Page 61 of Love Me Reckless

“Kirilee? Are you okay?” She’s not moving. “Where are you hurt? I’m so sorry.”

I get free of my skis and scramble over the pile of gear so I can getto her.

Oh fuck, she’s crying.

“I’m… fine…” She exhales a squeaky sigh and blinks at me. Then she cackles with laughter.

The lift operator has stopped the lift so he can pick up my abandoned poles, which are causing a safety hazard for the people unloading behind us.

“You guys okay?” he asks.

“We’re fine,” Kirilee says as I grab her around the waist plop her back onto her feet.

“Whoop,” she chirps in surprise.

I cradle her shoulders and fix her with a serious gaze. “You sure you’re okay? Nothing broken?”

Kirilee smiles. “I’m okay.”

Her eyes sparkle and her cheeks are a rosy pink and I instantly wish this was not a ski lesson. I want to kiss her and untangle her long hair and make her laugh like this, smile like this. Though not by accidentally tackling her.

Her eyes turn serious, like she’s reading my thoughts. “Maybe we should, um…” She swallows “Get out of the way.”

“Right.” I pick up my gear and follow her to the top of the slope.

After some pointers, I follow Kirilee down the slope until just above the bottom of the lift.

She makes it look so easy and fluid and I’m so distracted by how good she looks on skis that when she stops to the side of the ski run I don’t slow down in time and we do a version of our chair lift dismount only in slow motion and I’m the only one who ends up on the ground.

I lay there, panting. “I’m okay!”

She reaches over and unclips my bindings, then offers me a hand.

“Is it time for hot chocolate yet?”

“Not even close,” she says. “You’re learning so fast! We’ll be off this beginner lift by lunchtime.”

“Love the optimism.”

She winks. “Stick with me, Karl.”

At some point, my toes go numb but I sort of forget about them because I’m soaking up everything Kirilee is trying to teach me. We make more wedge turns down the mountain together, and though it’s not exactly fun, I can see how maybe someday it could be.

Though without Kirilee, the fun factor would take a serious hit.

In a little over a month, she’ll marry douche date. And while we can fool people here that I’m some long-lost cousin, we won’t be able to fool her family, and my ability to spend time with her like this will end.

Permanently.

Chapter Fifteen

SAWYER

We takethe intermediate lift because of a mid-run lodge that, according to Kirilee, has the best food. I manage to make it onto the chair without crashing into anyone or falling on my ass.

“How’d you learn to ski?” I ask as the chair lifts us up and away.

“I started at the ranch when I was six. My brother and I had lessons right there above the lodge. Once we could get down the mountain on our own, our parents took us, and we skied together. There was only one lift back then. If you ever go into the main lodge, you should check out the pictures in the hallways.”

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