Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

“ F inally! God, I thought I’d have to blow the driver to get us up the mountain faster,” Wyatt said, clambering out of the sedan first. “Doesn’t help all the tourists have descended on Telluride for the competitions and the snow.”

Sasha Rhett, aka Ariel Rhodes, got out behind him, rolling her eyes. “All you’ve done is bitch since we left home. We should be in Zen mode until the event.”

Wyatt exhaled slowly, wrapping his arm around Sasha’s waist. The scent of clove mixed with tonka bean, sage, and amber surrounded her. She’d picked that cologne out for him when they first started skating together seven years ago. Seemed like so long ago now. “I’m sorry.” His minty gum breath whispered across her forehead. “I haven’t been sleeping well. I hate mountain roads. Above all, I’m nervous this time. I’m never nervous.”

“Nervous means we’re going to knock the judges’ socks off.” She rubbed his chest, soaking up the warmth of his body. “Do you want to talk about it?” Their relationship was unconventional, to say the least. Paparazzi assumed they were dating, and every guy who crossed paths with Wyatt thought he was gay—not that it was a bad thing. He loved the attention. Bonus, Sasha wasn’t hit on every time she turned around. Sometimes, however, she wondered if their instant connection stunted their ability to get laid because everyone thought they were a couple.

“From your lips to the judges’ ears.” He nuzzled the top of her head, then patted her hip. “Come on, let’s get inside before the snow starts again. Weather’s calling for record accumulation over the weekend. Hope this place keeps the roads cleared. Would hate for Johnny to go a little stir-crazy.” He wiggled his brows.

Sasha snorted, grabbing her luggage from the rear of the vehicle. Her skate bags and outfits waited for them inside on the rolling cart their driver used. It was nice living in Colorado. Traveling for competitions was minimal when the events chose some place in the mountains surrounding Telluride. Today, however, cramped in the back seat for a little over five hours, like Wyatt said, was draining. He was also right about the tourists and the competitors clogging the roads. Which only added to the monotony.

“It’s frosty out, huh?” Normal temps kept the area a crisp thirty-five, but today the air felt sharper. The frigid breeze seeped into Sasha’s bones, and she shivered.

“I’ll make us a fire when we get to the room.” Wyatt hurried her inside, then groaned when he spotted the line. “Fuck me.”

Sasha muttered the same.

“There you two are!” Jenny, their coach said, hurrying toward them while cutting through the crowd waiting to check in. She looked like a regular snow bunny with her pastel lavender snowsuit and boots. She pulled her blonde hair back in a high ponytail and a grey fleece headband covered her ears. Behind her, her ex-Ice dance partner-turned-love-interest, Evgeni. He placed his hand on her shoulder and smirked at Sasha and Wyatt.

Jerkface.

“Going to be a long weekend.” She handed them an envelope with the resort handwriting on it along with their badges for access to the training rink located within the resort, and their passes for the competition at the arena within walking distance. As of that moment they were officially Team USA hopefuls. “After dinner is a meeting for all the competitors. I need you two to grab a nap and meet me in the dining hall at five. Understood?”

“We’ll be there,” Wyatt said.

Sasha who traced her fingertip over her name. Ten years ago, almost to the exact day, she laid in a hospital room watching the US Men’s hockey team play an international friendly game on the TV. Her left knee was in one of those heavy-duty braces protecting her surgically repaired ACL and MCL tears. Beside her, leaning against the wall, was a set of crutches she used for physical therapy. The gnarly “accident” on the ice had been ruled non-intentional after a league investigation, but Sasha knew the truth. Trent Holden hated her guts. He couldn’t beat her or the Stingrays fair and square. So, he took her out.

Probably didn’t help she was the lone girl on an all-boys team in an all-boys league.

Sasha’s dreams of being a forward for the US Women’s National Team followed a different path than other girls. Because her area didn’t have a girls’ league, the boys’ team and the officials allowed her to play with them. However, she never felt welcomed in the league, except with the some of the players. The parents... They turned red-faced and hurled all kind of insults at their coach but mostly at her, especially when she got older and got better than their sons. Especially when they believed their son’s shit didn’t stink. Hence the issue with Trent, and her lying in bed, watching her dreams circle the drain.

She’d never considered figure skating, let alone ice dancing or pairs. Sasha loved hockey. Which, if she hadn’t been an orthopedics patient, would’ve occurred in three short months during spring league. Instead, Trent gave her a lesson she’d never forget—a body check into the boards while tangling his right skate with her left, twisting her knee and ankle in the wrong direction. How she was able to avoid serious ankle damage, she’d never know.

Then he leaned down and smirked at her, even as she felt the pop in her knee. Even as fire raced through her leg and she whimpered, holding back her cry for help. The awful, vicious pull of his mouth as he spoke those words... No. She mentally shook her head. She wouldn’t think about that day or Trent—ever again. Getting over the incident—not accident—and relearning how to use her leg/knee, had taken a year.

Getting back on the ice? Longer.

Sasha saw a therapist specializing in sports medicine after stepping foot on the ice triggered panic attacks so bad, her mom thought she was having a heart attack. After the last incident, while being monitored in the hospital, she met Kai, her forever therapist. Together, they worked on a plan to get her back where she was supposed to be, only this time, with the tools she needed.

Her days of playing hockey ended the minute medical staff carted her off the ice. She had to accept that. Figure skating or ice dancing specifically, gave her a freedom she hadn’t realized she needed. Then her therapist set her up with Jenny her new coach. With her help and Evgeni’s, Sasha found a new love of the ice.

But, with that, brought another type of heartache she never wanted to ruminate over. Doing so would only pick at old wounds that never quite healed right in some respects. Hence why she’d changed her name. She was no longer Sasha Rhett, hockey phenom, on the ice. She was Ariel Rhodes, ice dancer extraordinaire.

“Hey...” Wyatt’s voice cut through the memories from a lifetime ago. “Where did you go?”

She blinked, glancing up at him, almost embarrassed she’d zoned out. “Sorry. I can’t believe my name is on one of these things. You know?” Wyatt knew about the reconstruction of her knee, he had to, but never the details of who did it or why. Nor had she told him of her childhood best friends, Cam, Brody, and Archer. The three boys she left behind without saying goodbye.

“Looks good. Want a picture so you can post about it?”

“Duh, yes!” She held up her badge and smiled, allowing herself to feel the overwhelming excitement of the moment.

“There,” Wyatt said. “Now our fans can see we made it, and you’re ready to shine.”

“This is going to be amazing.” Sasha grinned, bouncing on her toes. “I can’t wait to get on the ice.”

“We’re going to win, Sash. I feel it. This is our year to shine.”

Wyatt guided her toward the elevators. He was also a patient of Kai’s. Where she had to conquer her fear of being assaulted again and her fear of the ice, Wyatt’s partners had a bad habit of leaving him for someone “seasoned.” It was like they used Wyatt until a better opportunity came along. Trust didn’t come easy for Wyatt or Sasha. “We’re in luck. Jenny said some of the figure skating team got suites when they checked in. Seems we’re one of the few, too.”

“As long as we don’t have to share a room with Jenny and Evgeni, everything else is gravy,” she said, stepping into the waiting lift. “I think I’m going to take her advice and grab a cat nap while we’re up there.”

Wyatt hummed. “A kitten nap with you sound amazing right now.”

Heat sizzled below the surface, warming her while a coil of anticipation encircled her.

Trust came in several different forms for them. Most of which took time to build. One aspect of their relationship, which seemed to protect them on and off the ice, was their sexual chemistry. Having that it quality, kept people guessing. Sasha noticed it the first time her and Wyatt met on the ice with Jenny and Evgeni. The spark was instantaneous. Nevertheless, learning their strengths and weaknesses took hundreds of hours to connect on and overcome. Those hours also allowed them to explore their relationship on a deeper level too.

They also watched The Cutting Edge about a million times. Obviously, she was Doug and Wyatt was Kate. And, yes, Wyatt did get her a few times with the toe-pick. So, she paid him back in kind and put him in a pair of hockey skates.

Hilarity ensued.

That was the first time Wyatt kissed her.

Now, when the itch struck, they turned to each other to satisfy their needs, keeping up appearances for the paparazzi. It was hard enough navigating her new world. Doing so while dating? Never. It was easier to find comfort in each other’s arms, than it was to find someone outside the sport. Not having to worry about a circuit filled with playboys and douche nozzles, bonus points. “I’d love to cuddle with you.” Sasha tucked her hand into Wyatt’s. “I really hope our room faces the mountains. I’d leave the curtains open every night while we’re here.”

“Voyeur... I like it,” he teased, licking his bottom lip before leaning into her. “Do you think if I fucked you against the window, everyone below would see us?”

“What if I want to be the one fucking you?” She locked gazes with him and arched a brow.

Wyatt’s gaze intensified, becoming pools of liquid mercury. His lips parted as his breath left him on a shudder. Sensual heat radiated off him in waves of arousal. “You serious, Sash? You want to do that here?”

She lifted her shoulder as the elevator dinged. “Might relieve a little stress for both of us.”

“So, you brought it with you? The stuff? You packed everything?” His eyes widened at the idea she’d want to try again. Hadn’t she said as much after the first time and the second? Pegging was different. Impowering. The high from it was amazing.

“Guess you’ll have to find out, huh?” she whispered, stepping off the car onto their floor. “Uh...”

Wyatt glanced up when she did. “Whoa... None of this looks right. Maybe we got off on the wrong floor?”

“I don’t think so. The numbers on the envelope correspond to those on the doors.” She frowned, walking along the spacious hall. As far as she could tell, there were only five doors on that level. “This... This can’t be right.”

“Here’s our room though,” he said, pulling the card free from the holder. When he swiped it through the scanner, the lights turned green, and the lock disengaged. “Well, maybe their idea of suite and ours is two different things.”

“Yeah, sure,” she agreed, stepping in behind him.

“No fucking way!” He grinned, turning toward her. “No fucking way.”

The first thing she spotted when she stepped inside was the glass doors leading to the balcony overlooking the mountains. To the right was a kitchen fully stocked if they wanted to cook for themselves. To the left, a small, cozy living room. With each step she took deeper into the room, the more confused she became. What the hell? Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the bedroom that was just as big as the kitchen and living room combined. “This isn’t a suite.”

“No,” Wyatt replied. “It’s an apartment, or maybe a penthouse?” He came out of a bathroom she hadn’t even noticed, flushed and excited. “We have a private bedroom with the same view as the living room.” He let out a wild whoop of excitement and clapped his hands, breaking the din of silence. “Come here, you.”

Wyatt gathered her up in his arms and twirled her around. When his lips brushed hers, she ran her fingernails through the short curls at the nape of his neck and tugged. His groan of approval as he deepened the kiss, set her on fire. Everything about the room could wait. Wyatt palmed her ass, allowing her to wrap her legs more securely around his waist. The twinge of stiffness from sitting in the car for so long had her readjusting her leg so not to pull at her knee.

Some habits and fears took longer to break.

“You good?” He rubbed his nose across her.

“Yes,” she answered. “Stiff from the long drive.”

“I know how to work those kinks out.”

She hummed. “Do you? Or did you want me to show you how it’s done?”

“ Fuuuck ...” he elongated the word on a groan. “You’re such a fucking tease, Sasha.”

When he kissed her again, he started for the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him once he entered. There wasn’t a reason to. They had all that space for themselves. However, being closed inside that room with him gave another layer of intimacy. Wyatt placed her on the plush bedding before stepping back to undress. He pulled his shirt from his jeans, unveiling the muscular planes of his body as he tugged it off.

He reminded her of Michelangelo’s Lucifer statue. Sexy as hell and dangerous to boot. Wyatt’s body was a work of art. While most of her muscles were in her legs for balance, he looked like he could play rugby. Wyatt smirked, throwing his shirt at her, before going down on one knee in front of her. Gone was the playful edge he exuded. Fire and arousal burned in his mercury-colored eyes. His lips parted as he pulled the hoodie over her head, revealing her black long-sleeve shirt.

The prickle of awareness caressing her senses caused her heart to trip and her brain to short circuit. He could steal her rational thoughts with a single look and turn her into a bashful girl without trying. He treasured her without having to be asked to. Made sure she was comfortable before he was.

Sasha ran her fingers through his hair and his eyes fluttered shut. The last few weeks had been stressful preparing for the competition. They hadn’t taken any time for themselves, let alone thought about sex. Now, all she could do was think about it.

“You’re driving me crazy,” she murmured. “Sometimes, I need you to rip my clothes off and fuck me.”

He grunted. “You shouldn’t say stuff like that to me, Sasha.”

“If not you, who?” She cocked a brow in question.

“Damn it,” he muttered, brushing lips across her jaw and throat. “Just thinking about you with someone else makes me jealous.”

But they weren’t a couple. They were friends with benefits. Two broken people learning a new path through their lives. Wyatt was fun. Attentive. He made her feel like the only woman in a room filled with women. However, she also realized he had needs. Needs she could fulfill, but she’d never be what he truly wanted.

Sasha pushed the wayward thoughts aside and focused on where his mouth was and the way his deft fingers unmoored the buttons of the button-down shirt—his—that she borrowed because she could wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath it and stay warm. Wyatt’s gaze locked with hers as he pushed the garment from her shoulders then teased the skin of her toned tummy with the backs of his fingers before dragging her tank top off, exposing her skin to the tepid air of the room. Goose bumps form across her flesh, causing her to shiver.

“Can’t have you cold, can we?” Wyatt stood. “When I get back here, you better be naked.”

She tilted her head. “Where you going?”

“To start the fireplace.” He shrugged. “Looks like this one is controlled by the unit in the living room or maybe there’s a remote.” He waved off the conversation. “Whatever, be naked.”

She chuckled as he made a quick exit then did as he asked. Sasha went to her bag and grabbed the harness and dildo they’d picked out together and began assembling her gear. The toy they chose wasn’t huge by any means but big enough to get the job done. They’d also bought a vibrating cock ring for added stimulus for her.

“What the fuck? Who the hell are you?” Wyatt snapped, catching Sasha’s attention.

She hurried to the door, uncaring of her state of undress. She cracked the door open and gasped, catching everybody’s attention. “What the fuck?”

Archer.

Her protecter. The strict one. The disciplined leader of their team slowly turned his head in her direction. His soft topaz eyes locked with her violet gaze. “Holy shit... Sasha?”

“Hey, guys,” she said, jerking her arm behind her back. “Long time no see, huh?”

“Why are you both half naked?” Brody narrowed his eyes.

“If I had to guess, they were about to play hide the pickle.” Cam smirked at her as he pushed those black square glasses of his up his nose. “Question is, who’s doing the hiding.” He motioned between her and Wyatt.

Asshole. She cleared her throat. “So, do any of you want to explain what the hell is going on? Why are you in our room?”

Archer lifted his chin. Defiance colored his features. “You mean our room?”

Right on cue Brody and Cam held up their card. A knock came at the door before the beep echoed around them. Then the door pushed in, revealing the one person she never wanted to see in her life again—Trent Holder.

“As I live and breathe,” Trent said with a menacing chuckle.

Sasha’s skin went cold, and her stomach twisted with fear and anxiety. In a snap of a wicked fate’s fingers, her worst nightmare had showed back up in her life. But he wasn’t alone. A guy a good three to four inches taller than her stepped around Trent and came to an abrupt halt when he laid eyes on Wyatt.

“What the hell is this?” Wyatt snapped. “Fucked up past, day?”

“I see you still whine like a bitch,” the newcomer said while Trent kept his menacing gaze locked on her.

“This is not fucking happening,” Sasha mumbled, fearing any second her light lunch would make a reappearance. “I’m going to go back into my room and all of you are going to be gone. Like a bad dream. Yeah, that’s it. I probably fell asleep on the way here. When I wake up, Wyatt will be demanding I get out of the car.”

“Hate to break it to you, girl, you’re wide awake.” Trent chuckled. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for the last ten years.”