Love and Other Games

by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, Kara Leigh Miller

  “It doesn’t matter. I probably won’t see you again.”

  “Not if I can help it. I owe you. Can I buy you a drink at the party?” His shirt finally covered his chest and Nadia could look at him without drooling.

  Enough of this distraction. She had to get away. She turned to walk away. “Nein.”

  Before she knew it, he grabbed her wrist and stopped her. “I’d like to get to know you.”

  “I already know you. You’re a big flirt, you have too much fun, and you are American. I cannot do any of that. I take the Olympics seriously, and I need to get to the party.” She looked at his smile, at his dreamy eyes, at his fit body and at his mouth with a small dimple on the side that she wouldn’t mind kissing. Can’t go there, Nadia. “Good Night.”

  He zipped up his jacket and walked in the opposite direction. “I’ll see you at that party, Lucky Charm. You can count on that.”

  Nadia refused to turn around and look at him again, even though her beating heart wanted her to. Somehow, in the last ten minutes, this American had confused her. Leaving the dorm, she was all about business, but leaving the American had her mind on other things – like a chiseled chest and sea-green eyes that bore into her thoughts.

  Chapter Two

  It took Ty a half hour to warm up in his dorm shower to the point where he could feel his fingers again. The whole time thinking about the blonde lucky charm who saved him. Funny how a situation like that, a small flicker of her fingertips turning him on, he’d normally have to take a cold shower. The opposite effect took place now.

  There was something about the woman that hit him like a ton of bricks – what scared him was that the moment he laid eyes on her it felt like the first time he set foot on a snowboard. A click. Something powerful taking over his mind and body as if it was meant to be. Stupid really, since he didn’t even know her name.

  But he did know she was captivating – and hot. Her long blonde hair tucked under a snowcap, her jacket with the fur hoodie around her neck. The cute little accent when she talked to him. The jade-green eyes that bore into his face as if he told the most interesting story, and he hadn’t even spoken a word.

  He would find her and thank her properly. He straightened his Team USA jacket and removed his Madsen gloves when he walked into the community building. The Meet-and-Greet Party was well underway with hundreds of athletes swarming the room. A makeshift dance floor spread out in the middle of the area while rock music blasted from speakers in the corner, and other Olympians sat around in the sofas and chairs.

  Ty stood still, his eyes adjusting to the lights and, hell, looking for the mystery woman. She was his goal tonight, and he wouldn’t leave without finding her.

  Unfortunately, the first person he found was Adam. He meandered to his friend, who jabbered away with a Canadian, from the looks of the flag on her jacket, and stopped when Ty stood in front of him. “Well, if it isn’t Trouble. You survived, old pal.” He patted Ty on the back.

  “Yeah, no thanks to you.” Ty nodded to the brunette. “How you doing?”

  The girl grinned back and sipped her water.

  Adam smiled wide and wiggled his own water bottle. “Want some?”

  Ty smelled the liquor on Adam’s breath and flinched back. “Nah, man.”

  “There’s no alcohol in the Village, but there’s always alcohol in the fun.” He tipped back the bottle and drank.

  Adam divulged the story to his Canadian companion of how they tricked him, and Ty ignored Adam to look around the dance floor for “Lucky Lady.” Other women smiled at him, but for some reason he didn’t acknowledge them. He had to find her.

  Adam brought him back to the conversation. “So, how did you get loose, anyway?”

  Then he saw a sparkle of blonde hair and that grayish-white jacket. Got her! “I happened to get lucky, dude. Talk to you later.”

  He wandered to the side of the room where she sat and stopped short for a second to watch her before she recognized him. Laughter arose from her throat and she leaned over to whisper something to the guy who sat next to her. Hmm. She brushed back her blonde hair layered around her ears and shoulders and crossed her slim legs. Her long fingers stroked the chair as she looked around the room and then stopped when she saw Ty standing a few feet away.

  He offered his smile and strolled over to the settee in front of her, placing his hand on her knee. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

  She jerked her knee out of his hold and widened her eyes. “Why are you following me?”

  “I’m just here for the party.” Ty turned to the man next to her, who had straightened and reeked of testosterone. He reached out to shake his hand. “Hey, I’m Ty Madsen. US Snowboard Team.”

  The guy shook his hand, frowning and scrutinizing his rival. “Sven. Volunteer.”

  “Volunteer, huh? Well, thanks for your help. You’re here with … ” Ty nodded at his Lucky Lady whose teeth ground and eyes narrowed with a penetrating stare.

  “Yeah, Nadia and I go way back – college and the sort. We’ve worked together since the 2010 Olympics.”

  Ty smiled at Nadia. “So, Nadia, you were at the last Olympics, too? Impressive.”

  “Ah, hell, Mr. Sorensen is calling me over.” He eyed them both pressing his lips together in a slight grimace. “I’ll be back, okay, Nad?”

  “But Sven —” Nadia reached for the tall, Swedish-looking guy, but he left before she could stop him.

  “Just you and me, then.” Ty put his hand back on her knee, rubbing it in little circles. He couldn’t help but touch her. “I need to thank you properly.”

  “And what gives you the right to pop into my conversations and just interrupt like that? And put your hand on my knee?”

  “Well, you’ve touched far more of me than I have you. It only seems fair.”

  She breathed out a humph. “Really, that was a whole other situation. And what if Sven was my boyfriend, hmm?”

  Ty shook his head. “You’re far too beautiful to be his girlfriend, Nadia.” He squeezed her knee and this time she didn’t move. Progress.

  “Well, I … um … ” Her face flushed, and it was another endearing trait of hers, next to her cute little accent.

  “So, where are you from, Nadia?” He scooted to the edge of the settee so that their knees touched.

  She held out her hands and smiled. “Switzerland.”

  “Home country, then? I could learn a lot from you.” He rubbed his chin. “Let me guess your sport … You have a classic look about you, like a ballerina … Figure skating?”

  She lowered her head and batted her lashes. “No, I’m not a figure skater.”

  “Well, you do have that ice queen appearance —”

  “I beg your pardon?” She pulled her knees away from his. “I’m not an ice queen.”

  “No, I didn’t mean it like that.” Shit. There he went and put his foot in his mouth. “It’s a good thing. You have that perfect lean body and you’re well poised – like someone on the ice.” Shit. He ran his hand over his forehead. Just when he was making some headway into getting to know her.

  “Look, Ty, I don’t know why you’re wasting your time talking to me. There are plenty of women who are newbies here that would jump into your – how do you say —sack. So, go find someone else.”

  Ty laughed. She was a feisty one – maybe she played women’s hockey. “Look, I’m just trying to make conversation. Do you want to dance?”

  She stood up, her hands on her hips and her eyes shooting fireballs at his head. “No. I don’t want to dance. I don’t want to sleep with you. I don’t want to do any of your frivolous nonsense. We’ve already been there, so thank you and goodbye.” She walked away without looking back.

  Ouch. He wasn’t very good at taking rejection, but she was pretty clear. He would have left it at that if she hadn’t come back – but she did.

  Her purse lay on the floor between the settee and the loveseat. She stood over him and leaned down to grab her bag. Bu
t when she placed her hand on his shoulder to steady herself, they both froze. A current shot through him like a lightning bolt, and he knew she felt something too because her eyes darkened and she stared at him instead of her purse. A few beats passed when Ty reached up and placed his palm on top of hers, rubbing in circles with his thumb.

  “I’m not the bad guy you think I am, you know.”

  She bit her lip and finally reached her purse, standing up straight and looking directly into his eyes. “I know your type and you’re nothing but trouble.”

  If she only knew.

  She turned on her heel and glided away, her cute bottom mocking him as he watched her disappear in the crowd.

  ***

  Nadia couldn’t take her eyes off him. In a room full of hundreds of athletes, no matter where she looked, he was in her peripheral vision. He laughed with his friends in the corner of the room. She knew his laugh now – dark, sensuous, flirtatious. He danced on the makeshift floor – with several women – placing his hand on their sides. She couldn’t help but feel jealous. The same hand had rubbed her knee not even an hour ago.

  He was a pure player.

  She touched the base of her neck, cleared her throat and looked at the man in front of her, instead. Sven had been her friend for almost ten years now. They had been in university together, on the college ski team, and now they both worked at the Olympics. She knew he had an enormous crush on her last year, and the look on his face told her that maybe he still did.

  Sven’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on with you and that snowboarder?”

  Nadia curled her lips. “Nothing. I barely know him.”

  “Then why do you keep staring at him and him at you? Seems like you two know each other well enough.”

  “He’s not staring at me.” She glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, there he was ordering a Coke at the refreshment center. He winked at her and she turned back to Sven. “We just met a few hours ago.”

  Sven rubbed her shoulder. “Be careful, Nadia.”

  Nadia shrugged her shoulder from his hold. Sven had always tried to make more from their friendship, but she had been clear with him from day one – she didn’t want a relationship. Period. “You should know me better than that, Sven. I’m here for the professional experience, not to find love.”

  “Tell him that.” Sven walked away, giving her the chance to really think about Ty without his distraction.

  Ty was sexy as hell and even worse, he was the wrong kind of guy for her. Getting caught up in exuberant pranks or dancing with a handful of women was not something she wanted in a man anyway. She was happy with her life. Simple. Uncomplicated. Effortless. She liked her serious side, and she needed to remain that way in order to receive the recommendation needed for her dream job. So, no more thinking about Mr. Snowboard hottie.

  Before she could take her eyes off him, her roommate, Lara, sidled up next to her. “Who’re you looking at? Ty Madsen?”

  “Oh, you scared me, Lara.” She reached for the Olympics News flier on the bar in front of her and pretended to look through the pages. “Who’s Ty Madsen?”

  Lara nodded in his direction. “The hottest new snowboarder from the US. You know they call him Trouble?”

  “I’m not surprised.” Nadia shook her head, turning a page, then setting it to the side.

  “Don’t you just love his longer hair and how it curves around his ears? Yum.”

  Nadia squinted at her, then back in Ty’s direction, staring at his profile. Reflected light glimmered over his handsome face like beams of icy radiance. “Yum? Really?”

  “You know, I think he keeps looking at you. Interesting.” Lara swished her dark hair over her shoulder, twirling a piece in her finger.

  “Why are you so shocked? Some men find me attractive.”

  “Well, you know, you’re so … ” Lara flapped her palms around. “So … serious.”

  It was like Lara read her mind, all her inner thoughts from earlier. “Yeah, I’m serious, but I like to have fun too, sometimes.”

  Lara gave her an inquisitive eye. “Fun and Nadia? Never.” Her friend sat on the chair next to her. “It’s okay, that’s why we all love you. We can count on you.”

  For some reason this really bothered her. She tapped her fingers on the bar. “Wait just a minute. I like to have fun.”

  Lara leaned back in her chair and smirked. “Oh, yeah? What did you last do to have fun?”

  “Just because I don’t chase after Olympians like I’m Aphrodite or something, doesn’t mean I don’t have fun.”

  Lara held up her palm and slapped her leg. “See. No fun. It’s okay, roomie.”

  “No, it’s not okay.” Nadia stood and jerked her purse up on her shoulder. “I admit I’m serious and I work hard, but I do have fun, Lara. You just wait and see.” She pointed at her roommate, paused and then scampered away.

  She had made enough of an appearance. Her boss had already talked to her and gave her the new orders for the opening ceremony the following night. And she didn’t want to hear nonsense from Lara again. She had no idea why it bothered her so, but it did.

  When she arrived at the door, a tap on her shoulder stopped her. Turning around, the green-eyed playboy smiled at her. “Leaving already?”

  “I have an early morning. You probably do too.”

  “Can I walk you home?” He was already zipping up his jacket and his hand circled her waist to walk her out the door.

  “Um, I guess.” Well, if this wasn’t fun, then she had no idea what could top this. She jerked her hoodie up around her ears. “Actually, I’d appreciate company.”

  His boldly handsome face smiled warmly down at her. “Great.” He pulled out a beanie hat from his pocket along with some dark, lined gloves. “It’s pretty cold out here, isn’t it?”

  “You should know.” Her mouth twitched in humor.

  “Touché.” His hand on her waist shouldn’t feel so good, but she wouldn’t lie to herself. It did.

  She tried to look at anything but his face – for some reason, whenever she stared into his eyes, she lost track of her senses. He pulled her to him like skis on fresh fallen snow. Noticing the thick gloves he wore, with a MM on the back, she said, “Those gloves are interesting. I’ve never seen anything like them”

  He held them out in front of them, letting her admire them more. “I made them.”

  She shot him a glance. “You’re kidding.”

  “No. My brother and I have a business back home. Madsen’s Mittens,” he said matter-of-factly.

  He had his own business? Hmm. There was more to this guy than she thought. It scared her that he interested her so much. “So, you all warmed up now?” She pulled out her map, looking for the fastest route, then pointed in the direction they needed to go. “This way.”

  “I had to take a steaming shower for half an hour, but at least I can feel my fingers now.” A glint of humor finally returned. This was the guy she was getting to know.

  “Your lips aren’t blue anymore. That’s a good sign.”

  He quirked an eyebrow questioningly. “So, you’ve been looking at my lips, huh?”

  “I … Um … ”

  He rubbed her back and even though she had a bulky jacket and layers of clothes, his hand worked magic. “I can’t believe I made you speechless.”

  “You just say these things that are so unexpected.”

  “So do you.” Ty looked around the path and at the dorm that lay ahead of them. “So, you’re from Switzerland, then? I’ve always wanted to find out what the army does with those teeny little red knives.”

  She lifted an eyebrow and quirked her head. “Yeah and where we keep our Swiss cheese and how do we eat chocolate all of the time. Heard it already. Not funny.”

  He held his hands out and shrugged. “I try. So, where’re we heading? Which dorm is that?”

  “Those are the volunteer dorms.”

  He stopped. “So, you’re not an athlete then?”

  “I’m
an athlete, just not the best.”

  “I like how that sounds. It makes me sound like I’m the best.”

  She laughed and continued to walk with him following beside her. “Well, you must be if you’re in the Olympics.”

  They arrived at the front door and stopped walking – and talking. His eyes rested on her face and darkened for an instant. “I really don’t want our night to end here. I’m just getting to know you.”

  “I’m not inviting you in, if that’s what you want. It’s against the rules.”

  He cocked his head. “You’re something else, Lady Luck.” He stroked her cheek and she couldn’t help but lean into his palm. He stepped closer, and she jerked away before he could take it further. But damn it to hell, if she wanted fun, he was her answer. He was practically a walking, talking, candy on a stick.

  Before she even thought more about what she was about to suggest, she blurted, “But it’s not against the rules to hang out in the outside Jacuzzi.” She widened her eyes. See. That was fun. Right?

  A smirk formed on his face. “Jacuzzi, huh? Outside?”

  “It’s just around the corner and even though it’s outside, it’s steaming hot. I bet you could still warm up.”

  His fingers lingered to her shoulder, down her arm and to her fingertips. “Sounds like a deal. Which way?”

  “I need to get my suit first.”

  He shook his head and grabbed her hand. “Nope. If I don’t have a suit, you shouldn’t either.”

  She dropped her head to her chest. Now the fun just took a whole other level. Damn. She took a deep breath. “There’ll be other people there. I’m not about to go skinny dipping in the Jacuzzi.”

  He shrugged. “So, I’ll wear my boxers – nothing you haven’t seen – and you can wear your teeny-weeny undies.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “Sound like a plan?”

  “I don’t know. I do have to get up early.” She second-guessed her wild and crazy idea that had popped out of who knows where. Probably her brain that apparently froze while helping him earlier.

  “Oh come on. You already enticed me this much. You can’t say no now. Plus, tomorrow’s the opening ceremony – it’s not like we’ll be competing or anything.”