Holiday Romance Collection - 6 Books Bundle (Erotic Romance - Holiday Romance) (18 page)

             
A little cautiously, she reached her hand over to Dan's which was holding his carry-on. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, looking him in the eyes, trying to convey a truce or sorts.

             
Dan paused, and then his face softened. "Yeah, it looks great." His hand gave her hand a little squeeze, and then the SUV bumped and their hands separated. It was a start.

             
In the room, they dropped their bags and each went about unpacking and putting things away. Dan pulled out an envelope from his briefcase once Kate sat down in a chair by the desk. "The connection exercises!" he said melodramatically. Kate leaned back, daunted that now the work would begin. But Dan had a different idea.

             
"I don't know about you, but I'm beat. We're here for four days—do you think we could wait on these and head down to the lounge for a drink?" he asked hopefully.

             
Kate smiled at the look on his face. He was a big man, but in his new ski sweater with red and white snowflakes in a band across his chest and his red cheeks, he looked like a little boy. "Why not," she agreed, "I'm too pooped for homework too."

             
"Ha!" he exclaimed, throwing the envelope down on the table triumphantly and clapping his hands together, "I want to get a look at this lodge too. It's pretty impressive. Good thinking coming here, Kate."

             
Kate warmed at this rare praise. They'd only been married five years, and despite getting married because of a pregnancy, things had started out good. But after she'd miscarried, they'd trailed off into dismal. And then Dan had cheated. "Thanks," she said, snapping herself out of those recurring negative thoughts, "Let's go."

             
They headed down the elevator to the lobby.
It's exactly the same
, Kate thought, taking in the mountainous pine Christmas tree in the center, the crystal and wrought iron chandelier hanging from above, the criss-cross pattern of the square cedar beams marching across the 20-foot ceiling from the front glass of the building to the back. And out the back, shining in the night skiing lights, the ski runs bordered by the blackness of the forest.

             
Kate didn't notice her gait slow as the memories came flooding back.
That's where I saw him come in from a run, and I stumbled and knocked an ornament off the tree
, she recalled…

             
"…to Kate, come in Kate." Dan said laughingly.

             
"What? Oh, sorry. I was lost in memories of our high school ski trip."

             
"I was saying I'm going to go out on the back veranda for a minute. I want to check this place out. Meet you in the lounge?" Dan asked, thumbing pointing back over his should, either to where we wanted to go, or where they would meet, Kate couldn't tell.

             
"Oh, yeah, sure. I'll meet you in the lounge." Kate watched Dan smile, and do his familiar hand clap before he sauntered out the rear doors. It was only then Kate realized he could have asked her to come with him, or to show him around. But she was secretly glad he hadn't.

             
The lounge was on the opposite side of the expansive lobby, marked by a massive wood lintel on large upright timbers and surrounded by stone. Once again, as she stepped through the entry, her memories flooded back. The lounge was fairly quiet, and the attendant indicated she could sit anywhere. She took hesitant steps in, rubbing suddenly damp hands on her jeans, as she imagined Josh sitting at the bar. She'd seen him there once before, had willed him to look up and over to her. Had bargained with the devil to make him motion her over and buy her a hot chocolate.

             
And suddenly there he was, sitting at the bar, looking up, seeing her…
wait a minute
, she thought.
That really IS him!

             
Josh had features that should have made a modelling career a natural choice. He had high cheekbones, a strong brow and nose, and sandy blonde hair that seemed to match a sexy pair of cool, grey eyes. He had a slight scar on his left cheek that added to the overall package. He had broad shoulders, and at 6'3" compared to her petite 5'4", he made her feel fragile and delicate in the very best way. The white t-shirt underneath his wool v-neck sweater accentuated the tan he'd gotten from many days on the hills. Not so unlike that last day of the ski trip…

             
It had been snowing hard all morning. Kate was sharing a room with a girl named Michelle, who had turned into a good friend after high school. Michelle had come down with a terrible sinus infection on day one, and it hadn't cleared up all weekend, which had effectively ended her ski trip. Being good natured, she'd forced Kate into wearing her brand new ski outfit.

             
"I can't! You bought that specially for this trip!" Kate protested.

             
"My trip is over, Kate. You've got another day of skiing. Please, just put it on. I'll feel more sick knowing it didn't get out on the slopes at all." Michelle insisted.

             
Kate didn't argue, she hopped up with a squeal and went into the bathroom to put it on. It had charcoal grey pants that sinfully hugged her hips and butt, accentuating her impossibly small waist. The jacket also fit like a second skin, and was a light pink with grey and silver accents. It followed the curve of her waist, and flared slightly over her hips. When she turned around, somehow the cut of the back emphasized her round little butt even more. Kate loved it, and knew once she put on her toque and goggles, she'd feel secure as if she was incognito. She felt like she'd assumed a confident, sexy persona. Thanking Michelle, she flew out the door, feeling brave enough to tackle the double diamond slope, Red Rage.

             
Kate loved to ski, having been taught by her dad when she was two. She'd felt the ski team was made up of the popular people, and Kate was too shy to feel like she belonged with them. But today she was ready to burn up the slopes, and as she eagerly hops off the ski lift and skis over to the Red Rage sign, she hears a mocking voice call out "That hill will eat you alive, little girl!"

             
Stopping and turning to find the heckler, she recognizes him immediately. It was Josh. And the girls around him were giggling. Kate turned to fully look at him, and then back at the sign. Looking back at him, she gestured with her arm and twitched her head as if to say "Let's do this then."

             
"Oh-ho! Is that a challenge?" he grinned, pulling down his goggles.

             
Without waiting, Kate, adeptly turned around and raced for the slope.

             
She felt more than saw Josh keeping pace with her. The hill was very challenging, with a small mogul section mid-run, but Kate covered it like an expert. On the last stretch she crouched low and tight, finishing ahead of Josh. She stopped like a pro, spraying a fan of snow against the fence and waited for Josh to do the same a few feet away.

             
"What the hell!" he exclaimed, out of breath and pulling his goggles down in disbelief. "Who are you and why aren't you on my ski team?" he laughed, impressed but perplexed.

             
Kate couldn't hold back the big grin or the laugh she let out, which made him smile again. Holding this picture in her mind for one more second, she finally reached up to remove her goggles and toque, letting her blonde hair cascade past her shoulders.

             
"Well I'll be damned. Little Kate Simpson." Her heart stopped at the way he said it, not with disappointment or amusement, but with respect and reflection. Her eyes twinkled as he skied closer to her. "So, Kate. Are you up for a real challenge."

             
"I'm never not up for a challenge," Kate replied, surprising herself. For all her planning and plotting, which always seemed to put her in awkward situations, this felt completely natural and…right.

             
Josh led the way back to the chair lift, and Kate felt her blood slow as their legs rubbed together. There was plenty of room in the chair, but Josh sat purposely close to the middle. He put his arm on the chair back behind her and analyzed her with glowing eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone ski like that."

             
"My dad taught me when I was little. We ski together all the time."

             
"Hm." he said, as he was touching her hair. Kate felt little electrical charges flow across her scalp and down her neck. "But really, why aren't you on the ski team?"

             
"I don't know. It seemed like a club for the popular kids."

             
"That's not true, we welcome anyone who loves to ski."

             
"So why didn't any of your group ski with us down Red Rage?" she asked innocently.

             
Josh laughed a little self-consciously. "Okay, so maybe some of the team members are there for the opposite sex. But I'm not—I love skiing. If I could make a career out of it I would. But I'm not quite good enough to be compete."

             
They chatted a little more before they readjusted their gear and skied away from the lift. He led her over to the out of bounds sign.

             
"A little more challenging, but I've done this quite a few times. I know the safest route, so follow me, ok?"

             
Kate gave him a little salute, and hopped down the first drop right on his tail. It was beautiful skiing through the snow covered trees. Josh was careful to give the trees a wide birth. Kate knew there were deep wells underneath the fir boughs that a skier could fall into a break a leg, even though there would be straw mulch to slightly soften the blow.

             
Kate was so fixated on following his course, that she was startled when he abruptly stopped. A few yards ahead of them was a warming hut, obviously abandoned from its unkempt condition.

             
"Let's warm up here. I want to get to know this mysterious skier who challenges the captain of the ski team." Josh smiled. He pulled open the door and ushered her inside.

             
As Josh prepped the ancient wood stove with some kindling he found and his survival matches, Kate looked around. There was a bed roll in the far corner, and two stacks of neatly folded wool blankets. This may be abandoned, but it was stocked by a thoughtful occupant.

             
She watched as Josh closed the iron door on the stove, and turned to pull the bed roll and blankets closer. Kate felt the warmth fill the hut, and watched the movements of his strong, tall body. He really was a feast for the eyes. He motioned for her to stand up, and pulled the bed roll over, letting her sit back down. He took off his jacket, revealing a black turtleneck that matched his black ski pants. Kate took off her jacket and he through one of the wool blankets around both their shoulders.

             
"I have a confession to make," Josh said hesitantly. He fidgeted a little as he turned to face her, and then scooted closer so they could both still be wrapped in the blanket. "I've been wanting to talk to you this whole last semester. And if you hadn't signed up for this ski trip, I was going to ask you to come."

             
Kate sat frozen in shock. She wanted to shake her head to see if she was hearing things correctly. "Are you serious?"

             
Josh looked deeply into her eyes, brushing her hair back behind one ear, and letting his hand slide down her cheek to loosely grip her neck. "I'm very serious."

             
Kate leaned away very slightly, confused. How was the hottest guy in school sitting here, telling her these things…things she'd only ever dreamed of! "Josh, this isn't some line or something is it? Getting the shy girl to the warming hut…" she felt a bubble of hurt in her throat, scared this was a game or a cruel trick.

             
"No," he said abruptly, cutting her off and frowning at where he saw her thoughts going. His grip on her neck very slightly squeezed, "this is not a trick, or a joke, or a heartless seduction. I saw you in Mr. Kaye's biology class last semester, and I tried to transfer to your class but I couldn't because I didn't have a legitimate course conflict. I saw all the shows drama club put on because you were in them. I've never acted like this with any other girl, and I can't even explain it. My friends are ragging on me because there's finally a girl I don't have the nerve to talk to."

             
Looking into his eyes, Kate sees he's being truthful, and is a little scared at what her response will be. In a split second, she felt all her insecurities slide away, secure in his honesty, and feeling her blood sing as she realized he felt all the things she felt.

             
"I feel the same way," Kate whispered, and looked down at his lips, saw them part and heard his sigh. And then her eyes drifted shut as she felt his lips on hers. His other hand came up so both hands were cupping her head and caressing her nape, his lips soft yet firm, his tongue gently pushing into her mouth to tease and play with hers.