Page 88 of Rise After Fall

“Good morning,” I whisper as I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“This is going to be a rough day, isn’t it?” she asks.

“Probably.”

In more ways than one.

She sits up and stretches her arms above her head.

“We’d better get ready. We’re going to be so busy today,” she says.

We get to our feet, and she heads down the hallway to the bathroom.

“I’ll see you on the slopes,” I say as I make for the door.

“Morris,” she calls.

I look back at her.

“You don’t think I’m gross now, do you?” she asks, her voice barely a whisper.

I let go of the handle and stomp my way to her.

“Fuck no,” I say before taking her mouth in a claiming kiss.

I pick her up off her feet and walk us into the bathroom. I keep a grip on her while I reach and turn on the shower. Then, I set her on her feet and slowly strip her of her clothing. Then, I kick out of mine and lead us under the warm spray.

Her tears mingle with the water as I take the bar of soap in my hands and begin to lather her body.

She stands and lets me take care of her.

It’s a precious moment.

One I commit to memory.

Once we are both clean, I wrap us in towels.

“Thank you,” she whispers as I run another over her hair.

“I get to take a shower with a beautiful woman, and she’s thanking me?” I quip.

She giggles.

“Come on, boss lady. Let’s get you dressed. You’ve gotboss ladyshit to do today.”

Joanna meets us on the porch.

“Are you okay?” she asks Zoey.

Zoey looks from her to me. “Not yet, but I will be.”

She throws an arm around Joanna’s shoulders, and the two of them walk ahead of me toward the mess hall.

We join the rest of the crew for pancakes and bacon, and we all head to the slopes as a group.

Zoey goes over the day’s schedule as we go.

When we make it to the locker room, Scooter yells, “Go team!”