Chapter 18
Wade
I was grinning like an idiot as I yanked the laces tight on my brand new snowboard boots, which were well-cushioned and a bit stiff, but not uncomfortable.
Outside the windows was six fresh inches of snow on top of yesterday’s foot of powder, and I was about to strap a board to my feet for the first time. Lucky's orders.
Lucky bustled around the mud room, grabbing gloves and helmets, already laced into her boots, while Bode leaned against the wall watching us with that neutral expression that I assumed meant he was fighting panic.
We all knew he’d initiated sex last night to stave off a panic attack, but none of us were talking about it. It was tough to know when to push Bode, but right now he seemed more fragile than usual.
"Come on," I gazed up at him with what Lucky called my ‘golden retriever enthusiasm.’ “I’d love it if you’d join us.”
Bode crossed his arms over his chest, his dark eyes flicking from me to Lucky and back again. "I told you, I’m not riding."
"You don’t have to ride." Lucky adjusted her beanie over her dark hair. "But you do have to come outside. Or there may be consequences."
"Consequences? Come on, man. I can't stand another week without sucking your cock.” My eyes combed over his body. "I need to be able to grope your sexy dick whenever I want."
"You’re both ridiculous," Bode muttered, but I caught the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. Not a smile, but close. Progress.
Lucky approached him, tugging playfully at the hem of his sweatshirt, then sliding her hand lower to cup him between the legs. "Please?" She pressed a quick kiss to his jaw. "Be a good boy for me?"
I watched the internal battle play out on Bode’s face: his stubborn refusal to engage with anything snow-related fighting against his growing inability to deny Lucky anything . But when she added "good boy," we’d won. He melted every time she called him that.
Bode sighed, the sound of a man accepting inevitable defeat. "Fine. But only because you don’t play fair. And I’m not bringing a board. I’ll watch."
"You’ll need your snowboard pants and boots at least," I pointed out, gesturing at the snowy expanse visible through the mud room window. "So you don't get wet."
Another sigh, deeper this time, as he pushed off from the wall and reached for a pair of snowboard pants from the hook by the door, which was overloaded with various outerwear.
”This doesn’t mean I’m riding," he clarified as he pulled them on, then reached for his boots.
Lucky caught my eye over Bode’s bent head, her expression a mix of triumph and concern. I couldn't even imagine how loaded this simple act was for him. But he was putting on snowboarding boots after months of avoiding anything related to the sport, and that felt like a victory.
"What’s your estimated survival time in this epic winter wonderland, Doc?" Bode asked as he laced his boots with practiced efficiency, his fingers moving without conscious thought through a routine they’d performed thousands of times. "How long before I can come back in for coffee?"
"At least until I can stand up on this thing without eating snow," I picked up my new board, which made Bode roll his eyes. "So anywhere from twenty minutes to... forever."
"Fuck," Bode muttered, but he was already reaching for a jacket, one with a subtle Moriko logo on the chest that I recognized from the shop.
Lucky grabbed her board and headed for the door. “Come on, guys!” She was already disappearing into the blinding white landscape.
I pulled my goggles on, fumbled with my new board, still awkward with how to carry it, and followed her out, my boots crunching in the fresh snow.
The cold hit me immediately, sharp and invigorating, but the morning sun was bright enough to take the edge off.
The view stole my breath, pristine white snow stretching from Bode’s back door down a gentle slope that curved down towards the base area of Elkhead Butte Resort.
Above us, the mountain rose majestic and imposing, its upper reaches lost in wisps of cloud.
"Holy shit," I turned in a slow circle to take it all in. "This is our backyard?"
Bode had followed us out, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
He squinted in the bright sunlight, his dark eyes scanning the slope with the automatic assessment of someone who’d spent his life reading terrain.
"Technically, it’s resort property. But since none of the neighbors are here year-round, and the resort isn’t open yet. .." He shrugged, trailing off.
“I’m so excited.” I dropped my board onto the snow, and it immediately slid a few feet down the gentle incline, and I lunged after it, nearly face-planting in the process.
Lucky laughed, the sound bright and joyful in the quiet morning air. "First rule of snowboarding. Set your board down on the bindings so it won't slide away."
I flipped my board over, stood, brushing the snow off of my pants.
"Let me show you how to put it on." Bode stepped closer. Then he gave me a hard shove, and I yelped as I almost fell into the snow again.
"Hey! What was that?"
"That was a test. Checking to see which foot should be forward."
I laughed. "A little warning would have been nice."
"Nah, that gives you time to overthink it. You're regular foot, left foot forward."
"Which one are you?”
"Regular, too," he said.
“Twinsies!" I leaned in and kissed him, unable to resist his adorably irritated expression. “What about you, Lucks?”
“I’m goofy,” she said. “Clearly superior.”
Bode crouched in front of me, setting my board on its edge. "Sit," he said.
"Do you often teach people?" I asked.
He shook his head, focused on securing the binding straps around my left foot. "No, not really. Occasionally with... women."
Lucky groaned. "Do a lot of women chase you and beg you to teach them to snowboard?"
"A few. Most want sex." He smirked at her. His eyes roamed down her body, and she smiled and nodded.
“Relatable.”
"Back foot stays free for now." He stood up and offered me a hand. "You’ll learn to skate first, pushing with your back foot while your front is strapped in. That’s how you move on flat ground, like at the chairlift."
I took his hand, letting him pull me to my feet, immediately wobbling as the board shifted beneath me. "Whoa!"
His grip tightened, steadying me, and he reached for my other hand. "Easy. Lift your toe and dig the heel edge in."
Lucky strapped in her left foot, and demonstrated, kicking with her back foot and gliding.
I tried to mimic her posture, unaccustomed to being this uncoordinated. Usually, I was pretty athletic, but this just felt bizarre. But Bode’s hands remained on mine, strong and reassuring as I found my balance.
"That’s it," he said, his tone taking on a quality I hadn’t heard before: patient, instructional, but with an underlying current of authority that sent a different kind of shiver down my spine. "Now we’re going to try moving a little way down this gentle slope. I’ll hold your hands."
"Lean forward," he instructed. "Weight on your front foot. Look at where you want to go, not at the board."
I tried to follow his directions, fighting the instinct to lean backward when I felt myself picking up speed.
We were moving slowly by any objective standard, but my heart was racing like I was bombing down a black diamond as Lucky showed me how to lift my toes and drag my foot to come to a wobbly stop.
"Holy shit," I gasped as we completed our first mini-run of fifteen feet. "That’s harder than it appears."
"You’re doing great," Lucky called from where she was effortlessly gliding back and forth in small arcs. "Try again!"
We repeated the process several times, with Bode gradually offering less physical support as I gained confidence. Only then did Bode let me strap my back foot into the board.
That was much, much worse, and I instantly went face first into the snow.
Bode went back to holding my hands, while Lucky demonstrated technique.
On my fifth attempt, I managed to stay upright for a solid ten seconds without his help before catching an edge and tumbling into the snow with a startled yelp.
I lay there laughing, snow down my collar and in my hair, experiencing pure delight.
"Having fun eating snow?" Bode peered down at me with an expression that wasn’t a smile but wasn’t his usual careful blankness either.
"Delicious," I grabbed a handful and tossed it at him.
He dodged easily, his reflexes cat-quick, but the playful gesture seemed to crack his reserve a little more. When he helped me up this time, he let his hands linger on my waist, his face close to mine in a way that made my breath catch despite the cold.
"You’re not bad for a beginner," he said, his murmur low enough that only I could hear. "Good balance."
"I played soccer in school," I brushed snow from my pants. "Decent lower body control."
"I remember." His eyes darkened with a different kind of memory. Last night’s activities had put my lower body control to the test.
Lucky slid up beside us, cheeks flushed with cold and exertion, eyes bright. "If I’d known this was what it would take to get Bode outside, I would have bought you a snowboard weeks ago, Wade."
Bode’s face closed off at the reminder, but not completely. Progress.
We continued for another hour, with me gaining confidence on the board as Lucky hiked up a bit higher so she could take a longer run.
By my twentieth attempt, I could control my direction somewhat, making gentle turns by shifting my weight as Bode instructed.
The sensation was incredible, the board responding to subtle movements, the snow hissing beneath it, the sense of gliding rather than walking.
"This is amazing!" I shouted after completing my longest run yet, pumping my fist in the air. "I’m doing it!"