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“Yeah, I haven’t been able to get to the slopes in a while. I’m ready to go.” I pull my snowboard from my backpack to show him, and he lifts his in return.
“Let’s get going then.”
With sure steps, Reese leads me up the mountain using the path. The conversation flows between us, and I’m surprised at how quickly we make it to the midpoint.
“I think this is a good place to have our first run. What about you?” My heart is beating wildly, and my breath is coming fast. I’m in good shape but nowhere as good as Reese. He’s not even breathing hard.
We’ve just hiked halfway up a snowy mountain in full snow gear carrying heavy equipment, and the man looks like he was only taking a stroll in the park.
“Yeah, this works.” He drops his snowboard to the ground and begins to strap himself in. Now, I’ll get to see if he was being truthful about his skills. Snowboarding takes a lot of practice to master, even though it may look simple. It’s a lot about balance and body control. It’s very easy for someone to fall over or even to injure themselves if they don’t know how to control their body.
After I’m satisfied that Reese can safely get the snowboard on, I step into my own. At once, we slide out onto the fresh powder. I look over my shoulder to ensure there’s no incoming traffic, and I push off.
The wind smacking against my face is thrilling, and before long, I’m smiling so wide my teeth are hurting from the cold. Both of us catch a good bit of speed, but I’m still pulling out in front of him. Reese is keeping his body weight too high up.
When Reese sees me looking over at him, he shows off by doing a spin and coming up on the opposite side of me. I throw my head back and laugh before I do the same move so we’re back in our original positions. I’m impressed and happy that I can finally let free with someone I don’t have to worry about getting hurt.
It’s only seconds before we get back down to the bottom of the mountain, but it was still thrilling.
“Wow! You’re really good,” Reese says when we get back on flat ground.
“Thanks! You’re good too. I saw you trying to show off.” I poke fun at him, and he chuckles, his cheeks turning a deeper shade of red.
“Though you were keeping your weight too high up when we were coming down. I can show you how to go faster if you like.” I can’t stop myself, and I quickly say a little prayer that he’s not one of those types of men who don’t like it when a woman knows more about a subject than they do.
One of his eyebrows hitches up, and he takes a step toward me. “You’re going to show me?”
“Yeah. What, the big bad boxer can’t take a few lessons from a woman?” I press a hand to my hip. Even though I’m fully clothed, the way his eyes travel down my body makes me feel naked under his gaze. I like it.
“I don’t mind taking lessons from a woman, but snowboarding isn’t a subject I need lessons on.”
I tilt my head once and squint at him. I smell a challenge in the air. “Is that so? Well, if you think you know it all, how about we see who’s the fastest.”
“You talking about a race? You sure you want to do that, little girl?” He lifts his chin and crosses his thick arms over his chest. “I’m not going to take it easy on you.”
I gasp in faux shock. “Get your ass up the mountain, Reese.” I bend down and unhook my feet from my board while he does the same.
On the second trip up the mountain, we fall back into an easy conversation. He tells me all about his best trips, and I let him in on some of my worst wipeouts. I even pulled my arm out of my snowsuit to show him the scar from the surgery I had from breaking my arm. I wasn’t very conscience about ice when I started getting into snowboarding.
He touched the scar tenderly, and even though it was brisk out, that one swipe of his gloved hand was enough to send my blood boiling with desire. Being this attracted to someone this fast shouldn’t be possible.
The both of us were so involved in the conversation that we completely missed the midpoint of the mountain and wound up getting more than three-quarters of the way up.
“You’re not scared to be this far up, are you?” Reese asks as we get ready to step out onto the slope.
“Scared? Boy, please.” I scoff at him, and my core flutters when he tosses his head back and laughs. The booming sound bounces off the trees and surrounds me. I want to hear him laugh more.
We come out to the middle of the slope, and he lifts the hood on his coat, protecting his face.
“First one down wins,” I say as if he needs reminding how to win a race.
I don’t say start. I just hop into position and push off with the sound of him cursing behind me. I get small and lean my body with the dips and peaks of the slope. My eyes search for the freshest snow because I know it’ll be easier for me to keep my speed.
Right when I think I’ve got the race in the bag, Reese appears by my side. His body is low, and he matches my skill. He was holding back the first time down. I push a little harder now, wanting more than anything to beat him. It’s not like we put up any type of wager, but I’m naturally competitive. I always want to win. Gotta be the best. It’s why I don’t like to share.
He shoots me a quick glance before he leans forward, picking up more speed and pulling out in front of me.
Crap.
