He barely heard a word their guide said and he hoped his team wouldn’t be out rescuing him later that day.

“Um...are you sure these fat skis are a good idea?”

The guide nodded. “Absolutely. They feel a little weird, but they will help make the transitioning to powder easier and make for a much smoother run. They’re the same as regular skis. The only difference is you need to keep your weight even on both, instead of pushing against that downhill ski. Got it?”

Reed nodded. So did Erika.

“So, we will start here on Bunny Hop, what we call our beginner run...it’s clear sailing straight to the bottom. Not many trees or ramps or sudden drops,” Garrett, their guide, said, snapping into his snowboard. “I know you both have skied before, but a few tips—keep your upper body facing down the fall line, hands forward and poles planted. Make sure to coil and uncoil through the few turns on this run and stand tall over your feet.”

They both nodded.

“And remember, there’s no need to lean into the back seat to keep those ski tips from diving—the fat skis got this. We cool?” He gave two thumbs-up.

“Got it.” Erika snapped into her skis and lowered her ski goggles, looking ready to go.

Only Reed hesitated as he stared down the wilderness slope. They were pretty freaking high, and that incline was steep for a beginner run. Luckily the weather conditions were great and he knew the company had emergency responders at the base of the hill... But these fat skis were odd.

“Your husband looks a little nervous,” Garrett said to Erika, nodding toward him.

The twentysomething professional snowboarder had come highly recommended for first-timers, but already Reed wasn’t a fan. Tall and muscular with a laid-back, casual charm, the guy reminded him of Tyler.

Erika shook her head. “Not my husband...just a friend.” Her voice carried over the wind and echoed on the mountains around them.

Why did those words bother him? They were just friends. Barely friends, in fact.

That didn’t mean he liked the way the guy’s attention went from ski instructor friendly to full-on interested in a matter of seconds.

“And he’s just afraid I’m going to race him to the bottom,” she said.

Actually, right now the only thing he was nervous about was the overwhelming feelings of jealousy causing his jaw to tighten as the guy continued to flirt with her. His gaze drifted over her body, and Reed gripped his ski poles. “If he’s smart, he won’t let you get too far away,” Garrett said with a wink.

Erika’s flirty smile in return was too much. First Tyler, now Garrett. Erika was too beautiful for her own good. If she wasn’t careful, she’d get her heart broken by one of these mountain players. Moving between them, he blocked the other guy. “Are we going to ski or chat all day?”

She shot him an amused look. “See you at the bottom,” she said, pushing off and heading fearlessly down the mountainside.