tumble he took on the mountain… only a few short and easy doors down…
Erin blushed. No. Down, girl.
She let her frustration play out in exaggerated strokes across her face as she sat back down.
"I knew it," Roy said, another smile twisting across his face. "You were planning on trying to take my win away from me, after all."
"And then you had to go and rain on my parade."
"How about I let you treat me if you can beat me tomorrow?"
Erin let a triumphant smile show. "Oh, sure. But this time, we'll be taking the big boy slopes."
Roy returned her smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Four
She didn't like thinking this way. It wasn't love, but she sure didn't like whatever it was. Whatever she was feeling, it was going straight to her head. More worryingly, it was going other places, as well. Places that didn't usually get too excited when she saw a moderately attractive guy.
None of this was normal, but then again, maybe it was that she wasn't going to see him again after she went back to L.A. on Monday. She wasn't opposed to it, per se, but he was in Virginia, she was in California. They couldn't get further apart without having planned it.
She opened the blinds. Still dark, but not too dark to see the heavy snow pouring down. Not enough to see the four solid inches that had accumulated just on the windowsill.
So much for beating Roy down the mountain. She put on another sweater. She had more than one, after all. The chances were slim that he'd see her, slimmer still that he would judge her for wearing the same sweater twice. Most people didn't rise at five in the morning, after all. And sweaters were re-wearable.
Neither of those things, though, helped her not to worry about it. In fact, they didn't even help a little bit. Erin put her wallet into the pocket of her leggings again. She was looking more and more like she wore pajamas all the time every day. The vacation had been interesting so far, and she still had four more days to go before she had to get back on a plane, but she couldn't afford another one. By the time she came back from a second trip, if she sat down on the curb a minute, people would start dropping change in her lap.
She pulled the door open and stepped into the hall, turning to check that the door was pulled shut. She was already moving before she turned her head back, and that was how she managed to bump hard into Roy. The liquid covering him looked damn hot, and he certainly reacted that way.
"Oh, Jesus. I'm sorry. Shit. Um." She fished the key to her room out of her wallet and opened the door. "Come on. We'll get you cleaned up."
She helped him up from the ground, bending down past him to pick up the now-crumpled paper cup that had been full of hot coffee.
"Hop in the shower, I'll… um… I can go grab some clothes from your room if you want."
"I'll be fine," he said, already closing the shower curtain up, still fully-clothed. A moment later, a shirt came popping up over the rail, and then sweatpants, and by that point Erin decided it was better that she left. She called from outside the bathroom. "Jeez, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you, and—"
"I'm fine, Erin. Don't worry about it. I assume you've seen the alert."
She hadn't. "Alert?"
"Blizzard advisory. They're closing down the mountain until it clears up. Could be done tonight, or it could be days. No way to be sure."
"That's a let-down," she said, as much to herself as to him.
"I know you were looking forward to getting spanked out there, but it'll be okay."
She heard the water turn off, heard the curtain going. She imagined what it must have looked like, and then a moment she had most of her question answered when the door opened inches to her right, followed by a brief puff of steam.
"Are you okay? No burns or anything? We can get a medic if—"
She turned to look at him while she talked, and only then did she notice that he wasn't wearing anything but a towel held up by his left hand. She had to take back her
Erin blushed. No. Down, girl.
She let her frustration play out in exaggerated strokes across her face as she sat back down.
"I knew it," Roy said, another smile twisting across his face. "You were planning on trying to take my win away from me, after all."
"And then you had to go and rain on my parade."
"How about I let you treat me if you can beat me tomorrow?"
Erin let a triumphant smile show. "Oh, sure. But this time, we'll be taking the big boy slopes."
Roy returned her smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Four
She didn't like thinking this way. It wasn't love, but she sure didn't like whatever it was. Whatever she was feeling, it was going straight to her head. More worryingly, it was going other places, as well. Places that didn't usually get too excited when she saw a moderately attractive guy.
None of this was normal, but then again, maybe it was that she wasn't going to see him again after she went back to L.A. on Monday. She wasn't opposed to it, per se, but he was in Virginia, she was in California. They couldn't get further apart without having planned it.
She opened the blinds. Still dark, but not too dark to see the heavy snow pouring down. Not enough to see the four solid inches that had accumulated just on the windowsill.
So much for beating Roy down the mountain. She put on another sweater. She had more than one, after all. The chances were slim that he'd see her, slimmer still that he would judge her for wearing the same sweater twice. Most people didn't rise at five in the morning, after all. And sweaters were re-wearable.
Neither of those things, though, helped her not to worry about it. In fact, they didn't even help a little bit. Erin put her wallet into the pocket of her leggings again. She was looking more and more like she wore pajamas all the time every day. The vacation had been interesting so far, and she still had four more days to go before she had to get back on a plane, but she couldn't afford another one. By the time she came back from a second trip, if she sat down on the curb a minute, people would start dropping change in her lap.
She pulled the door open and stepped into the hall, turning to check that the door was pulled shut. She was already moving before she turned her head back, and that was how she managed to bump hard into Roy. The liquid covering him looked damn hot, and he certainly reacted that way.
"Oh, Jesus. I'm sorry. Shit. Um." She fished the key to her room out of her wallet and opened the door. "Come on. We'll get you cleaned up."
She helped him up from the ground, bending down past him to pick up the now-crumpled paper cup that had been full of hot coffee.
"Hop in the shower, I'll… um… I can go grab some clothes from your room if you want."
"I'll be fine," he said, already closing the shower curtain up, still fully-clothed. A moment later, a shirt came popping up over the rail, and then sweatpants, and by that point Erin decided it was better that she left. She called from outside the bathroom. "Jeez, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you, and—"
"I'm fine, Erin. Don't worry about it. I assume you've seen the alert."
She hadn't. "Alert?"
"Blizzard advisory. They're closing down the mountain until it clears up. Could be done tonight, or it could be days. No way to be sure."
"That's a let-down," she said, as much to herself as to him.
"I know you were looking forward to getting spanked out there, but it'll be okay."
She heard the water turn off, heard the curtain going. She imagined what it must have looked like, and then a moment she had most of her question answered when the door opened inches to her right, followed by a brief puff of steam.
"Are you okay? No burns or anything? We can get a medic if—"
She turned to look at him while she talked, and only then did she notice that he wasn't wearing anything but a towel held up by his left hand. She had to take back her
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