“Shannon?” A vaguely familiar voice came from her left.
“Shannon, I thought that was you. I knew you were going to be here this week. I was hoping we’d run into each other again.”
As the woman rambled Shannon finally recognized her. Gail. She couldn’t think of her last name, if she even knew it in the first place, but she did remember the night she had spent with the tall blonde.
“Gail, how have you been?” Shannon asked hoping she’d gotten the name right.
• 77 •
JuliE CaNNoN
“Fine, but I’m much better now that you’re here.” She stepped closer, and Shannon saw Gail’s eyes drift over her body. The simmer reflecting back at her told Shannon that Gail knew what lay beneath her shorts and TKS emblazoned T-shirt.
Shannon’s body remembered Gail. Her pulse began to beat a little faster and that familiar tingle in her groin told her she was more than ready for some fun. It had been several weeks since the last time she had been with someone and that was about the maximum she could go without feeling edgy and cranky.
Maybe that was her problem with Caroline. The memories of her and Caroline together were igniting an already smoldering itch.
Her body was craving attention and slamming into her past was like throwing fuel on a fire.
This had to stop. She had to quit thinking about Caroline, what they had and what it was like. It was over, done, history. This was the here and now. Caroline was after her trophy. Her spot atop the mountain.
Shannon had never really been all that competitive; her skill on the bike came naturally. If she put her mind to it, she would win and win big, but if not, she was okay with a second or an occasional third place finish. She had money of her own thanks to her lucrative endorsements.
She owned her home in Denver and her cabin in Big Bear free and clear.
She had several cars in her garage and the world at her fingertips.
She had no burning need to win the championship; it was just what she did—win races. She didn’t need to prove something to herself or anyone else. She knew how good she was and so did the rest of the mountain biking world.
Her fan base followed her around the globe. Where they got their money to hang out with a bunch of gear heads she had no idea, and frankly, didn’t care. They talked bikes, gear ratios, and with very little encouragement she could get them to talk dirty in her ear in the middle of the night.
“Shannon?”
The sound of her name brought her back to her present surroundings.
Gail was standing right in front of her, and while Shannon took a stroll down memory lane, Gail had moved closer.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
• 78 •
Descent
Gail winked at her and leaned in. “I asked if you wanted to hook up again. I remember having a mind-bending good time.”
Gail was so close her breath tickled Shannon’s ear. She didn’t have to whisper; there was no one within twenty yards of them. An involuntary shudder ran down Shannon’s spine when Caroline’s face popped into her brain.
“Sure, why not? Let’s go.” Shannon grabbed Gail’s hand and pulled her toward the nearest dark corner. She had had it with Caroline Davis messing with her mind. She was rich, famous, and young. There was plenty of life to live and she’d be goddamned if she would continue to have her panties in a bunch over one woman. There were dozens, if not three times that many, for her to choose from. If any woman didn’t want her, then she didn’t want her. With Gail giggling loudly, Shannon stepped behind a delivery truck.
• 79 •
• 80 •
Descent
ChaPTER TEN
The next three days were a blur of photo ops, sponsor commitments, and practice runs. By the end of each day, Caroline was exhausted. The added stress of actually trying to win the race almost seemed secondary, but the reality was overwhelming.
Caroline had competed at this level for several years and one race was basically the same as the next. What made this race so special was the one before and the nine after. It wasn’t just one race that made the difference, even though one race could be the difference between standing on the top box of the winner’s stand and standing on the second or third box.
The world championship was the one thing Caroline wanted. What she had worked for. Sure, she had gone to school for what seemed like forever and all she had left was to spend three hours defending her thesis and she’d be able to put Ph.D. behind her name. But this was hers. No one could help her with this. Not her parents, who had packed up their travel trailer and cheered her on at every race in the country and most outside as well. Fran was her best friend, but all she could do was offer words of encouragement and change her bandages when she was injured. Her sponsors provided her the tools to win, but only she could do it.
The night before the first qualifying heats, Caroline was restless, too restless to sit in her room. Fran had tried to interest her in a game of cards or a movie on the hotel pay-per-view movie channel, even going so far as to suggest they watch a porn movie and have a private moment with themselves under the sheets.
• 81 •
JuliE CaNNoN
“Are you nuts!” was Caroline’s response to that one. “I have to sit on a saddle as wide as pencil lead, barrel down a mountain at thirty miles an hour with nothing between me and Mother Earth, and you want me to fuck myself?”
“I just thought it would relax you. You’ve been so uptight the last few days.”
“I’ve been uptight because I have a race to win. A very big race.”
Caroline emphasized the last few words. “I can’t race with my legs feeling like over-cooked spaghetti noodles and my clit so sensitive I can’t even walk. What are you thinking? Are you intentionally trying to sabotage me?”
Fran held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. So maybe this isn’t a good time for a little one-on-one. I’ve never seen you so nervous. Yes, I know this is a very big race,” Fran repeated Caroline’s description, “but you never let these things get to you.”
Fran was right. Caroline was rarely nervous about much of anything. She always came fully prepared no matter if it were a mid-term, a job interview, or a race. If she hadn’t mastered it by now, there was nothing left to do.
Caroline knew what it was. Shannon was getting to her. Hell, Shannon had gotten to her the minute their eyes finally met after all these years. She was her nemesis on the mountain, her competitor for the championship, and the first girl she had freely given her heart to.
She had been able to maintain distance, both physically and emotionally, from Shannon for years. The only time she really thought about her was at these races. They crossed paths and occasionally stood beside each other on the winner’s stand, but had never said anything more than a casual hello. So why now?
“Let’s go for a walk,” Caroline said.
Fran glanced at the clock. “Now it’s your turn to be nuts. It’s after ten.” “Come on; who cares? You’re my best friend, and as such, in charge of my emotional well-being. Since you think I need a distraction it’s your responsibility to come with me.” To Caroline it was as simple as that.