Page 172 of Tangled up in You

CHAPTER 8

Saturday morning came with a flurry of phone calls and text messages. Basically, it was a repeat from the day before. The competition was still in a holding pattern. Updates would be forthcoming. Difference was, they could at least hit the rink for practice now. The schedule was open. Three rinks. One specifically for hockey, while the figure skaters could use the other two.

Sasha picked out her warmest leggings and grabbed her oversized cable-knit sweater, then headed for a shower. She’d slept between Cam and Wyatt the night before and though she worried she wouldn’t be able to turn her brain off, she hadn’t moved an inch until her phone buzzed at her with an incoming text.

Last night was... Difficult. Too many old feelings. Too much embarrassment. The harsh reality was therapy only went so far to repair whatever was broken within her. She learned as much while crying in Cam’s arms. Given their circumstances, she couldn’t say whether she’d ever move past her fears or her heartache.

After starting the shower, she glanced out the window over the garden tub. The town disappeared in the mist and snowcascading from the low-hanging clouds. There wasn’t a car on the road. Not even the trucks used to clear the roads. It was as if Telluride had hibernated through the storm. Why did it feel as though she’d been doing the same thing for the last ten years?

The heat from the shower did nothing to break the ice surrounding her. As much as she’d made progress with her therapist, the last couple of days proved she hadn’t “gotten over,” Trent, the assault, or what came later. In a single moment, his presence transported her back in time to when she’d been a little girl, trying to make her mark in the hockey community,notstealing his chance to join a professional team.

While Sasha washed her hair, the bathroom door opened, and she called out, “Good morning,” knowing it was Wyatt or Cam.

“Morning yourself,” Archer murmured, surprising her with his appearance. “Guys let me in. Said I should talk to you.”

She’d been waiting for him or Brody.

They’d all given her space after her bath with Cam. She appreciated them. So far, nothing about their competition weekend went right. The cherry on top was Trent, walking in on her too. The memory of the smug expression on his face sent an icy chill down her spine. Or the way he bit his bottom lip while fire blazed in his eyes, twisted her insides. Everything about him made her sick. Not sick enough, however, to deny the small spark of interest still glowing within her.

Which made the whole situation worse. Because how did a person find someone who bullied them, relentlessly, attractive?

It'd only been a matter of time, she knew that. As the lone girl on their hockey team, some liked her, and others hated her. She could say the same for the other teams, too. Plus, they all lived in or around the area where they played. So it made sense they’d follow each other form elementary to high school.

That had been the reality for her and Trent.

Only difference? At school he ignored her.

“Oh?” She glanced over her shoulder at him. She could barely make out his figure through the steamed-up glass doors. “About what?”

“Whatever you want to talk about,” he said, opening the door on the shower.

Her breath hitched. Her mouth went dry. Curiosity warred within her. It would be so easy to face him. Stare at the man her best friend became. One she hadn’t so much seen without a shirt on until recently. “Why does this always happen in the bathroom?”

Archer chuckled. “The absurdity of it all.”

“Exactly.” Yet there wasn’t anywhere else they could go. Outside meant certain frostbite. All the bedrooms happened to be occupied. Seemed like if they wanted any alone time, it was there, under the spray of hot water.

The heat of his body seared her back as he closed the gap between them. His imposing presence sent her heartrate into overdrive. Archer and danger were synonymous with each other. “We don’t have to do a damn thing. You can tell me to leave you alone. Or what you have with Wyatt is the real deal. I’ll back off.” There was a desperation in Archer’s voice. Like deep down, he hoped she wouldn’t reject him.

Sasha didn’t know what she was supposed to do. It wasn’t as though her and Wyatt committed to each other. Neither of them wanted the strings from relationships while skating toward their goal of joining the Olympic team.

Nevertheless, she had fallen for him. Going behind his back, exploring the dormant feelings she had for the three best friends a girl could have, even knowing she’d walked away from them, and they should hate her, was like nirvana shrouded in guilt.

“You know I can’t,” she whispered, teeth chattering. Nervous energy along with excitement churned within her. “I could never say no to you or them.”

“We can take this slow,” he mouthed the words across her shoulder. “Ask for permission if you want.”

Well, that made Wyatt sound more like a parent than a willing participant.

“He says yes,” Wyatt said from somewhere nearby. Between the heat of the water and Archer’s body pressed to her, the fog in the bathroom had made it nearly impossible to see anything anymore. “Though I want to watch.”

Archer’s low, rich chuckle, sent a shiver of lust down her spine. “I knew it. You get off on people watching you.”

“Certain people,” Wyatt said, joining them in the shower stall.

Thank God this thing is huge.“This is the definition of insanity.” Sasha finally faced Archer, refusing to look down. She realized if she did, he’d probably dicknotize her with his cock. “You... Both of you can’t be serious right now.”

“Why not?” Wyatt sat where he’d laid Sasha out while he fucked her. Crossing his legs, he looked every bit of the prim, proper man he was on the ice. Completely in control and command of his surroundings. He also looked like one of those aristocratic snobs who lorded over people.

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