Snow Job by Tara Wyatt (best large ereader .txt) 📗

take over. He soared back up into the air, grabbing the nose of his board for a frontside 1080, again, landing smoothly. He knew he had room for two more tricks, so he went for yet another 1260 and then finally ended with the Michalchuck, like always.

His pulse raced as he soaked up the cheers of the crowd, unstrapping himself from his board and pushing his goggles up onto his helmet. He scanned the crowd again, smiling when he caught that same flash of pink at the railing. He accepted a fist bump from Bodhi, his eyes still on the figure in pink, visible even through the falling snow.

I’m gonna ask her out.

He didn’t know where the thought had come from, but now that it was in his brain, it took up all the available space there. He’d felt the way she’d responded to his kiss last night, her mouth parting for him easily. He’d heard her little gasps and sighs, seen her bright pink cheeks when she’d pulled away. When they’d worked together, there’d been chemistry. A spark of something. Now that he wasn’t actively trying to get her fired, maybe she’d be willing to give it a shot.

He and Bodhi stood together at the bottom of the run, watching Lane soar through her routine, greeting her with fist bumps when she made it to the bottom. Man, this was fun. He was going to miss this come spring. When he’d be who the fuck knew where doing who the fuck knew what.

Pushing away the uncertainty squeezing his lungs like a vise, he hopped onto the chair lift with Lane and Bodhi, gliding smoothly back up to the main area of the resort, his eyes flitting back and forth between his colleagues and the figure in pink still standing at the railing. Watching him on the chair lift. Warmth curled through him like smoke as he got closer and closer to her.

Hell yeah, I’m gonna ask her out.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this good about a risk. The last time he’d felt this energized over something healthy. And this was healthy, especially now that they’d cleared the air somewhat and no one was trying to get anyone fired anymore.

With his board in hand, he stepped smoothly off the chair lift and crunched through the snow towards Kayla. She turned in his direction, her blond hair flowing out from beneath her white beanie, her cheeks pink with cold. Her lips parted in a smile as he approached, and he curled his fingers around his board, tension and excitement vibrating through him.

“Hey,” he said, his voice coming out a little rough around the edges. He cleared his throat, his gaze dropping to her mouth as she bit her lip. God, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this nervous just to ask a woman to have coffee with him.

There was something about Kayla—there always had been—that made him feel young. Younger than he’d felt in a long time. He didn’t feel so old and broken and hopeless when she looked at him, heat glimmering in her eyes, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. He didn’t feel like such a colossal fucking mess with her mouth under his, her fingers in his hair holding him close.

“Uh, hey,” she said, glancing out toward the half-pipe. She lifted her gloved hand to her mouth, touching it unconsciously, then dropped her hand abruptly. “That was really impressive.” She tipped her head in the direction of the half-pipe. “How do you, like, stay oriented up there?”

“Lots of practice and countless wipeouts,” he answered with a grin, shifting his weight. Her gaze dropped to his knees, and he wondered how much Theo and Lauren had told her.

“It’s especially impressive given how big you are. I mean…” Her cheeks went red and she shook her head. “I just mean you’re tall and, um, have muscles, and…” She closed her eyes briefly and he chuckled.

“You been checking me out, Bristowe?”

She met his eyes, her chest heaving a little. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Naturally.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Davis. “Kayla! We have that marketing seminar in fifteen minutes!” he barked out from ten feet away. Sebastian noticed the way her shoulders bunched up and she flinched.

“Yep. Coming.” She turned to go, but he reached out, curling his fingers around her arm.

“Does he always talk to you like that?”

“Davis is just enthusiastic,” she said with a small shrug. From the way her eyes wandered everywhere, not meeting his, he could tell she didn’t believe what she was saying.

“Davis is an asshole to talk to you like that.”

She shot him a wry grin. “Says the man who was trying to get me fired twenty-four hours ago.”

“Hey, maybe this is one of those takes one to know one situations.”

“Yeah, maybe.” She gently pulled her arm away from his grip. “I have to go.”

“Right. Uh, listen. Do you want to grab a coffee or something later? Or maybe dinner, if you don’t have plans?”

She froze, her eyes going wide. “No, Sebastian. I can’t. This isn’t…We’re not…” She grimaced. Then she took a breath and said, “I just mean that you’re not the type of guy that I would ever…” She trailed off, a look of horrified embarrassment on her face. For him, not for herself. Obviously.

“Oh. Yeah. Okay. I’ll see you around, Kayla.” He hoisted his board up under his arm and turned, crunching over the snow with his face on fire. He felt a little light-headed as he walked, embarrassment prickling through him. Of course a woman like Kayla wouldn’t want anything to do with him, and he was an idiot for thinking that one kiss would change that. What a fucking moron to think he could actually be someone she’d want. He’d screwed up his own life beyond repair, and had done serious damage to hers in the process. She was smart to stay away.

Her rejection was exactly what