“I guess Maya’s found the flat-screen TV,” Finn said. His ears turned red, and he tightened the belt on his robe. “It’s a monster. It’s like a private cinema in there.”
“Monster?” Maya’s head popped around the doorframe. “It’s one large popcorn, heavy on the Reese’s please, away from being an actual theatre.”
Sam ran up the step, past Finn and into the living room. Maya was right. The television was huge. It almost took up the entire wall opposite her and was showing the events live.
“Remind me again how you managed to get this room,” Sam said as Finn stood next to her. “Cos a girl could get used to this.”
“I’ve actually never asked.” Finn cleared his throat. “I was too embarrassed to.”
“This is amazing.” Sam stared at the screen. “You can almost see individual snowflakes!”
Maya said as she sat on the arm of a huge comfortable-looking armchair: “You can see all of your competitors here, in detail, and in the warm.”
“Maybe,” Finn said quietly.
“Are we disturbing you?” Sam asked, suddenly realizing that they’d landed on Finn’s doorstep without warning or explanation. “We thought it’d be okay if we came over.”
“What she’s trying to say is that we can’t listen to Leo and Becky banging each other nonstop anymore.” Maya didn’t even look up from her phone.
Finn flushed bright red. He pulled his robe over his chest. “Jeez. Of course you’re welcome here.”
“I’m sorry,” Sam said. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“I don’t,” Finn said. “Honestly. I was feeling a bit lonely, actually. But now I’m just feeling cold.”
“Back to the hot tub with you,” Maya said, waving herhand in the general direction of the stairs. “I’m making some tea if it’s all the same to you.”
“Work away, the kitchen has everything you’ll need.” Finn looked at Sam. “You coming up to the hot tub? It’s gorgeous and the view is spectacular. It might help you relax before tonight.”
“I’ve no swimsuit,” Sam said. “Otherwise, it’d be a hell yes.”
“You’ve come to the right place,” he said. “Come with me.”
Sam followed him up a small flight of stairs to another floor, marveling at the size of his suite and the panoramic view of the mountains. He opened a dressing room door, leaned against the doorjamb, and gestured to a suitcase. “Aunt Miranda arrived last night, a day early, and left one of her cases here as she doesn’t need it—it’s just the extras she brings when she travels. They’re staying with friends until tomorrow. She always brings fresh new swimming suits for anyone who might forget theirs, go figure.” He shrugged. Sam slipped by him. “She won’t mind you grabbing one, I promise. Grab something and put it on. I’ll be out there.” He pointed to a sliding door and left Sam to change.
Sam looked around. The dressing room was larger than her bedroom back home. One wall was taken up with hanging rails, shelves and drawers. Towels, toiletries and slippers filled baskets arranged neatly on the bottom shelves. Robes hung from the rails. So, this was what it was like to be a star. Opening the suitcase Finn had pointed to, she found a selection of new swimsuits and rummaged through until she found one that might fit. A few minutes later shestared at herself in the full-length mirror. The pale pink one-piece swimsuit was far skimpier than she’d realized, with high-cut legs and a low-cut front complete with zipper that went down to her belly button. She tugged the zipper up and it promptly unzipped itself until it was half open revealing a sizeable amount of her cleavage. Under normal circumstances she’d have been delighted with an opportunity to look sexy in a swimsuit, but not today. Not now Maya had alerted her to the dangers of their secret plan, and especially now that her hormones seemed to be hijacking her entire body and mind.
A vision of Finn pulling the zip down the rest of the way before slipping the straps from her shoulders made her gasp and dash for the suitcase to check if there was another suit that might better fit her. But there were none. The rest were all much too big, or just bikinis. And there was no way she was putting on one of those—they seemed tinier than the swimsuit. She took a last glance at herself in the mirror, steeled her shoulders and pulled herself up tall. All she had to do was to go out there and be normal.
“Friends,” she said quietly to her reflection. “You are friends, remember that. That’s all. The pretending thing doesn’t have to change that.” Shaking her shoulders, she left the dressing room and tiptoed out into the hall. Through the glass sliding doors she could see the back of Finn’s bare muscular shoulders. He was facing the mountains, chest-deep in bubbling-hot water. Sam shivered. His arms were tanned, and the tattoo on his forearm that she’d noticed when she’d walked in on him naked was clearer now, but she couldn’t quite make it out.
Opening the door Sam stepped into the cold afternoon air, her eyes glued to Finn’s tattoo. His forearms flexed as he bent his arms and stretched before turning around. The tattoo mesmerized her: a small compass with the outline of a mountain ridge inside the circle. North was marked with a tiny snowflake. Sam longed to touch it. Would it be so bad if she did? Finn looked up, and waved, and the tattoo disappeared from sight. A hot wave of longing beginning in the base of her stomach took Sam by surprise. Shivering, she pulled the zipper on her suit up, again, and quickly went to the tub before her nerves got the better of her—it would be impossible to explain the crazy zipper to Finn without drawing his attention to her breasts. Saying nothing Sam stepped in.
The water was hot, and Sam felt her face glow red as she caught Finn’s jaw drop open a little. He shut his mouth, and she caught his Adam’s apple bob before he leaned back with a grimace. Sinking into the water Sam blew out a long stream of air. Despite the embarrassment of the unzipping swimsuit and actually getting into the tub, she was glad she was there. The cool air on her face was refreshing while the hot water massaged her body in places that she hadn’t realized she was tense in.
“You’re right,” she said after a few minutes of silence. Leaning her head back against the timber surround, she allowed her shoulders to drop from their tense position by her ears. “This is exactly what I needed. I’d say it’s helping you after yesterday’s qualies. You’d some tough competition.”
“Yeah, it’s working magic on my muscles.” Finn rolled his head to look over at her. “This is goals, isn’t it?”
“Sure is.” Sam smiled. “Who can we get to give us a hot tub?”
Finn laughed. “Yeah, that’s a good one.”
“Finn,” Sam began. She had the urge to tell him that she was crushing on him, that right now it wasn’t hard to pretend to be his girlfriend because that’s what she wanted more than anything else. But that wouldn’t be fair. They’d made their pact not to let their feelings for one another ruin their chances of an Olympic gold, and she had to stick to it.
“Yeah?” Finn had his eyes closed, and his head leaned back on the timber, his chest, wide and dusted with hair, was practically begging for her to reach over and run her hands over his chest and shoulders. Sam gazed over him, wondering when he’d gotten so broad, so fit, so ridiculously hot. She longed to kiss and lick his exposed neck, nibble on his ear, straddle his thick thighs. Gulping, she sat on her hands to stop herself from acting out on her impulses. Random, hot, vivid impulses about her best friend, the one friend she’d never be able to live without. Maybe Maya was right—maybe this was a dangerous game to play. Finn opened his eyes and looked at her. “You okay?”
“Oh!” Sam blinked and snorted. “God. Yes. Sorry …”
