Black Ice

"And Korbie plays the better damsel in distress."

I didn't bother telling him that usually I played that gig better too, since the tone he used in referring to Korbie wasn't particularly flattering.

"So, are you guys up here for spring break?" he went on. "Let me guess-girls' weekend at the cabin? Lots of Christian Bale movies, ice cream, and gossip?"

"Swap James McAvoy for Christian Bale, and you could pretty much go into business as a psychic,” I quipped.

"Seriously, I really want to know what you're doing up here. You know about me, now it's my turn to find out about you."

I wanted to point out that I knew next to nothing about him, but I was more than happy to talk about myself. "Korbie and I are backpacking the crest of the Teton Range. Forty miles. We've been preparing for this trip all year."

His brows arched in admiration. "The entire crest? Impressive. Don't take this the wrong way, but Korbie doesn't strike me as the outdoorsy type."

"0h, she doesn't know about the forty miles part yet."

That earned me a loud, resonating laugh. "Wish I could see her face when you break the news."

I smiled. "It'll be memorable, I'm sure."

"I bet you've got a lot of sweet gear in your car."

"Top of the line." Korbie had put her mom in charge of buying our gear, and Mrs. Versteeg had passed the assignment off to her assistant, who had no problem spending her boss's money. Everything had arrived Next Day Air from Cabela's. I wasn't going to complain about our windfall, but there was one tiny red flag. I knew Mr. Versteeg had made Calvin pay for his own gear over the years. If Cal found out that his parents had paid for ours, he would blow into a rage. He constantly complained that they sheltered Korbie, and when we'd dated, he'd nursed resentment that his parents didn't even try to make things fair between him and his sister. I doubted much had changed since he'd left for Stanford. For the sake of keeping the peace, I'd have to remind Korbie not to mention anything about our gear to Calvin.

"I'll bet you're an expert on the area,” Shaun said.

He had opened the door with a little flattery, and I found myself diving headlong through it. "I come up here to hike often,” I said, the white lie out before I could stop it. "I've been doing shorter hikes on the weekends to prepare for this trip."At least that much was true. "I wanted to go into this completely prepared. Most of my friends are in Hawaii for spring break, but I wanted to do something really challenging, you know?"

"And it's really only you and Korbie? Your parents aren't meeting you up here?"

I hesitated, almost mentioning Calvin and Bear, but at the last moment changed my mind. First rule of talking to a boy: Never drag your ex into the conversation. It makes you look clingy. And bitter.

"My mom died when I was young, so it's just my dad now." I shrugged, cool as can be. "He trusts me. He knows I can handle myself. I told him I'd see him at the end of the week. If I'm in trouble, he knows I'll get myself out of it." Now I was really exaggerating. My dad had never witnessed me digging myself out of trouble. The idea was unthinkable. My dad was a model of indulgent parenting. I suspected it was because I was a girl, and the baby, and because I'd lost my mom to cancer before I was old enough to remember her. My dad was always standing by, ready to save me from even the most minor inconveniences. The truth was, I was comfortable being dependent on him-and every other man in my life. It had worked out well for me . . . until it had led to my heart being broken.

Shaun smiled in a funny way. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing. I'm just surprised. I had you and Korbie pegged as silly high school girls. The stereotypical giggling, helpless, awkward type."

I batted my eyes. "I don't know what to do with all this flattery." We both laughed.

"I amend my statement,” he said, lowering his voice to keep our conversation from drifting out of the kitchen. "I knew Korbie's type from the minute you guys came knocking. But you were harder to peg. You're good looking and smart, and it threw me. Most pretty girls I've met don't have the complete package. They're crazy, sure, up for adventure, but not like this. Not up for hiking the crest of the Tetons."

His response could not have been more perfect. I wanted Calvin to hear his words, all of them. I wanted Cal to see that an older boy, older even than Cal, was interested in me and believed in me. I gave Shaun a coy smirk. "Are you flirting with me, Shaun?"

"I think the honor of biggest flirt goes to Korbie,” he answered. I wasn't expecting that, and it took me a moment to think up an equally cagey response. "Korbie's good at what she does."

"And what about you?" He took a step closer. "Do you ever flirt, Britt?"

I hesitated. I hardly knew Shaun. What's more, Korbie had called dibs on him. But she was the one with a boyfriend. If anything, I should have dibs.

"At the right moment,” I said with a shrewd smile. "With the right boy."

"And this moment?" He stood so close now, his husky whisper was directly in my ear. "This moment is headed somewhere, and we both know it."

I wondered if his pulse was thrumming like mine. I wondered if he kept stealing glances at my lips, the way I shamelessly watched his.

"What about Korbie?" I said in a soft voice. "What about her?"

"She likes you."

"And I like you."He poured us each a plastic cup of water, then raised his to mine in a toast. "To the snowstorm. For trapping you here with me."

I tapped my cup to his, grateful to have found Shaun, because for a minute there, I'd thought I was going to have to save myself. Instead, I'd wandered into the protective care of a sexy older man.

I dared any of my friends to return from spring break with a better story.

A few minutes before the chili finished simmering, Korbie and I went to the bathroom to tidy up for dinner.

"Did you have fun cooking with Shaun?" she asked, her tone testy.

"It was okay,” I said neutrally, giving away nothing. A petty part of me liked keeping her in suspense. Payback for her shots at the Wrangler.

"You left me alone with Frankenstein."

"Frankenstein is the name of the doctor. I left you alone with Frankenstein's monster. And anyway, you didn't have to stay in the den. You could have come in and helped me and Shaun."

"Not after I said I don't cook!"

I shrugged as if to say, Your problem.

"What did you and Shaun talk about?" Korbie grilled me. "Why do you care? You have Bear."