Page 4 of Avalanche (Endless Winter #3)

“ Mon chou ,” Antoine chides, tugging on Liam’s arm. “You’re acting like it’s midnight. Who eats dinner before eight at night anyway?”

“Um, most people.” Eddie retorts, launching himself from where he’s sprawled across the couch.

He grins at me, then shoots Matty a look of challenge before swatting me on my backside.

I gasp in surprise at the sharp sting. Matty lunges for him, but Eddie darts away, skirting out of Matty’s reach, heading into the kitchen and the safety of Seth’s presence.

“You guys shouldn’t have waited.” Guilt twists in my stomach alongside hunger. I’ve told them this before, I’m sure I have. “It’s not your job to feed me.”

Liam releases his hold on Antoine to stalk over to me, pushing Matty aside in the process.

At first, I think he’s going to kiss me and I freeze, stunned at the rare show of affection.

He leans forward, but instead of slanting his lips against mine, he drags his nose along the column of my throat, sniffing me.

Heat rushes through me, a pale shimmer of want below the blanket of exhaustion.

Liam pulls back, his eyes narrowing. “Why do you smell like the soap at the gym?”

I square my shoulders defensively. “I was just swimming laps.”

“You were training.” He drops the words like an accusation.

“No, I was swimming.”

“She basically fell over the moment she came home,” Eddie chips in unhelpfully, grinning gleefully from the kitchen. “Couldn’t even get her boots off.”

Matty shoots me a concerned look. “Baby, is that true?”

“I just sat down,” I argue weakly.

“Unintentionally,” Eddie points out. “Which is the definition of falling.”

Liam lifts his phone from his pocket, waving it as if it is proof of whatever point he’s trying to make. “Tessa texted me. She said that she told you to take a break from training.”

He grips my chin in his hands, forcing me to meet his eyes with my own. His eyes look like storm clouds, dark and heavy. I swallow.

“Swimming laps is not taking a break, is it love?” The words come out on a low purr.

I shake my head, warmth blooming beneath my skin at his touch. “No,” I whisper.

“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?”

“Oh yeah.” A slow grin spreads Eddie’s face. “You forget I was at Cardrona last season with you. You coached the junior snowboard team kids for what, three months?”

“Two and half,” Liam clarifies, as if that two weeks makes some sort of crucial difference. “And it was only three days a week.”

“Yeah, okay. Well, I’m pretty sure I saw you buying them all hot chocolates that day the storm closed in. You know, when you guys got stuck at the cafe for an hour.”

Liam grumbles out some inaudible response.

“And there was that other time you made me dress up as Pengi to come down to base and cheer up one of your kids after he’d broken his arm.”

Liam scrubs at the back of his neck.

“Pengi is the mascot,” Eddie explains to the rest of us. “Basically, some poor instructor—usually me—has to wear this super heavy penguin costume that’s impossible to see out of and get swarmed by little kids on skis. It’s fucking terrifying to be honest.”

“It sounds like it,” Antoine agrees, but I can see he’s biting back a smile, his green eyes dancing with mirth as he watches Liam squirm with discomfort.

“And then there was that other time you had a go at some new instructor about not using the right teaching techniques for his group of kids…”

“He was teaching them like they were adults,” Liam retorts, his tone laced with disgust. “Giving them all this technical information that was way over their heads. Kids just want you to show them what to do and then make it into a game. Everyone knows that.” He looks around the table expectantly.

Matty squirms in his seat, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “I… I didn’t know that.”

Liam gives a dismissive wave. “Yes, you do. I’ve seen you teach. You’re great with the kids.”

“And so are you, by the sounds of it,” Seth comments. There’s a satisfied smile curving his lips, a gentle glow spreading beneath his scruff covered cheeks.

Liam jolts, as if struck by Seth’s words. “What?”

“All the things he said.” Seth tilts his chin towards Eddie. “That isn’t what someone who dislikes kids would do.”

“I don’t dislike kids,” Liam argues.

“Mate. You literally just said you didn’t like kids two seconds ago,” Eddie points out.

“That’s not what I meant,” Liam says on an exasperated exhale. “I meant…”