Page 154 of Tangled up in You

TANGLED IN THEM

RYAN L REEVE

CHAPTER 1

“Finally! 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 hewas 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 theStingraysfair 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 theybelieved 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. Sashalovedhockey. 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 oldwounds 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.”

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