Page 21 of Wedlocked
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, you were saying how good you are. And how Wes can’t keep up with you…”
“Yeah?”
“And I’m better than you,” I rushed out, the words feeling like a grenade. The minute they were out, I waited for the explosion.
He blinked. The corner of his lip curled up. “You’re better than me?”
Was he amused?
“Yes.” I was succinct.
“How do you know that?”
My stomach cramped. The cold air I sucked in burned my windpipe. “The university team in Sweden tried to recruit me. I couldn’t because it conflicted with swimming.”
And swimming seemed a little safer at the time.
His brows shot up, disappearing beneath the hat on his head. “No shit?”
I nodded.
He made a sound. “All right then, angel, let’s see what you got.”
I glanced across the snow toward the lift. “I can’t.”
“What’s the matter? Afraid you’ll be embarrassed if I beat you anyway?” He challenged.
Rationally, I recognized it for what it was. My boyfriend teasing me. He did it every day. All day. It was practically his love language.
But rationale seemed in short supply right now. “I’m afraid you will be.”
He stopped and turned back. The look on his face had all the words I’d been holding stumbling right out.
“I used to have to hide how good I was. I beat him once. Showed him up and embarrassed him.” I swallowed. “He was so mad…” I shook my head, completely horrified that my vision was blurring.
Strong hands grabbed my shoulders, yanking me into a cold chest. I stiffened, but he shushed me overhead.
“It’s just me, angel. I’m not gonna hurt you, sweetheart. I swear to God I’d never. I understand now, okay? It’s all right. I got you.”
My hands came up to grab his arms, squeezing tight to try and get to the man through all our layers.
“He didn’t even wait till we got home,” I declared, my breath coming in gasps. “He used his pole to trip me, drove the end of his ski into my ribs. Then when we went to change, he, ah… beat me right there in the locker room. Then he yelled at me for limping on the way to the car.”
The arms around me tightened, one coming up to cover my head. He rocked us soothingly, our skis clashing as he moved. “That’s enough now.” His voice was hoarse. “You don’t have to tell me anything else.”
“But it’s all right there,” I said, miserable. “It’s been replaying in my mind since I saw the slopes. It was the last time I went skiing. He said I was a showoff and if he caught me skiing again, he’d break my leg.”
A growl rumbled overhead, catching in the wind and swirling with the snow.
“You should have told me this sooner,” he rasped.
“I tried to ignore it. I just wanted to have a good time.”
Firm hands pulled me away from his chest. The wind stung my wet lashes, and I vaguely wondered if my fallen tears would turn to icicles.
“Angel, we can have a good time anywhere. We didn’t have to come here for that.”