“God, she did, didn’t she?”
Eve laughed. “You have a crush on her?”
“When I was younger, for sure,” Aspen confirmed without a shred of embarrassment. “I even got to see a few of her games.” Her expression softened as she leaned in to drop a sweet, chaste kiss to Eve’s cheek. “But now I’m totally into this stunning redhead.”
Butterflies erupted in Eve’s stomach. “Yeah?”
“Mhmm.” Aspen’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Me begging to be kissed didn’t give that away?”
Eve blushed. “I guess it kinda did.”
“Good. Because I meant it.” Aspen dropped a light kiss to the corner of Eve’s lips. She looked poised to claim them fully when someone whipped by them at full speed with a laughing, “Get aroom!” that completely ruined the moment. “Not gonna lie, I’m starting to hate this section of the mountain,” Aspen grumbled.
“Me too,” Eve agreed as she swayed into Aspen. She whimpered when Aspen rewarded her confession with another soft kiss that was just off the mark.
“Soon, beautiful girl,” Aspen promised. The look of naked longing that burned in her eyes as she pulled away stole the air from Eve’s lungs. “But when I kiss you again, I don’t want anyone or anything to interrupt us. And, besides,” she added, regret creeping into her tone, “we should probably get going if we’re gonna make dinner on time.”
“I’m really starting to hate that meal,” Eve grumbled petulantly.
Aspen giggled and pulled her goggles back into place. “Me too.” She inclined her head toward the trail signs. “So, blue or black?”
Eve considered the trails. “Black?”
“You sure?” Aspen teased with a smirk, and god, it shouldn’t have been as sexy as it was.
Eve pointed her skis downhill to slide past Aspen toward Gentleman’s Ridge. “Just try to keep up this time, huh?”
“Oh, those are fighting words, Morrison!” Aspen shouted as she hopped her board around and took off after her.
Eve laughed as she put on a little speed to try to hold her lead. Aspen whipped past her with a euphoric shout just after they’d made the transition to Bingo Glades, but Eve didn’t have it in her to be mad about it when it afforded her the opportunity to appreciate Aspen’s powerful athleticism as she cut strong curves back and forth down the trail. For as nice as the view was, she wasn’t about to surrender a win so easily, and she tucked her poles against her sides as she ducked into a perfectly weighted crouch to whip past Aspen just before they reached the bottom of the hill. She lifted her arms to celebrate her victory, andgiggled merrily at Aspen’s shouts of disbelief that rained down on her back as she coasted to a stop.
The rush of their breakneck race down the mountain left a smile on her face that persisted all the way back to her parents’ house, where it, and the giddy high she’d been riding, died the moment she saw Nolan and the pretty blonde he’d cheated on her with climbing out of a gleaming Mercedes SUV.
Aspen, of course, noticed immediately.
“Is that the guy?” Aspen asked with an unmistakable edge of violence in her tone.
Eve nodded as she looked back at Aspen, who was glaring daggers at Nolan. “Nolan McCarthy. He’s a partner at my parents’ firm.”
Aspen scowled. “He looks like a weenie.”
Eve snorted a laugh. Out of all the assessments she’d heard of Nolan over the years, that was the least expected—and most accurate—she’d ever heard. She had no trouble reading thewhat the hell were you doing with that guy?that burned in Aspen’s eyes, but was glad Aspen didn’t press her on it. She didn’t want Aspen to be disappointed in her for giving herself to someone she didn’t even like that much just to make her life easier. “He is a gigantic weenie.”
“I’m guessing ass-kicking is off the table?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Eve said, and she’d never meant anything more. It’d be so goddamn satisfying to watch someone knock the smug little smirk off his face. “My parents adore him.”
Aspen nodded as her gaze softened with understanding. “Can I needle him?”
Eve smiled at Aspen’s archaic phrasing even as she promised, “As much as you want.”
“Oh, this is gonna be fun,” Aspen chortled. She pulled her keys from the ignition and reached for her door. “Sit tight. I’m going full gentleman mode.”
Eve obligingly stayed where she was as Aspen hustled around the back of the car to get her door, and she smiled at Aspen as she took her hand. “Should I be offended that it took the arrival of my asshole ex for you to go full gentleman?”
Though Eve’s question had been delivered as a joke, Aspen’s voice burned with sincerity as she replied, “I wanted to, but didn’t know if it would be something you’d like.” Aspen lifted Eve’s hand to her lips and brushed a gentle kiss over her knuckles. “If it is, I will gladly do it from now on.”
Eve blushed and bit her lip. “I would like that,” she admitted softly, marveling at herself as she did so. She never had before, maybe because from others it had always felt like a dig at her independence. But it wasn’t like that with Aspen. With Aspen, she just felt the genuine care behind it. Like she was protected.
