by Julie Caplin
He exhaled loudly. ‘Wow, Mina, you pack a punch. I’m not sure which way is up at the moment.’ With one hand he rubbed at his chest over his heart, the action as much as the hoarse words making her heart sing.
‘Me neither.’
Luke’s kisses had knocked her for six, but it was rather lovely to hear that he was as affected as she was. She felt as if she’d just been through an earthquake, did he feel the same?
When she looked into his eyes, she saw the same dazed expression. They stared at each other for a few moments longer and then Luke’s cheeks dimpled. ‘What is it with you throwing yourself at me? That’s twice now. But I’m happy to avail. I’ve always fancied making out in the snow.’
‘I thought you were worried about getting frostbite.’ She arched a teasing eyebrow.
‘That’s the hiking. It all hangs out. I’m thinking warm caverns.’ His eyes twinkled with sudden naughtiness.
She burst out laughing. ‘That’s terrible.’
Despite her laughter at his blatant innuendo, it didn’t stop the dart of lust that hit right on the target, making her squirm discreetly. Damn, he wasn’t supposed to be this irresistible and she really shouldn’t be kissing him. This was halfway across the bridge, Luke was everything she didn’t want.
Chapter Nine
‘Ready?’
She shook her head.
‘You hurt?’
‘No, er… the kissing. We shouldn’t.’
‘We shouldn’t?’ Luke’s voice held a note of surprise. ‘Why not?’
‘Why not?’ she echoed. ‘Remember what I said the other day?’
‘I like kissing you. And there’s no law against kissing, unless you’re married with a dozen children to a guy that’s going to hunt me down and cause me violence. And I’m kind of guessing that there is no man in your life.’
‘And how do you come to that conclusion?’ She raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was about her that said: single and recently rejected.
‘Because if you had, there wouldn’t have been that instant connection the first time we kissed. I would have known.’
‘You’d have known from one kiss?’ She was starting to sound like an echo chamber.
He gave her a cocky smile. ‘Oh yes.’
She glowered at him feeling that she was losing control of this conversation. ‘No more kissing.’
‘OK,’ he said with a loose shrug.
Again, like the other day, a contrary part of her was irritated by how easily he’d accepted it. He could at least have put up a bit of a fight. She rolled to one side to try and get up and fell back down, her skis sliding away before she could get to her feet. ‘I mean it, Luke. We have to stop this.’
‘OK,’ he said again, a small smile tugging at that attractive lopsided mouth, as if he knew something she didn’t. ‘Here.’ He held out a hand and reluctantly she let him haul her up, immediately making herself busy brushing herself down, dusting the snow from her ski jacket and shaking out her hat, before righting her skis and clipping her boots back into place with determined resolution.
‘Thank you. Shall we go?’ Her tone was brusque and back to business. She was desperate to avoid the return of the previous flirty vibes that had been buzzing like happy bees in high summer.
‘Remember how to slow down? I don’t want you taking me out again. I don’t think my heart can take the strain.’
She let out a reluctant laugh in response to the cheerful expression on his face, relieved that Luke was able to carry on as normal and not sulk or be difficult about her putting the brakes on things.
‘I promise I’ll keep my hands off you in future,’ she said with a teasing smile, although inside she meant every word.
‘Yes, you with your pointy elbows and knees. You’re a dangerous woman. I might not survive a full-blown assault. Anyone would think you didn’t like me,’ he said with the chirpy confidence of someone who knew the exact opposite.
She purposefully ignored him and fiddled with the zip on her ski jacket before adjusting her hat.
‘Shall we go?’ she asked with a brisk smile. Thankfully Luke switched back to being businesslike, which was a relief for her wayward pulse, which was still sputtering about with hormone-induced craziness.
‘Right, from now on it’s a lot easier. We’re going downhill for most of the way with one little slope and then it’s easy. Just remember to keep your body forward, and if you want to slow down take one of your skis out of the trail, roll your knee, and ankle inwards to turn the tip of your ski. It’s a half snowplough, like you’d do in downhill. Want to practise before we really get going?’
Much as Mina wanted to say she’d be fine, for once sense overcame bravado. She didn’t want to run him down. Twice was careless but a third time might look like an invitation. So she practised the manoeuvre a couple of times while Luke watched with no sign of itching to be off again.
‘You’re a very good teacher,’ she said, feeling a lot more confident in her ability to control her skis. ‘Very patient. I feel like I’m holding you up.’
‘We’re not in a hurry. This slope will still be here tomorrow, and the day after.’ He looked around the scenery, his face lighting up with sheer pleasure. ‘This is why I love cross-country skiing, there’s no hurry. You can take your time. Appreciate all this.’ He went quiet, lifting his head and staring at the view spread out before them. ‘Appreciate being alive,’ he added in a low voice.
She followed his gaze up at the majestic mountains crowned by rocky crags catching the sunlight and the two of them stood in the muffled silence of the valley looking up at a landscape that had been there for millennia. How much had this landscape changed in all that time, she wondered.
‘Unfortunately, as wonderful as the view is, it won’t keep body and soul together, and I’m starving.’ He looked at his watch and tapped the face with a teasing twist to his mouth. ‘I don’t want to miss coffee-and-cake-time. I might have to abandon you, if you can’t keep up. We’ve got an hour to get back.’
‘An hour.’ She pulled a face. ‘It’s taken an hour and a half to get here.’
‘I promise you, going back is a lot easier and quicker.’
He was right, and the downhill journey was a real pleasure. The speed they achieved surprised her, as well as how much she enjoyed whizzing along, albeit more sedately than yesterday, with the cold wind biting at her cheeks with icy teeth. In contrast her body felt warm and fluid, responding to her skis with perfect co-ordination. There was much more of a sense of being at one with her environment and in charge of her body, and a very different sensation to yesterday’s bursts of adrenaline and the constant awareness that one false move, bump, turn, or twist, and you could completely lose control and be at the total mercy of your fall. She grinned to herself, feeling an instant chill on her teeth but she didn’t care. She hadn’t felt this good for a long time.
As they crested a hill she saw Reckingen spread out below them, the lights starting to come on creating that already-familiar welcoming golden glow. Her heart missed a beat at the beauty of it. In just two days, she’d fallen in love with this serene, idyllic valley.
As they tipped over the edge of the hill it seemed to spur them both on, or maybe it was the lure of cake, and they sped up using their poles to push them faster and faster.
‘Hop off here,’ called Luke as they neared the place where they’d first started. With elegant ease that she wasn’t sure she was going to emulate, he lifted one ski out of the track, and then the next, and gradually slowed to a halt. Her legs were tired now but she managed the manoeuvre, albeit with elephantine clumsiness that almost had her falling, but she managed to stay upright and with a triumphant yell drew to a wobbly halt next to Luke.
‘That was awesome,’ she cried, her cheeks flushed and her adrenaline racing, bubbling with enthusiasm and endorphins. ‘Oh, I loved it. It was wonderful. Thank you, Luke, for taking me out.’ She threw her arms around him in a spontaneous hug, because that was just th
e way she was made, and grinned up into his face.
He hugged her back and their eyes met in a brief frisson-filled second before he said, his eyes sparkling with laughter, ‘There’s nothing quite like it. Makes you feel glad to be alive.’
‘Do you know, it really does.’ She glanced back the way she’d come. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so energised and full of life. Yesterday had been too full of excitement and trepidation for her to fully enjoy the experience. ‘I can’t wait to have another go.’
‘I’ll take you out again, if you like.’
‘That would be wonderful,’ she said, before she had time to think. It was only as she picked her skis up and slung them over her shoulder to walk back to the chalet that she remembered she was supposed to be keeping her distance from Luke.
Up in her room, she examined her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. On the pretext of being desperate for the loo, she’d left Luke downstairs sorting out the skis and poles, which she didn’t feel good about. She wasn’t the sort of woman who left things to men. She’d heard him come back to his room about ten minutes after her.
Mountain air agreed with her, or maybe it was being with Luke. She sighed and frowned at her reflection. Luke’s company was everything she enjoyed; they were so in tune. He was ideal friend material, except that kissing him was like drinking champagne, diving out of a plane, and coming home all at the same time. It made her feel alive and wild, safe and crazy. A bit like touching a live electric cable knowing you had wellington boots on.
With another heavy sigh, she changed quickly, spritzed with deodorant and perfume, and then sat on the bed waiting to hear Luke’s door open and close. She didn’t want to risk bumping into him in the corridor again. Eventually she heard his door click and close, and her heart began thumping as if aware of how close he was. She heard his footsteps pause. For some reason she held her breath. Was he going to knock for her? Her body seemed at odds with her brain, although that wasn’t doing her any favours either. That sinfully, gorgeous kiss came flooding back into her mind.
She heard a shuffle and another step. Was he thinking of her? Was he about to raise a hand to rap on her door?
She imagined opening the door and seeing him in the doorway and her heart thudded. She wasn’t sure she could trust herself with him. It was a relief when his footsteps picked up and padded away down the corridor to the staircase.
Giving herself a full five minutes, she gave another look at herself in the mirror and left the room.
‘Just in time,’ said Bernhardt, immediately crossing to her side as she walked into the lounge, as if he’d been looking out for her. She gave him a big smile, already aware of Luke in her peripheral vision.
‘Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to miss this cake.’ She reached for a plate and one of the delicate pastry forks. ‘I helped Amelie make it this morning. Doesn’t it look delicious? I’m dying to try it. You should have seen how light and fluffy the sponge was when Amelie took it out of the oven.’ She was talking too much. She moved to sit down on one of the sofas, the slight ache of her thighs reminding her she’d had a good workout. Bernhardt took the seat next to her.
‘Did you?’ His eyebrows rose. ‘Isn’t that what you call a busman’s holiday?’
Mina marvelled once more at how good everyone’s English was, but Bernhardt shrugged. ‘We’re multilingual from a young age. So how come you’re working in the kitchen when you’re supposed to be on holiday?’
‘I didn’t get a chance to mention it yesterday, and I didn’t get a chance to say thank you for taking me with you. I had a great time.’
‘Yes. Sorry we lost you, but you know what it’s like.’
‘I didn’t mind.’ She grinned at him. ‘It meant you didn’t see how rubbish I am, but I definitely improved during the day.’
He laughed. ‘We learn from a young age. I can’t remember not being able to ski.’
‘You do everything from a young age, it seems,’ said Mina teasingly.
‘Not everything,’ he said it seriously but there was a sudden glint of humour in his eyes.
‘Going back to your earlier question. You asked why I was in the kitchen. I was helping Amelie because I’m her goddaughter. I didn’t expect to be a guest, I thought I’d be staying with her—’ she lifted her shoulders ‘—in the staff quarters.’
‘Instead you got the best room in the house,’ chipped in Kristian, who had come to sit opposite them.
‘Er… is it?’ She was slightly perturbed by the fact that he knew exactly which room she was staying in.
‘Kristian, you sound like a stalker.’ Bernhardt rolled his eyes and the other man blushed to the very roots of his pale blonde hair.
‘Amelie said she’d saved the best room for her goddaughter. I know the rooms on the top floors are the best. Luke got one because he’s staying and working here.’
‘He’s working here?’
She thought he’d told her he was between jobs.
Kristian waggled his eyebrows. ‘No one knows what he does. We think he’s a spy.’
‘No, we don’t,’ said Bernhardt with an impatient huff. ‘We don’t think anything. I try not to think of him at all.’ He turned back to Mina. ‘So how was your day? I’m very impressed with the cake. It’s a real speciality in Solothurn, but this is every bit as good as a real one from the Suteria bakery.’
Mina didn’t want to laugh at his faint air of pomposity. She didn’t think he was doing it on purpose, he was just rather serious, and in some ways it was rather cute. His dark eyes seemed to be narrowed in perpetual study, as if he wasn’t sure whether he could take things at face value.
‘I can’t take any of the credit, I just helped Amelie, but it is a fantastic recipe. I’d love to introduce it to people at home.’ She screwed up her face. There was no way she could persuade her bosses to create a dessert like this for the supermarket. It was such a shame, because she knew people would love it.
‘Good evening, Mina.’
‘Hello, Johannes.’
She watched him scan the room quickly, his eyes lingering on the door to the kitchen, before sitting down in the chair next to Kristian and studying the slice of cake on his plate. ‘Another triumph from Amelie’s kitchen, I think. She’s a very talented woman.’
‘Yes.’ Kristian leaned forward, his blonde fringe flopping forward in his boyish enthusiasm. ‘If she weren’t so old, I’d ask her out.’
Bernhardt managed to refrain from rolling his eyes this time, but Mina got the impression he tolerated Kristian’s inappropriate comments like one would a small, badly trained puppy. ‘You should never mention a woman’s age, and certainly not refer to her as old.’
‘Really?’ asked Kristian looking totally perplexed. ‘Why not?’
Johannes patted him on the arm. ‘You have a lot to learn, boy.’
Mina, enjoying the byplay between the three men, tried to focus on Bernhardt, aware that on the other side of the room, Luke was carrying on a lively conversation with Claudia and Frank. Although she tried not to look his way, it was as if she had developed some special radar for him, because she was constantly aware of exactly where he was in the room.
‘Enjoy the skiing? I saw you come back.’ asked Johannes.
‘I loved it. It was so much fun.’ Her eyes shone with the memory of the downhill trip back to the chalet.
He took a bite of the cake and closed his eyes in apparent bliss. ‘This is exceptional.’
‘Mina helped,’ Kristian piped up.
Johannes opened his eyes and stared at her. ‘Amelie allowed you to brave her kitchen? You’re very honoured. I’ve been trying to encourage her to take on some help, but she’s very stubborn.’
‘I guess she doesn’t want to relinquish control,’ Mina gave him a friendly shrug, getting the distinct impression that he felt a little put out. ‘Not while she’s still building the business.’
‘Hmm. She’s not very good at accepting help, although I did persua
de her to accept my latest batch of chocolates to serve with coffee this evening.’
‘You make chocolate?’ Mina’s eyes widened with sudden interest. ‘I love chocolate.’
‘Well, you’ve come to the right country. We make the best chocolate in the world,’ declared Bernhardt.
‘We do. For me, it started as a hobby, but now I sell everything I make.’ There was definite touch of pride in the way Johannes straightened up in his seat as he finished the sentence.
‘I’d love to see how you do it. Could I?’
Johannes frowned, his scraggy eyebrows drawing together like a pair of hairy caterpillars. ‘Hmm, my recipes are a closely guarded secret. I never share them with anyone.’
‘Oh,’ said Mina, a little crestfallen and feeling that she’d overstepped some boundary. ‘Not to worry. Perhaps you could tell me a little more, one day. I’d really love to know more about chocolate and how it’s made.’ She hoped her friendly smile might disarm him. While she knew there were some people who were very secretive about their recipes, it wasn’t something she could relate to. Good food and lovely things were to be shared. Like this gorgeous cake. Just imagine if the bakery had kept the recipe to itself; all these people in this room, who were clearly loving it from the happy expressions on every single person’s face, would never have tasted it. That would have been a terrible shame.
Johannes pursed his lips following her gaze and as if he knew what she were thinking, let out a small harrumphing noise. ‘I’ll think about it.’
She beamed at him but didn’t say another word, instead just lifting another forkful of the delicious frothy confection of cake into her mouth. This was one recipe that she would definitely be taking home with her.
The room buzzed with that happy, low-key vibration of satisfied, contented people and as it started to get dark outside, Mina decided she would pop into the kitchen to check Amelie didn’t need any help, before she went up to her room to have a soak in the bath before dinner.