Slope of Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons)

by Melissa Foster

  He’s only here to get me settled in. She glanced at his luggage, which sure looked like he planned on staying for the week. Her stomach clenched. She’d known she needed to end things with Marcus two weeks ago, but between training, competing, and Marcus’s flash temper, she hadn’t wanted to deal with the aftermath of the breakup. She was a queen at masking her emotions, but the pain in her shoulder was slowly testing that ability. She knew that what the doctor had told her after her last injury was true. They’d been able to rehab her through the first rotator cuff injury and the second shoulder injury, a small labral tear, but with two shoulder injuries in just under two years, another labral tear could mean her competitive skiing days were over.

  She had bigger problems to deal with than breaking up with Marcus.

  She glanced at Rush, hoping he hadn’t heard them and that he hadn’t seen her flinch at the twinge in her shoulder when she’d lifted her bag. He stood at the registration desk, his back to them. She’d never kept secrets from Rush, but after she’d seen his reaction to her first two injuries, she wasn’t about to tell him about the latest one. She hadn’t even told the coach. They’d both be on her case to see the doctor, which would probably mean being told—officially—that she could not compete. There was no way in hell she was going down that sorry path. In another week, Rush would be back to his womanizing ways and focusing on making up for this year’s celibacy—which she found strange for him anyway. A quick bang with no strings attached had always been his way to ease the pressure of competition. But swearing off women completely during competition? That was not typical Rush Remington style. In another week she would have three months to spend rehabbing her shoulder in peace…and counting down the days until she saw him again.

  Rush turned, and his electric-blue eyes caught on hers. Her breath hitched, and her pulse sped up at the jolt of attraction that she’d always felt toward him but knew better than to act on. God, she hated the way her body reacted to him. That’s what I get for falling in love at thirteen with a guy who runs from commitment like the word itself carries leprosy. The right side of his lips cocked into a sexy half smile before he turned his attention to Teri and Kia.

  “Look at Teri and Kia,” Marcus said with a snort, shaking his head. “They’re like fan girls when Rush is around.”

  Her chest tightened. Marcus was always dissing Rush, and though Rush was a player, he had never purposefully hurt Jayla, which was more than she could say for Marcus.

  She watched Rush lean against the wall, and although his back was to her, she knew his eyes were at half-mast in a casual, I-know-you-want-me gaze. Ugh! She had all of Rush’s looks memorized. Not that she was proud of that fact, or would ever admit it to anyone except herself.

  “Earth to Jayla.” Marcus waved his hand at her. “Eyes on him again?”

  She’d fantasized about being one of the women who shared Rush’s bed, what it might feel like to have his big hands on her body, his chest pressed against hers, and then—thankfully—sanity would find her again. The last thing she needed was to be a notch in Rush Remington’s belt and risk ruining their friendship. Being his friend was safer, easier. She got the best parts of him.

  Well, almost…

  She shifted her gaze to Marcus and exhaled. Why was it that when it came to Marcus she was a wallflower and when it came to everyone else in her life she was anything but?

  “No.”

  “Let’s hope not. I’ll go get you checked in,” Marcus said and headed for the registration desk.

  She watched Marcus lean on the registration desk and pictured his eyes wandering over the attractive blond receptionist’s perky breasts. The blonde smiled and fiddled with her necklace. She was sure Marcus thought she didn’t know about his wandering eye or the way he flirted with anyone in a skirt. Or jeans. Or snow pants. She turned away just as Rush, Teri, and Kia disappeared out the back door that led to the private cabins they’d booked. A spear of jealousy shot through her. She’d give just about anything to be with them.

  Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket and she read the text as Marcus crossed the lobby toward her. Her heart stilled when she saw Rush’s name on the screen and quickly read the text. Sneak out later? Like camp?

  She laughed beneath her breath and texted back. Can’t.

  She’d been can’ting for weeks because of Marcus. She should have taken her sister Jennifer’s advice and dumped him right away—or she should have called her other sister, Mia, and had her force her to do it. Hindsight might be twenty-twenty, but it feels like shit.

  “Okay, you’re all set.” Marcus held up a key.

  She reached for it, and he flicked his wrist, burying the key in his palm. She had to end this—upcoming race or not—before she kneed him in the groin and told him exactly what she thought of his controlling ways.

  She sighed, thinking about Marcus and Rush—and Rush’s revolving bedroom door. She’d gone out with Marcus looking for something more. A real relationship, and maybe even to finally try to get past her feelings for Rush. She was starting to believe that her girlfriends were right. Maybe she should consider doing what they did. A few free drinks, a night of pleasure, and never look back. That’s the last thing she wanted to do. Maybe all men really are assholes. She felt her heart squeeze. Even Rush Remington.

  CAN’T. RUSH WAS so sick of Jayla saying or texting can’t that he could puke. He flopped onto the king-sized bed in his luxurious cabin and crossed his hands behind his head. Blake Carter’s cousin, Treat Braden, owned the resort, and true to his reputation, it was nicer than most of the resorts Rush had stayed in recent months. The spacious cabin had cathedral ceilings with exposed wooden beams in the living room, kitchen, and the bedroom suite. The living room had a propane fireplace, oversized sofa, comfortable reading chair, and a big-screen television. He let his mind drift to Jayla. He wondered if she was calculating how much practice time she could fit in, as they used to do in her pre-Marcus days, or if she was thinking of him.

  His chest clenched at the situation. Goddamn, sweet, funny Jayla with her beautiful brown eyes, long brown hair, and those kissable, cupid lips. The thought of her lips touching Marcus’s made his gut twist. He and Jayla were securely entrenched in the friend zone. Until about a year ago, when something his brother Jack had said and one of Jayla’s comments about his revolving bedroom door had finally opened his eyes, he’d thought that was right where they belonged. He was wrong. Damn wrong.

  His muscles tensed as he thought of her and Marcus. He sprang from the bed. That was one bit of trouble he didn’t need to get involved in. He grabbed his parka and headed out the door.

  Kia and Teri were on their way up to the resort. Kia’s thick red hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders, while Teri wore her dark hair up in a ponytail. They made no secret of wanting a piece of Rush—singularly or together—but beyond the fact that Rush wasn’t physically attracted to either of them, he’d never believed in dipping his ski in the team snow.

  Until he realized he was in love with Jayla.

  “Hey, Rush,” they said in unison.

  “Going up to the meeting?” Kia asked as she chewed on a piece of gum like a cow.

  “Looks that way.” He heard yelling coming from one of the cabins.

  “Ugh! Marcus and Jayla,” Teri said as they all turned in the direction of the shouting.

  He stopped cold. He could count on one hand how many times he’d heard Jayla raise her voice over the past fifteen years, and one of the five times was currently taking place.

  “That guy’s such an ass,” Teri added. “I have no idea why she’s with him.”

  “She won’t be for long. She’s just waiting out the competition. She’s a better person than me. I’d have broken up with him right when I realized he was a jerk. But you know Jayla. Nothing comes between her and winning. Anyway, she’ll break up with him right after the race Saturday. That way she won’t be dealing with a jerk and a breakup.” Kia shook her head.

  “You th
ink?” Rush ran his hand through his hair, trying to ignore the urge to head straight down to Jayla’s cabin and wring Marcus’s neck.

  “I know,” Kia said.

  Good. Maybe that’s what she was doing now. He pulled out his phone and texted Jayla—Need me?—as they headed into the lodge for the meeting with the coach and the Carters.

  The conference room was lined with windows on two sides, with a spectacular view of the slopes. He and the others settled into the fancy leather chairs that surrounded a large glass table. With mahogany trim around the windows and doors and oak floors with mahogany inlaid in diamond design, the room reeked of class.

  Patrick sat down beside him. “Dude, how about those cabins? Pretty nice, huh?” He was tall, muscular, and loved women too much. He was always getting into trouble by sleeping with some local guy’s girlfriend in the towns where they competed. Rush liked him despite his bed hopping ways—maybe even because of it. At least initially, until Rush realized his own views had changed. Patrick was a guy’s guy, a straight shooter, and the first to admit his weakness to women.

  “Awesome,” Rush said.

  “You see the babe at the front desk?” Patrick pulled off his knit cap, and his short black hair stood on end.

  “Didn’t notice.” It was bullshit, but thinking of the receptionist brought his mind back to Jayla and the cry of pain he’d heard in the lobby. Now he wondered where the hell she was. She was usually early for meetings. Not that he should care. She was all wrapped up in Marcus. Let him worry about her. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. He cared. He cared a whole hell of a lot. If that asshole hurt her…He had no idea how she could or would ever let that happen. She wouldn’t. He took momentary comfort in that fact, reminding himself again that Jayla wasn’t his. He had no business stepping into her relationship. She was a twenty-eight-year-old woman with more balls than most guys he knew. She could handle this.

  Patrick whistled. “Damn. She was stacked.”

  Rush caught sight of Jayla outside the door talking to Marcus in a harsh whisper. When Marcus’s hand reached for her, she flinched and took a step backward.

  Well, fuck me. Rush rose to his feet as Marcus stepped closer to Jayla. In the next breath, Jayla turned, her eyes locked on the floor as she came into the room with Coach Cunningham and Chad, the assistant coach, right behind her. Rush sent Marcus a threatening stare before sitting back down, as if every muscle in his body hadn’t been corded tight as a jaguar ready to attack.

  Jayla sat across the table from Rush, between Kia and Teri. Kia and Teri leaned in close, whispering to Jayla, and goddamn if her eyes weren’t damp.

  Not my problem. He called bullshit on himself again. Jayla would always be his…problem. He pulled out his cell to make sure he hadn’t missed a message from Jayla. Guess she didn’t need me after all.

  “Listen up.” Coach Sean Cunningham was the strictest, most cutthroat coach in competitive skiing. Even pushing sixty, he was six feet of barrel-chested bulk, with more brown than gray hair, a thick neck, and even thicker arms. Chad stood off to the side. He was short, stocky, and although he tried to keep a rigid exterior to match Coach Cunningham’s, his friendly brown eyes and boyish face betrayed his efforts.

  Coach Cunningham took charge with a dead-serious, commanding tone. “You’ll be teaching by day, training in the evenings, and although there’s no curfew for this week of teaching”—he set his steady, slate-blue stare on Patrick, then moved it from one player to the next around the table—“you know the rules. You show up hungover, you can’t practice, or I see one deficit, we go to curfew. Got it?”

  “Yes, Coach,” they answered in practiced unison.

  He set his eyes on Jayla. Rush sat up straighter, his full attention on Jayla’s lack of eye contact. She knew better than not to meet the coach’s eyes, which could mean only one thing. Whatever was going on with Marcus had messed with her head too much for her to react. That was the danger zone. If Marcus messed with her head, he’d mess with her focus, and in turn, her ability to win her competition.

  And that was why he couldn’t ignore whatever the hell was going on with her.

  “One deficit, and all hell breaks loose.” The coach let the words hang in the air. All eyes slid to Jayla.

  Deficit? Rush knew she would do anything to continue competing. Including covering up lingering pain. Athletes lived in a state of denial when it came to injuries. Coaches, too. They’d rather pretend that the best couldn’t be stopped, and admitting otherwise weakened their faith in the team and their strength overall. Rush knew athletes were a strange breed—himself included. It wasn’t going to change anytime soon. And after the way the coach was staring at Jayla’s shoulder, he was sure she was covering up more than just a relationship gone sour.

  After the tension in the room grew thick, which Rush was certain was Coach Cunningham’s intent, the coach continued. “You have free rein today and tomorrow; then you’re mine in the afternoons. Now, please give your full attention to Danica and Blake Carter. Danica coordinated these workshops. She runs No Limitz, the community center in Allure, the next town over, and Blake owns AcroSki, a local ski shop that’s sponsoring the classes.”

  “Thanks so much, Coach Cunningham, and thanks to each of you for volunteering to teach,” Danica began. Dark corkscrew curls sprang wildly in every direction, giving her thick mass of hair a windblown look, but Rush knew that was how she always looked. He’d met her husband, Blake, a few years earlier, when he was in town for a competition. He’d gone into Blake’s ski shop and the two had talked for hours and had since become good friends, which was why when Blake told Rush about Danica’s ski clinic, Rush presented it to the team.

  Danica continued. “We’ve put these classes together as a way to try to give kids—teenagers in particular—something more to focus on than trouble. Not that these kids are troublemakers, but I think it’s easier for teenagers to stay out of trouble if they have interests beyond the opposite sex.” She paused and flashed a friendly smile. “We’ve got three classes scheduled for each of you every day. You’ll be paired up. Two instructors per class, as I’m sure your coach has already mentioned, and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate this. You’ll be teaching kids between the ages of six and fifteen. They’re beginners, and some of the teenagers are…well, teenagers.” She shrugged. “We’ve all been there.”

  Blake was well over six feet tall with jet-black hair and friendly eyes. He picked up a piece of paper and added, “We’ve paired a male and female instructor for each course.”

  Patrick elbowed Rush. “Sorry, dude, but I’d much rather teach with a chick than you anyway. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”

  Rush glanced at his female teammates. Kia and Teri would flirt with him the whole time, and that would drive him crazy, but if he worked with Jayla, he’d be sidetracked by his love for her and what a shit Marcus was to her, and that would drive him a different type of crazy.

  “Rush, you’ll be teaching with Jayla. Patrick, you’re with Kia, and Cliff and Teri, you’ll be teaching together.” Blake gave them their schedules and thanked them again before ending the meeting.

  Great. He eyed Jayla, who still hadn’t lifted her eyes from her lap or texted him back. He had no idea how he’d navigate teaching with Jayla. There was no way he could keep his mouth shut about Marcus. It was hard enough to stop himself from climbing across the table and taking her into his arms.

  Rush waited for the others to leave so he could talk to Blake and Danica alone.

  “Rush, great to see you.” Blake opened his arms to Rush. Rush’s eldest brother, Jack, was engaged to Blake’s cousin, Savannah Braden. They’d soon be family.

  “There’s nothing hotter than two burly men hugging it out.” Danica laughed as Rush disengaged from Blake and kissed her cheek.

  “Look at you. You’re not even showing yet.”

  “That’s one of the great things about being tall.” Danica patted her stomach. “Three months along isn’t that far anyway.
Thanks for bringing your team into this, Rush. We really appreciate it.”

  “Sure, no problem.” He ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit he’d had for as long as he could remember. “Listen, is there any flexibility in the teaching roster?”

  Blake and Danica exchanged a look.

  Blake patted Rush’s shoulder. “Sorry, Rush. Your coach specifically asked that we put you with Jayla. I guess she’s got a boyfriend issue, and he wanted her looked after.”

  “What the…? And that’s my problem…why exactly?” He crossed his arms, his biceps flexing as he pondered the situation. “Sorry. This isn’t your issue.”

  “Do you have a problem with Jayla?” Danica asked.

  Rush knew that prior to opening No Limitz, Danica had been a therapist, and he was in no mood to be evaluated. “No. It’s fine. Sorry I brought it up.”

  “Are you sure?” Danica asked. “Because if there’s history between you two, we don’t want to put either of you in an uncomfortable position that might compromise the efficacy of the program for the kids.”

  History? Rush was hoping for a future. Yeah there’s history, all right, but not the type you’re talking about. I’d never treat Jayla the way I used to treat women. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s fine. Really.” He wasn’t about to piss off the coach, and the more he thought about the coach’s decision, the more concerned he became about Jayla, Marcus, and her focus when training. The women’s coach wasn’t there this week, and Coach Cunningham had taken over training for both groups. With only six of them, it wasn’t a hardship, but their coach usually kept his nose out of their personal affairs—unless they impacted their performance in competitions. Rush knew that Jayla must have blown a practice or the coach saw something in her relationship with Marcus that he couldn’t ignore.