Page 19 of Wild Desire

Killian nodded. "That's fair."

"Have you thought about what you'll do after your snowboarding career?" I asked, desperate to shake off the focus on me.

Killian shook his head. "Not at all."

"The injury hasn't made you rethink your plans?" I wasn't sure if it was a possibility that it could affect his career.

His expression was pained. "I'm planning on coming back from this. The doctors haven't said anything about it affecting my ability to return to snowboarding."

I nodded. "That's good news."

"I'm just worried that there won't be a place for me by the time I get back."

"You're on the cover of magazines. Surely, people haven't forgotten you."

"They might cover my return as a comeback, but if I don't deliver in a big way, then what then? Will I have to retire? Perform at a lower level?"

He's spent a lot of time thinking about his comeback. "Will you work at the resort once you retire?"

"That's what my brothers want me to do. But they have things covered. Even Walker is involved."

"That's right. I heard he's adding hot tubs to the cabins."

"At the condo, I have a rooftop pool and hot tub to enjoy. But we're not using that top floor as much as we used to. Walker has a cabin. Eli built a house. Xander bought a house. And Oliver lives in town with Carolina and Joey."

"Are you thinking about renting out the top floor to guests?" I asked, curious if the family was considering it as an option.

"I think they're considering it. They're sitting empty most of the time."

"Mom never let me go up there. It was a different world, and I was the maid's kid." I couldn't believe I'd said that part out loud. It was something I'd always felt on a visceral level, but I never shared it with anyone before. I might have been teased at school, but it never came from the Wilde boys.

Killian paused and looked at me. "You were never the maid's kid to me."

I didn't respond to his forceful statement.

"We played on the mountain together. You were a competitor. A fierce one at that."

I shook my head. "You're a professional. It was something I did for fun."

"You were good. You got a scholarship."

"Yeah." But I'd never know how far I could have gone with it, and I had to be okay with that. Snowboarding hadn't been my future.

"I hung out a lot at the lodge, but I was there because of my mom. Your parents were nice enough to let me take lessons for free. If not, I never could have afforded lessons, much less the equipment and lift tickets."

"I never thought about that."

"Why would you?" It was free for them. Their parents owned the lodge and resort. For me, it was a handout. One my mom grudgingly accepted because it made me happy. But I never felt like I was supposed to be there.

"You deserved to be there."

I wasn't sure how you categorized getting something for free except as a handout. I was grateful for the opportunity, but I was hyperaware of doing things on my own. Mom drilled into me the importance of being independent. "You ready to go shopping for Joey?"

As soon as the waitress came by with the bill, Killian handed his card to her.

"I wanted to pay for my meal."

He raised a brow. "You're working for me. You don't pay."

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