"You don't need a boss, baby. You're the bravest person I know," he says. "And the most stubborn. And the sexiest when you're pissed."
I want to tell him that he's wrong, but I can't, not when his eyes are so goddamn blue, and everything hurts less with him holding me.
"Unblock me," he whispers. "Please."
I know he isn't just asking me to unblock him online. He was never just asking for that. He's asking for me to unbend, stop running, and let him in again.
He's asking me to keep falling.
I swallow hard…and nod.
Chapter Five
Harlan
Ibury my face in Sophie's throat, breathing her in. Watching her hit that tree was, hands down, the most terrifying moment of my fucking life. I just knew she was going to be dead or seriously injured, and I'd never get a chance to prove to her that I'm not the asshole she thinks I am.
But she's right here in my arms. And she's agreeing to give me another chance. I will not be fucking it up again.
"I need a favor," she whispers into the silence.
"Name it."
"I need you to get me the rest of the way down this mountain," she mumbles. "I can't feel my ass."
My groan turns into a wild laugh, loud enough to shake the whole goddamn mountain. I can't stop the sound. She's safe in my arms, asking me to carry her down the mountain. Yeah, I'm laughing, like I've never laughed before.
"It's not funny, Harlan," she grumbles. "If you weren't so fucking fast on skis, I wouldn't have hit that tree. It's entirely your fault that my ass is frozen right now."
"My fault?" I grin down at her. "I wasn't anywhere close to you. You left me rolling in the snow. Or did you forget that you kneed me in the balls?"
"Oh, I didn't forget. You deserved that." She jabs me in the ribcage with one gloved finger. "You crashed us into a snowbank, you cheater."
"I seem to recall you slashing snow at me first," I remind her.
"Who me? Never happened," she sniffs.
I just grin, hauling us both to our feet. She's a terrible liar. She's also fucking cute when she does it, so I'm willing to let it slide. I hold her steady while gathering up our equipment. Once it's tucked under my arm, I wrap my other arm around her, and we start the last few feet down the mountain.
"Hey. Wait a minute." She pauses right before we make it to the bottom, reaching for one of her poles.
I watch, grinning like an idiot as she hefts the damn thing like a javelin and sends it sailing the rest of the way down the mountain.
It lands in a track in the snow, sticking straight up.
"Would you look at that. Guess I won," she says, her tone casual. There's no hiding the calculated gleam in her eyes, though. They're bright with satisfaction, like she's damn proud of herself.
An abrupt bark of laughter rips from my lips, echoing around us. "You little cheater."
"You started it," she says with a shrug as Austin and his fiancée whiz past us with Tye and Briggs right behind them, both scowling like they're in a race of their own.
Sophie has a point. I did drag her into a snowbank, and I'm not fucking sorry about it, either. Tackling her to the snow to kiss the hell out of her was absolutely worth it. She may be salty about it, but she was never in any danger, not with me.
"Fine. What do you want for your prize?" I ask as we continue down behind the others, curious what she'll ask for…and a little worried she still wants me out of her life. There's no chance I'm going to let that happen. I fucking can't.
She needs a soft place, but I just need her, in a way I've never needed anything before. I'm willing to fight dirty and back her into a corner if that's what it takes to prove to her that her heart is safe with me. It will always be safe with me.
I think she knows it, even if she's running scared.