“God, you’re a boob. Listen—” She hooked her gloved hand through the goggles on my helmet and yanked my head down to hers. “He cheats. He loves the hairpins, but he sucks at moguls.”
I glanced to where Daniel stood watching us. “Got it. Does this mean you’re okay with me kicking his ass now?”
She glanced over her shoulder, her lips flattened with irritation. “Kick his ass, but you’ll still only be second place, because I’m taking you both out.” She nipped at my upper lip and darted her tongue out for a lick before she released my goggles, letting them snap against my helmet.
“That’s my girl.”
For now.
I shot a wink at the asshole ex and grinned. He didn’t stand a chance.
On the count of three, we took off. Actually, the asshole jumped the start because he was an absolute shit bag.
What Charlie ever saw in that guy, I’d never know. He was good looking enough, I suppose. A full head of hair and in shape, but his character reeked of deep rot.
Tucking low, I launched down the first hill, taking every bit of speed the packed snow would give me. In a matter of seconds, we’d veer left into unpredictable territory riddled with danger.
The wide ninety-degree turn narrowed from thirty feet wide to ten at most. The angle of the turn and outer lip created a slingshot effect, scooping us right along with it and pitching us diagonally down a three-foot wide ledge along a rock face overlooking the beginner and intermediate trails unfolding down the mountain.
From their vantage point below, this part of The Dagger looked like a Hot Wheels track attached to a wall, with us shooting across toward Devil’s corner where we’d have to jump to make the one-hundred-and-fifty-degree sharp right shooting back the other way before pitching us into the wooded wasteland. A section littered with trees and rock and completely ungroomed.
I dug in my edge, shaving off a bit of speed, but ready to take the corner and stay tight on Daniel’s skis.
Still thirty feet short of the turn, I spotted Charlie’s teal jacket out of the corner of my eye before she dropped over the edge.
The air lodged in my lungs. My ski bobbled, but with another glance, I saw her land on the trail below and shoot straight out of sight.
Fuck but my heart.
She learned the trick from Chance, and she’d gotten good at it on the board. So I knew it was coming, but I never expected her to push it and take on a fifteen-foot drop this soon just to get ahead.
Daniel and I both cut hard right, catching our edges deep, before twisting our shoulders and pushing off at the knees.
The minute we made it to the bottom, I gained on him through the trees. He followed the path already cut by two or three skiers before us, but I shot left where the trees were thicker and stayed low to avoid the branches.
We were head-to-head on the moguls with Charlie’s words in my head.
My lungs ached. I kept my knees loose, as the force from every bump threatened to shoot straight through my legs into my skull the minute I tensed up.
At the end, I glanced back to find Daniel still fighting the last third of the section. I tucked and crouched low, racing down the trail where it widened out, darting in and out of other skiers. Spotting Charlie, I headed right at her and slid to a hard stop.
Lungs heaving, we both hunched over, sucking in precious gulps of air as Daniel came skidding in last.
He yanked his goggles from his eyes and glared over at us. “Best two out of three.”
“Nope, I won. You guys want to do some dick measuring, you’re doing it without me,” Charlie said as she arched her back and stretched her neck from side to side.
“Give it up, man. You lost.”
“Not yet I didn’t,” he said, baring his teeth. “Two out of three. Now!” He reached out, catching Charlie by surprise when he grabbed her wrist and tried to yank her toward the lift.
“Hey—”
“Get. Your. Hand. Off. Her.” Hot piercing anger pounded in my chest. I swung out and knocked his arm away when he didn’t let go of her fast enough.
In seconds I was out of my bindings and in his face, forcing his eyes up because I had at least three inches on him. “Fuck with her and find out, Sloan.”
His chest swelled with a furious drag of air into his lungs before he bumped into mine. For a minute, he seemed as though he might push.
