1
Sam
Saturday, 7th February 2026—Livigno, Italy
Snow was falling, the night sky dark against the snow-capped mountain ridges that surrounded the town. It wasn’t like the wild, snow-blasted peaks back home in Silverpeak, Colorado—but the Italian Alps had a quiet kind of majesty Sam was starting to appreciate. Chalet-style stores, wooden-clad houses and cozy hotels lined the narrow street that was lit up by string after string of lights. There was no better place to be on the night after the opening of the Winter Olympics. Sam leaned back against the snow-dusted wall of a log cabin and pinched herself—literally—for the second time. Not that she could really feel it through her new Zero Below winter jacket and gloves, but still.You’ve done it! You made it to the Winter Olympics before turning twenty-four! No matter what happens, no one can take that from you!
Sam couldn’t stop grinning. They’d made it to the Olympics, she and Finn, her best friend in all the world.It was almost unbelievable. They’d shared this dream ever since they had met. Sam rubbed her gloved hands together. Her breath fogged out in front of her. She was—finally—an athlete at the Winter Olympics. Last night she’d stood with her teammates, shoulder to shoulder, in the awesome San Siro Stadium in Milan for the opening ceremony. It had been all and more than she’d ever thought it would be, but nothing in the world had prepared her for the rush of sensation that had washed over her entire body as athlete after athlete had marched into the arena. The cheers from the crowd still rang in her ears. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the dazzling lights and smell the adrenaline—sharp and metallic, almost like frost—thick in the air. The buzz had taken her by surprise. She’d chanted and cheered until she was hoarse, her heart hammering as awe, honor, fear and excitement had flooded her veins. The only thing that could have made it better was having Finn by her side. But with his first ski qualifier today, he had skipped out on the ceremony and gone ahead to the cutest mountain town she’d ever seen and where she now found herself.
The three-hour team bus journey from Milan to the tiny town of Livigno—home to the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events—had meant she’d been just in time to see Finn ace his qualie and secure his place in his finals on Tuesday. Tomorrow, it was her turn. The women’s big air snowboard qualifier was the first of her qualies, and the thoughts of it made her skin tingle. Excitement twisted in her stomach—butterflies the size of avalanches—reminding her that it was real. She washere, inLivigno, and she had only ten days to make the most of her chance to take home a goldmedal. Pinching herself hard enough to feel it this time, Sam stamped her feet, grinning at the satisfying crunch of snow underfoot.
Ten days, and two chances. That’s all she had to make her dreams come true. If she listened to what the commentators were saying, she had every chance of taking the gold in the two categories she was competing in, but it wasn’t a good thing to listen to what everyone else was saying. The last thing she wanted to be was complacent.
She’d lost out on being a part of the 2022 Beijing Olympic team. She’d been pipped at the post by Becky Stanford. Sam frowned. Her father, the famous and stoic Jake Harrington, trained both her and Becky, and Sam just knew her father thought Becky was the one to watch. It was subtle, but it was there. It was in the way he nodded proudly when Becky made a clean run. It was the tight claps, the rare smile, the murmured “That’s it” that Sam craved for herself. He’d never said she wasn’t good enough—he didn’t need to. His silence said it all.
Becky was here now too, a teammate and competing in the same two competitions as she was, but Sam had a feeling that this washertime to shine. She was going to take home a gold; she just knew it. She was competing in two of her absolute favorites, so she was sure she’d take home at least one—maybe even two—gold medals. Becky had better watch out—Sam had never been in such good shape. Finn had missed out on Beijing too. Although his had been down to an injury, not ability. But here they both were now, together at the Winter Olympics in Italy. Everything was perfect, absolutely perfect, except for the loud chatter and squealing from a cluster of teenagers in the street. Sam surveyed the chaotic scene in front of her and choked back the urge to laugh out loud.
Outside the Bivio Bistrot, dusted with snow, Finn Bradley, tipped to win gold at the Winter Olympics in at least one freestyle ski category, was swamped by adoring fans. He’d always had fans, but this crowd was something else. Sam smiled and leaned against the wall. She could totally see the attraction—of course she could. You’d have to be blind not to notice how gorgeous and hot Finn was. And over the past few years Sam had witnessed just how many people noticed his irresistible appeal. And boy did he know it too; he worked his magnetic charm with flair. Sam rolled her eyes thinking of the few times she’d awkwardly bumped into unfamiliar faces in their shared accommodation at competitions. Not that she was jealous or anything—he was a red-blooded male after all. He was entitled to see whoever he wanted to see. Just as she was. Just as they’d always urged each other to do.
Sam waited, amused, as Finn awkwardly bent his six-foot-two frame down to fit in a photo with a petite blushing blonde. He looked great, he looked fit, and he looked embarrassed. Finn ran a hand through his dark unruly hair that had never looked neat, not as long as Sam had known him. It stuck up at an odd angle that made him look as if he’d been up to no good, and her heart beat a little faster while her hand twitched to smooth it down as she sometimes did. It had been years since she’d felt this way, but she tamped down the feelings that stirred inside her. It was hard not to want him, even now after all these years. He’d really grown up since they’d first met. He had deep midnight blueeyes, full pouty lips and the kind of jawline that she was sure sent many women searching for their favorite nightstand toy.
Sighing, Sam shifted against the wall. It wasn’t just his face that won him so many fans, he’d a body to die for too. She knew it for a fact—she’d seen it in the gym, the sauna, the pool and last week when she’d accidently walked in on him getting changed. He’d been completely naked, and she’d been lost for words, stuttering and stumbling backwards from the bedroom as he’d dashed to grab anything to hide his … well, the less she thought about that part of him the better. She couldn’t think about that. Nope. It wasn’t allowed. It wasn’t wise. And if she did, she’d ruin everything they’d been working for.
Shaking off the memory, Sam tugged at the zip of her Zero Below jacket. Finn had given it to her last week after he’d received a promotional bundle from their current favorite brand. The soft pink shade of the puffy jacket wasn’t something she’d have chosen for herself, but Finn had stepped back and whistled when she’d put it on. His words replayed in her head:pink suits ya, Sam. Such a simple thing to say but she’d shivered under his gaze. He’d carried on emptying the package, his strong, lean back to her, as she’d turned to check herself out in the mirror.
He wasn’t wrong, she conceded as he battled through the crowd toward her, the pale pink made her green eyes sparkle and her skin glow. She was glad she’d given in to his insistence that she take the jacket, even though she’d bought a new one only a few weeks ago. She’d worn it tonight to please him. It was a small thing that she knew would make him very happy.
“Congrats on placing in the final!” Sam called out as he broke free from the crowd. Finn shrugged and grinned at her, his cheeks pink as she pretended to shake an imaginary trophy from side to side. “You’re first chance to take home a gold! How does it feel?”
“Crazy, you know.” Finn scrunched up his nose and brushed the air to wave the question away, as if this moment wasn’t that important—as if it wasn’t what they’d been working for together since they were sixteen. He clattered up the steps and smiled at her as his fans dispersed, pausing midway to double-take a glance at her.
“You wore it!” His grin was huge.
“Of course I did!” Sam shook her head at him. “You knew I would.”
“Yeah, I did.” Finn laughed. “If only the press were here to see us.”
He struck a pose in his jacket, pulling a ridiculous face and crossing his eyes. Sam slapped his arm and laughed. No matter what he did he just couldn’t manage to look anything but hot. What on earth was wrong with her today? Why was she checking out her best friend?
“Oh, dear Lord!” Sam laughed. “Stop it before someonedoessee you! There’ll be no more promotional goodies for you, no chance of a sponsorship deal, or any scholarships when they see how totally terrible you really are!”
Finn instantly straightened up and leaned against the wall, one arm over his head. He turned to Sam and ran his eyes up and down her body. Sam giggled as he fluttered his eyelashes at her.
“How you doin’?” Finn smoldered at her, making herinsides go all gooey. With a shake of her shoulders, Sam stuck her tongue out at him.
“I’m good, thanks for asking, now come on … we’re late—the whole team are in there waiting!” Sam said just as a cute brunette with warm brown eyes stuck her head out the restaurant door.
“There you are!” Maya trilled as she took in the pair before her. She paused and stared at them. “That would make the perfect Insta post … Where’s my phone? Hold that pose!”
Sam and Finn didn’t move. When Maya saidhold that poseyou held that pose until she said otherwise. Maya took her job as the team’s social media content creator very seriously, and it was clear to everyone that she was extraordinarily talented at her job. Sam held her breath and hoped her pulse wasn’t visible because being this close to Finn was sending her into cardiac arrest. God, he smelled so goddamn good! Like snow-dampened cedarwood, warm skin and something spicy, something that was making her heartbeat skip its rhythm. Clean, masculine and so maddeningly tempting. She leaned toward him, inhaling hungrily.
“Great! Got it!” Grinning, Maya busily tapped her phone screen. Sam jumped slightly, but Finn didn’t move. He held his pose as Sam tweaked his nose.
“You can move now.” She raised her eyes to his, a laugh catching in her throat.
“I know.” He smiled down at her. His deep blue eyes locked on hers. “But you look so …”
Sam swallowed. “I look so … what?”
