Page 53 of Ski You Later
I completely ignore him as I cross my arms. “What was that?” I look between the bag and Roman as I fix the latter with an unimpressed expression.
The man resembles a statue as he blankly stares down at me. “I didn’t know it was you until the lastsecond. It was a close one,” he says nonchalantly. Picking up a new bag and tossing it to a figure on my left.
The way he continues to toss bags and ignore the fact that I’m trying to help makes me want to smack him. As he throws yet another bag to a figure beside me, I decide to put my hands out to show I’m in line.
“Can you get to work?” Roman looks at me expectantly. He keeps his emotionless façade on, but I can see the teasing gleam that lights up his eyes. As if he’s waiting for me to reciprocate.
“Um, yeah. Can you pass me a bag, please?” I don’t tamp down the sass in my tone as I keep my arms extended.
“If you insist on doing this, then there’s a bag right there, Langley.” He gestures to the one at my feet and lifts his eyebrow my way.
Landon conveniently appears beside me and I kindly ask his to take Jasmine’s smushed bag. Roman glares at his brother retreating form as I stare up triumphantly.
“Now I have no bag, so can you please toss one down to me?” I tilt my head innocently and keep my hand extended.
His gaze seems assessing as he crouches down on his haunches, gripping the side of the trailer for balance. “What if I don’t want to toss one down?”
My defenses rise immediately, and I point an accusing finger at him. “Why? Because I’m a girl?” I know Roman isn’t doing this because I’m a girl; I just saw him toss one to Aurora. But logic has no place in my arguments with this infuriating boy.
His face somehow looks even more bored than before. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s the last reason I would treat you any differently.”
“Aha! You are treating me differently!” I say triumphantly as I jump up and point at him with more gusto.
“I never claimed I was going to treat you the same,” he drawls. He reaches down slightly and brushes away the bangs that had fallen into my eyes. The glare that he sees right after pulls a small laugh from him, and I’ll be damned if that sound wasn’t honey in my tea.
At this point, we have drawn the team’s attention, especially since Calvin is now the only one passing the bags down. Roman realizes this and fully stands up again, sending me a warning look before tossing more bags down.
Aurora appears at my side as she extends her hand for something. “Why are you making a scene?” She whispers to me casually as Roman places a cooler in her hands.
“I’m trying to prove a point,” I say without looking away from Roman.
“She’s getting in the way,” he says, eyes locked on mine.
“Okay, then,” Aurora draws out the words as she promptly turns to leave.
Roman turns his back on me to get more bags, and before I get the chance to regret it, I grab the side of the trailer and hoist myself onto the platform. I teeter once on the ledge, but Roman’s at my side in a second. Gripping under my elbows, as he promptly pulls me into his chest.
“You really never listen. Do you, Langley?” He asks with a hint of bemusement in his voice. His hand moves to grip the top of my hip and steady me in the wobbly trailer. I put my hands on his forearms, relishing the hard surface under my palms.
But I refuse to let his toned, beautifully-muscled arms distract me at this moment. “I want to help, and if you don’t pass me a bag, I’ll just have to get it myself.I’m not just going to stand here and do nothing, Roman,” I state. Crossing my arms so he knows I’m serious.
“I never expected you to do nothing, Langley. I literally assigned you to the tuning room,” he deadpans.
I stare at him for a second without processing his words. Is that why he wouldn’t pass me a bag? “Oh, well. I wasn’t listening then,” I say quickly, dropping my strong-woman stance and stepping back.
He doesn’t waste a second to close that gap again while simultaneously pulling me back into him. “You never do,” he says with a smile and a quick squeeze of my hip.
My body is burning at this point, the anger from earlier turning into something else as we stay this close. “Is that why you didn’t give me a bag?”
“Correct.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that then?” I can’t help but ask curiously.
His face contorts in front of me as almost a sheepish quality takes over his face. “Now, why would I want you anywhere but right beside me?”
Heart, meet the floor. My brain is an empty jar of butterflies as my body presses against every smooth ridge of his.
“I’m just going to go unpack the tuning room then,” I say breathlessly, but I’m doing everything in my power to stay calm. Being this close, his clean smell is invading everyone of my senses, and I want nothing more than to wrap it around myself.
