Contents
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
AUTHOR INFO
DEDICATION
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THANK YOU
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MORE BOOKS
HIS LAST FALL
GOLD MEDAL EVENT ROMANCE
MEGAN MATTHEWS
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author recognizes the trademarks and copyrights of all registered products and works mentioned within this work.
Copyright ©2018 by Megan Matthews. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written person from the author. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the author at [email protected]
Thank you for purchasing HIS LAST FALL. I hope you enjoy the second book in the Gold Medal Romance Novella series.
GOLD MEDAL ROMANCE NOVELLA SERIES
His Last Race
His Last Fall
His Last Hill
His Last Love
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CHAPTER ONE
The cold air bites my cheeks as I do my best to huddle within the group of people behind me. Unfortunately, the wind is blowing from the opposite direction and rather than them acting as my wind break, I barely hinder the flow of frigid air from their faces. I’d step back and lose myself between a few tall people, but when your brother is about to receive a medal at the Gold Medal Winter Games, you kind of have to be in the front row.
“Reagan, do you see him yet?” Remi’s girlfriend, Marley, squeezes on my bicep so hard I feel it through my extra puffy coat.
I stretch my body out on my tiptoes and look as far as possible, but there’s no hint of my brother in his signature black snow pants with a strip of blue fabric running up the side.
“Not yet.”
I might not find Remi in the crowd, but there’s one face I’m always able to spot, regardless of how many people stand between us. Knox Keaton. Snowboarding legend. He’s also my brother’s best friend and sometimes rival — when they compete in the same events. He’s been around forever.
Tall with dark hair and the most amazing green eyes you’ve ever seen. His laugh is full and hearty. His smile bright and often. At thirty he’s developed small lines that arc out from the corners of his eyes when he laughs. And if you get blasted by one of those, be prepared to never feel the same again. It’s what happened to me one day as a teenager and ever since I’ve been head over heels in love with Knox.
For some stupid reason he does not feel the same. Jerk face.
Since he refused to fall helplessly in love with me, I decided years ago I didn’t like him either. Too bad my eyes…and brain…and heart haven’t picked up on the development no matter how many times I remind them.
A name is called over the loudspeaker, one I don’t recognize so it must not be from the American team. Remi has been snowboarding for as long as I remember and competing almost as often. I’ve been around most of the guys and girls on the American snowboarding team for years. And yes, that includes Knox. He’s acted like a second brother — one I never wanted — for most of my life. Which makes all the fantasies I have starring him worse. No one’s stomach should get tight and tingly when their brother is around. Remi surely doesn’t make me feel that way. Gag.
A tall well-built man, with a long face and a short beard steps up to the bronze section of the tri-level podium. The Polish flag waves behind him.
The usual fanfare is given to him, and an event official walks over, wrapping the third-place medal around his neck. For a few seconds they share a joke, the athlete laughing even if the punchline was horrible. He waves to his fans and the country’s anthem plays over the speakers.
And then a new name is called.
One I recognize. Which means one thing.
Remi brings home a silver.
The thought alone chokes me up. It may not be the gold he wanted, but it’s a damn fine accomplishment. My brother and I may fight like we hate each other — and there are times when I’ve resented him for the attention he’s received for being a pro athlete — but at the end of the day, he’s my brother. And I love him more than anyone in the entire world. Being here and seeing him reach this achievement is more than most people get in a lifetime. Remi’s stood on that podium four times over his career. It’s astonishing.
My mom sniffles next to me and that’s all it takes to make my own cold tears roll from under my eyes. Snowboarding hasn’t been around as long as many other sports, and with the opportunity to win medals only every four years it doesn’t give many athletes much time to rack up the numbers. But Remi did it. It may not be four gold medals, but it’s still the most for anyone in a single Gold Medal Event in history. He should be proud. We are all.
Marley jumps up and at down my side, jarring my shoulder in her excitement. “He did it!”
She’s happy for him like any good girlfriend should be, even if Remi didn’t win that sought-after gold. I worry in the back of her mind she’s considering the possibility he’ll try again. Marley said he promised, but he’s promised before. It’s all about the gold for him…no matter the cost.
I hope this time he’s honest and he’s done with it all. No more icing his knee at the end of every practice. No more dragging his kindergarten teacher girlfriend halfway around the world to watch grown men fall down a hill.
Okay, for what it’s worth, Remi rarely falls down the hill. He normally practices on a halfpipe, but it’s the same idea. A gold medal means a lot more than new sponsors or a bigger house. It’s her chance of starting a life with the man she loves. Remi better follow through even though he’s wearing silver around his neck.
The officials finish up with whoever won first place — none of us care at this point — and the crowd cheers extra loudly. Everyone within a seven-foot radius of me jumps up screaming and clapping. Fickle people. Silver is an awesome finish too.
Marley turns, squeezing me into a deep hug while those around us continue to clap and cheer for all the medal winners. When she releases me I’m jostled forward and then pulled up off the ground, my feet dangling in the air least four inches.
“Put me down!”
My attacker laughs, his warm breath tickling my earlobe. For a moment I go soft and relish in being this close to Knox. Of course it’s him. No one else here would be dumb enough to get this close to Remi
’s little sister. There’s also no one else in the world who could lift me off my feet the way he does.
Literally and figuratively.
Knox squeezes me super hard one last time, and I pretend not to enjoy it so much. Then he sets me back on my feet. “He did it.”
He’s excited for Remi as if this is the first Gold Medal Event they competed at together. That year Knox competed in the halfpipe event as well. Remi took first and Knox walked away with a bronze. We’d worried it would ruin their friendship, but it only made the two closer. With Knox competing in the snowboard cross event this time, it’s easier to root for everyone.
I roll my eyes. “Yes, I’m standing here too.”
He only laughs. Leaning down to accommodate my shorter frame, Knox wraps his arms around me one more time, clutching me so hard breathing becomes difficult. When he pulls back he plants a short quick kiss on my cheek and then turns his attention to my parents. The three of them talk loudly back and forth, congratulating each other like they won a medal.
My gloved fingers rub the area of my cheek where his lips pressed against my skin. I need to get the trace of him off of me before it settles in and gives me thoughts I shouldn’t have. Of course, his smell is all over my coat. His deep woodsy cologne reminds me of trees and pine and snow. It’s been the same since we were young, and it’s all Knox.
I let him get too close. If I let the memories stick for too long, the shared history of our one-night stand always comes back to haunt me.
Two years ago at another event like this, we celebrated gold medals for Knox and Remi when the after party turn into a bunch of people sitting around drinking…a lot. With Remi staying in Marley’s room, it left the room he shared with Knox ours for the evening.
I had one tantalizing night with the green-eyed snowboarder. Every fantasy I’d ever had came to life in those few hours. He whispered sweet nothings in my ear. Promised me we’d be together forever and filled my mind with false realities.
When I woke up beside him the next morning, both of us smelling like a liquor store I realized it was a passing phase. There was no way Knox meant the promises he made the night before. As my brother’s best friend, he’d seen me pass through puberty when I was tall and skinny, but not in a cute way. When I had that horrible haircut at sixteen, he told me I looked like a wet dog someone left on the side of the road. The hair grew out, but there was no way his feelings had changed. I’d always be Remi’s little sister.
Holding my head up high I snuck out of his room as quietly as possible and made a mad dash back to my own. Neither one of us has ever talked about it since. In fact, I’m not even sure he remembers it was me. He probably thinks it was some snow bunny he met at the party. Just another one-night stand to add to his list.
It’s our little secret that only I know.
But I can’t allow myself to fall down that particular dark hole again. I have a boyfriend.
I wrap my arms around my mom when she comes in for a hug. She jumps up and down in excitement. Under my breath quietly so no one but me can hear I chant, “I have a boyfriend. I have a boyfriend. I have a boyfriend.”
She leans out of the hug. “What is that, Honey?”
“Nothing, Mom.” I smile through the pain of watching Knox shake my father’s hand. Knowing he’ll always be around, but he’ll never be mine.
“Remi will be doing interviews forever. Let’s go back to my room and get ready for the party.” Marley loops her arm through mine, not giving me much of a way to get out of this. After parties haven’t been my scene for the last two years.
Marley has never been a big partier throughout Remi’s snowboarding career which is a good thing because Remi isn’t either. In a sport comprised of athletes with a rep for partying, they’ve been labeled the boring couple. But I have a feeling tonight they’ll let loose and celebrate. Me on the other hand, I haven’t had more than a sip of alcohol since the night with Knox, and I don’t plan to start today. But Marley is one of the closest people I have to a best friend, and if going to get ready for this party is what she wants to do, then dammit that’s what we’re going to do.
CHAPTER TWO
I smooth out the hem of my dress. Completely unsure why I brought this one to begin with. It’s one of those slightly frilly cute pink and polka dot dresses you probably find on an imaginary 1950s housewife. In the store it looked pretty and sweet, maybe a little daring. But now, outside of my suitcase and on my body, it’s a big neon sign pointing directly at my head with the flashing words “look at this loser.”
“Are you sure about the dress,” I ask Marley for the tenth time.
She stops walking to the hotel bar where the celebration of Remi’s victory is taking place. “Yes, you look hot.”
The overzealous compliment brings a smile, but it doesn’t last long. “You don’t think it looks silly?”
She rolls her eyes shaking her head a fraction. “Reagan, you look fine.” A devilish grin starts at one corner of her lips as her eyes widen, and I know I’m in trouble. “Besides, you have Jake at home. Who are you so worried about looking hot for?”
Unfortunately, she and I both know the answer.
“Nobody.” Just because she and I know I’ve harbored a crush for Knox since my preteen years doesn’t mean I plan to admit it now. “I want to make sure Remi looks good. Family image and all that.”
Marley nods her head slowly. “You’re concerned about protecting the family image now, are you?”
“Yes, I’m always concerned.”
Her head continues to nod, picking up speed. “Were you concerned two years ago when you got so drunk Knox had to carry you out of the hotel?”
My mouth drops open in shock. “We’ve agreed no one would ever speak of that night.” Besides I’m older now and slightly wiser. I also learned my lesson when it comes to alcohol and Knox. Or alcohol and anything.
Marley doesn’t respond with an actual reply. She clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth and picks back up our trail to the hotel bar and restaurant.
I don’t have a leg to stand on against her. If I take the argument much further, she’s bound to win, so I stroll along not saying anything. It’s true. I did leave my boyfriend of eighteen months, Jake, back home. He didn’t want to come anyway. The gold-medal event may be the largest of an athlete’s life, but Remi does a lot of large events. It’s not like I expect Jake to take time off work every time Remi wants to ride an expensive board down a hill. Hell, the only reason I’m here is because I recently started acting as Remi’s semi-personal assistant during competitions — on days he doesn’t annoy the fuck out of me. Otherwise I’d be working too. My move to Texas should have given me freedom and a new start on life. That was the plan at least. All it’s done in reality is make me miss home.
If this is Remi’s last competitive event, I’ll have to find myself a new job. Something more than part time at the local radio station’s advertising department. There’s no way I’ll spend my days at Marley and Remi’s house watching them be all cutesy face with each other and waiting for one of his sponsors to call. I have too much self-respect and those two, when they get going, are enough to make a packet of sugar leave the room.
Marley, normally a keep-to-herself kind of girl, walks through the French doors of the hotel bar by flinging them both wide open and strutting through like she’s Marilyn Monroe. She’s got places to be and people to see, I guess. She may be more excited about Remi’s decision to quit competing than she’s let on.
She saunters through the room like a woman on a mission, and I keep my place a few paces behind doing my best to not be noticed. Remi sits at the end of a long wooden bar taking up the left side of the room. He’s wearing a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt, which for Remi is dressed up. In front of him a tall glass of dark brown liquid dribbles condensation onto the bar.
Marley stops next to him. “You’re drinking now?”
He shrugs. “I’m not competing anymore. It’s a little caffeine
.”
She turns back to me. “When he wakes up tomorrow and complains all day about his bloated stomach, remind him of this.”
I shake my head in refusal. “That’s your job.”
“Well my choices were a glass of Coke or a beer. Since I’m not technically allowed to drink until after the closing ceremony, I figured I’d go for the caffeine.”
Not that many athletes besides Remi follow the no alcohol rule.
Marley smiles through another one of her patented “oh crap” looks and pats him on the shoulder. “That’s too bad for you. Good thing I’m not an athlete.” She leans across the bar grabbing the bartender’s attention and orders two Long Island ice teas.
At least one of them better be for me, or Remi will be carrying her out of the bar tonight.
“Where is Knox?” Crap. I opened my mouth to take a breath, and the words flew out before I could stop them. I know better than to ask. Some of us are doomed to be dumbasses forever.
Remi points with his thumb over his shoulder, and even though I don’t want to look, there’s no way to stop myself. I’m in this far.
Sure enough on the other side of the restaurant, in a tall-backed corner booth, Knox sits in the middle of one padded seat surrounded by women. Each and every single one of them a brunette with olive colored skin. Evidence that even in February some women have a tan. They obviously have more time on their hands. They probably aren’t jetting off to follow their brothers around his snowboarding tournaments. They get to see the sun, unlike me in my pasty white skin, which hasn’t seen a summer sunray in what feels like forever. My lack of vitamin D is what talked me into making the move to Texas in the first place.
My spirits diminish at exactly the same time Marley sticks the cool glass of liquid against my palm. I take it and turn my body in her direction, my eyes still fixed on Knox’s table. One of the long-haired brunettes sitting right next to him laughs. I can’t hear it from where we stand, but I just know it’s one of those stupid little girly giggles. She leans closer, sticking her hand on Knox’s shoulder, the other one underneath the table probably doing stuff I don’t even want to think about.
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