Page 3 of Just Shred

His chest moves up and down while he catches his breath. “Are you okay?” he asks again, his voice raspy with a hint of that accent.

I’m plastered on top of him. I can’t remember the last time I was lost for words. Our mouths are inches from each other’s, and my hands are on either side of his face. The puffs of smoke from our rapid breathing mix in the air, while his minty breath tickles my lips.

His smirk is soft, like he doesn’t smile often. He takes his snow goggles off, and I blink a couple of times as I stare into his blue-gray eyes. “You saved me,” I whisper, and right on cue, my cheeks overheat. The guy is beautiful. He grunts, brushing some snow from my hair, the corner of his mouth hiking up shyly. I can’t move; the heat from his body radiating through his jacket is like glue holding me to him.

“Did you hit your head?” he asks, his voice low and a little more serious this time.

“I’m okay.” I swallow, wetting my lips with my tongue while he follows the movement. “I think.”

He asks something else, but I can only stare into his eyes, and the laugh wrinkles around them. Then, south to his mouth, he has a panty-incinerating crooked grin. Even the scruff on his cheek is hot as hell.

He chuckles, holding me tight with his hands on my waist. “Dude, you need to breathe,” he says.

I didn’t know I was holding my breath. I try to match his smile, and we both blush at the same time. Luckily, I’m not the only one who has a tendency for rosy cheeks. Great, now I’m quoting the Sound of Music. I think I lost my brain somewhere up on the hill.

“Let me get you up,” he says, his voice kind.

“Sure, o-o-k-kay,” I stutter, not really moving.

He snorts. “Uh, do you know what to do?”

I bite down on my lip hard, shaking my head.

“All right.” He nods, that soft drawl in his voice I can’t place, making my head spin all over again. “Roll over by lifting your left foot and leg.”

I lean up on my hands, and he winks at me. “Trust me.”

Holy shit, now I recognize him. He is the snowboarder from earlier. The one I called an asshole.

Shit, did he hear me? I wasn’t that loud, was I?

He answers my question for me. “My heart warmed when you called me an asshole.” He smirks and covers his heart with his gloved hand. “I think I should introduce myself. You laying on top of me is kind of next level on the social ladder.” He grins, the right side of his mouth raised a little higher than the left. I close my eyes when my cheeks flush again.

Great, just what I needed today, a wise guy snowboarder cracking jokes.

“I’m Jesse,” he says as I open my eyes. He looks at me, waiting for me to say something. “Are you gonna tell me your name or stare into my eyes all day?”

“Ace,” I whisper.

He raises his brows in response, probably thinking I’m messing with him.

“That’s my name,” I say, stumbling over my words.

“Ace? For a girl?”

I roll my eyes. “Hey, screw you, buddy.” That gets another chuckle out of him. “It’s my freaking name.” I blush. Why did I have to call him an asshole? The guy saved my life.

He taps his fingers on my left knee, but still holds me in place on top of him. Smiling, he continues, “I don’t believe you, but it’s okay. I’ll find out sooner or later.” He beams, letting my hips go. “Now, Ace,” he says, raising one brow as a dare, “lift this leg to the other side and turn on your back for me.”

I swallow hard in response. What the hell does he want me to do?

He rolls his eyes. “Not like that, dude. I thought I had a dirty mind.”

I stammer and start to blush like crazy. “I, I wasn’t thinking that.”

“Sure you were.”

I want to say something clever, but my mouth dries when I spot the roguish smile tugging on his lips.

---