Page 40 of Wild Promises

I hadn't tasted her last night. I wanted another chance to make her feel even better, to make her body soar.

In the truck, I threw on a podcast on the way to the lodge. If Eli and Oliver wanted me to understand business, then I'd teach myself. So far, I hadn't had any groundbreaking ideas on what we could do to improve the resort beyond what Eli had already done with adding the cabins.

I needed to contact a realtor because that apartment was getting smaller by the day. Moving in together had only made my attraction grow stronger. I wished I could be the guy for Tori. But she was destined for bigger and greater things.

Would she be attracted to one of the doctors touring her father's practice this week? I didn't even want to think about that. I'd always come up short when I compared myself to a doctor.

As I parked in the lot of the resort, the familiar pride crept in. My family's legacy was important to me. I cared if we stayed open or not. I wanted my parents to be proud of me too. I had to find a way to contribute meaningfully .

I walked around back, then to the locker-room area where I always kept my snow gear. I was here every day, so I had a permanent locker. I got on my gear.

At this point, skis felt like an extension of my body; I spent so much time on them. I had lessons starting at ten, but I wanted to take one run down the mountain first. I liked to ensure the lift was running smoothly and that the powder was just right. It had the added benefit of clearing my mind. I just wasn't sure that was possible today.

I took the lift to a black diamond. Instead of tacking, I tucked my knees and flew down the mountain. Satisfied that everythingwas ready for the day, I made my way to the lesson area. It was near the bunny hill where kids were already converging.

I skied over to say hello.

There was a family of three kids holding the rope to ascend the small hill. When they got to the top, they lined up, but the smaller one seemed reluctant to go down. I grabbed the rope to join them. When I approached, the older sister had a hand on her hip. "Come on, Ezra. It's not a big deal. It's a baby hill."

"I'm not a baby!" he cried.

I stopped in front of them. "Morning, guys. What's going on?"

The girl threw a hand in the direction of her little brother. "Ezra doesn't want to go down the hill. But Mom and Dad won't let us go on the mountain unless we go down this one first. He always ruins everything."

Ezra looked like he was on the verge of crying. That was a lot of pressure for a kid, and he was clearly scared.

"What's your name?" I asked the little girl.

"Sophia."

"Well, Sophia, why don't you show us how it's done." With a grin, she pushed off, easily traversing the small hill. Her parents grinned when she came to a stop in front of them.

I crouched to Ezra's level. "What's going on, little man?"

"I don't want to fall."

I nodded. "That's a valid concern. I fell a lot when I was first learning to ski."

"You did?" Ezra asked, his voice filled with awe. His middle brother moved closer, his hands tight on his poles.

I nodded. "Of course. But I didn't want to let my older brothers have all the fun."

Ezra seemed to consider that for a moment.

I pointed to the logo on my jacket. "I'm the ski instructor here, and I can help you if you want."

Ezra blinked as he read my name. "Your name is Wilde as in Wilde Ski Resort?"

"The one and only Xander Wilde. I'm one of the youngest brothers though, so I know how you feel."

"Your family owns this place?" Ezra asked, looking around as if taking it in for the first time.

I nodded. "That's right."

"Wow."

"Now are you ready for a quick lesson?" I asked him as I rose.

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