Coming in from the Cold (23 page)

That earned him a howl of laughter all around.

“Am I right?” Folger asked again, reaching behind Willow to smack Dane on the head. “Though with a baby on the way, you two must be making it happen.”

“Dude, I think leisure agrees with Danger,” J.P. said, tipping his beer bottle back. “I never saw him smile twice in one day before.”

“I was just saving them up,” Dane said, adjusting his bad leg.

J.P. shook his head. “You know, I never did get you.”

“What’s there to get?”

J.P. pointed his beer bottle at Dane. “You have the whole world hanging off the end of your dick, and you never seemed to enjoy it.”

“Huh,” Dane said, squeezing Willow’s hand. “Everybody’s a shrink.”

She squeezed back.

“You know, if Danger’s having a kid, that’s great news,” Folger said, stroking his goatee. “The entire circuit will be thrilled.”

“The circuit doesn’t give a rat’s ass,” Dane said.

“
Au contraire, mon frère,”
Folger said. “If you have a girl and a kid, maybe next year you’ll dial that death wish down a notch or two. A man with something to live for should be easier to beat.”

Dane snorted. “Have fun trying.”

“The preseason smack talk begins already!” J.P. announced.

“Bring it,” Dane laughed.

* * *

“I told you those guys were rowdy,” Dane said, stripping off his clothes in their hotel room. Willow was already in the bed, her hair spread out on the pillows, looking like an angel. Every night they spent together made him feel luckier than the last.

“They were fun,” she said, reaching for him as he slid between the sheets. “I didn’t feel the urge to squeeze your wrist or remind you to feed the platypus. That Folger has a mouth on him.”

He turned onto his side, his lips against Willow’s forehead. “I’ll never get sick of this,” he said.

“Of what?”

“Climbing into bed at the end of the day, hearing what you have to say.”

“Oh. I thought maybe you meant hotel-room sex.”

“That’s pretty good too,” he said, caressing her bare shoulder. Privately, he thought hotel sex was overrated. Willow’s bed was just about the sexiest place he’d ever been.

“This trip is fun,” she said, her fingers tracing very distracting circles on his belly. “I like visiting your strange little world.”

Dane leaned down, covering her perfect pink lips with his own. The kiss he gave her was deep and slow, the kind you have time for when the girl is for keeps. Then he said, “I’ll make you a permanent resident of my strange little world, if you’ll let me. I have a couple of ideas.”

Willow twisted a lock of his hair around her finger. “Tell me.”

“I want you come out west with me this summer.” He propped up his head on one hand. “Can you find what you need in Salt Lake City to finish your degree? I could support you, take the pressure off so that you could do your thing. And then, when the time comes, we’ll take care of the baby together.”

She blew out a breath. “Wow. Really?”

“Really. The timing is a little tricky, but that’s life.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Well, September fifteenth is your due date. And that’s when the downhill training happens in Chile.” He began to chuckle. “Coach Harvey is going to love me bailing on that. I can’t wait to see his face.”

“That sounds like a problem,” Willow said, her voice careful.

He shook his head. “No way. They’ve gotten worse excuses from me.” He slipped a hand onto her belly and began to stroke her skin. “I wouldn’t miss it, Willow. But if you won’t come to Utah with me, that means I’ll have to spend the preseason in Vermont with you. And I will, even if they threaten to kick me off the team.”

She picked her head up in alarm. “What?”

“Shh,” he said, fingertips on her belly. “Don’t panic. I’m just asking you to think about coming out west. We’d have to spiff up my condo a little bit. It’s got that bachelor look. The bookshelf is a board across a couple of milk crates.”

Willow lay still for a moment. “That’s big, Dane. But are you sure you’re ready to go there? I worry that you never got to ask yourself which girl you’d like to wake up with every morning. I don’t want you to think you didn’t have a choice.”

“Listen,” he smiled. “There’s only one way to win a downhill race. Right out of the gate, you choose your line. Then you accelerate to eighty or ninety miles an hour, and you don’t second-guess yourself. No regrets. I know more about commitment than you think.”

He paused to kiss her again and was rewarded with two warm hands gently stroking his chest. “Why would I want some other girl? Some stranger with an app on her phone to tally up my endorsement deals? You and I have been to the wars together, and now we finally have a chance to be happy.” He brushed his lips across hers. “You and Coach are the only two people who know me at all. And I don’t find Coach very attractive.”

He could see her smiling even in the dim light. “You have thought about this.”

Carefully, Dane rolled on top of her, setting his knee gently onto the sheet. “You’ve taken good care of me. I would like to return the favor,” he said. He took a deep breath. “I love you, sweet thing. Say yes.”

Underneath him, she gave a shaky sigh. “Okay, Dane. I want us to have a chance.”

Dane moved his hips, fitting his erection between her legs. “How shall we celebrate?” he whispered. He kissed her deeply, unable to resist an experimental grind of his hips. His knee seemed to tolerate the position.

“Did Folger inspire you?” Willow breathed.

“He only read my mind. I think about this hourly.”

“Mmm,” she said, stroking his ass. “You feel amazing. Just be careful up there.”

“I’d risk reinjury,” he nipped her neck, “to do it like a boss.”

She laughed until he kissed her again. And then there was no more talking—only kisses and sighs. As she wrapped her arms around his back, he hoped she’d never let go again.

Sarina Bowen lives in Windsor County, Vermont, where her hardier ancestors first began farming and logging 250 years ago. She appreciates soft cheese, hard cider and the DSL internet service that finally arrived on her rural road last year. Sarina lives with her ski-crazy husband, two sons and eight chickens. Visit her at
www.sarinabowen.com
.

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eISBN: 9781460330739

COMING IN FROM THE COLD

Copyright © 2014 by Sarina Bowen

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