Page 6 of Never Been Snow Lucky

“That’s not the only thing it messed up,” she muttered before pressing her lips together in a flat line.

There was no missing the pain in her pretty brown eyes, even through the purple tint of her goggles. “Where does it hurt?”

“My wrist,” she whimpered, lifting her arm to cradle her hand against her chest. “So much for me mastering the falling technique. I know better than to try to stop my fall, but I guess it only takes one out of a hundred times to forget.”

“Sorry to say that you’re right, angel.” I undid the bindings on her board to free her feet, setting it next to me. “Don’t move yet. I need to do a quick examination to make sure you’re not hurt anywhere else.”

“Okay.”

This wasn’t how I’d hoped to get my hands on Iris, but I heaved a sigh of relief when I confirmed that she hadn’t done any other damage. “The good news is that you seem good, other than your wrist.”

“And the bad news?” she asked, her nose wrinkling as she blinked up at me.

“Cammie, our medic, isn’t on the mountain today, so you’re stuck with me taking care of your injury.”

She laughed softly, and the sound was music to my ears. “That doesn’t sound bad to me at all.”

“Glad you have confidence in me, angel.”

She grinned up at me. “Hard not to when you just came to my rescue.”

“I haven’t gotten you back to safety quite yet,” I pointed out.

The board belonged to the resort, so I wasn’t too worried about leaving it on one of the racks, but just as I was considering my options, one of my guys skied over. “Hey, Jack. Need some help?”

“Thanks, Mike.” I gestured toward Iris’s board. “I think the ski shop might be closed already. Can you drop that off in my office for safekeeping?”

He nodded. “Will do.”

With that taken care of, I crouched low to slide my arms beneath Iris’s thighs and lower back. Then I stood and cradled her against my chest.

“Holy crap,” she squealed, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Give a girl a little bit of warning next time.”

I winked at her. “That an invitation?”

“Maybe.”

Her answering giggle and flare of heat in her eyes told me that her thoughts were headed in the same territory as mine—to other scenarios where I’d have reason to carry her. Like to a bed.

5

IRIS

My wrist was throbbing, and I was embarrassed that Jack had witnessed my wipe out, but a part of me was grateful for that spill because it’d brought me close to him again. He was as sexy as I remembered, and the spark of attraction I felt when I first saw him hadn’t dimmed.

Not even the pain or cold dampened the rush of passion coursing through my veins while he carried me all the way to the inn. He barely broke a sweat and didn’t seem to be out of breath when we entered the lobby, and he set me on one of the chairs near the fireplace.

“Hang tight while I grab a first-aid kit.”

“Sure thing,” I agreed before staring at his butt as he crossed the room to duck behind the reception desk.

He chatted with the guy working there for a moment, then ducked down to get a big red bag from beneath the counter. I tugged off my goggles and helmet, setting them beside me when he returned. “Would you be more comfortable having me do a more thorough examination of your wrist here, in the small clinic our medic uses, or up in your room?”

I’d had enough broken bones from sports injuries that I had a good handle on how they felt, and the pain wasn’t to the level where I thought that was going to be the diagnosis. So I felt safe saying, “Let’s just go up to my suite. There’s plenty of space, and I’d like to change into something more comfortable while I still can. My fleece base layer top will be tough to get off if I wait any longer, and my wrist swells more.”

“Makes sense to me,” he agreed, wrapping his arm around my waist to help me stand. It wasn’t really necessary, but I wasn’t going to argue when it felt nice to be tucked against his side.

He grabbed my helmet and goggles, and when we crossed the lobby to head to the elevator, someone called my name. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Raven hurrying toward us. “Are you okay, Iris?”

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