Slope of Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons) (21 page)

“My family loves you, and if I’m happy, they’re happy.” He kissed the back of her head.

She popped a bear into her mouth. “Yeah, but what if this injury sinks me?” It was a little easier to say that time than it had been the first. “You fell in love with an Olympic athlete. What will they think if I can’t compete anymore? Oh God, Rush, what will you think? I’ll be like one of those has-beens. A hanger-on.”

She set the bag of candy on the couch, and he picked it up and took a bear between his finger and thumb; then he put it in his teeth and leaned in close. She laughed at him, loving how he tried to pull her out of her darker thoughts.

“You know you want me,” he teased.

She brought her lips to his, and he pushed the gummy bear into her mouth.

“There’s more than one way to win you over.” He pressed a kiss to her lips as she chewed the sweet, delicious candy.

“I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you way before you won your Olympic gold. And if you think I’m wrong and that I fell in love with you
because
you won it, then why would I have waited until two years after you won to make my move?”

“Because you had no idea you loved me.”

“Well, you’re right about that. I didn’t realize how much I loved you until, I don’t know, a year or so ago, but I fell in love with Jayla Stone, and whether you’re an Olympic athlete, a ski instructor, or a gummy-bear-eating ski bunny makes no difference to me. I love who you are, not what you do.”

“No difference? What if I were a pantyless ski bunny?” She heard his breathing quicken. “Candy might be one way to my heart, but I think I’ve learned a little something about the way to yours, too.”

“Babe, the organ you tweaked when you took your panties off was far lower than my heart.”

She slid her hand behind his head, where it fit perfectly against his short hair, and her pinky rested on the soft skin below. She loved this. Him. Being who they’d always been—only more.

She pulled him into another kiss and tried to ignore the worry wrapping its prickly little tentacles around her nerves.

BY FIVE THIRTY the next morning, Rush and Jayla were on the chairlift heading up the mountain with Cliff and Patrick in the chair behind them. The morning was bitter cold and windy. Night clung to the last thread of itself as a graying sky fought to keep the sun from rising.

“You sure you want to do this?” Rush asked.

Jayla exhaled a fluffy white burst of air. “You’ve asked me this four times already. Do you think I’m going to change my mind?”

He knew damn well she wasn’t going to change her mind, but once again the boyfriend side of his brain was having trouble stepping back after watching her cringe and wince while getting dressed that morning and then again when she put on her skis. She was so damned stubborn that he wanted to shake her and was proud of her in equal measure.

“Nope, just giving you the option.” He kissed the side of her head.

She turned to face him, looking a little like an Arctic robber. Her black balaclava covered her entire face, exposing only her beautiful—and at the moment, challenge-filled—eyes.

“Cliff and Patrick are used to seeing us together, but kissing might draw their attention, don’t you think?”

He pulled the cloth from in front of her mouth and kissed her again. “I don’t care. The coach knows, or at least strongly suspects, and no one else matters.”

The corners of her eyes wrinkled, and he knew she was smiling.

He watched her carefully as she skied off the lift. If he hadn’t been looking for it, he probably wouldn’t have noticed that she was leaning to the left, but he couldn’t ignore what was now blatantly obvious, and it made his gut wrench.

Patrick came to a stop beside him. “What was that?”

Rush pulled down his goggles. “What?”

“The lip-lock on the lift.”

Rush set his jaw and flashed a serious don’t-fuck-with-me stare at him. “Exactly what you think it is.”

“What about your no-pussy rule for this competition season?”

Instinct and pent-up frustration over Jayla’s decision to compete drove Rush’s hand to Patrick’s collar. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Don’t ever refer to Jayla as that. Got it?”

Patrick’s jaw gaped in surprise and annoyance. He pushed away from Rush. “Dude. Whatever. Sorry, man.”

Rush released him but held his stare. His heart thundered against his ribs. He hadn’t expected such a visceral reaction to Patrick just being Patrick, but then again, when it came to Jayla, he hadn’t expected his emotions to take over like they had.

The morning light crept over the mountain, illuminating the slope and bringing with it a surge of adrenaline that made Rush break out in a sweat. He watched Jayla launch herself from the crest. Her form was immaculate, her speed immediate, and he worried like hell about her. He skied slower, more worried about her than his time. There was no hint of the leaning he’d noticed earlier in her positioning as she flew down the slope at lightning speed. Satisfied that she was okay, he let his body take over and sped past her to make the most of the remaining trail.

He waited for Jayla at the bottom and they rode the lift up together.

“How’s your shoulder?”

“Fine. Cliff asked if I was dating you.” Jayla scooted closer to him.

“And?”

“I told him that I was just making the rounds to see if our male ski team was as well endowed as the rumors say they are.” She leaned her head against his shoulder.

He laughed. “Well, then, I guess I’ll win that contest.”

“There goes that ego again.”

“Someone’s gotta stroke it.” He thought of the way she looked as she came off the slope and lifted her goggles, flashing the fierce, determined look he’d come to know so well over the years.
God, I love you
. As their legs pressed against each other’s, he wished for the millionth time she’d see a doctor, and at the same time, that she didn’t have to.

WHILE RUSH WAS at the gym, Jayla checked her cell phone messages. She had one from her sister, Jennifer and one from her brother, Jace. Jace owned a number of motorcycle shops, and he was also,
for fun,
he claimed, a tattoo artist. At six five, Jace was an imposing sight with his scruffy goatee and leather jacket. To Jayla, he was her sometimes annoying, funny, and way-too-smart, eldest brother who had always looked out for her from afar. He wasn’t a hovering, in-your-face type of protector, but she knew if she ever needed him, he was there. She had absolutely no idea why he would have texted her at four in the morning.

She scrolled through the texts, and the slight movement of her thumb made her whole arm ache.
Damn it
. She knew she was pushing herself, maybe even past her limits, but if she could just make it through Saturday…She sighed as she read the text from Jennifer first.

Ready to spill yet?

Jayla laughed. She had to hand it to Jen. She had a knack for seeing right through her smoke and mirrors. She texted back.
Rush…Me…Couple. And he’s more amazing than I thought. Chew on that. Talk later. Need to get ready for ski class.

She read the text from Jace, feeling the seconds tick away and wanting to get to her shoulder exercises.

Guess where I am?
Typical Jace. His life moved a mile a minute, and his texts were as random as his tattoos. She hadn’t heard from him in weeks, and the last time they’d spoken, he was telling her about some motorcycle he was building. Jace had gone on about technical details and comparisons to other motorcycles for so long that she’d zoned out. That was Jace, a strange mix of too many facts and not enough focus.

She texted back.

Sorry so late. Was on the slopes. R u in LA?

She tossed her phone on the bed and began her shoulder exercises. Her shoulder screamed when she tried to lift her arm above midchest level. She tried a few different exercises and experienced the same deep, excruciating pain. Jayla gave up and sat on the edge of the bed and stewed over the way her body was working against her.

Her phone vibrated with a response from Jace.
New Mexico. Opening new shops. Guess where I’ll be tomorrow?

She rolled her eyes and texted,
Where?

She sucked in a deep breath and pulled her shoulders back. “I can do this,” she said to the empty room. “I can goddamn do this.”
Then I’ll go to the doc.

Her phone vibrated again with his response.
Colorado. Coming to see ur race.

She smiled despite the ache in her shoulder, knowing that the one competition he’d see would probably be her worst race of the year. She texted back.
Can’t wait to see u. Gotta go teach a ski workshop. Text me when ur here?

He texted back right away.
Getting in right b4 ur race. Will see you after. Love you. Good luck.

She thought about mentioning her relationship with Rush to Jace. Jace knew Rush and he liked him as a person, but he also knew Rush’s history with women. Would he like him as much as his younger sister’s boyfriend? She decided the fewer issues she dealt with at the moment, the better, and texted him back,
Love u too. Can’t wait to c u. Xox.

Without thinking, she pushed off the bed with her right hand. Searing pain radiated down her arm.

I’ll see the doctor right after the race.

She went into the bathroom and reached for a washcloth, cringing in pain.

The second my race is over
.

BY MIDAFTERNOON JAYLA’S shoulder and arm were throbbing. She downed a few Tylenol and Motrin before her last class. Rush had gone to get something to eat before the class started, and she braced herself as Coach Cunningham approached with an assessing gaze.

“How’re you holding up?” He held her gaze.

“Great. Fine.”
Other than my arm feeling like I should amputate it right this very second.

“Good. You know, backing out of one competition to prepare for the coming season wouldn’t be the worst thing you’ve ever done.”

“I’m fine, Coach. I’m going to compete; then I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Your choice. Until I see that you cannot compete, or you or a doc tells me you can’t, you’re in.”

The pain was a constant reminder of their denial. “Thank you.” She noticed Rush heading their way.

Coach watched him approach. “I guess Rush told you about the Baker situation.”

“Baker situation?” Her stomach clenched at the thought of anything having to do with Kelly Baker.

He shifted his feet so he was facing her head-on. “He didn’t tell you?”

Her stomach sank. What could Kelly Baker have said that would have an impact on her or Rush? Despite her trust in Rush, her mind went down an old, painful, and familiar path connecting Rush and Kelly. She fought against it.

“Hey.” Rush’s eyes darted between Jayla and the coach.

“Coach Cunningham was asking me if you told me about the Bakers.” She tried not to sound accusatory or annoyed, but when his smile faded, she wasn’t sure she succeeded.

His eyes shot to the coach, then back to her. His mouth twitched.

Jayla felt like she was going to be sick.

“Coach?” Rush put a hand on Jayla’s lower back and she took a step forward, causing his hand to slide off. He shot her a confused—and too apologetic—look.

“Can…” She looked at the coach. “What’s going on?”

Coach Cunningham glanced at Rush and then shook his head.

“Jayla, remember when I told Kelly that I wasn’t interested?”

How could I forget?
“Yes.” She broke out in a cold sweat.

“She complained.” He shot another look at the coach. “She complained about you.”

That wasn’t at all what she was expecting, and it was a relief—at first. “Me?” she practically yelled. “What? Why?”

“Because she’s a nutcase, and I guess she decided that she’d hurt me by hurting you.” He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. “We walked away arm in arm, remember?”

“Wha…Coach?”

Coach Cunningham shook his head. “I know.” He narrowed his eyes at Rush again. “You don’t have to worry. I know this is about Rush, and not about you.”

She stepped away from Rush.

“Jayla, it’s not like I did anything wrong.”

“No.” Coach Cunningham scrubbed his hand down his face. “For once you did the right thing where a woman was concerned. You just picked the wrong woman to scorn.” He turned his attention to Jayla with a rare, empathetic look in his eyes. “Listen, all this crap will pass. I didn’t say anything to you yesterday because you’ve got enough to worry about with your shoulder, but just in case she pulls anything else, I thought you should know.”

Anger pooled in her gut. “Thank you, Coach. So what do you want me to do? What happens now? And what could she possibly have had to complain about?” She saw the kids getting ready for class and scanned the group of parents standing off to the side for the blond bitch who had it out for her—and Rush.

“Not much. She had concerns about your skills as an instructor, which we all know is nonsense, Jayla. As for what you do from here on out?” He locked eyes with Rush. “I don’t want you anywhere near her or her daughter. Got it? God knows if this woman will try to take things to a crazier level, and with the press coming in, we need that like we need a heat wave. Jayla, you just keep doing what you’re doing. You guys are doing a great job and a really good thing by working with these kids.” He ran his eyes between them. “And if you two have gone from friends to something more, then I want a promise from you both that when you’re training, you’ll goddamn focus. No fights or drama on the team, got it?”

“Got it,” they said in unison.

With a curt nod, he left them alone.

Jayla was sure there was steam coming from her ears as she and Rush put on their equipment.

“I should have told you, but we were so sidetracked last night, and with your shoulder, I figured—”

“Stop, okay. I can’t even think about it right now.” Jayla struggled getting her equipment on with her left hand. Every muscle in her body was tense, her nerves burned, and her goddamn right side from her shoulder to her ribs felt like she’d skied into a tree.