Page 19 of Finding Love on the Slopes

The thought of him getting hurt turned her stomach, so she quickly followed after him. She caught up to him in no time. As an expert Alpine skier, she was used to traveling 80 miles per hour, so this was child’s play to her, but for him, it was dangerous. She was borderline furious but also scared for him at the same time.

At the rate he was going, he was going to crash at the end of this slope. He was going much faster than the first slope and was literally zooming over the snow, not even trying to wedge or slow down. He also wasn’t crisscrossing the mountain again. She wondered briefly if he realized that his speed was out of control or if he was so caught up in the moment he wasoblivious to it.

“Enrique, slow down! Turn into the mountain and cut back and forth!”

Enrique was on the moon again as he skied down the slope. He had heard Leighann’s warning just before he went over, but he barely paid any heed because he was feeling it again. That rush of adrenaline, overcoming the fear and pushing himself to do that thing that every cell in his body was screaming for him to avoid, and then… that feeling of racing down the mountain at an impressive speed. Yes, it may be dangerous for beginners, but he was doing just fine. It was like leaving training wheels on a kid’s bike until they broke them off. Why not just remove them when they don’t need them anymore? He obviously was ready for more. The experience was thrilling and wild, almost untamed. It was foreign to him since he was usually careful to maintain control at all times.

Leighann caught up to him in seconds, which impressed him, but of course, he would never admit that. He was almost smiling as he raced down the mountain, and Leighann’s warnings were distant sounds in his ears, not registering any importance as his body focused on the thrill of the ride.

He thought back to yesterday and remembered the tricks he had seen those teenagers pulling as they descended the mountain at top speed. He took a deep breath and vividly remembered how impressed he was when one of them came to a short stop at the bottom, showering them in a dusting of snow. Last night, he had Googled it and found out that it was a hockey stop. He knew he was going to try it out today. This wedgingthing was for the birds, and he hadn’t seen any other skiers using it the day before.

For some reason, Leighann being next to him sort of spurred him on to try it now. Aside from the need to fuel his ego and the thrill that came with trying something new, there was a weird masculine urge to impress her. To show her that he was better than she thought he was.

He could almost hear her, telling him not to do it, but he ignored it. If he listened to every naysayer telling him he wasn’t good enough, he would be some nobody pauper living on the streets right now instead of a billionaire on a multimillion-dollar vacation.

The end of the slope was approaching, and the little shack at the bottom was within sight, getting closer quickly. He tried to straighten out his skis to properly align them before trying the move but, in the process, picked up even more speed, skiing straight down the hill. What he hadn’t noticed was the huge drop where the slope fell away in the steepest decline he had experienced so far. His stomach dropped, his breathing stopped, and before he knew it, he was airborne, shooting off the top of the slope and then plummeting to the packed snow below.

Somehow, he managed to keep his skis straight and his body tucked, landing on his feet by the grace of God, but when he attempted to pivot both skis to a ninety-degree perpendicular to the slope, it didn’t work right.

He barely even made a forty-five-degree angle because he didn’t put sufficient energy into the move. This caused him toshoot off to the right, and he immediately crashed, rolling over and over before plowing into the building at the bottom of the slope.

Leighann was angry when she reached the bottom and came to a short stop a few feet from his side, spraying him with snow. She heard him grunt in pain as he rolled over onto his back and watched him struggle, her arms folded over her chest, lips pressed into a thin line. She shook her head at his recklessness, wondering what was going through his mind. No client before him had acted in such a way, no matter the size of their bank accounts or egos.

What kind of beginner attempted advanced skills after only practicing for a few hours? Was he trying to kill himself? She had started to wonder about the possibilities.

It serves him right, she thought. He was lucky he didn’t get seriously injured. Hopefully, the pain he felt from that fall would make him come to his senses and realize that this wasn’t a game.

Laughter filled the air as he pulled himself up to a standing position with the help of his poles. Still holding his side, he gathered his gear, replaced his skis on his feet, and made his way over to her. He had laughed yesterday, and she was miffed to admit she had hoped to hear the melodic sound again. A strange warmth filled her chest each time she heard the genuinely happy sound.

As he approached, he glanced behind at the slope he had just raced down. Granted, he was a little embarrassed that he had crashed after trying to pull a hockeystop in front of her, but it was fun nonetheless. He loved trying new things, even if they ended in disaster the first time.

“That was sick,” he said, his light brown eyes lit with merriment. In the sunlight, with his goggles resting on top of his helmet, she could see the full extent of their unique color. They looked like translucent dark wildflower honey, a deep amber-brown. Leighann had to force herself to look away from him, her thoughts a confusing kaleidoscope in her brain. “Did you see that?”

“I’m not blind, Enrique,” she said, using his words from yesterday against him. “And I did see it, alright. I saw you trying to kill yourself.”

He rolled his eyes, even though his left ribs hurt. “You’re exaggerating.”

She glared at him. “I’m not exaggerating. If you listened to me, you wouldn’t be clutching your side in pain right now; you’d be on your way up the mountain, ready to hit another slope. Tell me, Enrique, do you usually have a hard time listening to directions, or is it just me?”

“What are you talking about? I did great,” he argued. “I’mdoinggreat. You can pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Have you ever had another student get this far this fast? I bet not. I told you I’m a quick learner. I don’t need all those lessons and learning; just show me once, and I’ll get it. And… I’ve got it. Let’s move on to the next one. I don’t know why it is so hard to admit I’m doing well. You are such a grouchy school Marm. You remind me of the nuns at my old boys’ home, always puttingpeople down. It makes people like me not want to listen. But that’s okay; I learned a long time ago to be my own cheerleader; my voice is the one that matters. I don’t really care about your opinion. As long as I know I’m doing fine, that’s good enough for me.”

He was lying, at least a little. He did care about her opinion—maybe a little too much, in fact. But her constant attempts to slow him down were grating on his nerves. He never handled being on a leash well, but with this challenge, it was literally intolerable. He had to keep going and push ahead before his brain, fear, and anxiety took over. As long as he didn’t stop to process too much, he could keep going.

It seemed the more he did, the less the fear had a hold on him. He wasn’t going to stop to find out if its power was permanently diminished or if there would be a killer hangover at the end of this, ready to make the next day harder.

“Well, if you haven’t noticed,” she said, gesturing to herself. “I’m your instructor, so you should care about my opinion. And you’re not doing great or anything remotely like that. You’re being an impetuous daredevil. The fact that you’re still in one piece is thanks to your guardian angels.”

“I’m not being reckless. How does the saying go, ‘There is nothing to fear but fear itself,” he argued.

“Yes, you are,” she growled through gritted teeth. She was so frustrated she felt tempted to pull her hair out by the roots. Apparently, the rich guy armor she had mentally worn this morning wasn’t strong enough to endure all of his antics. Shewas trying to be civil, trying not to create a scene since she was usually very calm and collected, but something about Enrique drove her nuts. Every minute she spent with him seemed to wear her patience thinner. Her self-control was teetering on the edge, and she was trying so hard not to snap at him.

“You are being careless and dangerous. It’s like you are daring the universe to let you live no matter how foolish you are. If you truly want to learn how to ski with the assistance of a world-famous skier, then you have to drop this invincible bad-boy act right now because I’m not impressed, and quite frankly, I am exhausted from worrying about you. I can’t spend another eight days like this. You don’t think death is a big deal? Well, it is, just ask my father. Oh wait, you can’t, he’s dead.”

Chapter Fifteen

Enrique was completely taken aback by her outburst and the fact that she hopped on the ski lift without him. If she had headed in the opposite direction, he would have thought she was quitting. He took the lift right behind her, and throughout the ride back to the top of the mountain, she massaged the back of her neck and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

Patience, Leigh, she muttered to herself.You can do this. He’s just a man. She remembered Curtis’s words from yesterday.He’s like a chocolate-covered cherry.But it didn’t seem like that to her. Chocolate was never this hard. His outer shell reminded her of a coconut—hard, rough, and tough to crack. The water was usually sweet, but she bet he was bone dry inside and extra chewy.

---