Page 18 of The Season
She’s wearing faded jeans and a cropped sweater that hugs her curves, and when she stretches up there’s a flash of golden flesh just above her waistband. The sight of it makes me want to reach out and trail my fingers over the exposed skin, see how warm and smooth it is, see if goosebumps would rise under my touch…
I blink, my cheeks heating when I realize Lily is looking straight at me, expression unreadable, smile gone. I offer her an apologetic smile, but it’s too late. The damage is done. She’s caught me staring at her like a complete creep, and there’s no going back from that. I take a long drink of my bourbon and cola.
“Lily, Matty, this is Tom Davey,” Seth says.
“Nice to meet you, Tom,” Lily says, extending one hand out like this is a business meeting or something. She worries her lower lip with her teeth, then plasters on a smile. “I think we’re sharing a room.”
“Score.” Tom gives a lascivious grin then takes her hand, holding it a little too long as his eyes rake over her body. “Seth mentioned I’d be sharing with a chick, but he didn’t tell me how hot you were.”
In response, Lily gives him that same bland look she gave me, the only sign of her discomfort the stiffening of her shoulders, the faintest ticking of her jaw. Matty scowls, and some of the color drains from Seth’s face as he looks between everyone, visibly panicking at the possibility of an argument.
Something like guilt tightens in my chest at the thought that I made her feel the same way just moments earlier. But of course, I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m my family’s failure. Why wouldn’t I fuck things up with Lily before we could even exchange more than a few words?
Lily pulls her hand free of Tom’s grasp, her eyes sparking with the promise of retaliation as she opens her mouth to speak. I lean forward on my elbows, my blood buzzing with anticipation at watching how she’s going to lay him out—because I know she will.
If there’s one thing I’m familiar with, it’s the look of someone about to deliver a verbal kill shot.
But then the front door swings open once again, and we all turn to watch Liam Sutherland come in on a swirl of icy wind and fluttering snowflakes.
Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve had three beers and a couple shots of bourbon, but everything seems to happen in slow motion. Liam looks between the group gathered in front of the door, his expression going from mildly relaxed to wide-eyed surprise to dark, seething rage in the space of milliseconds.
He raises one pale hand, pointing accusingly at Tom, his lip curling back in disgust. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
Tom recoils, as if Liam is a venomous snake instead of a medaled Olympian. “Why ishehere?”
There’s a faint rustling of paper as Antoine drops his book, emerging from whatever fantasy world he’s been emersed in to watch the drama unfolding in the living room. Matty takes a defensive position beside Lily, and Seth wrings his hands.
“I live here, you dick,” Liam sneers, just as Seth leaps between them, a falsely cheerful smile on his pale face.
“Guys, hey… hey,” he gives a hollow chuckle. “Um, so I see you’ve already met. That’s good. Liam, I’m Seth—Eddie told us you were moving in. This is Tom, he’s just moved in too. Oh, and Lily, Matty, and Antoine.” Seth points out everyone, his hands waving wildly, his broad smile fragile.
Liam’s flinty gray eyes move from Lily, to Matty, to Antoine, his frown deepening before he turns to me with an accusatory glare. “We’ve met,” he says, answering Seth but keeping his eyes on me.
I slink down in my chair, wishing I could hide behind my almost-empty glass of bourbon and cola. With everything that happened this morning, I completely forgot to tell him about all the other people moving in.
“Lily and Matty are two of my students…” Liam’s gaze swivels to Antoine, his shoulders stiffening, fingers flexing at his sides. “And I met Antoine in Switzerland a few years ago.”
Well, shit.
I can’t stop myself from casting a surreptitious glance in Antoine’s direction. All traces of his usual dismissive smirk are gone, his green eyes blazing like emeralds against his dark skin as he stares at Liam expectantly.
“Wait,” Matty drawls, his blond hair tumbling into his eyes as he cocks his head to one side. “You’re doing the snowboard training program too, right?” He’s talking to Tom, completely oblivious to the palpable tension between Liam and nearly every single person in the room. “I think I saw you in our group the first day, before we got split up…”
Tom’s face flames red, making freckles that were previously hidden stand out in stark relief. “Yah. Iwasin the program. Until this dude kicked me out.” Tom thumbs accusingly in Liam’s direction.
Liam snorts, waving one hand dismissively. “I didn’t kick you out. The trash took itself out.”
A vein pulses on Tom’s forehead, his hands clenching to fists at his sides. He looks about two seconds away from throwing a punch, while Liam is just staring at him with that mildly disgusted, mostly impassive stare that he reserves for pretty much everyone. “You were a dick to Stephanie,” Liam says calmly. “So you were banned from the program.”
My forehead knits in confusion. “Stephanie Jealouse?” I ask, the words tumbling out before I can remember I’m trying to avoid Liam’s notice right now. “Why the fuck would you be a dick toher?”
Stephanie Jealouse is like the mother goddess of the big mountain world. The first woman to do pretty much everything backcountry. She’s the instructor celebrities ask to ride with, the literal poster child for the mountain. And probably one of the nicest human beings I’ve met.
Tom glares at me, his lips trembling wordlessly with barely constrained rage.
“Because he’s a misogynist idiot,” Liam deadpans. “And he thought being transferred to a woman trainer was a downgrade.”
I don’t bother to contain my amusement. “Mate. You’re kidding me.” I shake my head, almost hysterical laughter bubbling in my chest. “Shit. That’s too good.”
