Page 7 of Avalanche
“And you should listen to your trainer, shouldn’t you?” His hand slides lower, releasing my chin to settle on my throat, his thumb stroking my pulse point lazily as his gaze bores into mine.
I nod, the words catching in my throat. He’s so close to me, I can practically taste the clean, musky scent of him. It’s mingled with Antoine’s scent. If I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, I bet I would taste Antoine too.
“Mon chou.” Antoine’s face appears over Liam’s shoulder, his green eyes taking me in with concern. “You should let her sit down. She’s exhausted.”
Liam huffs but releases his hold on me. “Fine,” he grumbles, giving me a warning look before traipsing to the kitchen. “But if she doesn’t watch it, she’ll be out for the rest of the season.”
Antoine rolls his eyes, then bends to press his lips to my own. It’s soft and gentle, a sweet ‘welcome home’ kiss more than anything, but I find myself melting against him, sighing hungrily at the taste of him and Liam on my tongue.
“He’s just jealous,” Antoine murmurs against my lips. “He wanted to be the one to train you, you know.” A soft, breathy chuckle. “I think his pride is injured.” His lips curve into a teasing smirk. “I mean, who would turn down the chance to train with an Olympic champion?”
“I’m not jealous,” Liam grumbles from the kitchen. “I just don’t want to watch her limping around when she injures herself.”
Antoine shakes his head, tucking me against his side and guiding me to the kitchen. “Spoken like a jealous man,” Antoine retorts sagely.
We find our places at the table, Eddie helping Seth to dish up dinner before taking his place between me and Liam. Matty is pressed close against my other side, his chair drawn near enough that our thighs are touching beneath the table. Seth settles between Matty and Antoine with a sigh, his cheeks pink from the heat of the kitchen, his brown eyes glowing with satisfaction when they settle on me.
“Thanks for dinner,” I tell him sheepishly. He’s cooked more than his fair share these past two weeks; I know he has. “I’ll cook tomorrow, okay?”
Seth tsks in disapproval. “No, you won’t. You’re resting.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Eddie chips in.
“Liam and Antoine are cooking tomorrow. They promised. If they have enough time to ‘take a nap’—” here Eddie drops his fork, making quotation marks in the air, “—then they have enough time to make dinner.”
Liam scowls at Eddie while Antoine stares intently at the meatballs on his plate, cutting them into little pieces with all the focus of someone cutting a gourmet steak. Beside me, Matty makes a choked sound and I look at him in surprise. He waves one hand, then reaches for his water, downing half the glass in several long gulps.
“I don’t mind cooking. Honestly,” Seth gives the pair of them an indulgent smile. “You guys are the ones working the crazy hours at the moment.” He twirls a mouthful of pasta and meat onto his fork, then pauses with it midway to his lips as he adds: “I get finished at 4pm every day. And I actually get a lunch break.”
“We get lunch breaks,” Eddie says around a mouthful. Liam shoots him a disgusted look and Eddie swallows before adding: “Me and Matty, I mean. Cause kids’ school is where it’s at.”
He reaches across the table to offer Matty a fist bump. Matty chuckles and slowly lifts his fist to knock against Eddie’s. Liam rolls his eyes.
“Good for you,” Liam quips, though his ire is aimed at Eddie, not Matty. “Glad you have an hour each day to enjoy vats of mac ‘n’ cheese and chicken nuggets, surrounded by a bunch of screaming children.” Liam shudders, though whether it’s at the thought of the food or the children, it’s hard to say. Probably both. “Sounds like a fucking dream.”
I hide my smile behind my hand and exchange a look with Seth. But he’s busy looking between Liam and Eddie with an unreadable expression on his face, his fingers tracing patterns on the condensation of his water glass.
“You don’t like kids?” Seth asks Liam. His gaze darts to me and he clears his throat, taking a long drink of water before fixing his attention back on Liam. “Is that why you teach adults?”
Liam looks taken aback. “What? I don’t hate kids. I’m not an asshole.”
“Questionable, mate,” Eddie interjects.
Liam narrows his eyes at Eddie, but doesn’t reward the interruption with a response. “I get better tips teaching adults,” he explains. “And of course, the best tips come from teaching private lessons, which can be kids or adults.” He shrugs. “I don’t care who I teach, as long as they pay me and follow instructions.” He gives me a pointed look then adds: “Something that some people are better at doing than others.”
Matty stiffens beside me. “Lil is a good student. I wouldn’t have passed our instructor exams at the start of the season if it wasn’t for her.”
“She’s a good teacher,” Liam says, emphasizing the word ‘teacher’. “A bloody natural, actually. Just shit at looking after herself.”
“Agreed.” Eddie lifts his glass, as if to toast Liam. Liam stares at it, and Eddie settles his water back on the table with a huff.
“But no. To answer your question Seth, I don’t like kids.”
Seth nods, looking thoughtful, his lips pursed and brow pinched.
“I’m going to have to call bullshit on that one,” Eddie argues, leaning back in his chair.
Liam gives an annoyed sigh, turning to Eddie with a raised brow. “Is that so?”
