Between You and Me

He laughed and sat back as she searched through the channels for the show she liked. Glancing at her, he took deep breaths . . . flexing his fingers, open and shut . . . The crisis had been avoided, but only temporarily, and he knew it. His stomach churned for the rest of the night.

Chapter Nine

Tess had forgotten how exhilarating it was to fly down the side of a mountain at top speed. She hadn’t been skiing in too long, and as she pushed off yet again, the feel of the cold air rushing past her as she sailed along the slope was invigorating. As kids, her brothers were competitive with one another but doted on her, making sure she was a solid skier and could keep up with them. Some of her best childhood memories were skiing with them in Aspen, Vermont, Canada, and Switzerland. She still loved the rush of soaring across the snow, the closest thing to flying a human could experience. Few things compared.

And Logan was right beside her the whole time. He was a great skier, a natural athlete—definitely better than her. Of course, he did it more often. He told her flat out he’d all but grown up on the slopes and still went skiing two or three times a month in the winter. Knowing that, she was just glad she’d stayed upright most of the time after a two-year lapse. The one time she’d ended up on her ass, Logan had chuckled kindly and immediately shot out a hand to help her up.

The cloudy sky cut down on sun glare, but she’d still made sure to apply sunblock and lip balm before putting on her gator. Her goggles made it easy to steal glances at her gorgeous companion. Logan was sexy even hidden under the layers of his royal-blue shell jacket and the gray ski pants that hugged his powerful legs, a delicious bonus of inviting him along. Even the way his thick hair poked out of the bottom of his wool hat, fringing haphazardly past his strong jaw, appealed to her. In between runs they chatted about the ski trips of their childhoods; she told him about the annual trips with her father and brothers, and he told her about how his family went skiing all the time, right there in Colorado.

Time flew by on the mountain. The light of the sky changed, the late afternoon bringing hints of the darkness that would soon fall. “Okay, I’m wiped,” she told him. “Totally ready for some hot cocoa and to sit for a long time in front of the fire. Kind of starving too. How about you?”

“Same,” Logan said. They headed back toward the main lodge. “Aww, you know what would be the capper? All that and then a soak in a hot tub. Maybe I’ll pop by the gym after I drop you at your house and do that.”

The thought of him soaking naked in a hot tub was too hot for her to handle. “The tub in my master bathroom doubles as a Jacuzzi,” she said, “which you know, of course. When you bring me back, you’re welcome to stay for a while and use it before you go home.”

He shot her a sideways glance, a mixture of uncertainty and a spark of flirtation that made her knees wobble. “Really.”

“Yeah, really,” she said. “I’m starving, I need to eat something first, but why not? If you’d like to have some time in a tub, I have one. I’d be more than happy to let you.” And I wish I could watch, she thought, biting her lip.

His gaze smoldered as he considered it, making a few butterflies stir in her belly. Then, his voice low, he said, “I tell you what. You paid for the lift tickets and everything so far today. Let me buy you a late lunch, and I’ll feel better about taking you up on that offer. Which I just might.”

Her insides went hot and wavy with pure lust. She was shocked she’d made such a suggestion, and ten times more so that he was possibly saying yes. The thought of this towering man, exuding testosterone and rugged sex appeal, being naked in her tub just beyond her bedroom . . . it sent her heart rate up a notch. But she played it cool and said, “There are three restaurants in the lodge. Get me fed, and you have a deal.”

He grew quiet as they got to the ski check. They got their skis off and he grabbed the claim check before she could. But he smiled brightly at her as they approached the building, and held the door open for her as they headed into the side entrance of the magnificent lodge. Picturesque, all warm woods and glass, the Ajax Mountain Lodge was crammed with people also deciding to finish their skiing for the day. Christmas decorations were still everywhere, strings of white lights and bright red poinsettias added color and sparkle. Conversation and laughter echoed throughout, and off the high beams of the ceiling. Logan reached for her hand and led her through the crowd toward the elevator in the middle of the lobby.