by Jaci Burton
She went inside, and he waited until she closed the door.
He pivoted on his heel and decided to take a long walk in the cold, determined to cool down his raging erection before he went inside for the night.
TEN
AMBER WAS NUMBER SIX IN HER GROUP, WHICH MEANT she would skate last. It also meant she did a lot of stretching, pacing and mental warm-ups. But it also gave her a chance to check out the short program of some of her competitors.
Gretchen Bader of Germany was fourth and skating now. She'd come in third at the World competition and Amber knew never to underestimate Gretchen. She was extremely strong in jumps and she could sneak up on you in a competition and kick your ass. From the looks of her short program, her jumps were just as strong as ever, which meant that Amber would need to be flawless.
Next up in the group was Hua Ping of China. Hua had a lovely grace to her skating. She wasn't as strong on the jumps, but even in the short program Amber was mesmerized by the beauty of her movements. The judges would be, too.
While she watched Hua, she put her skates on since she would be up next. There were no judges present. She wouldn't skate in the short program for a few days. But just practicing sent a thrill into her nerve endings. It meant they were nearing the reality of competition. And once competition started, she'd be on her game and ready to win.
But for now, Hua had finished her short program practice, so it was Amber's turn. She listened to Yegor's instructions, then took the ice.
There were already people in the audience. The place wasn't as full as it would be when competition started, but the arena was half-filled with people.
Her mother wasn't there yet, thankfully. Mom had the dance studio, and while Amber was her child, the studio was her other baby. She wouldn't leave it until she had to, which meant she'd fly up here just in time for Amber to compete.
Amber did a few warm-up laps around the ice, then took her starting position. When the music started up, she flowed through the routine, getting a feel for doing the short program on unfamiliar ice.
Everything felt good. Her skates slid across the ice just fine, her compulsory jumps went off without a hitch, and she sank into the music perfectly. She tuned out the cheers of the smaller crowd with no issue. Then again, she'd always been able to adjust to crowd noise. Her music was all she heard when she was out there.
She slid to a stop and paused for a few seconds after her routine ended, satisfied that everything had gone well. Then she skated off.
"You looked good out there," Yegor said. "Jumps looked fine."
"How do you feel?" Valeria asked. "Any muscle tightness?"
"No. But that was a short program. We'll see how I feel after I practice the long program tomorrow."
She never liked taking such long breaks in between working her programs. Typically, she skated every day, but between the flights and the delay in getting on the ice, it had been several days. Now that she'd be allowed daily practice, she'd get into the groove again.
She went into the workroom with Valeria, who stretched her quads and hamstrings and gave her a back massage. After, she took a shower and dressed in black leggings and a long gray top. She laced up her boots, then decided to go in search of some food. Between this morning's run followed by a gym workout, and warm-ups followed by the skate, she'd worked up an appetite.
She grabbed her parka, about to head outside when she spotted Will leaning against a wall in the main lobby. She walked over to him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I watched you skate."
Her heart skipped a beat. "You did?"
"Yeah. So where are you off to now?"
"Cafeteria. I'm hungry. How about you?"
"I could eat. Mind if I go with you?"
"I don't mind that at all. I'd love your company."
He pushed off the wall and moved in closer. "You're very sexy when you skate."
No one had ever said that to her before. "It was my short program. All compulsories. Nothing sexy."
He picked up a lock of her hair and sifted it through his fingers. "That's where you're wrong. Every move you make is sexy, Amber. The way you glide along on skates, those jumps, even the way you extend your arms. All sexy."
She slanted a disbelieving look at him. "I think you want to get in my pants and your view of my skating is biased."
"Possibly."
"Besides, you haven't even seen my long program yet. Now that's packed with some sizzle."
He leveled her with the wicked desire in his gaze. "Babe, you haven't seen my long program yet, either. Trust me, I'm packing some heat, too."
She laughed. "I'm looking forward to that. All you have to do is say the word."
"I'm still pondering that."
He helped her on with her parka and they headed out the door. The sun was out, so she slid on her sunglasses. "I've never known a guy to play hard to get."
"I'm not hard to get at all. It's more like I want to make sure that you're sure about this."
"I haven't changed my mind. You're still my guy--at least as far as sex is concerned."
"Good to know."
They walked across the yard to the main building. When they went inside, they headed into the cafeteria. There were a lot more people here than there had been the past couple of days. With the opening ceremonies tonight, everyone who was competing was here now.
"I see Lisa over at that table," Amber said. "And isn't she with some of your hockey guys?"
"Yeah."
They made their way to the table where Lisa and a few other snowboarders had commandeered a large table. She also saw Drew Hogan, Ivan Petrov and Jimmie Oster, along with several of the other US hockey players she'd met the other night.
Lisa got up and put her arms around Amber. "Hey, sweetie. I feel like I haven't seen you in a day or more. How's it going?"
"Good," Amber said. "Missed seeing you this morning."
Lisa smiled. "I spent the night elsewhere last night."
"Of course you did. I hope that went well."
Lisa took a bite of her nectarine, then grinned. "It went extremely well, thanks. Hey, Will."
"Hey, Lisa."
Will moved over to talk to some of his friends, so Amber left her parka and bag with Lisa and went to get some food. She piled her bowl with greens and chicken breast, a side of raspberries and blueberries, then grabbed a drink and made her way back to the table and slid in beside Lisa.
"Did you eat?" she asked Lisa.
Lisa nodded. "As soon as I got here. I felt like I burned a million calories this morning."
"How was it?"
"Fantastic. The half-pipe was slick and sweet."
"I can't wait to watch you ride it."
"You know you could have watched me--or even snowboarded yourself, if you'd ever come up here and visit."
Amber started to eat her salad, her fork balancing on the bowl. "I feel such guilt about that, but at the same time I did what I had to do to work out this new program. My mom and dad went to Italy two summers ago. They invited me to go along and I said no to that, too."
Lisa's eyes widened. "Italy? Aww, honey, I'm sorry you missed that. Italy is amazing."
"I know. It's one of my favorite places. But in the end it was better that I didn't go. It made for a sweet second honeymoon for them, and since they rarely if ever take vacations, I wanted them to have that time alone."
"I'm sure they had a great time."
"Based on the photos they showed me, it looked like they had a great time. And they did not need their daughter coming along as a third wheel."
"I can see your point."
"Besides, I was busy working out my new routine."
Lisa smiled at Amber. "We haven't had any time to talk about that yet. Are you confident about it?"
She nodded. "I am. I think it's really good."
"I can't wait to see it. What's your music? Is it rock and roll?"
"There might be a little rock music. Then agai
n maybe the only rock in there is Rachmaninoff."
Lisa narrowed her gaze. "You're not going to tell me what music you chose, are you?"
She slanted a sweet smile at Lisa. "Nope."
"Bitch."
Amber laughed. "I can't wait to see you kick some ass on the half-pipe. You get so high and it always makes me hold my breath, but you're so damn good at it that I end up screaming until I'm hoarse."
Lisa's eyes always brightened when they talked snowboarding. "You're so awesome to say that. And I'm so stoked about competing."
"What I'm excited about is to get the games underway."
"Me, too. Can you believe the opening ceremonies are tonight already?"
Amber took a long swallow of water, then laid her glass down. "When I decided to come back, four years seemed like it wasn't long enough, you know? There was so much to do. But after I finished my routine and practiced it over and over again, and then I made the team, I just wanted to perform. Suddenly, I wanted the games to get here and it seemed like the days went by so slowly."
Lisa laughed. "I know exactly how you feel. Part of me wants to soak all of this in and hope every second of these next two weeks lasts an eternity. The other part of me wants to get to it already so we can win."
She'd always loved Lisa's confidence. She didn't know if Lisa was ever nervous. If she was, it never showed. Then again, Amber was the same way. Whatever nervousness she felt she kept it bottled up inside so no one ever saw it. The minute your competition picked up on any flaw or nervousness, they'd pounce and use it against you. So outwardly, Amber was always the epitome of confidence.
"So what hot guy are you seeing tonight?" she asked Lisa.
Lisa shrugged. "Haven't decided on one yet. It depends on what parties develop after the opening ceremonies. You get to see everyone there so it's a perfect time to scout out the goodies."
Amber shook her head. "You're something, Lisa."
Lisa picked up an apple and waggled her brows. "Not the first time I've heard that."
Amber laughed. "You are so bad."
"Not the first time I've heard that, either."
Will came over. "What are you two talking about all huddled together?"
Amber looked up at Will. "We were discussing the opening ceremonies tonight."
"Oh, right. I've already got a line on some parties going on after the ceremonies."
Amber looked over at Lisa, who slanted a knowing smile at her. "Told ya."
"What did you tell her?" Will asked.
"That there'd be parties after."
"There are always parties. Lots of them."
"And no doubt you'll hit all of them?" Amber asked Lisa.
"Probably. I might drag you to all of them with me."
Amber shook her head. "Not a chance. And you shouldn't, either. Don't you have practice tomorrow?"
"Hey, I didn't say I'd be drinking. I just said I'd be partying."
Will laughed. "If anyone knows how to do that, honey, it's you."
Lisa nudged Will with her shoulder. "Spoken by a master partier himself. I'll take that as a compliment."
Amber watched the easy way that Will and Lisa interacted. She wondered if the two of them had ever hooked up. She wanted to ask Will, but she knew she'd come off as jealous and possessive, and since she had no claim on Will, it would be foolish to attach any emotion to whatever it was going on between them.
She just found him attractive and trustworthy. So why should she care if he'd ever had sex with Lisa?
Still, she was curious. So after they all split up to head back to their apartments to get ready for the night's events, she decided to satisfy that curiosity while she and Lisa were in the bathroom doing their hair.
"Did you and Will ever hook up?" she asked.
Lisa looked over at her. "No. We hung out at a lot of the same parties four years ago, but just as friends. There was never an attraction between us. I was getting busy with someone else at the time. So was he. Will became more of a big brother to me."
Relief washed over her, which was ridiculous because she had no claim on Will. "I see."
Lisa laid the flat iron on the bathroom counter, then leaned against the counter, giving her a curious look. "Would it have made a difference to you if we had?"
She thought hard about it, because she wanted to give Lisa an honest answer. "No. I like both of you. I was mainly just curious."
Lisa smiled. "Because you thought I might give you some advance intel on how good he is in the sack?"
Amber laughed. "Uh, definitely no."
"So you want to go into it blindly and be surprised?"
Amber had just finished applying mascara. She set down the wand and turned to face Amber. "Actually, I do. That's what exploration and sex with someone for the first time is all about, isn't it?"
"Mmm, definitely. All the new sensations and scents and what is he going to do, how is he going to do it? Is he going to be any good at it?"
"I imagine Will is very good at it."
Lisa laughed. "Because he's good-looking? Honey, I've known several great-looking guys whose looks don't match their skills in bed."
Amber picked up the blush. "That's disappointing."
"Tell me about it."
Now she wondered if Will would be good at sex. Despite what Lisa said, Amber had a feeling he knew what he was doing.
And she couldn't wait to find out.
ELEVEN
OPENING NIGHT CEREMONIES WERE ALWAYS THRILLING. Sure, it was a lot of standing and waiting around for your country's turn to go out, but it was also a chance to meet up with fellow countrymen you hadn't had a chance to see yet.
Will was up and ready for the moment. There was nothing like a huge arena packed with people cheering for you. That kind of momentum would carry him all the way through the games.
Tonight all the US athletes would wear matching clothes. Typically, he'd think that was stupid, but not here. Not for this. He felt that sense of cohesion tonight. They'd walk together as a united country. He'd walk with people he'd never met before, but after tonight they were all one nation. And before and after they'd cheer on all the other nations competing.
At least until he faced some of them on the ice.
They had a specific place they had to be, so he met up with Drew, Adrian and Jimmie and they walked to the arena together. They found their designated area along with their coach and other teammates. Now there wasn't much to do except wait and talk with the other US athletes.
He spotted Amber coming in with some of the other figure skaters. She wore the dark navy pants and the red, white and blue jacket just like all the other US athletes. But she stood out, her golden blond hair pulled into a high ponytail that swung back and forth when she walked. She and a young, dark-haired woman had their heads together, talking as they came into the US athlete's area. When she looked up and saw him, she smiled.
Damn if her smile didn't punch him right in the gut. It was genuine, not practiced, as if she was surprised and happy to see him. He'd noticed it every time he saw her.
Will had dated a lot, and the one thing he'd noticed often was a well-practiced smile, the kind you knew damn well a woman spent time perfecting in front of a mirror.
Amber's wasn't like that at all. It was sweet and wide and the kind of smile that reached all the way to her sparkling blue eyes. She had the kind of smile that made a guy feel like he was the only guy in her orbit.
He made his way over to her, at the same time she said something to her friend and started walking toward him. When they met in the middle, she grabbed both of his hands and squeezed them.
"I know this is my third time to do this, but it's also going to be my last time. I'm so excited I can't even breathe."
That was another thing he liked about her. She truly loved being a part of the team. She never took any of this for granted, or felt that it was her right to be here.
He felt the same way. This was such a privilege and he intended to appreciat
e every second of being here. Especially tonight. So he lifted one of Amber's hands and brought it to his mouth, pressing a kiss there.
"You ready for this?" he asked.
"So ready."
There were televisions backstage in the waiting area, so they got to watch the other nations who went before them.
"I love seeing the other countries." Amber grabbed his arm and leaned against him. "Oh, look, there's Lisa. Aren't Canada's sweaters amazing?"
"Yeah." Will grinned seeing so many guys he played with walking on the Canadian team.
"There's Tim McCaffery right behind Lisa," he said, pointing to his teammate. "He plays on the Ice."
And through it all, with every nation making their appearance, the crowds cheered and applauded.
So when it was their turn, and the US walked out in full force, Will soaked in the clapping and the roars from the audience.
Somehow Amber ended up two rows ahead of him, which was okay because he walked with the hockey team. For many of the guys this was their first time, and he soaked in the looks on their faces as they saw the size of the crowd in the arena. There was nothing like it, because it was so much bigger than anything they'd ever experienced.
"Wow," Drew said as they rounded the turn on the track. "This is crazy."
"Yeah." He remembered exactly what it had been like when he'd stepped out with the US athletes four years ago. Utter exhilaration and the drive to bring home a medal for his country.
When they finished their walk, they stayed to watch the rest of the opening ceremonies. It was always such a thrill to see everything the host country had put together. Canada had done a spectacular job and the arena was filled with color and light and feats of spectacle. Will would never forget it.
After the opening ceremonies concluded, several of them got together to decide what to do. Some were tired and heading to their rooms, while others were hitting the club or some of the parties. Hard practice was coming up starting tomorrow, so they knew after tonight they'd have to buckle down. Will knew a lot of them would enjoy one last night of going out--although no one would go too hard with the competitions looming.
Will ended up circling around with Amber, Lisa, some of the snowboarders and a few of his hockey teammates.
"Claude is having a party," Lisa said. "We have to go."
Claude was a downhill skier, and this was his third trip to the games. He was also well-known for having legendary parties. Great music, awesome liquor. Claude's parties were always lit. Will had gone to a few of them his last time at the games, one after his team had won the silver medal. He'd partied so hard he could barely get out of the bed the next day.