“You tell me,Coach.”
Suddenly, Vox’s foot is gone, as is the playful smile on his face. Wondering what has him spooked, I turn in my seat to see Grey and Rachel Patterson approaching our table.
Thankfully, our server beats them here and takes our order for two beers before disappearing.
Grey holds his hand out to me while Rachel hugs Vox, and then they change positions.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Grey says. I think he’s aiming for a joke, but his brow is too furrowed for it to land just right.
“Oh man,” Vox jumps in without missing a beat. “We just ran this sick line. Connor…uh, Coach Lang, I mean, raced me, and Ialmosthad him. He totally got the jump on me, though, but he taught me how to anticipate a boarder’s moves, you know, like when they pass each other in NASCAR? Anyway, it worked, so if someone gets in front of me on the cross course, I can totally head them off.”
Grey smiles at Vox’s enthusiasm, but he turns a stern look on me.
“I’m glad you seem to have recovered enough to give Vox a run for his money, but he’s supposed to be on break. You know, resting?”
Ireallydislike the fact that Grey thinks he knows Vox better than I do. Athletes like us don’ttakerest days.
“Tellhimthat,” I say evenly. Desperately wanting to add,I was perfectly content staying in bed with my face buried in his ass. He was the one who wanted first chair.
It’s next to impossible to choke back the other comment:if you’re so concerned about him resting, why did you cram his schedule so fucking full the last four days?But thankfully, I manage to keep that to myself.
Vox just smiles at Grey, and the older man folds. Shaking his head, he claps a hand on Vox’s shoulder. “Just make sure you’re at a hundred percent on race day, okay?”
“I’m always at a hundred percent.”
I can think of a time when that wasn’t true.I chew the inside of my cheek to hide my smile.
“Well, just wanted to say hello. Thought Rach and I would enjoy a nice cocktail while things are quiet. Enjoy your…uh, whatever this is,” Grey says, eyeing me curiously as he waits for an explanation.
Except I’ve got nothing.
“Victory beers,” Vox says. “We’re celebrating how far I’vecomesince working with Connor.”
My foot slips off the rung of my barstool, and the grin that spreads across Vox’s face makes me want to drag him from this mountaintop and punish him until his ass is bright red.
“Connor, it was lovely to see you again. Vox, honey, don’t be a stranger,” Rachel says, bidding us both goodbye.
“Are you trying to get me fired?” I ask, turning back to face Vox.
“Of course not, but if I didn’t play into what this looks like, it would have made the fact that it’sexactlywhat it looks like way more obvious.”
Okay, he has a point.
“Well, drink fast. If Grey and Rachel are up here, we don’t need to be.”
“Where should we be instead?” he asks, settling back in his chair, clasping his hands in his lap, the picture of total relaxation.
Before I can answer, our server places our cold beers on the table in front of us, and I watch as Vox raises his glass to mine. Certain that he’s going to ‘cheers’ his snowboarding prowess, he stuns me to silence when he says, “To seeing you back on a board without fear.”
My hand is shaking as I clink my glass to his.
Instead of taking a sip right away, I watch as Vox brings his glass to his lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows once before sending me a wink as he tips the glass up, relaxing histhroat and spilling the contents down his esophagus, expertly displaying his ability to shut down his gag reflex.
I drain my beer as well, flag our waiter down, and pay.
“Go say goodbye to Grey while I sign the bill,” I tell Vox.
“Don’t you want to say goodbye?” he asks.
