Silence stretched between them, the air taut, supercharged with emotion. Yet it felt good to be communicating on a real level for a change.
"I can remember another question, it's kind of serious though," Jake admitted. "It made me think. It was 'If you were going to die tonight what's the one thing you'd regret never having told someone."
Emily broke eye contact, staring pensively into the fire.
"Do you want me to go first?" he asked.
She nodded, turning slowly back to face him.
"I'm afraid." Jake sighed, forcing himself to keep looking at her. "I'm scared of the future. I placed all my eggs in one basket and then fell over and squashed the bloody thing…"
"And now you have no eggs." Emily replied, and he saw empathy in her expression. "Neither have I. I know exactly what you mean."
"The next Winter Games will be too late for me, I'll be too old by competing standards so that's it…" He inhaled sharply. "Everything I worked towards gone, just like that. And now I have to find something else to do with my life."
She squeezed his hand and he was glad she didn't offer him any platitudes this time.
"So, what's your thing?" He asked, keen to change the subject.
"I'm a coward," she shrugged. "I knew Steve, that's my ex-boyfriend, didn't love me but the thought of throwing away all our plans, making myself homeless and starting all over again was too much for me. I had to wait for him to break up with me. I feel really ashamed for being so weak."
"That just makes you human," Jake stroked her hands, trailing circular strokes up the inside of her wrist. "Don't beat yourself up, life's too short."
"Is that a platitude from Mr. Grumpy?" Emily leant forward so that their lips were almost touching.
"I guess it is," he said. "You must've rubbed off on me."
She arched an eyebrow and he grinned.
"Oh, I think I can remember another of the questions," she said. We have to find three things in common."
"Okay, number one - neither of us have eggs, or baskets for that matter." Scott grinned, surprised that he was finding it so easy to talk to Emily.
"That's true but it means we're both free to start over," Emily said resolutely. “That can be number two."
"Yes, you've got me thinking too," he said. "After the op I'm not sure I want to go home. I'm not going to be up to competing but I could drive a skidoo, do some guiding or teaching. I'd like to stay in the mountains and it would be good to be near friends."
"That could be number three - We both have great friends, even if they do have meddling matchmaker tendencies."
"That's true," Emily agreed. "I think I can remember another one. Let's do one more question. We have to say something we're grateful for."
Jake mock groaned. "Really, you're making me do the positivity thing?"
"Yes, I am. I, for one, am really grateful that I'm not alone right now," Emily whispered.
"Me too," Jake said, squeezing her hands. They were perfectly warm by now but he'd held on and she hadn't pulled away.
"Shall we do the staring thing now?" Emily asked, biting her lower lip.
Does she know biting her lip turns me on?
"Why not," Jake agreed. "I'll set the timer on my phone."
He fished in his pocket and pulled out his phone.
"Okay, ready, steady, go.… "
He grinned, trying not to laugh. She giggled and then settled down, arranging her face into a serious expression. They sat opposite each other, knees touching, her hands in his. It should've been awkward yet somehow it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
As they sat and stared he noticed every fleck of grey in her eyes, saw the darkened pupils dilating, felt the cord of connection binding him to another human being.
Scott had been right, this was what he needed. Not sex as such but connection, something to anchor him, to remind him of a world of possibilities.
To remember that he wasn't alone.
More than that he sensed he needed Emily, needed her kindness, her hope and her refusal to be intimidated by his black moods.
A sensation of peace stole over him, a deep calm radiating through his body. Even the pain in his leg didn't bother him so much now as the anger slowly drained away.
This time he didn't look away, didn't flinch from the intimacy he knew wouldn't break him but would make him stronger and give him hope of life after the operation.
When the timer on Jake's phone went off Emily smiled but didn't break eye contact. She hoped he was feeling the same sense of connection as her. Was he? He'd kissed her first after all, so he must like her.
I should be feeling nervous but I've never been more sure in my life.
Would it have worked if she'd done this staring thing with Steve? Somehow she doubted it. Surely it had to be the right person to start with?
"We could zip the sleeping bags into one big sleeping bag if you like?" She asked carefully, testing the ground. "It might be warmer…"
"Warmer, yes." Jake grinned, grazing her chin lightly with his stubble as he leant forward to kiss her. He pulled her into an embrace, lips teasing her, teeth gently biting her lower lip.
His hands roamed over her body, up beneath her hoodie, tugging down the zip of her Salapettes. Seized by a sense of urgency she responded, tugging off her clothes, pulling at his zip, wanting to touch him.
Needing him to touch her.
On a pile of discarded clothes and sleeping bags she knelt in her underwear, watching as Jake pulled the last of his own clothes off. She admired his muscled torso and firm thighs and his.… frankly huge erection. When he pulled her towards him it pressed hard against her stomach as he kissed her. She grew wet between her legs just thinking about how it would feel thrusting inside her.
She felt wanton and hot, and the most alive she'd felt in ages.
Slowly he teased the edges of her knickers down, his lips now on her neck and his breath ragged and warm against her skin. His hands cupped her bare buttocks and squeezed.
She shuddered with pleasure, embarrassed by how quickly her body responded to his touch. She leant against him, gasping as he slid two fingers inside her. He lightly teased her clit with his thumb but then withdrew, leaving her bereft and practically panting for him.
He smiled wickedly, clearly enjoying his effect on her as much as she liked her obvious effect on him. Then he slowly undid her bra and discarded it, cupped her breasts with his bare hands. Her nipples grew hard against his palms, responding to his touch.
Jake wanted her. This sexy winter games athlete wanted her. She was desirable.
And she felt it. In his hands, in this tiny hut in the middle of nowhere, she felt womanly and powerful. She'd helped Jake after all. She’d made him smile. Maybe not quite in the way she'd planned, but…
And he'd helped her, broken through the barriers she'd erected. Smashed through them, more like.
This felt real. Alive. Heightened senses making her tremble with anticipation.
He kissed her again and their tongues met hungrily, tasting, probing and exploring. She ran her hands over his body. His muscles felt hard to the touch, his buttocks high and round. She tentatively squeezed, reveling in his gasp of pleasure and the stiff erection twitching against her stomach.
He moved her down to the tangle of clothes and bedding on the floor. The ground felt hard despite the sleeping mats but Emily didn't care. Especially not when his hand slipped between her thighs and began to tease her again. Her legs parted instinctively for him. When he slid two fingers back inside her she contracted around them, throbbing as she convulsed. She practically bucked off the ground, so strong was the wave of pleasure that swept through her when his thumb caressed her clit.
"I want you inside me," she gasped. "Do you have any, you know…protection?"
Jake's breath was hot against her ear, his stubble grazing her neck, a delightful friction that made her skin tingle all over.
He reached out, fumbling until he found his ja
cket. She saw the gleam of foil reflecting firelight and sighed with relief, not sure she'd have had the strength to refuse him if he hadn't had any.
He sheathed himself and with one thrust he was pressing at her sex and then inside her, one hand grasping her breast and the other easily supporting his weight on the floor. There was a flash of pain on his face, presumably from his injured leg, but he barely seemed to register it.
He continued to thrust inside her, within minutes tipping her over the edge into orgasm. As she gripped him tight he convulsed inside her and she lay floating, happy and content.
"Short but sweet." He eventually lowered himself next to her. "It's your fault for being irresistible."
She glowed with pleasure. "Well, we…could do it again, once you're ready? I'm happy to help out with those oxytocin thingies. And I could go on top, it might be easier with…you know, your leg?"
"Sounds good to me." He replied, squeezing her hand. "You know Holly's going to be smug when she realises she got us together."
Emily smiled next to him. "Oh yes, unbearably smug."
Now wasn’t the right time to look too far into the future, a future that felt so uncertain for both of them. But after all they'd been through this was good and she'd enjoy it without analysing or worrying about what would happen next.
At least they now both had a hope of something 'next'. A possibility of a new, different future.
She felt free. And this had been so much easier than trying to make herself believe affirmations.
"So, why were you so determined to be positive all the time?" Jake pulled the sleeping bags up and zipped them together so they lay cocooned in the warm down.
"I was listening to a book on the flight out here about positivity," Emily admitted. "It seemed to make sense, after all before I flew out to Switzerland I was doing nothing but focusing on the negative and that kind of made me feel like walking off a cliff."
"I'm not saying it's not helpful but with all these things I think you have to take what works and use it. You know, not be too rigid about it." Jake pulled her close and she sighed with pleasure at the skin on skin contact.
"Maybe you're right," she agreed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Hmm, these oxy-whatsits are good stuff."
This is great. Why did I try to overthink it? I like him, he likes me. Our friends approve. That's as good a starting point as any.
"Oxytocin." Jake laughed. "You know, we should make up our own philosophy. We could write a book."
"Yeah, because we're so sorted," Emily snorted. "How about 'live in the moment'?"
"I think that one's been done, several times over with the mindfulness movement and the power of now." Jake replied.
"Hmm, I don't know then."
"I do," Jake said. "We'll call it 'Whatever Works For You'. Seriously, anything that helps you through, well except drugs obviously…"
"Like these oxytocin hormones?" Emily stroked the firm flesh of his back, pressing the length of her body up against him.
"I'll definitely take some of those, if they're on offer," he murmured, nuzzling her neck.
"Well in the interests of science we should repeat the experiment, don't you think?"
As Jake reached out for her again she remembered her visualization, during the taxi ride to Chalet Repos. Maybe there was something in it after all?
But then this was far better than she ever could've imagined.
Also by Lorraine Wilson…
Confessions of a Chalet Girl
Secrets of a Chalet Girl
Revenge of a Chalet Girl
Secret Crush of a Chalet Girl
Coming soon from Lorraine Wilson…
Tap the cover to pre-order now.
Lorraine Wilson
I live in Wiltshire with my husband but love to travel and have lived in four continents. From playing amidst Roman ruins in Africa as a child to riding a Sultan's racehorse in the Middle East as a teen, I’ve many experiences to draw on for the stories I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. When I’m not writing you'll find me listening to audiobooks while I sew or design handbags, usually with a rescue terrier or two curled up on my feet!
www.facebook.com/LorraineWilsonWriter
@Romanceminx
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Chalet Girl Plays Cupid: (A Free Short Story) (Ski Season, Book 6) Page 5