AVALANCHE

Chapter 5

"Where'd Dan go?" Ava asked from beside me.

I flinched and stopped spinning my empty beer. I looked up at her. "To the bar."

She nodded and took her seat.

Paulo sat next to her, scooting his chair closer to her and grinning. I gave him a smile before looking up at the man behind him.

He was tall, at least 6'3", lean and muscular in his black button-up and dress slacks. A gray vest sat over his shirt, accentuating his athletic build in a way that I didn't mind one bit. Like Paulo, he had to be thirty or just under. His skin was pale and flawless, and an undertone of color hinted at some Native heritage. He had a more prominent nose, but it was well suited to his face with his defined cheekbones and strong jawline, with shading where hair lay just under the clean-shaven surface. His lips were on the thinner side and hard looking as they frowned. Thick black hair topped his head. It was cut neatly and styled like it was trying to be on the professional side, but the straight hair just wouldn't quite lie down. Thick black brows sat above hard black eyes. When those eyes landed on me, they made me feel exposed, like he could see everything.

He was handsome to the point that my stomach fluttered at the sight of him, but I'd met several good-looking men. It didn't mean there was anything of interest there. Then again, something about his all-seeing eyes grabbed my attention and demanded he stay at the center of it.

Chance pulled back the chair next to Paulo with long fingers and sat in one fluid, surprisingly graceful move. He sat with a straight back, looking as frigid and stiff as I'd ever seen anyone look.

"Chance, Ryann." Paulo gestured between us.

I smiled at Chance. Those hard eyes were still on me. He gave me a nod of greeting before looking away from the table altogether, completely disinterested. Well, that was a blow to the ego. I was a decent-looking girl, but apparently, my looks didn't do it for this icicle of a man.

I looked at Ava and raised a brow.

She cleared her throat. "So, you two big skiers?"

Paulo laughed. "Oh, hell no. Chance refuses to put on anything that slips, rolls, or moves on its own."

My stomach twisted and fluttered again.

Ava let out a surprised laugh. "Ryann says the exact same thing."

Chance's eyes flicked to me, but the moment they met mine, they darted away.

Paulo gave me a much friendlier look. "Is that so?"

I shrugged. "I don't like to fall on my ass." I didn't see what was so strange about that, but people always thought it was weird or quirky. Brinklynn City was a few hours away from Mount Rika, so it wasn't uncommon for people to be big into skiing and snowboarding and all that other crap. It was strange that I met someone who felt the same as me at a ski resort, no less. Too bad he wouldn't talk to me. Or look at me.

I took a swig of my beer, finding it empty and frowning at myself for forgetting. Where was Dan? The dynamic going on now made me feel like Chance and I were being set up on possibly the worst blind date ever.

Ava didn't seem to notice, though. She was totally wrapped up in Paulo, who was whispering something in her ear. She laughed and looked at the dance floor before nodding and turning to me. "We're going to dance. That alright?"

I gave her a smile and a nod. I could handle Mr. Standoffish until Dan came back.

Paulo gave Chance a little head nod and led Ava to the club side by the hand.

Though there were noises all around us, the silence between Chance and me was tense and grating. Ava seemed to really like Paulo, and for her, I would try my best.

"Would you rather eat steak or cheeseburgers?"

Chance's dark eyes shot back to me, and though I couldn't pinpoint where it changed, his expression appeared bemused. I preferred that to the stony facade I'd seen so far. His fingers drummed on the side of his glass of dark liquor.

"Steak." His voice was deep and rumbly and as cold as his eyes.

I leaned back in my chair and twirled my empty bottle on the tabletop. "I'm more of a cheeseburger person myself. Would you choose burgers if they didn't have cheese?"

His eyebrow twitched. "No." Chance's voice was almost soft, and I liked it a little too much.

I placed my elbow on the table and my chin in my hand. "Interesting. Are you a health nut?"

That eyebrow twitched lower. I had that all-seeing stare entirely focused on me now. "No."

"Me neither. Okay," I thought about it, "sports car or pickup?"

"Are you quizzing me?"

"Is that a problem?" I asked with a slight smirk.

"Why are you quizzing me?"

At least he'd moved on from one-word answers.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you a man of mystery?"

"No." His tone was stern.

"Then answer the question."

Both brows twitched this time. I was gonna shake that stony facade with my sledgehammer of awesome questions.

"Sportscar."

"Agreed. Neon pink or black?" I asked, glad to get this ball rolling.

"Is that a serious question?"

"Of course."

"Pink." His lips twitched, and his fingers drummed against his glass, but his eyes were wholly focused on me.

I snorted. "Liar."

"I don't lie."

"Double liar."

Chance's lip twitched again, but he said nothing.

Suddenly, Dan appeared at my side, sliding a beer in front of me and smiling. He placed his hand on the back of my chair.

"Dan, this is Chance." I waved between them, and when I looked at Chance, I couldn't help but notice how hard his whole face looked at he stared at Dan.

Dan gave Chance a whatever nod before leaning down to whisper in my ear. "There's a girl by the bar that invited me back to her room. I'm thinking about going with her."

My stomach knotted. Dan wasn't a one-night stand kind of guy. I looked at him and saw the hurt in the tightness of his dull eyes. He shook out his hands before rubbing his left elbow.

"If you think it'll help," I offered.

Dan gave me a grin that rang false. "Thanks, Ry." He leaned in, kissed my cheek, then headed back toward the bar.

I watched him go for a long second before turning back to Chance. "Tacos or burritos?"

His jaw clenched. "Are you serious?"

I reared back. "Yes?"

"Do you not believe in loyalty?" Chance's voice was pure arctic ice.

"Excuse me?"

"You flirt with me while your boyfriend is off fetching you a drink? Do you have no shame, or are you just heartless?"

Flirting? I did not flirt. A fuzzy sort of roar filled my ears, and my veins ignited with liquid fire.

What. A. Prick.

I held up a hand and lifted my chin. "Let me stop you there, asshole. A, Dan is not my boyfriend. He's my best friend. B, how dare you assume that me making conversation is flirting with you. Can people not just talk without it being assumed that they want to f**k?" I shoved back my chair, stood, then chugged my beer before slamming the empty bottle back to the tabletop. "And C, have a great evening."

I didn't need to spend my night forced to sit with a noncommunicative, judgmental asshole.

I stormed over to the club side and quickly spotted Ava and Paulo dancing close in the middle of the floor. When I reached them, I tugged on Ava's arm until she stopped and turned to face me, frowning. Paulo, however, looked like he knew exactly what this was about as he sighed. Something about his expression and the way his hand wrapped around Ava's waist gave me pause. I didn't want to ruin their night.

"What's wrong?" Ava had to yell to be heard over the music.

I leaned in so I wouldn't have to. "Dan left to hook up with someone, and I'm tired. I'm going to head back early."

"Oh Ryann, no." She glanced at Paulo before facing me fully, like the good friend she was. "I'll go with you."

I shook my head. "No, stay and have fun. Paulo's nice."

She gave me a soft smile. "He is. Did something happen?"

I waved off her concern. "His friend is an ass, but I handled it."

She laughed. "I have no doubt that you did. I'm so sorry, Ryann. I'll go with you."

I shook my head again. "No, really. Stay. Dance. Have fun."

Ava stepped away from Paulo and linked her arm with mine. "Nope. Let's go." She started leading me away.

I had to force myself to not look at Paulo as guilt swamped my chest. "I didn't mean to ruin your night."

Ava shrugged, but it was tight. "It's fine. The best it could be was a fling anyway, and that's not my style."

I sighed and let her lead me out of the bar, all the while feeling those cold black eyes boring into my back.