I turned and disappeared into the other room. There was only one other group working in there and they were just getting started so at least I was assured that we wouldn’t be in there alone. Again.
“What are you doing for dinner tonight?” Chance looked up at me as he dried off. Conversation had been kept to a blessed PG-13 rating during the last half-hour of his session. I guess that compensated for the heavy looks that passed between us—mostly from me—as the water caressed over his ripped muscles.
“Why?”
He laughed. “Always so suspicious. I was going to stop and pick up some Chinese food. Thought you might be interested.”
My stomach growled. It was only two o’clock. “I might be,” I grumbled.
“Your usual?” My eyes widened. Did he really remember what kind of Chinese food I liked? “Egg rolls, vegetable lo mein, and General Tso’s chicken?”
Guess that was a yes. My whole body ticked up a degree, feeling a giddy warmth that I wasn’t the only one who seemed to remember everything about this man.
“I’ll pay you for it,” I muttered with a smile.
“I told you the last time, J-bird. I’m not letting you pay for fucking dinner. So say that again and you’ll regret it.” Before my mouth even opened to object—I was not going to let him pay for my dinner—he stepped closer to me and said, “My house, my rules.” The way he said it sounded like he almost interjected ‘My woman’ in there, too.
Frowning, I replied, “If you think that your buying me dinner means that you are paying for… something else…”
He laughed before I could even finish and leaned towards me with his hand up against the one side of his mouth like he was about to whisper a secret to me, except he didn’t really whisper it. “Trust me, J-bird, I don’t have to pay for that especially from you.” He chuckled again and I was tempted to tell him I didn’t want anything—except the thought of coming home after a full day here that followed a relatively sleepless night had already sunk in too far for me to rescind it. “I’ll see you at home, Jessa.”
I just continued to glare at him and his stupid ass…umptions as he walked out of the door. I slammed the cover shut on my iPad, annoyed that I was so easily distracted by how eager I was to re-familiarize myself with every rise and valley of every muscle on his body… and the way I was now eagerly awaiting quitting time.
“Jessa.” My head darted up to see Dr. Lev peeking through the door to the room. “You ok?” Consternation was not a good look for Dr. Santa Claus.
“Yeah!” I exclaimed. “Just going over some things in my head—got a little lost. What’s up?”
“There are two local high schools that want to bring over their soccer teams for physicals on Saturday. Would you be available to help me?”
Saturday… Saturday…
“Yeah, I don’t have any plans.”
“Perfect. I’ll let Shannon know.” Shannon was the scheduling coordinator for the clinic. I smiled as he disappeared. I had no real plans for the weekend aside from spending all day… in the house… with Chance. Oh, God. No, we would be at the mountain. It had been weeks since I’d snowboarded. Tammy and I had gone for a few runs the one day that several of her ski lessons had cancelled. So, spending the day with Chance at home or on the mountain, I honestly think that, even after weeks of absence, the time on the mountain would result in less strain and soreness on my body.
I busied myself with notes and prep for my patients the following day. Usually at work, the day passed relatively quickly, but today, the next few hours felt like weeks. And the entire time my body felt like it was gearing up for a battle, an assault… and one that it was looking forward to.
I took a deep breath of the ice-cold air as soon as I stepped out of the building. It was the kind of empty cold that spread through your lungs like wildfire, the kind of cold that you could literally feel entering every cell. I pulled out my phone to see two messages from Ally.
ALLY
How did everything go yesterday? Today?
JESSA
Uneventful.
ALLY
…???
I didn’t even get a reply started before my phone started buzzing.
“Hello?” Shoving the thing against my shoulder, I fumbled with my gym bag and purse trying to find the keys to my truck and unlock and open the door without dropping anything.
“What do you mean ‘uneventful’?”
“Hi to you, too.” I tossed my bags onto the passenger seat and climbed in, starting up my truck and proceeding to huddle in the front seat while I waited for it to warm.
“Did you tell him? What happened?—Hold on Emmett!” I heard her yell to her counterpart. “I’d tell you to come over right now, but we are on our way out of town for the rest of the week.”
“Oh, yeah? Where to?”
“Well, it’s a surprise,” she began and then her voice lowered to a soft sadness, “but, Emmett wanted to take me away for a few days because it will be a year since Dylan’s death.”
My throat swelled. The fact that my girl could even talk so peacefully about her ex-boyfriend was a testament to just how much Emmett had done for her. Dylan had died tragically in a surfing accident just before their high school graduation and when she moved here, Ally had blamed herself for his death. She’d been a shell—and so had he. Both of them had been broken souls, but bound, they’d become whole again.
I wasn’t jealous of them. I swear.
Ok, maybe a little bit.
Unfortunately, my soul had been broken too long ago and, like a bone that isn’t set properly, it had healed misshapen and in ways that still pained me.
“I’m sorry, Ally.”
“Don’t be, Jess. I finally feel at peace. And I think these few days will be just what I need to finally let him and his memory rest in peace.” I could hear the soft smile in her tone and I could practically imagine Emmett in the seat next to her holding her hand.
Alright, I was really fucking jealous.
“So, did you talk to Chance? What did he say? And did he tell you what’s going on with Nick?”
“No. He left me a case of La Croix and a note yesterday saying that he wasn’t going to be home. So, I just saw him again at his appointment this afternoon.”
“Interesting… I really wonder what could be going on with Nick.” I murmured in agreement, turning onto the street that my new temporary home was on. “Are you going to talk to him tonight? Are you going to sl—“ her voice cut to a whisper and I groaned, “—sleep with him?”
“I’m hoping to talk to him tonight, yes. Nothing is going to happen until I talk to him; I can’t let this stay between us anymore.”
“Ok. Fine. But I did think about it and I just have one rule: you are not allowed to have sex with my brother in my bed—use his own bed.”
“Ally!” I exclaimed, her name turning into a groan thinking about what I’d done in her bed last night to the thought of her brother. Oops.
“What? I’m just saying. If it’s not going to happen, then it’s not going to happen. But if it does, I just want it to be clear that it’s not happening in my bed.”
“Yeah. Got it,” I muttered.
“How is he doing?”
“You mean besides the fact that I not only have to live with your brother but that comes after spending the afternoon with him?” I laughed. “No, it’s good. Betty is great. All of my patients are really great and today, Dr. Lev actually asked if I would assist him with some physicals on Saturday morning. I think I was the first person he asked, so I don’t know if that was because it’s a Saturday and I’m the newbie or if it’s because I was his first choice.”
“I’m sure it’s because of what a great impression you’ve made,” she reassured me. “How is Chance doing otherwise? With the therapy and everything? Aside from a few texts, I haven’t really talked to him and any time I ask how it’s going, he just says ‘ok’ or ‘fine…’”
Ally made no attempt to hide the torture in
her voice knowing that Chance had shut himself off; he’d always done everything and anything to hide his weaknesses from her.
“Good.” It was the truth. “Channing and Wyatt asked him to teach at their new school.”
“Oh my God, really? She didn’t say anything to me!”
“She didn’t say anything to me either—probably because Chance hasn’t accepted.”
“Why not? That would be perfect!”
“I know… He doesn’t think he’s good enough.”
“Seriously? To teach kids who know nothing how to snowboard?” She scoffed. “How can men be so stupid sometimes?” I heard Emmett pretend to be offended in the background and Ally as she subsequently reassured him that he was the exception to the rule.
“Well, he hasn’t turned her down yet. I’m trying to convince him but I don’t know if that’s helping or hurting.”
“Well are you wearing clothes while doing it?”
My groan matched the crunch of my tires as they packed down more snow on the road. “Really? Sometimes, I wonder if you remember that you’re talking about your brother.”
“I told him I would go with him to the mountain at the end of this week to snowboard. I don’t think he’s been on one since… Hopefully, that will convince him because I’m not going to bribe him with nudity to make the right decision.” Alright, maybe I would. If I had to. Even if I didn’t have to.
“Well, it’s just a thought. You know, if worse comes to worst.”
I sighed, turning into the drive. My heart jumped seeing the garage door open; he’d said that he’d be here, but after the past few days, I had my doubts. But seeing his truck was sending my body into haywire.
“Alright, well I just got home so I’m going to go.”
“Ok. Text me and let me know how things go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“You just focus on yourself for the next few days, Al. I’m good.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I shut my truck off as she hung up, staring at the door into the house. I felt warmth rush between my legs—and I hadn’t even seen him yet.
This was going to be interesting.
Eight years ago—Our graduation party at Frost’s
“DAMN, MAN. YOU ARE FUCKING toast.” Jack—one of the skiers in our class—laughed as he hit my arm.
“What?”
“Exactly.” He nodded over to where my focus was—Jessa—instead of where it should have been—on our conversation. “You look like you’re about to get down on one knee.”
Now, I laughed because he had no idea how close to the truth he was.
I loved this girl so damn much it was insane. And having her love? Well, that was everything. With that, nothing else mattered—not school, not snowboarding, not competing. I mean, the shit mattered, but it didn’t consume me; it didn’t wear me down to the point where I felt like if I didn’t get it all fucking perfect I was a fucking failure.
That was why I told her I would move to Texas with her; it was the same reason I’d let Emmett become ‘King of the Mountain’ way back so that she would date me: having her put everything into perspective.
The past week and a half though something had been up. She didn’t say anything and most people probably wouldn’t have fucking noticed the change. But, when I could feel the slightest quiver of her pussy against my dick just from her taking a breath, I could fucking tell when something was going on with her—when something was bothering her.
“Dude, go get your girl. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I smirked. “Don’t fucking call me ‘dude.’ That is some skier shit right there.” I hit him on the side of the arm, both of us laughing as I walked away. We were cool, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to give him hell for being a skier any chance that I got—and he did the same in return.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her back tight against me so her soft ass could cradle my dick that grew harder by the second. I sucked in a deep breath of her berry-scented blue hair. I’d always wondered why it smelled so damn good—and then the first time we showered together, I’d been the one to massage the special blue shampoo—Blueberry Bliss—that she used to help her hair keep its vibrant color.
“Hey, babe,” I whispered.
“Hey.” She relaxed back against me. Fuck if I didn’t feel like I held the whole fucking world in my arms at that moment.
“Can I get you anything?” Like me. Forever.
“I’m good right now. Maybe you want to check on Nick though… he’s been going non-stop all night. I’m worried he’s actually trying to kill himself.”
I chuckled against her—no wonder she was going into healthcare, always determined to take care of everyone around her; that was my girl.
“That’s the thing about Frost, J-bird, he could be trying to kill himself, but it will never happen—he’s not that lucky.”
I didn’t want to let go of her. But then she looked at me with eyes that begged me to check on my friend. I’d never be able to turn that look down.
“Alright,” I pressed my lips to her temple, “I’ll go make sure he’s not overdosing on his idiocy.”
“Thank you.”
She was right. After all of his family shit—his dad dying, his mom’s new boyfriend—he’d been really fucked up lately. And to say that about Frost was saying something. Frost was standing far too close to the pool of water that, in his current state, he could easily drown in. And knowing this crowd, I’d be the one having to jump in to fucking save his ass.
“Hey, Ryder!” A hand reached out and grabbed my arm. Tony and Mike—two other skiers from our class—pulled me into their circle. A quick glance told me that Frost was safe for the moment with two girls literally plastered to each side of him; the way their tits looked, I was sure they could serve as flotation devices if an accident did occur. It was probably better that I not interrupt their conversation—at least until Frost’s drunk and buzzed alter-ego finally pushed them away.
It didn’t really seem like I’d been talking to the ski crew for that long when the next thing I knew, it looked like most of the place had cleared out and Frost wasn’t where I’d left him.
“Fuck,” I swore. Turning, I caught sight of his bright orange t-shirt disappearing through the door into the pool house kitchen. “I’ll catch you guys later. Someone’s gotta cut Frost off before he ends up choking on his own vomit later.
I jogged over to the door and pulled it open.
“What the—“ I mumbled underneath my breath, fumbling on the wall for where the light-switch was.
The soft click might as well have been a gunshot—and instead of light, I saw red.
At one point or another in life, you see something in front of you that you just can’t fathom to be real. For some, it was seeing the planes hit the Twin Towers. For others, it was seeing the devastation wreaked on Texas by Hurricane Harvey. Something so horrible that you stare at the image in front of you and think, ‘this can’t be happening, can it?’
For me, it was this moment, standing in the kitchen and seeing Jessa—the woman I loved—kissing Frost, my best fucking friend.
“Jessa…” It was like she’d been waiting for her name—as though it had set her free. She stumbled back and our eyes met, only I had no idea who I was looking at any longer.
And like thunder always follows lightening, my anger rolled in with a boom after the split second flash of shock was gone.
“WHAT. THE. FUCK.”
If red-hot rage had a sound it would have been that of my fist connecting with Frost’s face; but it did absolutely nothing for me. The sound as he hit the ground was just like my snowboard when it smacked against the landing of a jump; it still did nothing for me.
“How could you?”
Her eyes were on Frost. I knew then that there was nothing left here for me.
Present
“About time there, J-bird,” I drawled as she stepped through the door. I�
�d heard her truck coming up the drive.
Surprise and relief flashed over her face, like my car in the garage wasn’t enough of an indicator that I was, in fact, home. The pink flush in her cheeks from the cold deepened at the sound of my voice. She was completely bundled in clothes of every color—purple jacket, pink scarf, white hat; she was like a living, breathing unicorn.
She was beautiful magic spun into human form. And I fucking needed her.
I needed her more than I needed to eat even though that would have to come first.
“I hope you’re hungry, because I ordered everything on the menu. And I was about to eat it all myself if you didn’t get home soon. I’m fucking starving.” Clearing my throat, I began to crack open the lids to the take-out that I’d set out on the counter.
I’d ordered all of her favorites—and then called back five minutes later ordering everything else in case her favorites had changed. And then I fucking laughed at myself for it.
“Sorry,” she said breathlessly, slipping out of her shoes and unwinding the knit scarf from around her neck. “The roads were a little icy and people were driving slowly.”
Her golden gaze widened as I stepped out from behind the counter. I had on only a pair of light gray sweats—the same kind as the ones the other night. I’d never given them a second thought—they’d always just been what I’d worn when I was home. But ever since the other night, I was fucking glad that I had nothing else to wear because I could practically hear her pussy cry out when she saw me in them.
Especially when I was semi-hard from just the anticipation of seeing her.
“Wow, you really did get everything,” she said, standing at the edge of the counter and looking over the spread. “We are never going to eat all this. Are more people coming?”
“No.” I smiled. “Wasn’t sure if your favorites had changed at all.”
Her head shook slightly. “No, some things don’t change.”
There was more to that statement and we both knew it. If I hadn’t heard her stomach grumble when she came into the kitchen, all this shit would have been on the floor already and the only thing that I would be eating was her.
Enjoy the Ride (Winter Games Book 3) Page 24