The cold air tears at my face, and the mountain opens beneath me.
Adelaide drops in beside me on her board, fast and aggressive, cutting across the slope. Even through her mask, I can feel the glare she sends my way.
“Come on, Bellanti!” she shouts over the wind. “Try to keep up.”
I snort and lean harder into the turn. “Careful, cartel princess. Wouldn’t want you to face plant and embarrass yourself.”
She laughs, her competitive streak kicking in as she surges ahead. Isaak follows on his board.
I roll my eyes. Those two could turn breathing into a contest.
Piper glides up beside me. I grin at her. “Race you.”
She smiles sweetly. “If you want to end up like your sister last year, by all means.”
Then she’s gone.
Hunter somehow keeps pace with her, which makes absolutely no sense, considering Piper practically flies over snow, as though she were born on it.
Years of ice skating, I suppose.
She overtakes Adelaide and Isaak in seconds.
Figures.
I feel a presence at my side and glance over.
Markev.
It is just the two of us now. My sister stayed back with Arlo, who twisted his ankle heli-skiing the other day. Something is going on there, but I don’t press.
Not when I am hiding plenty myself.
He watches me intently.
“You’re going to break your legs if you don’t watch where you’re going,” I say.
Even through the mask, I swear I catch the smirk.
Because I am looking at him, I nearly miss the turn, correcting at the last second.
He growls, “Be more fucking careful.”
I ignore him, but the growl in his voice makes my pussy clench with need.
Markev and I are on matching skis. Obviously, he made sure of that. And he still complained the entire time that we should have matching suits too.
He’s deranged.
And somehow, by now, I have made my peace with that.
We are nearing the bottom when I spot a sharp curve ahead. He is going too fast. I can already see how this ends.
I say nothing.
As expected, he misjudges it, throws his weight to the side, and wipes out on purpose to avoid serious injury.
I glide past him. “Shame. I thought you’d twist your ankle and stay home with Arlo.”
