully, I didn’t have to trade in anything when I moved.
“Congratulations, Jess!” Ally squealed on the other end of the line. “Where are we celebrating tonight?”
“We don’t have to—“
“Don’t even think about it, Jess! We are celebrating. Even if it is just at Tammy’s.”
Probably not the best idea. I was already imposing enough on our OCD best friend. “Alright. Should we just do Louie’s?” I suggested. “I start tomorrow so we can’t go crazy.”
> “Oh no, that’s fine. I told Emmett I would help him with some designs for the prize snowboard for the Spring at Snowmass competition next month.” The Spring was the closing snowboarding competition at Snowmass for the season. Usually the resort closed a week or so afterward. It wasn’t a national competition, mostly local riders who came to show off their stuff.
Ally’s boyfriend was none other than Emmett ‘King’ Jameson—one of Chance’s best friends and a third of their SnowmassHole crew. But that wasn’t the only way she was tied to them. Ally was also Chance’s younger sister by six years. We hadn’t been close when he and I dated. She was too young to know much if anything about my relationship with her brother or how it ended until a few months ago when she moved back to Colorado from Florida and, out of respect, I gave her the truth that even her brother didn’t know.
“Alright. I guess that’s fine then. Do you want to tell Tammy? I’m almost home so I can tell her when she gets back after her lessons this afternoon.”
Tammy taught skiing at the resort, usually in the afternoon after working the morning at Open Hearts daycare.
“Ok, well if you’re going to see her it will be better coming from you.” I could hear her grin. “Less of a chance for her to turn you down since you just landed your first job! So proud of you!”
“Thanks! I’ll see you later. Let’s do eight?”
“Sounds good.”
Ally hung up as I pulled into Tammy’s apartment complex. Shit. Full-time job meant even less time to search for a new place to live. And I needed to move out. As much as Tam loved me, she was going through a lot right now and the stress of having my mess wasn’t helping the situation.
You know when something really, really good happens in your life, but you’re afraid to share it with someone because they are going through something so absolutely devastating? That was me.
Even though I was probably wrong, being excited for my future around Tammy felt like I was forcing happiness on her when all she wanted to do was crumble. But she never would.
Enjoy the Ride (Winter Games Book 3) Page 2