Page 6 of The Duke's Brother

She dragged her wobbly legs into the elevator after a full day. Her time was better. After about five runs, she was feeling more herself. The hotel staff were waxing her skis and drying her things, so they’d be ready for tomorrow. But she was going to take a break from the flags. Today had been grueling and monotonous, and she needed to remember why she loved to ski. The heli drop.

As the door shut, a group walked by, chattering loudly. Her team, the Baldeez and Valdez brothers. The royals made everything more fun, but she wasn’t up for that crowd right now. So she decided to use the hot tub in her room instead and get up early tomorrow. She texted the heli driver. Her sponsor covered the costs of her training, but this heli drop came out of her personal savings. She wouldn’t be able to do too much more until she earned some more at the bakery, which wasn’t likely.

When she returned, she’d talk to her brother about ways they could get some more customers, maybe even the dreaded franchise. At least get some more stores throughout Torren. With two more stores, they could at least double their earnings, she was sure of it. And then her mother could rest; they could hire her an assistant and staff for all the stores. And Jenneca could get back to skiing and university. And maybe dating. The brilliant green eyes of Tripp Valdez smiled at her in her mind. He didn’t remember her from when they were little, she could tell. But his gaze had lingered. Even covered in flour, she had intrigued him at least. Even though he had been her secret crush when they were little, she hadn’t really seen him at all since then. She’d heard he was skiing, had almost tried out for the world team.

The royals didn’t mix with her crowd, the shop-owners in Grevena, except as friends. They all played together as children. He’d have to be what he had always been before their shop encounter, a distant crush. The brothers dabbled with the women on the team, but dabble is about all they did. When it came time for being serious, they looked in other directions. At least that’s the impression Jenneca got. Nico had married an American. And Trane had just married another royal.

She ignored her wistful sigh and put Tripp back where he had been as a teenager. Super hot and fun, but from a distance.

Her room was beautiful, overlooking the back slopes. The sky was purple as the sun went down behind the mountain behind her and the snow sparkled off the last rays that touched it. She opened the door to her balcony and drank in the crisp winter smell. She loved this life, loved to ski. And she had to remember that. She had a spot on the world team if she could just get her time back to what it was. She was almost there, even after one day. And then on to the Olympic trials. That was the life she wanted. A spot on the Torren team, a shot at a medal. The training, the travel, the association. She had dreamed of this opportunity her whole life. And just when it had flickered within reach, she had torn her ACL. And then her mom had fallen.

She returned inside. Maybe she’d go down to the hot tubs. Solitary thoughts were depressing this evening.

She pulled on a cover up and flip flops and made her way to the elevator. Third floor. The room was filled with hot tubs, of varying sizes. Steam rose up from the bubbling welcoming water. The walls of windows on either side were fogged and soft music played all around them.

“J. C.” Henry’s voice boomed. The woman under his arm looked annoyed.

She inwardly rolled her eyes.Claws in, lady. I have no interest in your catch.She waved, then joined them in the largest hot tub. Rocks lined the edges but when she stepped into the hot jets, the bottom and sides were smooth. She let herself sink up to her chin as the hot water worked magic on her muscles.

A couple other women from her team joined them. Then a voice in her ear startled her. “It’s been a long time.” The voice that used to send shivers through her body now made her want to inch away.

“Jorge.” A German skier, predicted to take home a gold slipped into the water next to her. He was only interested in Jenneca when Claudia, his first choice, wasn’t around. He rested an arm across the back of the hot tub, around her and leaned over. “You look hot as ever.”

Jenneca wasn’t interested at all in Jorge any more. “Are you training here for the summer?” She wanted to keep things professional.

“I’ll head out next week. The Alps for a couple training races, but I’ll be back.” He leaned over her. “I have all the time in the world for us.”

She tilted her head so that she was no longer close enough to share breath and her eye caught another’s.

Tripp. Her heart stuttered. Water dripped off his toned arms. He held a towel over one shoulder, his bare chest toned and tan.

He looked at her in amazement. His eye travelled from Jorge and back to her, then he nodded and walked away.

Wishing she could shove Jorge farther away where he belonged, she fought the urge to run after Tripp. She counted her breaths.

She should have known he would be here. He just hadn’t shown up at any of the ski haunts over the last couple years. She knew their family had been going through some hard times. Their father, the King had died, Nico married an American. Jenneca’s mother lived right there, in the foothills of the palace so she kept her abreast of all the Torren news. He had left the international skiing scene just when she entered but she had heard tales of his awesome ability, his sharp cuts. His daring. She assumed, like everyone else, that he had given it up. But here he was.

And she looked like a groupie, in the arms of Jorge, the master groupie magnet.

His fingers draped down to her shoulder, rubbing soft circles on her skin.

She jerked forward.

“Whoa, easy now, relax.”

Without a word, she stood, feeling eyes on her backside, and left the pool. Any guy that says, relax when she stiffens is not someone she wants to sit by anyway. She needed to get serious about her skiing. From now on, she’d use the hot tub in her room.

She threw her cover up on over a dripping wet body, dabbing the hair around her neck, slipped on her shoes and walked out of the pool area. The cold air in the hallway tightened every part of her and she longed for a warm sweatshirt.

The elevator to her tower in the hotel opened and she gratefully made it back up to her room without seeing another person.

Her last thoughts were of Tripp. What must he think of her? And she wondered if she would see him again at Dachstein. If she did, she had to make sure he knew she wasn’t the groupie kind. All business. She could do it. She hardly knew him. But she wanted to, and that was the trick. She wanted Tripp. She had for years.

Chapter 5

The helicopter flew low, outcroppings of rock at the top of the mountains seemed close enough to touch. Tripp leaned forward to look at the snow conditions. The sun sparkled off the whiteness, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Charlie’s voice in his earphones reminded him he was not alone. “Look. Another heli.”

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