I’m lying in bed, thinking about what I did. What I said and how I let my dick speak for me when I should’ve told her I was sorry and that I was an ass and my reasons for distancing myself from the Salter family have nothing to do with any of them.

Eventually, frustration over the spinning wheels in my head has me throwing the covers aside. I’m sick of tossing and turning, stuck in the darkness of my own head. Grabbing my T-shirt from earlier, I throw it over my chest and open my door. Seconds later I find myself two doors down across from my own room, my knuckles gliding down the wood. I shake my head. Not a good idea and head to the great room instead.

I flip on the outside light on the porch, leaning my shoulder on the window and watch the snowfall pile up on the deck. The branches on the trees are covered with white powder. I can’t help it. My first thought is of boarding on white powder and my second is of who I’d want to share the experience with.

Mia comes to mind, and I inwardly reprimand myself for allowing her name to pop to mind. What the hell am I thinking? If I have sex with her, there’s no going back. There’s no that was great, on to the next, or this was awesome, glad we worked each other out of our systems. I couldn’t do that to her—I’ve already caused her family so much pain.

I close my eyes and literally shake my head in an effort to gain my sense back. We’re friends again which is more than we’ve been in years and that’s where it needs to end. I have no choice but to forget the sway of her hips, the swell of her breasts, the curves of her body…

Jesus, I shift my stance and adjust myself.

“You’re right.”

I spin around, finding Mia in her pajama pants from earlier, but now she’s wearing a tight tank top that doesn’t hide the fact she’s braless. My eyes take in her hard nipples until she quickly pulls her hoodie closed over her chest.

“I don’t get the pleasure of hearing you say that very often,” I say, trying to keep the mood light.

She steps forward, one deliberate and slow step in front of the other, ending up on the opposite side of the large framed window, watching the snow come down.

“Yes, so savor it.” The sweetness of her voice has my head turning in her direction. A smile creases her lips. “I was hurt when you pulled away from Brandon. I felt abandoned.”

I nod. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t handle it all. I had to get back to competition, Brandon was unconscious and we were getting closer…nothing was making sense.”

“It was probably for the best. I might’ve embarrassed myself even more.” Her long dark hair shakes back and forth as she turns her face to hide it from me.

Stepping forward, my finger pulls back the strands of her hair, tucking it behind her ear.

“You were young. Seventeen and we were twenty-one. Everything in our lives was chaotic and uncertain.”

She glances at me from the corner of her eyes, a smile upturning her lips. “Maybe I just wanted what I couldn’t have.”

My vision dips again, and my hand clenches from the pure want running through my veins.

“Maybe.” She’s millimeters from me and I watch her staring out into the darkness. “I’m sorry, Mia.”

She nods, turning, her back to the window. Her eyes close and slowly open. “I’m kind of exhausted from hating you.”

“So, my punishment has been suspended.” I bend down so our eyes are on the same level.

“Yeah, I suppose so.” She rubs her face along the edge of her sweatshirt and shoots me a look that hits me right in the heart.

“Then let’s celebrate.” I grab her hand and pull her along with me.

“That’s doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you.”

I glance over my shoulder, winking but saying nothing. We’re in agreement there. “We’re going to celebrate with ice cream sundaes.”

“I can’t,” she says, but doesn’t fight me and I pat the counter in the kitchen.

“Up.”

“Grady,” she sighs, but does as I ask.

I dig out the vanilla, cookie dough, and chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and put them on the counter. “Please, we aren’t going anywhere for a few days.”

I find chocolate sauce and cherries, but sadly no whipped cream. What a letdown.

“Fine. A small one.” She indicates a size with her hand, but that’s not going to happen.

“And we can finish our three out of five Gin Rummy contest.”

“Why bother, I’ll totally beat you.” She tucks her hands under her thighs and watches me scoop the ice cream.

Ten minutes later, she’s got a bowl of cookie dough with chocolate syrup and five cherries while I chose to stick with chocolate ice cream doused in chocolate sauce.

With bowl in hand, I prop up on the opposite counter so we’re sitting facing one another, our eyes meeting every bite or two. “You’re really nailing the trick. I think you’re ready without the airbag.”

A nervous look crosses her face. “Nah.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

She peeks up from watching her spoon move the ice cream around. “Sure.”

“Why do you play it safe? I mean…I get the Brandon thing.”

I’m unsure how to bring the subject up, especially since it’s me, but Mia was once fiercely set on upping the bar.

She continues to swirl her spoon around the bowl, her gaze never lifting. “I guess so, I mean it definitely set me back a little, but…”

Her attention finally moves from her ice cream and lands on me, hesitancy saturating her features.

“What?” I ask when she doesn’t continue.

“It’s just the pressure,” she says.

“I get pressure.”

“Not really the press and their expectations, it’s my family. If something were to happen to me…” She eats a heaping spoonful of ice cream.

With my own spoon twirling and mixing the ice cream/chocolate sauce blend, I make the eye contact with her. “I get it. There has to be a lot of pressure to play it safe.”

“After the accident, my mom wanted me to quit. She even reached out to your mom and asked her to help with this campaign to lower the walls of the halfpipe.”

“I remember.” I don’t want the walls lowered, but how could anyone blame a mom whose son was in a coma for over a month and won’t ever be able to fulfill his dreams, from trying?

She nods. “My dad and Brandon are the ones who convinced her to let me continue. She reluctantly agreed, but I don’t drop in that pipe without remembering that my mom’s heart will shatter if something happens to me.”

“Oh, Mia.” My own heart drops to the pit of my stomach. How could I not realize that? Of course, she’s playing it safe for her family’s sake. That’s Mia. Everyone else before herself…always.

She shakes her head. “Don’t. You’ve really helped me, Grady, and I appreciate you pushing me. I think it’s too painful for Brandon to help me and most of my trainers don’t even try to up my tricks because I’m winning now, but that won’t always be the case. Plus, it’s been fun with you, makes me remember why I love it.” A shy smile forms on her mouth and she takes a small spoon of ice cream.

“I think I’m fucked up because after Brandon’s accident, I tried harder tricks.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Would you like to psychoanalyze you now?”

“Definitely, not.” We sit in silence for a while, the only sound is the scraping of our spoons against the bowls. Words are begging to come out of my mouth, but I just can’t get them out. My eyes catch hers from across the small room. “Mia, you should be so fucking proud of yourself. You’re an awesome snowboarder and I wouldn’t push you if I didn’t think you could handle it.”

Her cheeks flame, a subdued shade like the cherries in her bowl. “Thank you.” She takes another spoonful of her sundae and ends up getting some sauce at the corner of her lips.

I motion with my hand where she should swipe. Her tongue snakes out of her mouth to lick it off, but she can’t reach it.

“Nope. Here.” I point to where and her hand reaches up on the other side. “No.” I laugh, placing my bowl down and jumping off the counter.

The minute my feet hit the hardwood floor something shifts in the air. I was only going over to help her get the chocolate sauce off, but suddenly, her tits with their erect peaks are screaming for my attention and I’m wondering if she’s bare under her pajama pants, too.

Her tongue continues to explore her mouth in a failed attempt to clean herself up and now it’s her lips stealing all of my attention.

I slide my thumb along the edge of her lips, and the chocolate smears across my skin. I hold my thumb out to her, but her eyes study it and then raise up to meet mine. Knowing she’s not going to, I suck the chocolate sauce off my thumb as she watches me with interest.

She sucks in a short breath and seems to hold it.

I step closer and to my surprise her legs open for me. I pull her forward until she’s hanging off the counter, my hands threading through her hair. Without thinking about the repercussions, my lips land on hers and I’m transported to Miaville, where I know one kiss won’t be enough and I hope to enjoy a good, long stay.