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Chapter Ten
Take Life by the Balls
Don’t tiptoe into the cold water.
Go for the Polar Plunge.
Jax walked into Bigfoot’s Brews after one hell of a day. His calves were burning, his nose was still frozen from the icy winds, and he had snow stuck to every eyebrow and eyelash.
He’d worked out for about two hours, ran the treadmill for another, then hit the slopes to take advantage of the fresh powder that had arrived overnight. It had been the first time since last year’s Sierra Vista Cup that he’d boarded down Vista Peak, the hardest run in the Sierra Nevadas, and he had to admit it felt different. For competitions, he played to win. Today he was out there playing for the fun of it. He’d finally called it a day when he couldn’t feel his legs any longer.
His head was still buzzing from the high.
Or maybe that was the recurring dream he’d been having about a particular Ski-Bunny Barbie, with her warm, curvy body and lush lips.
It was a weeknight, so instead of wall-to-wall tourists, the bar was humming with locals and familiar faces. Including the four hanging out by the pool tables in the back room. Nolan had texted him earlier that day about joining him for some billiards and beer, but he’d failed to mention Lucas would be there.
Maybe it was a good thing. When Jax hadn’t been thinking about his situation with Milly, he’d been thinking about how he could help with the Sierra Vista Cup. How he could be a part of things again. Seeing his family, no matter how strained things were, filled this void he hadn’t even known existed.
His brother was at the pool table, stick in hand, ready to make a shot, when he paused. As if sensing his arrival, Lucas turned and looked right at Jax. He hadn’t seen Lucas since the board meeting and he wasn’t sure what his brother’s reception would be.
It was a quick jerk of the head followed by Lucas going back to his game. It wasn’t the warmest brotherly welcome, but there weren’t any fists thrown. Progress.
Nolan caught Jax’s eye and, with a big-ass smile, waved him over. Jax started toward the table. By the time he got there Harris and Brynn were arguing over who would be the next Bachelor.
“Glad you made it.” Nolan clapped him on the back. “Lucas here is kicking everyone’s ass and you’re the only one who can put him in his place.”
“You want to rack ’em up?” Lucas said to Jax with an impersonal nod.
No pleasantries or greeting, just that same indifferent attitude that he’d had the other morning at the board meeting. Jax would prefer irritation or even anger. This apathetic bullshit was getting old. He couldn’t think of a better way to blow off some steam than to get a rise out of Lucas by kicking his ass in a game of pool.
“Game on, bro.” Jax racked the balls, then picked up a stick. Lucas chalked his, gesturing for Jax to go first.
“I racked. You go first. That’s the rules,” Jax said.
“Since when do you follow rules?”
Jax might like to let loose some of the time, but he was no longer that wild kid. And Lucas knew it. “My livelihood depends on following the rules. In fact, I’m a gold medal rule follower.”
“You push the rules to the limit, blur them when necessary. That’s your livelihood.”
“I don’t know,” Nolan said. “He was following the rules pretty well the other night.”
Jax shot Nolan a look that would make most men wet their pants. Nolan just smiled.
“Are you talking about how he was kissing his girlfriend blindfolded?” Brynn said.
He froze at the comment. “Where did you hear that?”
“That you were kissing Milly? There’s a video of the whole thing on Instagram,” Brynn said.
“It’s pretty incriminating,” Harris added.
“I heard there was a second sighting. On the bunny slope,” Nolan said.
“No, I mean, how did you hear about her being my girlfriend?”
“Mom. She said you have to bring Milly to her birthday party.” At Brynn’s comment, Lucas jerked back and missed his shot.
