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"Competitions were my vacations. I got to travel a lot--all over the world. I was very fortunate."
He held the door open to the ice cream shop. "And you never resented what you might have missed out on?"
She turned to face him after they'd walked inside. "If I never had it, how could I resent it?"
"Oh, come on, Amber. You know what I'm talking about. Parties with friends, and prom. Did you go to your prom?"
"I was skating in an exhibition in Russia during my senior prom. So, no. Besides, who would I have gone with? I didn't really know anyone at my school, and I was traveling so often that most of the time I had to be homeschooled to catch up."
There was a line with a few people ahead of them, so they got in it. "That sucks."
"It was my life. And it was a good one. I met so many people from many different countries. It's been an experience many people will never have. I don't resent it at all."
She'd had a unique life, for sure.
"Hey, as long as you're happy with your life, that's all that matters."
She smiled at him, then leaned down to stare at the ice cream flavors in the case. "I am. I have been."
She was definitely happy right now. She was in an ice cream store with Will Madigan. It didn't get much better than this.
Though it could get a lot better than this. She just had to take things slowly, and figure out how to become bolder, to figure out how to ask for what she wanted.
"So what do you want?"
She straightened and met his gaze. "Excuse me?"
"Ice cream. What flavor do you want?"
"Oh." She realized they were at the front of the line now and the proprietor of the shop was waiting for her to make a decision. "I'll have raspberry chocolate in a cup, please."
"And I'll have mint chocolate chip, two scoops in a cone," Will said.
They took their ice cream and sat at a booth near the window. Amber slid her spoon into the ice cream and tasted it. It melted over her tongue and she closed her eyes, falling in love with the delicious flavor. She couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips.
When she opened her eyes, Will was staring at her.
"What?"
His lips curved. "That good?"
"Oh, it was that good. I'm not supposed to have anything sweet."
He frowned. "Why not?"
"Because my personal trainer and my mother watch my calorie intake. So when I can get away from both of them, like an event here, where neither of them are allowed, I indulge."
"Good for you. And I'll bet you work off all those calories when you skate."
"I work off plenty of them. But I understand they're looking out for me. Carrying around extra weight on the ice hurts my performance. Plus, I have to look good in my outfits."
"I'll bet you look damn good in your outfits."
She took another spoonful of ice cream, trying to avoid moaning this time as the sweet flavored cream slid down her throat. "I wouldn't if I ate anything I wanted to."
"Yeah? What are your cravings?"
"Hmm, let's see. Thick crust pizza with sausage and extra cheese. Lasagna. Chocolate chip cookies. Brownies. Oh, and cheeseburgers. I really love cheeseburgers. With onion rings."
He laughed. "That's a damn fine menu, Amber. Surely you can have some of those things at least once a week, right?"
"I get healthy proteins, like lean chicken and fish. Only when I finish a competition am I allowed to indulge."
"Allowed? Come on, honey, you're a grown-ass woman. You can make your own decisions."
She looked down at her ice cream, suddenly losing her appetite for its creamy sinfulness. She pushed it aside. "I do make my own decisions. Like now. I'm full."
Will looked over at her cup. "You barely ate two bites."
"It doesn't take much to fill me up." Which was her mother's mantra.
Eat half of what's on your plate, Amber. You're thin anyway, so you don't need a lot of food.
Except she was always hungry, and drinking more water never filled her up.
"Yeah? Well I'm eating this entire cone and two scoops, which I know I'll burn up on the ice. You should do the same."
Will didn't understand how hard it was for her to maintain the balance between strength and figure. But she did. She'd worked so hard, and nothing was going to derail her.
Not even the tempting raspberry chocolate ice cream that sat in front of her.
This had been a mistake. She should have never come here with Will. But since she had, she'd politely wait until he finished his ice cream and then she'd make her way back to her apartment.
"Would you like to taste mine?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I'm good."
"So's this mint chocolate chip. And I promise I don't have germs."
Oh, she'd love to put her mouth where he'd had his mouth. That wasn't the issue at all. Just the thought of swirling her tongue where his tongue had been caused flames to lick along her nerve endings, making her wish they were outside where it was cooler.
"Do you like mint, Amber?" he asked.
"I do."
He leaned forward, offering the cone. "Take a lick."
She was going to self-combust if he kept talking to her that way.
"Okay." She started to take the cone from him, but instead, he wrapped his hand around hers and held the cone steady. She leaned forward and flicked her tongue over the top of the cone, watching the way his gaze was glued to her mouth, which only made her previous heated state grow more incendiary.
She sat back and pulled her hand from his. "It's really good."
"Yeah, it is really good," he said, and Amber was certain he hadn't been talking about the ice cream.
She'd been hit on by a lot of guys over the years, mainly at skating competitions, and especially at the international games. She'd ignored them all to focus only on her goal of winning. Never before had she been affected by flirting or guys coming on to her. She knew she'd be nothing more than a one-night stand, and she wasn't much interested in being some guy's forgettable bang.
But there was something about Will Madigan that intrigued her. He was hot, and had a magnificent body. She liked that they were compatible from a skating point of view, but she'd had attractive male figure skaters hit on her before and they had certainly been more compatible than Will, so what was the deal with this guy? Why him, other than she'd madly crushed on him four years ago when he'd never once even looked in her direction.
That was probably it. He'd noticed her tonight, and she felt vindicated. Plus, she was determined to live it up during these games.
Though she was going to do it on her terms. She was going to be the one doing the choosing, and it was going to be on her timeline. When she was ready.
She wasn't going to jump in the sack with the first guy on the first night.
Even if said guy was hot and sexy and had eyes that made her melt.
"Are you sure you're not going to finish that?" he asked, motioning to her cup of ice cream.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Somewhere out in the world some little girl is crying about that raspberry chocolate."
She laughed. "I'm sure."
They got up and threw away their trash. Amber zipped up her parka and slid on her gloves, then they headed outside.
The chill bit into her skin. The wind had picked up as well. She reached into her pocket and put on her beanie so her ears would be covered.
Will shoved his hands in his coat pockets. "Looks like it might snow tonight."
"That'll be great for the mountains."
He nodded. "I can't wait to watch snowboarding. And slalom skiing."
"And bobsledding and luge and hockey." She turned to him as they walked briskly back to the apartments. "I really do love hockey."
"Thanks. Me, too. I'm going to admit I've never watched figure skating. Sorry."
She laughed. "It's okay. Not everyone loves skating."
"Hey, I didn't say I didn't love it,
I just said I've never watched it. With you gliding around on the ice, I bet watching you skate will become my new favorite thing."
She laughed. "Sure it will. Come watch all of us. There are some amazing skaters."
The first flakes of snow started to fall. Amber stopped and looked up at the sky, then held out her hands. "It's snowing now."
Big fat flakes followed--their descent slow but steady. It was a beautiful sight and made her jittery and excited. There was something about snow that signaled the beginning of the games to her.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Will asked.
She looked at him, saw that same excited grin on his face. "Yes. You feel it, too?" She balled her fingers into a fist and pressed it against her stomach. "Deep inside. Nervousness coupled with excitement, like I can't wait to get started."
"Yup. I feel the same way. If I could be on the ice right now skating with a stick in my hand and a puck to chase after, I'd be a happy man."
She laughed and hooked her arm in his. "See, we're a lot alike. We may have different disciplines, but it's all about the competition. I even get that little flitting butterfly in my stomach watching the other skaters compete. I want so much for them to win. I want it as much for them as I want it for myself." She looked up at Will. The snow was coming down hard now, his hair covered in the white flakes. "Is that silly?"
He took his hand out of his pocket and grasped hers. "Not a damn thing about you is silly, Amber."
His words warmed her chilled body. She smiled up at him. "Thank you."
"Now let's go inside and sit by the fire. I'm freezing my balls off out here."
She laughed and let him tug her by the hand toward the door. When they got inside, he shook the snow off his hair, sprinkling her with snowflakes. She swiped at him.
"Hey, leave the snow outside."
"I can't. It's attached to me. I'm just sharing with you."
"Thanks a lot."
There was a great room off the lobby of the main building that housed the dining hall and several TV and game rooms. She'd loved this room as soon as she'd seen it. It had a huge rock fireplace and several seating areas with tables. And of course, there was a drink station at the back of the room, which was a definite plus.
They found a table near the fire. She shed her coat, already feeling the heat.
