On the Slopes

By Bridie Hall

Snowboarding means everything to Charlise, but she hasn’t met Sam Miller yet.

Charlise is a snowboarder with a promising career ahead of her. Despite the fact that her father hates her risking her life on the slopes that had taken the life of Charlise’s mother she is determined not to give up her career the way her mother did when she fell pregnant. Charlise wants to win medals, lots of them.

The last distraction Charlise needs is the American freestyle champion, Sam Miller, who utterly enthrals her with his wit and friendliness. Refusing to risk her career for a relationship, Charlise returns home for Christmas, determined to sort things out with her father. But the holidays culminate in an epic fight, and with a repeat of the painful breakup with Sam. However, new discoveries from her family’s past might change Charlise’s mind about Sam …

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
• Release date: Dec 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781939590695

Bridie Hall

Bridie Hall sold her first story at fourteen. Since then, she has written dozens more, translated books, studied writing, and started writing novels. Her days revolve around stories and words, her sleepless nights involve plotting and inventing fascinating new characters. The only activity that takes up more of her time than writing, is reading.

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On the Slopes

Bridie Hall

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, places, or events is coincidental and not intended by the author.

If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case the author has not received any payment for this stripped book.

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On the Slopes

Copyright © 2015 Bridie Hall

All rights reserved.

ISBN: ebook- 978-1-939590-69-5

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Inkspell Publishing

5764 Woodbine

Pinckney, MI 48169

Edited By Laura Garland

Cover art By Najla Qamber

You can visit us at www.inkspellpublishing.com

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The copying, scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.  Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Chapter 1

’Sup, Charlie? Sam ruffled her hair as he passed her on his way back from the bathroom.

I hope you washed your hands. Charlise had wanted to evade this. Spending a week in a cabin in Sweden was a waste of her time, but her sponsor demanded it. She was supposed to be part of a promotional film they would shoot there. Some of the best men freestyle snowboarders would be her co-stars, but she didn’t know any of them very well. She had the impression they all pretty much behaved like a bunch of frat boys.

Thor laughed. "She’s protesting now. Just you wait when you get her alone. She’ll beg you not to wash your hands to get a taste."

Can you be any grosser? She sent him a disgusted look over her shoulder.

You can pretend all you want, but I know the truth.

She didn’t rise to the challenge. His type was all talk, no action. She rolled her eyes at Sam who still stood between her and the kitchen table.

I washed my hands. He smirked, and she couldn’t help but smirk back.

The boys’ skills on the slopes the first day had impressed Charlise. Spending the second day indoors because of rain had given her the chance to get to know them better. Todd and Thorsten were older than her, twenty-six, maybe twenty-seven, but Sam Miller was two years her junior—although maturity didn’t always correspond to age. More often than not, Sam seemed to be the more level-headed one of the trio, and she’d gotten into the habit of referring to the other two as T-square in her mind. They both displayed idiotic and crude behavior where Sam proved mischievous and funny.

The three of them sat at the kitchen table, playing cards—a game the rules of which she didn’t understand, probably due to her French upbringing. One of the cameramen, Josh, joined them so they could play in pairs. She lay sprawled on the comfy couch in the middle of the room, surfing the Internet and texting her friend, Mia.

Although they didn’t include her, the debate didn’t end there. They kept going on and on about what women wanted and needed, and she suspected the whole purpose was to get a rise out of her as the only girl in the room. So she took the high road and ignored them.

As Sam got up from the table again, Thor said, Get me one, too.

Sam opened the fridge and grabbed a few beers, while Todd continued, You know the Miley twerking thing? Todd threw one of his cards on the pile. That’s child’s play to what real men do to girls like her.

Charlise grimaced.

You mean this? Sam attacked her, jumping onto the couch and squishing her under his weight.

Hey! she protested, but the others’ catcalls and whistling drowned out her breathless word. She laughed at Sam’s grinning face. Still, she hit him on the head with a pillow. Jerk!

You like it, admit it, he teased.

Whatever. Just get off me.

Get a room, you two, Todd said from the table.

No way, I’d love to see this show, Thor said.

He wanted to watch? Pervert! But before she could express her opinion, Sam pushed up on one hand and moved off her. She was an athlete, her body a well-trained machine, but his strength still amazed her.

Since she