by Jaci Burton
"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.
"Want something to drink?" Will asked.
"I'll have hot tea."
He took off his coat and slung it on the back of his chair. "I'll be right back."
Her phone pinged, so she pulled it out of her coat pocket to see who had messaged her. It was Lisa.
You disappeared. Where R U?
She typed a response. Went for ice cream with Will.
Her fingers hovered on the keypad. She thought about telling Lisa where they were now, but she honestly wanted more alone time with Will and she wasn't sure whether or not Lisa would drag the entourage of friends into the great room.
She pressed "send," then chewed her bottom lip in indecision. What kind of friend was she to lie to Lisa like that?
Lisa sent a response. Will is hot. Have some fun! We're off to sneak in some ice bowling.
She smiled, shook her head and also sighed in relief, realizing she shouldn't have worried. Lisa would never pass judgement on her, and she should have been honest and told her she wanted some time alone with Will. She'd be sure to talk to her about it when she got back to the room.
"Here's your tea." Will set the cup down in front of her, then slid into the chair next to hers. He had a glass of ice water.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Not now that I'm in front of the fire."
She sipped her tea. "Oh, Lisa texted wondering where I'd disappeared to."
"Did she think I kidnapped you?"
"No. Also, she said they're going to sneak in some ice bowling."
He laughed. "She's always up for adventure."
"This is true." She took another swallow of the tea, letting the warmth of it ease the last of her tension away.
"So . . . you wanna go ice bowling?" he asked.
"Not really, but you can feel free to join them if you'd like."
He cocked his head to the side and studied her. "Trying to get rid of me?"
"Trust me, I'd tell you outright if I wanted you to go away."
"Good to know you have no problem getting rid of men who annoy you."
"None at all."
He sipped his water and she found herself watching his mouth. Probably smooth and hard at the same time. She might not be all that experienced, but she had a very rich fantasy life. And now that she was by the fire and fantasizing about kissing Will, she suddenly felt very hot. She had to stop staring at his mouth and wondering what he'd taste like.
So she foolishly took another sip of tea, because fueling her internal fire was such a brilliant idea.
"Do you kick a lot of guys to the curb, Amber?"
She blinked. "What?"
"From what you told me, it sounds like you have a lot of guys chasing after you and you have to fight them off."
She let out a short laugh. "Oh. That's not what I meant at all. But at competitions sometimes they'll hit on me as if I'm a sure thing. And I'm not."
"So you're not a fuck-and-go kind of woman like a lot of people are here at the games?"
"No. Sorry."
He frowned. "Why are you sorry?"
"Because if that's what you're looking for from me, I probably wasted an hour of your time just now when you could be getting next to someone else."
"So you think I'm that kind of guy?"
She shrugged. "Most of the guys I've met are that kind of guy."
"I'm not. Okay, I have been, but trust me, any woman I've been with has been on board and just as eager to get down as I was."
She enjoyed watching him squirm and try to explain himself. "Oh, I believe you. Otherwise we wouldn't have gone for ice cream. You wouldn't have wanted to waste your time doing something so innocuous when you could have been coaxing me into your bed instead."
He frowned. "I never coax. Women go willingly."
"Of course they do."
He sighed, then downed the rest of his ice water in one swallow. "I'm not helping my case here, am I?"
"I wasn't aware you were trying to make one."
"You are tough, Miss Sloane."
Her lips curved. "That might be the best compliment any guy has ever paid me."
"Is it?"
"Yes. Usually they only mention one of my body parts."
"Well, most guys are assholes."
She laughed, then set her empty cup of tea on the table.
"Did you want another?" he asked.
"I'm good with just one, thanks. But if you're getting another for yourself, I'll take a tall ice water."
"Okay."
She watched him walk away. Halfway to the bar he was stopped by a woman, a petite brunette Amber didn't recognize. The woman hugged Will and they chatted for a few minutes before she walked away and Will continued to the bar.
She could imagine Will knew plenty of women who'd like to be sharing his bed right now. He stood at the bar talking to some guy. He was extremely outgoing and friendly, so it didn't surprise her that he knew a lot of people.
She wished she'd had more opportunities to meet people growing up. Of course, there'd been competitions, but her mother had always discouraged her from getting too friendly with her competitors. Mom had been afraid friendship could be used against her, so Amber had typically kept to herself. She'd been polite, but not outgoing enough to form close friendships.
She'd always been so lonely at events. Just like now. Until four years ago when she'd met Lisa, who'd forced her to leave her room on occasion and socialize. Not a lot and no partying. But still she'd been introduced to others, eaten meals with them. That had melted the ice somewhat and she'd felt a little better about herself once she'd actually made a few friends. Not that she'd continued those friendships bey
ond the games, which she'd felt awful about.
Will made his way back to the table and laid the water in front of her.
"Thanks."
She saw he also had another water for himself.
"I noticed you didn't drink a lot tonight, even at beer pong."
"Nah. I'm trying to hold back on the alcohol. Last games I partied a little too hard. Not that it affected my game play, of course."
"Of course." She gave him a knowing smile.
"But it's easier on me if I stay clearheaded."
"I totally understand."
She saw the dark-haired woman approaching their table.
"Hey, Will, I just wanted to give you my number." She handed Will a piece of paper. "And thanks."
"Sure, Helene."
The brunette nodded and smiled at Amber, then walked away. Okay, that was interesting.
"One of your former conquests?" she asked, feeling like an idiotic jealous girlfriend as soon as the words left her mouth.
"No, that's Helene. She hooked up with one of my teammates last time we were here. He didn't come this time and she was asking me about him. I think she's got it bad for him."
"Oh. And how does he feel about her?"
Will shrugged. "I have no idea. But I'll pass her number along to him."
She took a sip of her water.
"Were you jealous?" he asked.
She knew she should have kept her mouth shut. "I figured it was someone you knew. Maybe dated or slept with or something."
She was just making it worse. She should shut up now before she embarrassed herself further.
"I'm not the man whore you might think I am, Amber. Get to know me and you might find I like making a lot of friends, but I'm pretty selective about who I fuck."
She'd asked for that. "I'm sorry. You're right, I was assuming and I lumped you in with all the other guys who've hit on me. And you haven't even hit on me."
He shot her a devastatingly sexy smile. "Yet."
She laughed, relieved that he didn't take her for some jealous stalker type. "Okay. Yet."
"So what's on tap for you tomorrow?" he asked.
"They're opening the ice arena. I can't wait to get a feel for it."
"Same here. Which means we should probably get in bed."
When she arched a brow, he laughed.
"Separate beds," he said. "I still have some jet lag to sleep off."
"And I have to get up early tomorrow morning to hit the gym before I get on the ice."
"Isn't skating enough of a workout for you?"
"It warms up my muscles, so I'm not trying to do jumps cold."