AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stepped away from the doorwayand nodded his head to the side. “If you need anything, I’m justnext door.” He smirked before he disappeared, presumably into hisroom. I stared after him as what he said finally resonated in mylust-clouded brain.
Next door.
Chapter Six
The brisk air bit at my cheeks asthe chairlift took us higher with each passing moment. I tried notto look down as the ground got further away from my feet clad withhot-pink skis. I preferred to look at the snow-covered pines thatscattered around us like someone ripped the image straight out of anovel. Even though it was next to freezing out, the view made thelack of sensation in my fingers slightly more bearable.
Anna sat next to me practicallyvibrating with excitement the closer we came to the top of thesmallest slope. I think it was called the “bunny” or “kiddie”slope. I tried not to get hung up on the wording. It made sensethat the instructor would start us out on this slope when I hadnever been skiing.
Anna had given us about thirtyminutes to get unpacked, rested up, and changed before she insistedwe “hit the powder,” as she put it. She said it had been a coupleof years since the last time she came here and we could tell shewas overly thrilled to do this again. Apparently, her family hadcome out here at least once a year when she was growing up. Her dadalready owned the cabin when her mom married him so that made iteasy for them to do just that.
God, it was still so weird tothink of Ian as her dad. I was glad my thoughts regarding thehandsome doctor were locked away safely in my mind. I couldn’t stopthinking about how bad that blow-up would have been if she figuredout I had the hots for him. Or that he seemed to be having the samefeelings as me.
As it was, Ian said he would letus do our own thing this week. But he had insisted he come along atleast for today. He was currently a couple of rows behind us on thelift. Melonie and Ben were in the seats right behind us and Ian wasbehind them. He said he wanted to be out here the first day with usjust in case his medical expertise was needed since some of us hadnever done this before. Some of us meaning just me.
I promptly ignored the dark lookshe seemed to send my way every chance he got. It was bad enoughbeing trapped in the same car on the way here. I sat in the backseat with Ben shoved in the middle and Melonie on the other side.Every time I felt him look at me in the rearview mirror, Iforcefully kept my stare directed out my window.
Everything I thought I’d imaginedthe last time I was around him was seemingly coming true. All thelooks and covert touches he delivered to me that night hadn’t beenin my head after all. If there was still any doubt in my mind thathe didn’t want me as I wanted him, the way he spoke to me earlierhammered the final nail in that coffin.
Nonetheless, now that I knew whohe was, I would have to shut that shit down. Even though he was theonly man that ever made me crave … more, I couldn’t let thosefeelings come between my friendship with his daughter.
“Okay, we’re coming up to thedrop-off. You remember what I told you?” Anna shouted over thebreeze that whipped past my ears. We were both covered inhead-to-toe winter gear, including thick scarves that partiallycovered our mouths, so her words were mumbled.
I tried my best to give her areassuring smile. I nodded as I replayed her words in my mind overand over again.“Keep your head up and look forward, stand up,push off the chair, and glide away.”I took slow steady breathsas the turn in the lift approached.
Logically, I knew this would gofast. But as I looked at how the now empty chairs in front of uswhipped around the pole, I wasn’t so sure I wouldn’t be getting aface full of snow just simply trying to get off the damn lift.“Keep your head up and look forward,” I mumbled to myself.
The ground lightly touched thebottom of our skis now. Anna had a mile-wide grin on her lips asshe took a deep breath and got ready to dismount. She held her handout for me and I gripped it. I would need all the support I couldget at this point. I could feel pressure against the soles of myfeet, so it was now or never.
Anna scooted forward and Ifollowed the movement. “Stand up,” I whispered as I did just that.Gripping onto the handrail for dear life so I wouldn’t slip. “Pushoff,” I said as I let go and pushed away from the moving bench.
“And glide!” Anna shouted next tome as we glided smoothly away from the lift. I couldn’t help thesurge of pride that coursed through me as I shakily found my feetand continued to glide next to Anna. My smile was the broadest ithad been in years it seemed. Maybe it was a small victory for somebut to me it was huge. I was completely out of my comfort zone andI was succeeding.
Anna started to giggle as shestared at my expression. I couldn’t help my own laugh as I glancedher way. It was silly, but that moment with my best friend feltlike it solidified our relationship with each other.
We were so busy giggling andlooking at each other that I didn’t realize my feet liked to followmy line of vision. Before I could try to stop it, my skis crossedover the top of hers and we both tripped forward. Both of my feetpopped out of the boot attachments as I squealed and went head overheels. Anna controlled her fall better than I did and sat down onher ass, the soft powder cushioning her fall.
I pushed my hands out in front ofme but it was too late. One moment I was gliding like a majesticswan on a lake and the next I had a face full of snow as I sprawledover my roommate’s legs.
I rolled over onto my back andgasped for air as I wiped the cold wet snow off my face. I laidstill for a moment as I assessed the rest of my body for injury.When I decided I was okay, I closed my eyes as mortification rolledover me.
That was until I heard Anna startlaughing. I swung my head toward her and returned her laugh as Isaw her gripping her belly. She was heaving long breaths in and outaround her laughs. It was contagious as I found myself doing thesame soon. Neither of us noticed Ben and Melonie standing next tous until one of them cleared their throat.
The look of bewilderment on theirfaces made us laugh even harder. Anna laid back in the snow as ifshe couldn’t keep herself up anymore. My cheeks hurt so much,whether it was from the cold wind biting at the wet flesh there orfrom my wide smile as I belly laughed, I couldn’t tell. The puzzledlooks from fellow skiers as they passed us only served to makeeverything funnier.
“Are you okay, Lindsey Bug?” Benasked with concern in his voice. Melonie looked at him like he wasan idiot and rolled her eyes. I pointed at him and howled inlaughter. I don’t know why but his concern and Melonie’s lackthereof were hilarious.
“You ladies all right?” a deepintimate voice called and a pair of new skis came skidding to astop next to us. My laughs quieted as I swallowed hard and Anna’sdied down to a chuckle as she looked up at her father.
“Yeah, we’re fine.” She quietedthe rest of her laughs. I was caught by his gaze as I raised ontomy elbows. I couldn’t keep the lust from my eyes as I watched himtower over me.What would it be like to look up at him like thisbut from a bed instead?The hooded look he shot my way made mefeel like he could read my mind at that moment. I shook my head torid the thought.
I tried not to think about what hewould look like under all of that ski gear. As it was, he lookedsleek and delectable in his black ski pants and jacket. Next to theglistening white, the stark black of his outfit was hard to miss.Much like the man underneath it all.
I sat quickly as he helped Annastand. I looked around me for my skis that had gone flying. I wasstill wearing my snow boots so I stood when I spotted one a fewfeet down the hill. I walked down to it and picked it up before Isearched for the other. When I couldn’t immediately spot it Ibriefly wondered how I would make it down the mountain with justone ski. There wasn’t a shot in hell that I would be trying to getback onto that lift.
“Here you go,” Ian said as he slidup to me. I flushed as he held out the bright pink ski. He smiledslightly as I grabbed it from him and started to walk back up tothe others. My breath sputtered and stalled in my lungs when hegripped my upper arm to stop me. “You’ve never done this, haveyou?” he asked. It seemed he wasn’t just talking about skiing.
“Oh, you know, I do this likeevery weekend. I may as well be a professional at this point,” Isaid, sarcasm dripping from each word.
