Best to remember that before tearing all his clothes off the next chance she got.
They neared a clearing and her excitement rose. She’d always been a strong skier and she was looking forward to the first exhilarating pass down the mountain. She could also use the distraction and distance from Reed.
She looked through the small window at the mountains moving closer. Another helicopter had touched down already and several skiers were preparing for their run, strapping into snowboards.
When was the last time she’d felt this excited about something?
“We’re going to set down about two miles from here,” the helicopter pilot announced through their headsets as he began their descent.
Reed gave a thumbs-up and turned to look at her. “Ready for the thrill of your life?”
Erika read his lips more than she heard the words and she gripped the bench seat tightly.
She suspected ready or not, she was going to get it.
* * *
REED MAY HAVE exaggerated when he said he had heli-skied before. He’d gone on countless search and rescues for heli-skiing days gone wrong, but he’d never actually skied the untracked powdered slopes himself.
Mainly because of the higher price tag on the day adventure. But the look of pure adrenaline on Erika’s face as they disembarked the copter moments later made him glad he’d dipped into his savings. Her dark hair whipping around her rosy cheeks as she took in the breathtaking scenery at the top of the mountain was stealing his breath...and his focus.
He barely heard a word their guide said and he hoped his team wouldn’t be out rescuing him later that day.
“Um...are you sure these fat skis are a good idea?”
The guide nodded. “Absolutely. They feel a little weird, but they will help make the transitioning to powder easier and make for a much smoother run. They’re the same as regular skis. The only difference is you need to keep your weight even on both, instead of pushing against that downhill ski. Got it?”
Reed nodded. So did Erika.
“So, we will start here on Bunny Hop, what we call our beginner run...it’s clear sailing straight to the bottom. Not many trees or ramps or sudden drops,” Garrett, their guide, said, snapping into his snowboard. “I know you both have skied before, but a few tips—keep your upper body facing down the fall line, hands forward and poles planted. Make sure to coil and uncoil through the few turns on this run and stand tall over your feet.”
They both nodded.
“And remember, there’s no need to lean into the back seat to keep those ski tips from diving—the fat skis got this. We cool?” He gave two thumbs-up.
“Got it.” Erika snapped into her skis and lowered her ski goggles, looking ready to go.
Only Reed hesitated as he stared down the wilderness slope. They were pretty freaking high, and that incline was steep for a beginner run. Luckily the weather conditions were great and he knew the company had emergency responders at the base of the hill... But these fat skis were odd.
“Your husband looks a little nervous,” Garrett said to Erika, nodding toward him.
The twentysomething professional snowboarder had come highly recommended for first-timers, but already Reed wasn’t a fan. Tall and muscular with a laid-back, casual charm, the guy reminded him of Tyler.
Erika shook her head. “Not my husband...just a friend.” Her voice carried over the wind and echoed on the mountains around them.
Why did those words bother him? They were just friends. Barely friends, in fact.
That didn’t mean he liked the way the guy’s attention went from ski instructor friendly to full-on interested in a matter of seconds.
“And he’s just afraid I’m going to race him to the bottom,” she said.
Actually, right now the only thing he was nervous about was the overwhelming feelings of jealousy causing his jaw to tighten as the guy continued to flirt with her. His gaze drifted over her body, and Reed gripped his ski poles. “If he’s smart, he won’t let you get too far away,” Garrett said with a wink.
Erika’s flirty smile in return was too much. First Tyler, now Garrett. Erika was too beautiful for her own good. If she wasn’t careful, she’d get her heart broken by one of these mountain players. Moving between them, he blocked the other guy. “Are we going to ski or chat all day?”
She shot him an amused look. “See you at the bottom,” she said, pushing off and heading fearlessly down the mountainside.
He stood watching her sexy hips swish back and forth expertly as she left a cloud of powder behind her. She looked like a natural on the slopes. Her hair trailing behind her was a sharp contrast to the glistening white snow, and he almost forgot she’d challenged him to a race.
Garrett was also checking her out.
Reed held a gloved hand to the guy’s chest, as he went to push off. “When she said friend, she meant...good friend.”
“But not boyfriend?” Garrett said. “Snooze you lose, man,” he said, taking off after her.
Unbelievable. Reed knew one thing, he hadn’t paid a small fortune to have his girl swiped out from under him. Pushing off on his right ski, he took off down the mountain, flying past the guide, surprising himself by his speed. He didn’t plan on snoozing or losing.
He also didn’t want to wipe out and roll down the hill. Looking like an amateur next to the snowboard god wasn’t the way to win Erika’s attention. He slowed his pace slightly and tried to enjoy the ride, but seeing Garrett quickly approaching on his right, he regained his lightning speed.
Garrett laughed behind him, and Reed was fairly certain the guy was letting him win. Didn’t matter. He’d take the nondeserved victory.
Out of breath and amazed he hadn’t died, Reed stopped several feet from the chalet, then made his way toward Erika.
“Wow! That was crazy,” she said, her windblown hair messy around her flushed cheeks as she raised her ski goggles up over her hat.
“Yeah, crazy...” At the moment he didn’t care about the run. In fact, on a mission, he’d barely paid attention to it. “Listen, if our guide is acting like a jerk or making you uncomfortable, I can see if there’s someone else who can guide the rest of the day,” he said, fighting to catch his breath. Someone older and married, perhaps.
Garrett had reached the bottom and stood chatting with another instructor near the chalet. Both of the men were looking at Erika. Suddenly, Reed didn’t like the idea of any guide helping them out that day. He wanted to spend the day on the slopes with her. Just her.
She shook her head. “No, it’s cool. He’s cute.”
Cute? “You know, Erika, these mountain ski resort guys are real players. You should be careful around them.”
She raised an eyebrow, but her lips curled into an amused grin. “You’re acting like a babysitter again.”
Screw that. He took several strides closer and reached for her waist, awkwardly gliding her skis into the space between his. “That wasn’t my intention,” he said, brushing the hair away from her face. He saw her swallow hard as her eyes flitted between his.
“What was your intention?” she whispered, staring at his lips.
The chill of the air disappeared as heat rushed through him. Damn, he wanted this woman. Right or wrong. Smart or stupid. Didn’t matter. She was stirring up cravings he hadn’t experienced in a long time. And that delicious scent of vanilla was definitely coming from her lips, he decided.
He pulled her closer and bent at the knees slightly to lower his head toward hers. He studied her for any sign that he should stop, but she tilted her head slightly to the right as he went left. She wanted this.
“You two friends ready for another run?” Garrett’s voice interrupted the moment and Erika backed away slowly.
At the end of the day, Reed was filling out a customer complaint card. He forced a deep breath as he nodded. “Yep
.”
“We sure are,” Erika said, but her look told him to try that kiss again.
She didn’t have to worry. He had every intention of trying as often as it took to get a taste of those vanilla-flavored lips...and any other flavors she might taste like anywhere else.
* * *
BY LUNCHTIME, ERIKA HAD had enough of Reed and Garrett’s dick-measuring contest. Flattering at first that the twenty-two-year-old guide found her attractive, it was quickly turning unprofessional.
And Reed should really know better than to put his safety at risk, with his breakneck pace down the slopes, to try to impress her or win her attention.
He didn’t need to try. The more she got to know him, the more time she spent with him, the more impressed she was. She was attracted and interested and having a hard time focusing on skiing. Their almost kiss after the first run had her longing for another opportunity. His hands on her waist and the way he’d looked into her eyes had weakened her knees and filled her with anticipation.
“Here you go... One hot dog with just relish,” he said a moment later, handing her the barbecued hot dog and joining her at the picnic table on the outside patio of the small ski hut at the base of the mountain.
The outdoor lunch setup was beautiful, and the midday sun shining against the snow-covered mountains cast a glistening effect over the terrain. It was an experience she wouldn’t soon forget and it seemed Reed had gone all out to make sure of it. No one had made such an effort for her before.
“Thank you,” she said, unwrapping the foil. She took a bite, savoring the taste. She was starving, having worked up an appetite on the slopes. And she’d forgotten how much better food tasted in the outdoors. She swallowed the bite, then hesitated before saying. “You know you don’t have to compete with him, right?”
He turned to face her. “I’m not having to work that hard to match him on the slopes,” he said.
“I meant for my attention,” she said softly, touching his bare hand on the picnic table. His skin was warm below her cool flesh and he looked surprised by the gesture, but immediately took her hand in his.
“But you said we were just friends.”
“We are...but...” Her eyes couldn’t decide where to look. His crystal blues held a question she didn’t know the answer to and his full, pink, wind-chapped lips beckoned. He’d looked so sexy racing down each new, slightly more challenging slope. The unexpected intimacy that came with taking on these challenging trails had her struggling to resist the urge to touch him, kiss him all morning. The short helicopter runs back to the top of the mountain had never felt long enough, yet with each one, new undeniable sparks had gone off between their bodies.
Now she was touching him, and if she just leaned a little closer...
He made the decision easy for her. Wrapping his other arm around her waist, he pulled her closer on the bench, until one of her legs was draped over his. Cupping her chin with his free hand, he brought her mouth closer to his. “I’ve wanted to kiss you all day,” he murmured, his lips barely grazing hers.
She was on fire. Heat rushed through her core and anticipation was making it hard to steady her thundering pulse. “Well, what are you waiting for?” She was desperate for his mouth to meet hers. Dying to give in to the desire that had only made the morning that much more exciting and uncertain. The fact that she was craving this excitement and uncertainty, was starting to get addicted to the high, surprised her.
Where had her sensible, calculating, careful side gone?
And where the hell was her kiss?
Reed released her hand and cupped her face with his hands as he closed the tiny gap between their lips.
Finally.
She sucked in a breath. She didn’t plan on coming up for air anytime soon. She closed her eyes and sank closer.
Still no kiss.
She opened one eye. He was so close, staring at her.
“You are definitely not what I thought you were,” he said, pulling away slightly.
Both eyes open. More talking, really? “You really thought I was horrible?” She knew she came across all wrong in most situations. Her cold exterior was a shield she’d worn for so long and she wondered how many fantastic kisses she’d missed out on because of that. That, and the fact that she didn’t stop moving long enough for any guy to keep up. She gave no one the chance to get to know the real her.
What if they didn’t like what they found?
“Not horrible...just not this freaking amazing. You’re surprising the hell out of me and that doesn’t happen often,” Reed said. “I’m usually a good judge of character, but I’ve gotten you all wrong all these years.”
She swallowed hard, the world around them disappearing as she lost herself in his gaze, his arms, the gentle way his fingers stroked her cheek. Amazing. No man had even come close to complimenting her that way. She’d have settled for not horrible.
He was Cassie’s brother and that should be reason enough not to let things go any farther. Hell, she could list a dozen reasons—most of them having to do with her lack of experience with relationships, even casual, physical ones, but she suspected it was already too late to cool things between them. She didn’t want to.
He moved closer, but this time she pulled back. Suddenly, she had to know. “Why did you follow me that day?”
He didn’t ask for clarification. “Because I understood how you were feeling...and I didn’t want you to be alone.”
Of course his situation had been different—with his dad just disappearing one day without explanation—but of course he had understood how she was feeling. And at the time, she’d instinctively known it. “I’m glad you were there.”
He pulled her closer again. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Her heartbeat echoed on the mountains as his lips inched closer.
She was so ready for this kiss. He looked and smelled so great and he was saying all the right things, touching her and looking at her the way she longed to be touched, admired. She closed her eyes, feeling his breath against her mouth.
“You two better eat, we have more skiing to do,” Garrett said, leaning over the picnic table, his face suddenly just inches from theirs.
Seriously?
Luckily, he moved away, laughing again before Reed could deck him. “Son of a...” he muttered.
Erika silenced him by placing a small peck to his lips. Not the passionate, desire-filled one raging inside of her, but a soft, tender hint of what she hoped was to come.
“That was hardly enough,” he said, his voice husky.
“Well, maybe you can convince me to try again later,” she said, a flirty adrenaline soaring through her as she moved away and continued to eat her hot dog. Not that she was hungry anymore. She could survive solely on this incredible feeling forever.
“You better count on it.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“THANK YOU AGAIN for today,” Erika said as Reed pulled to the side of the road outside Cassie’s place. The sky was dark and the light snowfall that had started on their way back now blanketed the village with a pretty, glistening effect. Holiday lights on the lampposts and in the closed store windows created the perfect Christmas card scene.
Exhausted but rejuvenated from the day on the slopes, Erika was disappointed that it was coming to an end. Reed had held her hand in the helicopter several times during the afternoon runs, but as they’d moved to more challenging terrain, their focus had turned to the mountains, and while kissing was still in the back of her mind all afternoon, they’d both resisted.
Now that her safety was no longer at risk, the temptation of Reed’s lips was forefront in her mind.
“You’re welcome. You killed it out there,” Reed said, turning in his seat to face her.
He’d removed his jacket, and the way his black crewneck sweater hugged his biceps as he rested his arm
against the steering wheel almost made her mouth water. Watching him expertly move his body down the rugged terrain had her on fire.
“When did you learn to ski like that?” he asked, obviously as reluctant to end the day as she was.
“I took lessons for years. It was the only sport my dad thought was a good use of my time.” She hoped her strained relationship with her father wasn’t evident in her voice. She really didn’t want to end the day on anything other than a high.
“Your dad must be a great role model,” he said, and she heard a longing in his voice. No doubt getting through the troublesome, confusing teen years without his was tough. Reed had been close to his dad and his disappearance had hit him the hardest. She remembered the brief stint of rebellion he’d gone through—skipping school, getting in with the wrong crowd... Luckily his mother had been strong enough to set him straight again.
Funny how he envied her relationship with her father and she’d give anything to have a mother in her life.
“My father is a fantastic example. I’ve learned a lot from him.”
He squeezed her hand. “He may have been tough on you, but look how successful you are.”
Again, longing in his voice. Therefore, she didn’t argue. Her privileged upbringing wasn’t something to complain about. So, her father had never been there for her emotionally, but he’d provided everything else she’d needed. “You’re right.”
He glanced at the time on the dash. “Well, you have the place to yourself... Tank texted to say Diva can stay overnight with them. Kaia’s not allowed to get a dog, so any chance she has to keep Diva longer, she’s all over it.”
Cassie would be okay with that. Tank and his daughter were probably better at caring for Diva than Erika was anyway. And the dog’s reaction to seeing Kaia the day before assured Erika that Diva wouldn’t have any complaints.
“Take a hot bath to ease those aching muscles, have a glass of wine...” Reed continued, his voice going slightly hoarse as his gaze burned into hers.
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