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He smiled at that. “You’re no poor little Princess NV. You think I don’t know about pressure? You think you’re the only one to feel that kind of heat?” He laughed. “I come from a dynasty of surgeons Nikki. I’m the black sheep because I did sports medicine when they’re all neurosurgeons or heart specialists. The expectation on me was to be the best of the very best. Trust me, I understand elite expectation.”
A frown pleated her brow. “So how do you handle it?”
“I don’t give a damn. I decided to do what made me happy. Snowboarding makes me happy. Mountain rescue makes me happy. I like having conversations with my patients, not cranking open an unconscious body… I like face to face contact. I don’t have to conform to what their idea of successful is.”
“That’s easier said than done when it’s your family though.”
“Sure. But if your family loves you, they get it eventually.”
“Do they love you?”
“I make them laugh. They can’t help themselves.” He pulled her so she leaned on him. “Your parents love you too.”
“My parents love me to succeed,” she corrected. “They don’t want me to jeopardize that success.”
“And what could you do to jeopardize it?”
“A myriad of things. Get busted doing something stupid. Get involved with the wrong guy. Someone in the squad or worse. Get—”
“Caught doing all the fun things.”
“Yeah.”
“So no fun things.” Hence all the ‘rules’.
“Not while my career lasts. Already there’s doubt since my switch up in coaches.” She sighed. “I’m only as good as my last race. If I lose my form, I lose my contracts. It’s all over. And what do I do then?”
“You’re not decrepit yet.”
“The newest young thing could come knock my off my perch any day, I know it’s not going to last forever.”
“But you’re not stupid. You’ve made plans.”
“I’ve made investments so I won’t starve.” She nodded. “But beyond that?”
“Early retirement?” He leaned back and winked at her, but she looked too doubtful to take the joke. “What are you going to do?”
“I have no idea.”
“You’ll figure it out.” He cupped her face with his hand. “You will.” He kissed her.
She still looked doubtful.
“Would you study?” he prompted.
“I was mostly homeschooled by mom.” She grimaced. “I’m not sure I’d cope with sitting in a big class full of kids staring at me.”
“University isn’t like normal school. It’s more fun. And everyone’s trying to be too cool to be caught staring.”
“Maybe,” Her hands swept over his skin and her eyelids lowered. She was distracting herself—and him. “It doesn’t matter yet anyway, I’ve got some trophies to add to my stash first… and I know what I want to do right now.”
Yeah, too bad for him he was top of her ‘to do’ list.
Two hours later he snuck out of her hold. He didn’t want to leave but he knew he had to. She needed at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. And okay, so did he. He saw her animal face socks on the floor in the lounge and smiled.
She travelled light—didn’t have billions of bags like a real princess would. The only personal ornament she’d bothered to put out in her room was a picture of her parents in a frame on the table.
She looked about six in the photo, and they were at the beach. No snow. No skis. No medals. Just smiles.
Her laptop was also on the table. He knew she studied her race footage over and over. Then she studied her competitors’ races. Then she did the code cracker and the crosswords from the daily newspaper. Just like he did.
She was lonely. Just like him.
He went back to the doorway of her bedroom, stealing once last look as she slept. She wasn’t some spoilt ski princess, she was a real woman who wanted to be loved. A woman who faced huge pressures and a punishing schedule.
And it had taken less than twenty-four hours for him to fall for her completely. He’d fucking known it would happen—that’s why he’d kept such strict distance from her last year. She’d fascinated him then, and getting past her persona now and discovering the real, sweet’n’sexy woman she was? His stupid heart had no chance.
So now he had two choices—to back the hell off, or try pushing for what he really wanted.
Option one was impossible. Trouble was, he had less than a fortnight to make option two a success.
CHAPTER SEVEN
It was still dark, too early to rise and get ready for training, but Nicoletta had run out of sleep. She wished Austin had stayed the whole night, wished she could find him now and kiss him, wished she could call in on him at his clinic any time she damn well wanted…
The last five nights had been incredible. He’d met her in her room as soon as he was done for the day—stripping even as he walked in. Her laughter swiftly turned to sighs. Man, could he make her shake and sigh and scream and still it wasn’t enough.
He’d order a meal to his room and sneak it to hers. Eventually they’d get around to talking through their days—he’d tell her stories about accident-prone tourists and the antics of this season’s crop of lifties, she’d tell him speeds and squad goss. They’d eat. Shower. Have sex. Have sex again. And then again.
She couldn’t get enough of him.
Not just the sex. But of everything with him.
Now she rolled out of bed with a wince, forcing herself to snap out of the lethargy. She needed to stop day dreaming and get her focus back. She went down to the training center to check in and plan the day, but he wasn’t there. Her morning training went well, then she went to the gym to work on the machine for a while. He still wasn’t there—not during lunch. Nor was he there after her final slope session for the day.
Back at the Lodge that evening, he didn’t answer his door. She even sent him a text but got no response. She walked along the corridor towards the foyer, trying not to look obvious.
“Nicoletta?” Savannah called out to her from one the meeting rooms, then stepped out to catch up with her. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I was just…”
“He’s up the mountain.” Savannah smiled.
“Who?” Nicoletta asked warily.
“Austin.”
“This late?” A chill swept over her and she narrowed her gaze, taking in Savannah’s slightly set features. “There’s someone in trouble?”
“Missing off piste.” Savannah summoned another smile. “Don’t worry. Connor’s a good pilot and Austin’s a good doctor. They’ll bring him home safe.”
“When did they go up?”
“A few hours ago. They’ve since found him but it’s a tricky extraction apparently. You want to have a drink with me while we wait? Or something to eat?” Savannah asked.
“Um, thanks.” She tried to think of an excuse. “But I’d… better… get…”
“Okay,” Savannah interrupted, saving Nicoletta from her clumsy refusal. “Don’t worry, they’ve done it many times.”
Yeah. But it was dark out there and there were many experienced helicopter pilots who’d crashed in the mountains. So many skiers had been caught in avalanches or taken bad tumbles and were left stuck on the side of a mountain with hypothermia setting in… She knew the risks better than anyone.
Time went stupidly slow—every second took forever, stretching her nerves to breaking point. She went to her room, stripped out of her gear and showered. Dressing in loose jeans and a comfy tee,
she waited some more. And fretted. Surely they wouldn’t keep trying when it was so dark? Would they have to dig in up there for the night? What about the snow forecast to fall in the early hours? She hated the thought of him up there and in danger.
Finally she heard the unmistakable whop, whop, whop of a helicopter nearing the resort. Fifteen minutes later she heard a truck pulling up outside the Lodge. She couldn’t stay away.
A pile of people were whisked through the foyer through to the Lodge’s ‘Great Hall’ that had been closed to the public. Austin stood out in his bright colored jacket and broad smile. He stood talking intently with a tall woman who had a medic bag. An older man sat wrapped in rugs in a wheelchair, his left leg out straight, obviously injured. He was smiling up at a tear-stained woman who’d bent to talk to him. Savannah stood alongside Connor, both of them were smiling too.
It seemed it was all a happy ending.
Nicoletta turned away before she got caught watching again. But she’d barely taken more than two steps towards the corridor when Austin was suddenly there.
“Hey,” he said, taking her arm and turning her towards him before releasing her. “You okay?”
She paused, flushing. “I should be the one asking you that.”
“I’m fine. Nothing too tricky. Connor was the skilled one getting the helicopter off that soft snow again.” He rolled his shoulders, easing the tension. “The old boy’s fine. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”
“You don’t need to go back to look after him?”
“The nurse will settle him now. I’ll check on him again through the night.”
Nicoletta glanced back at the couple, so she wouldn’t have to look at him and give herself away. The older man and his wife were kissing—the relief and love between them was so obvious. She gazed at their connection. It was everything she felt yet couldn’t show.
“You really do like watching, don’t you?” Austin laughed lightly in her ear. “You’re such a sweet looking deviant.”
It wasn’t that watching turned her on—infact it was the opposite. It hurt. She’d watched that couple reunite and the envy ate her up.
“Did you ever watch Logan’s sex tape?” He teased, drawing her back down the corridor towards the elevator and away from the crowd.
