by Magan Vernon
“Her sister, Becca. I have a thing for Becca, and if you screw up things with Kelly it’s going to turn them both into man-haters together, and I’ll never get my shot,” Logan said, crossing his arms over his chest.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You…You like Becca?”
I looked over the long and lanky dude in a leotard, thinking that the hockey goalie chick could probably bench him.
“Yeah, I do. And if you tell her or Kelly that, I have no problem kicking your ass.”
I raised an eyebrow, the words sounding forward coming out of the prim and proper guy’s mouth. “You? Kick my ass?”
He nodded. “Yeah. You may underestimate me but years of skating, gymnastics, and a black belt can make a guy like me pretty lethal.”
I put my hands up. “Okay, okay. I surrender, man. I won’t screw things up, but that means you gotta help me impress Kelly.”
“Only if I know what your end game is on all of this.” Logan fixed his stare on mine.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets, looking at my shoes instead of the guy’s eyes. “Nothing, man. I just want to take her out, okay? Just have a good time while we’re here.”
The words sounded foreign coming out of my ears. It was all I’d been saying to the guys since we came to The Games, but that was before. Before I met Kelly’s family. Before I spent time with her. Before I tried not to admit even to myself that I was falling for her.
“This isn’t some sort of game you and your other snowboarding or skiing buddies or whatever have cooked up? First one to nail the ice princess gets a prize?” Logan asked, standing straighter.
I snorted and shook my head. “That sounds like something out of one of those romance novels. That’s not real life, dude.”
So, it definitely was real life and a real bet, but he didn’t need to know it, and I figured using that excuse made it seem like everything was legit. Though, was everything legit if I was going this far out of my way to plan a date with her? This was just for a bet in the beginning, and after spending the first night with her, I knew I could get her to let her guard down with a little prying and then it would be easy to make a move.
But the more she let her guard down, the more I had to admit to myself that I was falling for her. I just couldn’t let the guys know that one. Then what if they told her? Then I’d lose any chance I had with her, romantic, sexual, or otherwise. No, she couldn’t know the truth, though I was wrestling with the idea of telling her myself. I couldn’t lose the girl or the bet that would earn me another twenty-five grand. That would get me a good down payment on a house in New York. I could have the girl, the medals, the house. I’d be all set.
“Okay, if you’re really into her, then I’ll help you, but if this turns out to be some sort of game, I swear to God—”
I lifted my hand, stopping his words. “No game, man. No need to swear. No need to bust out a triple axel.”
He smirked and put his hand out. “Okay, man, let’s get you up to speed on all things Kelly.”
I shook his hand and forced a smile. Maybe this was a little bit of a game, but we were at the biggest arena to play. Logan nor Kelly would ever know about the bet and that was if I even talked to either of them after The Games were over.
At least that’s what I had to tell myself, so I wouldn’t feel so damn guilty.
Chapter 8
Kelly
“So where is Canada taking you on this date?” Becca asked, zipping up her tracksuit. She had another game today, but I didn’t have the free skate until later that night which left my entire day free, aside from the grueling morning practice that still had my bones sore even after a massage and an ice bath.
I shrugged, checking myself out in the mirror one last time. I may have been fully clothed in a long white sweater, I purchased in one of the ski shops after practice, leggings, and riding boots, but I’d never felt more exposed. The shirt hugged what little curves I had, barely covering my behind. This was as tight as the clothing I was used to wearing on the ice, and that was with a million-people watching me. But no one looked at me or made my entire body feel as if it were weightless like Blake did.
“And you’re keeping your hair down?” Becca stood next to me in the full-length mirror, her fingers barely touching my hair that fell in loose waves down my shoulders and framed the slight dip in my sweater. I didn’t have much for cleavage, but what I did have was on full display. I planned to cover it up with a scarf, and then possibly take the scarf off. If the moment called for it.
I wasn’t a sex on the first date kind of a girl, but all the rumors about the Olympic village were true. I’d been sheltered from the crazy sex fests when I was a teen, but now it was like a full-blown orgy with condoms being handed out left and right. Even Becca had admitted to catching the looks of one or more of the guys on the Norwegian hockey team. I didn’t know if that meant she’d done anything with them and I didn’t exactly want to know those personal details of my sister’s sex life.
And with the hormones and all of the competitive energy, sex was at the forefront of my mind. Parts of it, even more so than getting another gold medal. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted another gold around my neck more than anything, but if I could have the gold and maybe an orgasm that wasn’t by a battery-operated boyfriend, I’d be okay with it. The thought of that made me blush. I didn’t pack the toy on the trip, but it sat in my apartment back in New York in my night stand. I came into womanhood while being away at a training camp, losing my virginity to a man that was almost ten years older than me and being the last time, I was ever touched.
I shook all of those way too hormonal thoughts out of my head. I was being silly. This was just hanging out with a man. Albeit, an incredibly sexy man. But nothing more. We would go out, probably for lunch or coffee; maybe there would be kissing then I’d go home and compete.
The worst that could happen would be that I’d end up in his bedroom. But maybe that wasn’t the worst-case scenario.
“How long has it been since you’ve had sex?” Becca blurted.
I gasped and whirled around. “Becca!”
“What? It’s just a question. And, you know, our coach gave us a bunch of condoms, so I could loan you some,” she said walking toward her hockey bag where she pulled out a handful of condoms in every color of the rainbow.
I wrinkled my nose. “Um. No thanks. I won’t be needing those.”
“Are you on the pill? You know the pill doesn’t protect you from diseases. What if Blake has some Canadian STD that they can’t treat it here? Something like moose warts on his dick. Then you’d miss your program tonight because we’d have to fly you back to the states or, hell, to Canada to have a doctor treat your junk,” Becca asked, her face completely serious.
“I don’t think that’s a thing. I don’t think countries each have their own STDs.”
“Well then he could have a regular STD, and you’re going to feel really shitty out on the ice with American genital warts.”
I put my hands up and sighed, closing my eyes slowly before I opened them. “It’s been a long time for me, okay?” I said changing the subject. I never told my sister about my old partner. I figured it wasn’t something you discussed with your sister. I also didn’t think one talked about Canadian STDS, but here we were.
“Like long as in a couple of weeks? Months?” Becca asked cautiously.
I sighed and opened my eyes. “Years,” I whispered.
“Years?” Becca’s eyes practically bugged out of her head.
I rolled my eyes and sat on the bed. “I shouldn’t have said anything and just let you keep talking about condoms and STDs.”
“Has it been years because of your training? Is that why you’re so angry all the time? Pent up sexual frustration?” Becca asked, slowly sitting down on the bed next to me.
I groaned. “You’re not going to call me Elsa now, too are you?”
Becca’s arm slowly slid around my shoulder. “Kel, I’m your sister. I might not be int
erested in knowing all of the details of your sex life, but I do care about you. And if you’re about to go out with a playboy snowboarder, you should probably be protected. Sexually or otherwise. I don’t know the gun laws in South Korea, but I’m sure I could talk to one of the girls to see what kind of piece we could get you.”
“It’s not about protecting my body. It’s about protecting my heart…” I sighed.
Becca leaned back. “Your heart? Don’t tell me that after a week you think you’re in love with this guy?”
Love wasn’t the right word, but there was something about him that had my body fluttering. Maybe it was just hormones, and a roll in his sheets would get rid of that. But I knew that wasn’t it. The way he looked so defeated when I talked about his parents. The way he smiled and made me genuinely smile. He was a good guy. A good guy that I wanted to be with not just at The Games, but after. If I could get over the feelings of my last relationship that made my heart freeze over.
Shaking my head slowly I looked up at Becca. “No…it’s just…”
I sighed. “Did I ever tell you about Joe?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Your old partner with the mustache?”
I nodded. “The one. My first partner. The one I was supposed to go to my first games with.”
“Was he..the…?” Becca’s words trailed.
I swallowed hard. “Yes. He was my first and my last.”
“Wasn’t he like old?”
Laughing, I shook my head. “As old as I am now. I was a teen, yeah. I guess the whole partner chemistry and forbidden older guy thing had me going.” I let out a deep breath before I continued. “I thought we had something; then I found one of his old social media profiles and photos of a girl. A fiancée.”
Becca’s eyes widened. “No shit? The guy was cheating?”
Nodding, I swallowed hard. “Yes. She was back home in Britain, waiting for him. Instead of confronting him, I told Coach Donahue that our skating partnership wasn’t going to work. Since I’d been with Coach for two years and was a lot younger than Joe with a long career ahead of me, he sent him off, and Logan started skating with me. The rest I guess is history.”
Becca shook her head. “I had no idea…I guess that explains a lot.”
I snorted. “Why I’m such a bitch?”
“I didn’t say that, but dude, it’s totally understandable. If I found out a guy I was sleeping with, had a fiancée; I’d be pissed and swear off men too.”
I laughed even though it wasn’t funny. “I figured maybe I wasn’t meant for relationships and was meant for gold medals. So, it was all I focused on. That is, until now.”
Becca put her hand on mine. “You deserve the gold and to find someone, even if it’s just to get over your ten-year slump.”
***
My parents had purchased Becca and me international plans for our cell phones before we left for The Games, but Blake only had Wi-Fi to message me whenever he was in his room, or wherever he was staying.
He sent me a message when he was leaving his place and said he would be at my dorm in about half an hour.
What dorm was he living in that it was taking him that long? Was he snowboarding over?
I pulled my coat tighter around me as the brisk air picked up outside of the dorm.
It had been exactly thirty minutes since Blake messaged me and I’d paced my room enough, staring at the array of rainbow condoms that Becca had left on the bed, before I picked up a few, shoving them in my purse and decided to step outside. I thought for a moment he’d be late, then a horn blared from halfway down the street, causing people on the sidewalks to turn and stare.
A black, narrow van pummeled down the street until it came to a screeching halt in front of my dorm.
I stared wide-eyed as the window rolled down and a smiling Blake stared at me. “Looking for someone?”
I shook my head. “You’re nuts. You know that?”
He shrugged, adjusting the blue beanie on his head. “I’ve been called worse.”
I went around the front of the car and got in the passenger side. I expected the van to smell like sweat and the locker room, but instead, I inhaled the scent of pine and chocolate.
“Do you have an air freshener in here to hide the boy smell?” I asked, buckling my seatbelt before Blake tore off down the street and I found myself reaching for the door handle, so I didn’t fly forward and hit the dashboard.
“No. Does it stink in here?” he asked, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.
“No, the opposite actually. I was expecting more of a…” I put my hands in the air, twirling them in the circle as I searched for the right words. “A boy smell I guess.”
“And what does a boy smell like?” He asked, raising an eyebrow with a ghost of a smile on his lips.
I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. I wanted to say ‘you’ as I thought about his woodsy scent, but instead, I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment before responding. “Sweat and ice?”
He laughed. “I didn’t even know ice had a smell.”
“It does.” I nodded to myself. “It’s that clean, fresh smell. The one that makes every bone in your body tingle. You take it all in, in one big breath and can’t help but feel alive.”
Just thinking of the smell of the ice took my mind to the arena. The cold rush that surrounded me as I spun in the air. The way I felt alive. Every time I stepped into an arena, I’d take in that scent, and I knew it was where I belonged.
I didn’t even realize how lost I was in my own thoughts until I turned to see Blake grinning.
“What? Are you making fun of me?” I asked, gently shoving his shoulder.
He shook his head, a silent laugh escaping his nose. “No, just the opposite actually. I was taking in what you said. The smell of ice. You’re right. That’s how it smells to me when I’m on top of the mountain. It’s the thing that makes me feel alive. I’ve just never heard anyone describe it that way.”
“Maybe you and I aren’t so different after all,” I whispered, more to myself than anything as I sat my hand down on the console between us.
He glanced down then put his hand on mine, interlacing our fingers. “Nope. Maybe we’re not.”
***
I thought we would just end up somewhere in the village, at a nice restaurant, or even downtown Pyeongchang, but instead, Blake drove out toward the mountains where I could see skiers in their bright coats sliding down the slopes.
“Um, where are we going exactly?” I asked, looking around at the scenery.
“What a drive through the mountains isn’t enough for you?” he asked with a smile.
“Oh, um, well it is a lovely drive,” I mused, looking out the window, but couldn’t help but be acutely aware that his hand was still on mine, sending an electric current throughout my body.
He laughed, a deep laugh that came from deep in his throat. “I’m joking, Kelly. We’re almost there.”
I looked around the mountain landscape expecting to see a lodge, or maybe we’d even come to a village, but instead, I only saw one little sign with some Korean lettering pointing to a pathway that didn’t even look like the van would fit on it.
“Better hold on. It’s kind of bumpy,” Blake said with a laugh, dropping the gear on the shifter and turning toward the path.
The car vibrated underneath me, slowly making its way up the curvy path that followed the mountain. A little bumpy was an understatement as the car scooted up the mountain. Instead of just a little vibration, it was an all-out rollercoaster ride with me holding onto the dashboard with my free hand, wondering if the van had airbags.
“Is this safe?” I asked, my words shaky.
That made Blake laugh even harder. “Don’t worry. I do this all the time.”
“Somehow that’s not much of a comfort.”
He squeezed my hand but kept his eyes on the road ahead. “Don’t worry, babe. I got you.”
I would have objected or said something snarky, but when he smiled and
held onto my hand, all I could focus on was the butterflies in my stomach.
This was my third Olympics, and another athlete had never approached me unless they wanted my autograph, let alone to want to hang out with me, and especially not go on a date. This was more than what I felt with Joe and what I ever imagined we had. That, I attributed to being a horny teen girl who was away from her parents for the first time and had an older guy touching her. This was something else entirely. This was not only lustful feelings but something else. Something more that had me connected to the dreadlocked snowboarder.
“And we’re here,” Blake said, pulling the car into a circle.
I was so enthralled in my own thoughts that I didn’t look to see if we were in some mountain town.
When I looked around, I didn’t notice much until I found the view in the side mirror and gasped at the beautiful sight.
It was as if we could see for miles with nothing but snow-covered hills and electric blue sky, striped with fluffy white clouds. On the snow-covered bases, rows of trees covered in white dotted the landscape as if they were just the sprinkles on top of the beautiful sundae.
“Wow. This is something,” I said breathlessly.
“And the view is only the beginning,” Blake said with a grin, getting out of the van and opening the back door.
I raised an eyebrow and quickly followed him to the tailgate where he stood with two snowboards.
“You aren’t serious, are you?” I asked.
“What? You said you wanted to learn to board, so who better to teach you than me?” He put down both boards and grabbed some boots out of the back as well.
“I thought you were just kidding about that hobby thing,” I muttered.
It wasn’t exactly disappointment that rang through my head, but curiosity. I expected dinner, drinks, and then back to his cabin. The fact that he wanted to spend time and teach me something made my heart beat even faster.
He laughed and sat on the tailgate, securing his boots. “Nope. I’m just hoping I got your right size. The board is one of mine, but I had to borrow the boots from Lorelei Lysacek, she’s a slalom girl.