Free Slope of Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons) by Melissa Foster Page A

weekend. So…”
    Blake had told Rush all about his premarried, player lifestyle and how meeting Danica had filled every empty spot he had and all the ones he’d never known existed. Rush hadn’t been so different from Blake, and seeing Blake with Danica gave him hope that not only could the changes he’d made be permanent, but that a woman could overlook a man’s checkered past. Jayla . That Jayla could overlook his past.
    “Well, you can certainly wait a week.” Blake winked.
    Rush wasn’t so sure he could wait another day, much less a week. His head was spinning. Jayla awakened a sea of emotions within him—and since he was getting hard just thinking about her in that see-through camisole—apparently she affected his body, too.

Chapter Nine
    “COME ON!” KIA dragged Jayla and Teri back out on the dance floor for the fifth time in the last hour. Patrick had hooked up with a woman thirty minutes after they’d arrived and said he’d catch his own ride back to the resort, leaving Jayla alone with Kia and Teri, who were obviously on the hunt for men. They used the Olympic ski team card with men the way social wannabes name-dropped, whereas Jayla preferred to keep her identity as far under wraps as she was able, which wasn’t very easy in a ski town like Allure. It seemed like everyone knew who they were. On the cramped dance floor, a tall twenty-something guy who reeked of money and testosterone was breathing down her back. She moved over a few inches and he moved with her.
    Kia raised her brows and mouthed, He’s hot . The forest-green minidress she wore set off her flames of red hair as she bobbed her head from side to side while she danced.
    Jayla mouthed, You dance with him . Dancing kept her mind off of Rush, but every guy who approached her sent her mind racing back to him.
    Kia was all too happy to move in between them, giving Jayla a clear path back to the table. Teri waved from the edge of the dance floor, where she was dirty dancing with a tall, blond guy who was staring at her boobs, and as Jayla turned to wave, someone knocked into her right side, jarring her shoulder. She scrambled back to the table, wishing she’d taken stronger pain meds and wishing she’d stayed home. She needed a plan for her stupid shoulder, and she knew that her original plan to secretly rehab her shoulder was a long shot at best.
    At eleven thirty they finally piled into the SUV and headed back to the resort.
    “That was so much fun. Maybe we should do it again tomorrow night,” Kia suggested as she parked in front of the resort.
    “I think I’m gonna go to the bonfire tomorrow.” Jayla watched them exchange an eye roll.
    Kia climbed from the SUV. “Now that we don’t have to drive, wanna grab a few drinks with us at the bar?”
    “No, thanks. I think I’m going to turn in.” Jayla inhaled the scent of burning wood drifting up from the bonfire pit and thought of Rush.
    “I was hoping to get you really smashed so you’d give up your place in the downhill and let me take it.” Kia smiled and twirled a fiery curl around her finger as if she were joking, but Jayla knew that Kia, like any competitive athlete, was only half kidding. While Kia and Teri hadn’t won Olympic medals, they were strong competitors and both had also gained popularity among their fans, not just through skiing, but also from their clothing sponsorships. They weren’t as well known as Jayla or Rush, but they were quickly gaining recognition.
    “Yeah, right. If I can endure Marcus, I can ignore peer pressure. Thanks again. I had a great time.” Jayla followed the stone path down the hill and around a cluster of pine trees toward the bonfire. A residual of low flames split the darkness. She scanned the handful of people around the fire, hoping she might see Rush. When she didn’t see him, she sighed, disappointed and relieved at once. She warmed her hands by the dying fire and looked up at the sky, wishing she had a bag of marshmallows.