Chapter Eight
Charlotte
Charlotte’s heart was still pounding away in her chest. Knowing that Luke was a “pretty good” snowboarder didn’t quite cover what she’d just seen.
This guy was a beast.
Is it hot out here? Sure, there’s snow, but…
Luke grinned and waved at her, then bent to undo the buckles on his board. Evangeline hadn’t been lying about Kit’s ass being enough to start a war, but Luke’s could certainly cause an airstrike. When he stood and heaved his board onto his shoulder, Charlotte quickly met his eyes and flushed. Had he seen her gawking?
He came over, swaggering the way guys did after a big win at something. “I thought you didn’t snowboard?”
Charlotte pointed down the line. Her friend was taking a selfie with Kit. “ Evangeline talked me into it. She wants to have Kit’s babies.”
Luke laughed. “Based on the crowd, I don’t think she’s the only one.”
“So…this is what you do?” Charlotte made a vague gesture at the course. “I didn’t even know this was a sport until about an hour ago. It looks rough.”
And sexy. So. Damn. Hot. Those guys, crouched low, willing to knock one another over to win? Charlotte was going to have to watch the Winter Olympics next year…and take a few cold showers after.
Luke was watching her, a tiny, amused smile on his face. “Liked that, did you?”
Charlotte bit her lip. He’d said it low, husky, with a hint of a growl. Holding him off was going to be a losing cause if he kept that up. “I, um, I did. A lot.”
He nodded. “I’ll be practicing up here several times a week. If you’re interested, I can give you a schedule.” Luke paused. “I was going to go grab some coffee. Any chance you’d join me?”
Charlotte held a breath. She needed to study, badly. Coming out here had put her behind a few hours, but would she forgive herself if she missed out on a date with a hot, athletic, surprisingly normal guy?
Her brain was still sorting everything out when her mouth made the decision for her.
“Sure.”
Date it was.
“So what made you decide to take up snowboarding?” Charlotte stirred her tea—which, blessedly, had come from a coffee shop downtown rather than up at the resort. She needed a break from the snow bunnies staring murder at her for walking to the gondola with Luke. He had more of a following than she’d realized.
He sipped his coffee. “My parents own a ski-outfitting business. Goggles, apparel, boots, accessories, stuff like that. I grew up here. I was on skis by the time I was three, and on a snowboard at five. It’s all I’ve known, really. My parents are good skiers, so I had the opportunity.”
Charlotte frowned at the patch on Luke’s jacket. “Wait—Madison’s? That’s your family?”
Luke’s cheeks turned slightly pink. “Yeah, that’s us.”
Her eyebrows shot up. Okay, she might be no ski expert, but Madison’s gear was everywhere out here. Hell, Charlotte’s borrowed jacket was from Madison’s. “Things make a little more sense now. Are you planning to go into the family business after school?”
A shadow passed over his features.
Her stomach dropped. Shit, what did I say?
“Um,” she said, to fill the silence, “I’m studying for my MCAT, planning on medical school. I’m up here to work until I go back home for school.”
“Where’s home?” He sounded interested, but his eyes were still far away.
“Arizona. I’m hoping to be accepted to ASU medical school. My parents live in Phoenix, so I’m going to be a loser and live at home the first year to save money.”
Luke let out a surprised laugh. “Wait—ASU? That’s where I’ve been going.”
“For real?” How had she missed him on campus?
He smiled. “For real. Funny that we never saw each other.”
“Well, I finished in August. I bombed my first MCAT. And my second.” Now it was her turn to blush. “So I’m prepping to try again. What about you? What are you majoring in?”
“Business.” He drank more coffee, and Charlotte had the feeling he was stalling. “Or I was until I withdrew.”
“For snowboarding?” That would be the reason, right? Because he’d smoked the guy who’d knocked Kit over. Evangeline had been screaming for the D-bag’s blood and, for the second time in one day, Luke had avenged someone’s honor.
Charlotte suppressed a shiver. That had been so hot. Evangeline had urged Charlotte to marry him. She wasn’t willing to go that far, but a date had seemed like a decent compromise.
“Yeah, for the snowboarding.” He smiled, and there was something tired in it. “I want to make the U.S. team and go to the World Cup, then on to the Olympics, but…”
“But what? You’re damn good,” Charlotte said. “I know a lot about self-doubt, but you have the stuff.”
“It’s not that.” Luke laughed then. “I’ve been accused of too much self-confidence, truthfully. It’s…God, I can’t believe I’m telling someone this.”
“I’ve been accused of being a good listener,” Charlotte said, winking.
“Okay, then. My parents want me to go into the business with them. I haven’t told my mother that I dropped out, but I told Dad. After he told me that he’d nearly had a massive heart attack last year, and they needed me to step into my job as soon as possible…just in case.” He sighed, and drummed his fingers on the table. “Dad seemed to accept my plans, but I could tell it stressed him out some. My mom? She might disown me when she finds out.”
“Oh, surely not,” Charlotte said. “She might be disappointed for a few minutes, but she’ll be proud of you reaching for your goals.”
“I don’t know about that. She’s protective of all of us, but she has this ‘we’re in it together’ mentality about the business. My brother and I have interned there every summer since we were sixteen. It’s expected.” He frowned and tapped the handle of his mug. “And it’s not even that I don’t want to go into the family business. I just want to do this one thing first.”
“I can see that, but family’s important,” she murmured.
Luke’s face tightened even more. “I know.”
Charlotte swallowed hard. “Thing is, I understand what you’re going through. My mom’s sick, too. I get the struggle. I need to be here to earn money for school, but I want to be home with my family, especially my little sister. I have this other dream, though, and this is where I start making it happen.”
“How’d you end up in Aspen? You could’ve found a job in Phoenix.”
A pit opened up in Charlotte’s stomach. She stared out the window at the snowy road, shifting in her seat. She was pretty far from home. “Evangeline was my roommate in school, and she gave me this job and a place to live, away from home so I could concentrate.” Which she was most certainly not doing right now.
He nodded, wearing a faint smile. “Sometimes a break from the normal is what you need to bust a slump.”
She wasn’t sure if Luke was talking about her or him. Either way, it was getting late, and going out instead of studying was triggering some serious guilt. Luke’s charm had gotten the better of her discipline. “Maybe. Um, I probably better head home.”
Luke checked his watch. “It’s only five. Sure you don’t want to grab dinner first?”
She shook her head. “I wake up at four every morning that I work. My bedtime is eight thirty, so my day’s almost over. Thanks for the tea, but I have to get some studying in before I go to bed.”
“If you ever need a study partner, I’m good at reading flashcards.” He smiled, some of his swagger and charm returning. “Among other things.”
She groaned and rolled her eyes. “It was just coffee, slick. Not an offer to ‘study’ with me in my bedroom.” She didn’t owe Luke an overnighter, but he had bailed her out more than once today. Plus, she wouldn’t mind seeing him in action again.
And now I’m blushing. Awesome.
“Thanks again for your help this morning,” she blurted out, standing a little too quickly. “Oh! Mr. Bzdyl, Evangeline’s dad, said you can eat at the café for free until New Year’s for defending my honor this morning. Your barstool will be open anytime.”
That earned her a quick, brilliant smile that she felt in her knees. This was his real smile, she decided. Sexy, but sincere. God, she really needed to get some air before she blew off studying for the night.
“Excellent,” he said. “I’m hitting the gym with my trainer at eight, and I’ll be looking for a good meal after that. See you then.”
“Great.” She waved at him and hurried through the snow to her car. How should she feel about all this? Luke seemed to be a decent guy, but Charlotte knew if she gave in, she’d probably become his “flavor of the month.”
She snorted. Maybe “flavor of the afternoon.”
Would it matter? Luke probably knew how to make a woman happy. But her heart was still a tiny bit bruised from her last relationship, and with everything else going on, she didn’t think it could take more.
Shaking her head, she started her car and pulled out of her parking space. The roads were becoming slick, and as evening set in, it was hard to see. Charlotte’s hands were damp on the steering wheel. She hated driving in snow.
Two slip and slides and one “Oh my God, I can’t stop!” later, she made it back to the café, weak-kneed and shaking. Maybe she should ask Luke for snow-driving lessons rather than snowboarding.
She bet he’d be good at both, because dangerous activities sounded like his thing. No, not just sounded—they were his thing. Watching Luke take his turn at the practice course was enough proof of that.
God, he was hot.
Charlotte let herself into the café and locked the door behind her. She was shivering, but she had no idea if it was from the cold or the thought of Luke on his board.