by Jaci Burton
And the reward would come when she won the gold. She knew that.
But still, her mother wasn't allowed in the village, and what she didn't know, she didn't know.
They opened the door to their apartment. It was spacious and lovely, with cream-colored decor, a living room, kitchen and two queen beds in the large bedroom.
"This is awesome," Lisa said. "And the living room has a fold-out sofa. You can even stay here if I have a guy over."
Amber laughed. "Good to know."
"Seriously. And who knows? You might even be busy with some stud of your own and I'll be bunking on the couch."
Highly unlikely, but she wasn't going to spoil Lisa's grand plans.
"Come on, let's unpack and go check out who's here."
"Okay." She carried her luggage into the bedroom and set it down.
This time would be different. She was determined. And she was so happy Lisa was her roommate again. If anyone knew how to have a good time, it was Lisa.
Amber had worked her ass off the past four years. She intended to show that on the ice. She was disciplined and ready.
But when she wasn't performing, she intended to party. Or, at least, learn how to party.
She had to start somewhere. She was twenty-four years old and it was time to start living.
TWO
THE ACTION WAS ON AT THE CLUB TONIGHT. WILL walked in with a bunch of his teammates, along with his new roommate, a Swedish snowboarder named Elias, who was totally up for having a good time.
It was great to have a club at the village. The committee always did a great job of making sure the athletes had entertainment without having to go far. There were restaurants and music venues open every night, along with the club where everyone could meet up, enjoy music--but without alcohol, which wasn't allowed in the village. Not that you couldn't get it or bring it in if you knew the right people or knew how to do it, but it wouldn't be served in the club or at the dining hall. Which didn't bother Will in the least. He didn't plan to drink much. Boozing it up before competition started would only leave him hungover and sluggish and that would affect his game play.
He knew some athletes could party from the start of the games until well after the finish, and still perform at ace capacity. And Will could party as well as the rest of them, but he took it easy during the season and he intended to pace himself here.
"Let's get drinks first," Elias said.
Will nodded and they all made their way to the bar. It looked like a lot of athletes had arrived today, because the club was full.
"Shots?"
Will arched a brow at Ivan Petrov, a fellow hockey player. "What did you do, Ivan? Smuggle in vodka?"
"You know it."
He wasn't at all surprised. "A little early for shots, don't you think?"
"Never too early for shots. Warm you up."
Will laughed. "I think I'll just have a soda."
"I'm in for shots," Elias said.
Elias and Ivan did shots, while Will and the rest of them opted for sodas, juice or water. Then they made their way around the club, stopping to talk to people they knew. The advantage of having been to the games before was that Will knew a lot of people, so he'd lost sight of his group by the time he'd finished catching up with several guys from the bobsled team he'd friended four years ago.
Which was fine. He knew he could easily find his friends again. He wandered around, checking out the tables to see if he could spot the guys.
Instead, he spotted Lisa Peterson, a snowboarder he'd met during the last international games. Lisa waved him over.
She got up and hugged him. "Hey, Will. So glad to see you again."
"You, too. I'm happy you're here. How's the knee?"
"All healed up and ready to kick some ass."
"Glad to hear it. You as hyped up and ready to go as I am?"
"You know it, buddy. Oh, Will, this is my friend, Amber Sloane. Figure skater. Have you met her before?"
He hadn't, but damn if she wasn't fine looking, with long wavy blond hair and amazing blue eyes. "I haven't. Will Madigan."
Amber stood and they shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Will."
"He goes by Mad Dog when he's on the ice," Lisa said with a wide smile.
"I see."
She didn't even ask why. Everyone asked why. She was so formal. So incredibly shy, too. Wasn't she just the sweetest thing he'd ever seen?
"Where are you from, Amber?"
"Long Island."
"I'm from Chicago."
"I know. And you play for the St. Louis Ice."
Maybe that's why she hadn't asked about the Mad Dog thing.
He arched a brow. "Are you a hockey fan?"
"Yes."
Still wasn't much of a talker. He was used to overconfident women, not ones who barely said a word. But there was something about Amber that intrigued him.
"Oh, I see someone I have to say hello to," Lisa said. "I'll be right back. Good to see you, Will."
"You too, Lisa."
Amber looked like she wanted to sink under the table, so he motioned to the chair. "Mind if I sit with you?"
"Oh. Sure."
"Are these your first games, Amber?" he asked.
She looked down at her water glass, the one that looked as if she hadn't even taken a drink out of it. "No, actually. It's my third."
"Your third? Really? Wow. So you're a veteran."
"A veteran. Old, by game standards." Her lips curved and oh man, did that ever transform her face. She was beautiful, but with a smile? Damn stunning.
"You're hardly old. What are you? Twenty-three or so?"
"Twenty-four." She swept her finger around the condensation of her glass. "In the figure skating world, twenty-four is ancient. My biggest competition this year is seventeen. Trust me, I feel every bit of that seven-year difference."
"Damn. That must weigh on you. There's so much pressure to perform in so many of these sports, to be at your best every minute of every day. It's no wonder there's so much burnout. At least it's that way in hockey. I always feel that grind to be the best. It has to be the same for you, right? Those young kids coming up all the time, trying to shove you out of the way, so they can be the next big star."
Amber was shocked that Will was so perceptive, that he'd picked up right away on the high pressure of her sport. "It can be brutal."
"So why push yourself and come back for more? Did you medal previously?"
She nodded. "Bronze the first time, silver the second."
"Ah. I get it. You want the gold."
"Yes."
"The one advantage you have over them is you've done this before. You've felt that pressure in venues like this where they haven't. So go kick your competition's ass and get it."
"I intend to."
The one thing a person who wasn't a competitive athlete never understood was that need to win. Will understood. Everyone here understood. That's what she'd always loved about these games, about staying in this village. She was surrounded by people who got it, that burning desire for gold. That and she was away from her parents--from her mother--who had put unrelenting pressure on her every day of her life.
She had always been motivated to win. She could push herself to do better every time she was on the ice.
But, to her mother, she had never been sharp enough. Whatever jump she'd done hadn't been high enough or angled correctly.
She had never been good enough for that gold, according to her mother.
She loved her mother and she knew her mother loved her. But being here, away from her, was the best vacation ever. Her coach pushed her, of course, but it was different. He wanted what was best for her. And when she skated well, she knew it and so did her coach.
With her mother, nothing she ever did on the ice was right. Her mother constantly berated her for what she did wrong. Years of that had worn her down, had made her feel that she'd never be good enough for the gold.
Which was partly the reason she had come b
ack again this time, why she had worked so damn hard to qualify. Part of it was because she wanted that gold medal. The other part was to prove her mother wrong.
She was good enough. This was her year and everything was going to go right.
"I can't believe we didn't run into each other four years ago," Will said.
"Yeah, funny that." Except she'd seen plenty of Will four years ago. How could she not? Good looks, oozing charm and women flocked to him as if he held the secrets of the sexual universe.
And he'd never once noticed her or even realized she existed. It had been like she was invisible. Which wasn't a surprise. All she'd done was practice and perform, then hide in her room. She'd never hung out in groups. Lisa had dragged her out to eat, but when it came time to party, she'd begged off, claiming it wasn't her thing. In reality, she'd so wanted it to be her thing.
But she was older now and this time she was trying to be braver. Which was why she had ventured into the club with Lisa and now found herself trying oh so hard to make conversation with Will Madigan, who likely thought she was the most boring person he'd ever met.
Come on, Amber. You can do this.
"So . . . what about you, Will? I know the US hockey team won the silver last time. You back for the gold, too?"
He smiled and everything inside of her quivered. "Hell, yes. I was lucky to be selected. We're all really damn lucky to be on the US team."
"Awesome. But no break for you."
"Trust me, I'd rather be here than taking the two weeks off while the games are going on. I skate all the time. It's my job. This is like a fringe benefit."
She took a sip of her water. So far so good. She'd made conversation, which was hard for an introvert like herself. And he hadn't made an excuse and fled the table yet, which happened to her a lot.
She took the time to study Will, now that he was up close. He was incredibly good-looking, with dark hair that was a little longer than average. His eyes were a striking steely gray that she found utterly mesmerizing. And of course, his body was incredible. He wore jeans and a tight dark brown Henley that hugged some incredible muscle. She wouldn't mind getting her hands on all that muscle. Though she wouldn't really know what to do with it if she did.
Lisa was an expert on sex. Amber? Not so much.
Sex was a given at the games. They plied all the athletes with plenty of condoms. Amber had a nightstand drawer filled with them. The last two times she'd come to the games they'd gone unused. This time she was determined to use them. She just had to find a guy willing to take her on, which she knew wasn't going to be easy.
"It must be amazing to be chosen to play hockey at the games."
He took a swallow of his drink and nodded. "Like the best damn dream come true. And it's here in Vancouver, which is one of my favorite places."
"Is that how you know Lisa?"
He nodded. "We met at the games last time, and I've taken some vacation time up here. Gotta love the mountains, plus the snowboarding is amazing."
She arched a brow. "So you snowboard, too?"
"A little. How about you?"
"I tend to spend all my time working."
"Oh, one of those workaholics, huh?"
"Yes." At least he didn't make fun of her. Points for Will.
"We need to change that, Amber. It's time for you to let go and have some fun."
She took a long swallow of her water, thankful she had something to occupy her hands--and her mouth. "I intend to do just that."
"Well you're here, and you're prepared for your competition, right?"
"I am."
"Then it's time to party. Come on."
She had no idea what he had in mind, but she was more than ready for . . . whatever. When he stood, he grabbed her hand. She felt the instant jolt of attraction and hoped that what he had in mind was dragging her up to his apartment for hours and hours of hot, steamy sex.
An hour later, she found out his version of "whatever" meant games of beer pong with Lisa and several other people. Though she had no idea where the beer had come from. But they were in someone's apartment, so she assumed someone had brought it in. She'd been introduced to hockey players, skiers, snowboarders, speed skaters, bobsledders, curlers and so many athletes she'd never met before. A few of her figure skating friends were there, too.
Lisa had been joined at the hip with Blake, a hot Canadian downhill skier with a thick mane of platinum blond hair and amazing green eyes.
She could only hope Lisa made good on her promise and they'd be hitting the sheets in Blake's room tonight.
Unfortunately, based on Will paying zero attention to her, it looked like Amber was going to be in her room alone tonight.
Just like always. She pushed her disappointment deep down inside, so used to being let down it was second nature to her. She'd made attempts to join in, but she just wasn't as outgoing as the rest of the group, so eventually she found a seat and watched.
It was what she was good at--observing, not participating.
At least she'd met Will Madigan tonight and now he knew who she was. So that was something.
Baby steps, Amber. She'd get there eventually.
So Will Madigan was out of her league. She was certain she'd meet up with some guy who'd want to have sex with her while she was here. And then she could unload her stupid virginity and live like the wild woman she was certain lurked somewhere deep inside of her.
THREE
AS THE NIGHT WORE ON, WILL MET UP WITH SOME OLD friends and met a few new ones. He was having a blast. There was nothing he loved more than hanging out with a large group of fun people. And you could never have enough friends.
He slung his arm around Lisa, trying to distract her as they played pool. She shrugged him off.
"Not a chance, Madigan," Lisa said. "I'm not missing this shot."
He laughed, then coughed as she shot the ball.
Lisa was right. She was cool as the ice in his water glass as she expertly landed that ball in the center pocket.
"Sorry, buddy," Will said to Drew Hogan, a fellow hockey player. Drew was currently Lisa's opponent.
He grinned. "Not a problem. I'll get her on the next shot." Except Drew's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. "It's my wife, Carolina. Someone take this shot for me."
"I'll do it," Mikhail, one of the skiers said.
Will walked away and headed over to the bar to refill his drink.
As he went to the bar he noticed Amber sitting at a table by herself flipping through her phone. So after he grabbed his glass, he wandered over to her table.
"Making a hot date for later?"
Her head shot up and she gave him a wide-eyed look. She dropped the phone to the table as if it were on fire. "Oh, uh, no. Just checking e-mail."
He pulled up a chair and sat. "So, you've got a boyfriend back home, huh?"
She let out a laugh. "No."
He got that she was shy. She'd hung around the group earlier, and then he hadn't seen her after that. He thought she'd left, so it surprised him she was still there.
For some reason he wanted to draw her out. "Do you play pool?"
She looked over at the pool table. "No."
"I could tell earlier you weren't into beer pong, either."
"Uh, not really."
He moved his chair so he now sat closer to her. "What do you like to do, Amber?"
She shrugged. "Skate?"
"Oh, come on. There's more to life than skating. Surely that's not all you do."
"Of course not. I like movies and reading."
"Okay, what kinds of movies?"
"Horror and adventure and comedies and animated and mysteries and . . . okay, all kinds. Like the books I read. I don't settle into one genre. I read everything."
She probably used books and movies as an escape. But an escape from what?
"Okay. If you had your ideal night out--that didn't include movies or reading--what would you do?"
"Um, let me think about that for a
second." She chewed her lower lip and he found himself staring at her mouth. She had generous lips and a beautiful face. Her skin was creamy with a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. And the icy blue of her eyes mesmerized him. Her body was curved in all the right places, the kind of body a guy would want to get his hands on.
Tonight she wore jeans and a blue silk top that hugged her breasts in ways that made his own jeans tighten. She had small breasts that went with her small waist, but her hips flared out into exceptionally long legs. Since he was a pretty tall guy, he liked women who could match him, stature-wise.
Plus, he had a thing for long legs on women. And he'd wager she looked amazing when she skated. Which suddenly got him to thinking about her skating naked.
Now that would be amazing.
"Ice cream."
He pulled himself from one hell of a sexual fantasy. "Huh?"
"I'd want to go out for ice cream."
He laughed. "That's your idea of a big night out?"
She shrugged. "I like ice cream."
He stood and held out his hand. "Fine, then. Let's go."
"Where?"
"There's an ice cream place in the village."
She frowned. "There is?"
"Yup. Come on, ice princess, let's go get you some ice cream."
*
WILL HAD CALLED HER AN ICE PRINCESS. AMBER couldn't decide if that had been a compliment or an insult. But considering he had left his friends and was walking outside with her in the village--alone--she supposed she should take it as a compliment.
"Cold out," Will said.
She smiled as she looked over at the shops lined up side by side, making her feel as if she was wandering the streets of a quaint small town instead of a manufactured village that had been created just for this event. She hoped they kept this together after, because it was lovely. "Isn't it great?"
He looked over at her. "You like the cold?"
"I feel like I was born in the cold. I spend so much of my life on an ice rink, this is my preferred temperature. It's where I've spent most of my summers on Long Island, so it's not like I'm used to the heat."
"Ah. Always practicing, right?"
"Yes. My mother didn't want me wasting my summers hanging out with my friends. Not that I had any of those."
He stopped. "No friends?"
She realized she'd offered up way too much information. "Oh, it wasn't bad. I had coaches and teammates and it was always fun."
He gave her a dubious look. "Still, wouldn't it have been nice to go to the beach in the summer, or on vacation?"