Everything was white.
After the heavy snowfall last night, the white powder glittered in the rays of the midday sun. The intense azure color set a stark contrast to the overall brightness. Not a single cloud was in sight.
I pushed my scarf higher to cover my nose, and secured it with my new ski goggles. The whole world glowed in peach pink. My ski tipped over the edge. For a second they hung motionless until gravity pulled me forward. With a few fast turns, I was in perfect control, easily maneuvering past groups and the occasional solo skiers.
When the end of the slope came up, I straightened my ski and shifted my weight. My surroundings blurred but everything in front of me sharpened as adrenaline pumped through my veins. The wind felt like a batch of ice pressed against the tiny sliver of skin exposed on my cheeks. A wide grin stretched my lips. There was no better feeling than this.
Ahead of me, a familiar pair of snow jackets caught my eye. It wasn't so much as the individual color was special but the combination of them. So far, I had only seen one bright-red snow jacket hang with a forest green one.
The inseparable duo; Cody and Killian. Both facing away from me.
Perfect.
I adjusted my course and crouched.
One hundred feet.
Fifty.
Ten.
I braked at the last second, digging the edges of my ski into a pile of fresh powder. A wide wave of snow sprayed over Killian who was sitting down, his board stretched out in front of him. He whipped around.
"Hey there, slackers," I said.
Cody doubled over. Killian glared.
I fluttered my eyes at him. "Sorry, didn't see you there." Good thing the scarf hid the huge grin pulling at my mouth.
His goggles rested on his head and he squinted at me through his now glistering white lashes. Slowly, he reached up and pushed the snow out of his face. "You're such a bad liar."
"I wasn't trying," I said cheerfully.
"Well, don't let me hold you up." He waved his hand in front of him. "Go on, your highness."
Uh-huh.
He hadn't lied about not being good at skiing. But that was because he was apparently born on a snowboard. Something I would have considered if I'd been smart and not so focused on beating him in...something.
I shifted my weight. Could I outrun him? Probably not.
I made a point to look around. Like straight from a postcard, the surrounding mountains rose like silent giants against the blue horizon. Just below our level, the tree line started and the smooth slopes dipped like gliding snakes through the snow-covered forests. It looked like a winter wonderland. "You know what? I think I like it here."
His brows raised. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. Right here. It's nice. Great view. I can probably stay for a whi—" A snowball flew at my head and I dodged it at the last second. "Hey!"
"Whoops, didn't see you there," he said dryly. "Maybe you should grow taller. Makes you easier to spot."
"Very funny," I grumbled. "Didn't exactly help you just now, now did it?"
I kept my eyes on Killian's hands as I fixed my glasses and tightened my scarf.
He tipped his head and dropped his voice. "I'll give you thirty seconds."
I snorted. "For what?"
"Head-start. Twenty-five now."
My jaw dropped. "Hey, that's mean! One minute. After I leave."
He scoffed. "Weren't you the one bragging about your skills before? Forty tops."
Cody's head kept moving back and forth between us as if he was watching a tennis match.
"Oh? Mr. professional snowboarder must be slower than I thought."
Killian's eyes narrowed at the challenge. "Fifty, but I will start counting now."
I smiled to myself. The next ski lift was four slopes down. That wasn't too far. Not my fault if he'd overestimated himself. I pointed my ski pole at Cody. "Don't let him cheat!"
"Forty-five. Time's ticking," Killian said and leaned back on his elbows.
I didn't need to be told twice. I kicked off and shifted forward, trying to accelerate quickly. I got this. I was good at skiing. I would wipe that arrogant smirk off his stupidly handsome face.
The wind howled in my ears as I sped down the next two slopes before I risked a glance back—and nearly stumbled.
Killian stood at the top of the hill, opposite and slightly above the trail winding through the forest that connected the slopes with each other. It should be Killian at least. Unless there were other snowboarders running around in dark-gray pants coupled with forest-green jackets.
My pulse picked up. How had he caught up to me so quickly? That was nearly impossible unless he took a shortcut... My eyes snapped up to the thick forest right above him.
That—that cheater! He'd gone out of bounds!
I wanted to shake my hands at him. He was just showing off!
He slid forward and turned his board so that it was dipping over the edge, waiting, taunting me. As if he had all the time in the world.
Well, shit.
I turned back and took off again, cursing at myself. I'd stopped just before the flat area and now I had to build up speed again. Killian was much heavier so he'd have an advantage.
I crouched and went straight downhill. When the line evened out I risked another look back and nearly lost my footing.
He was bent low over his board, still a bit behind, but quickly gaining on me and already that much faster. Shit.
Suddenly, he straightened up and shouted, "Tay!"
I stared at him. Was he rubbing it in now?
"No, ahead of you!"
My heart dropped. I whipped around, just in time to see a big pine tree rushing at me but it was too late. I tried to turn, but my ski slipped and in the next second I tumbled over the side and into a huge pile of fresh snow.
A second later Killian bent over me. "You okay?"
My eyes stayed fixed on the bright blue peeking through the canopy above me. "I'm fine," I said and brushed the snow out of my face.
He pulled up his goggles and gave me a thorough once-over. "You sure?"
"I think I lost one of my ski." I remained perfectly still. The fluffy snow made for a nice bed. Nice and comfortable. Maybe he would just keep going? A girl could hope...
A cough rang out that suspiciously sounded like a suppressed laugh. "Are you getting up anytime soon? Or do you need more time to nurture your wounded pride?" I could literally hear the smile in his voice. And of course, he had to point it out. Again.
"Can't you just move along and let me recover my pride in peace?"
"Nope. I mean you nearly crashed into a tree..."
My voice rose. "And whose fault was that? Besides, you cheated!"
He blinked at me innocently, his brows disappearing beneath his black winter beanie. "What do you mean? We never said anything about not going out-of-bounds."
This little!
My hand slowly dug into the fluffy substance of my new-found bedding. "And then you stood there and watched me like some freaky serial killer!"
His lips twitched. "See? I feel responsible. I should have known you get scared easily."
In one swift movement, I sat up and tossed as much snow as I could right at his face.
His gaze snapped up, following the trajectory of the soft snow that flew in a wide ark—just to harmlessly drop at his feet. He glanced back at me, his eyes crinkling around the corners.
With a groan, I threw my arms up and plopped back down. "Why are you such a pain?"
Lips clamped together, he shook his head and unclasped his board. "Are you done throwing a tantrum?"
"No. How many people saw this? I think I might need to hide here a bit longer."
His shoulders shook and he quickly turned his face away. "I think it's just me. So, don't worry, I'm used to this side of you."
Was he teasing me now?
"Great," I muttered and shut my eyes again. A chill seeped into my back but it wasn't ready to get up. Yet.
I'd been so close to rubbing it into his face... Why couldn't I beat him at something? Why couldn't I just be cool for once?
Snow crunched as Killian stepped around me. "You're dead set on becoming a human popsicle one of these days, aren't you?" he quipped, a hint of amusement in his voice.
I opened my eyes again, ready to shoot him a glare. His right hand hovered above me and my lost ski was held in his left.
I sighed. Ignoring his outstretched hand, I scrambled back to my feet. My right ski had been stuck at a weird angle and I flushed when I had to grasp his shoulders to keep my balance.
He helped me fix my binding. "You good?"
"Yeah...and thanks," I grumbled after a second thought and lifted my head. My gaze caught in the swirling depths of his hazel eyes, the bright light enhancing the green around his iris. My hand froze, still resting on his shoulder and suddenly I was acutely aware of how close we were standing.
"What are you two doing there?" a familiar voice called.
Startled, I pushed Killian so hard he nearly fell backward. Whoops.
Suzy leaned on her poles, slightly above our level. Even with ninety percent of her face covered I knew she was laughing at me. I was so going to hear about this later.
"Nothing," I said, glad for the icy breeze cooling my heated cheeks.
"Sure," she drawled.
Jules skidded to a stop next to her, his skier kicking up a wave of snow.
Cody appeared a few seconds later. "So you lost, huh?" he asked.
I gaped at him and gestured at Mr. Know-it-all next to me. "He cheated!"
Killian cleared his throat. "We never set any rules for the way down though."
I spun around. "It's not something that needs to be pointed out."
"You're just a sore loser," he remarked in a dry tone.
"And you're a cheater."
"How can I—"
Cody slid down and between us. "Guys, let's calm down, alright? How about we take a break and grab a drink? And maybe take it a bit easy from now on."
"Well, you guys can do that but, remember—"Suzy directed her pole at me—"we have a date tonight. Which means we have to get ready pretty soon."
Because we needed four hours to get ready? I shook my head. There was only one sensible answer. "Yes, ma'am."