his thoughts away from their first sexual encounter before he tackled her into the snow and had his way with her
“I can’t believe I missed out on this growing up.” She shook her head, staring in awe.
“Definitely something everyone should experience,” he agreed.
She nodded. Without warning, she took off running-or running as best as she could run while laden down with winter wear.
“Very graceful,” he called out wryly.
She paused and stuck her tongue out at him. Then, laughing, she bent down and picked up a handful of snow, packing it into a ball. “The snow is so much softer than I thought it would be,” she said.
“And harder to keep together. It depends on the kind of snowfall you get, whether or not you can pack a solid snowball,” he explained. “Ben and I used to build forts and have snowball fights all the time on our Colorado vacations. We’d be outdoors for hours on end.”
Funny, but he hadn’t thought about Ben as his fun-loving little brother in a long, long time. Age had divided them, Roper thought. Age and talent-or lack thereof.
Amy stepped closer. “Hey. What’s on your mind?”
He shrugged. “I’m just thinking about how relationships change.” And not for the better.
She placed her hand on his shoulder in understanding. “They could change back if you wanted them to. Or at least you could try to reach out to Ben without any expectation and see what happens. Maybe you need to try an approach you haven’t used before. One that doesn’t make him feel as if he’s second-best.”
He met her gaze. Her cheeks were flushed red from the cold, her eyes hidden behind the sunglasses he’d chosen. She looked hot enough to melt the entire field they stood on.
While he was lost in thought, she had trudged through the snow until she was a decent way from him, then she wound up, took aim and threw the snowball, hitting him squarely on the shoulder.
She wiped her hands together, obviously pleased with herself. “Not bad for a rookie.”
He bent down for some snow and packed a weapon of his own. “You’d better watch out because I’ve had a lot of practice at this,” he warned her.
“Throwing or making snowballs?” she asked as she stepped backward. And back some more.
He grinned and narrowed his gaze. “Both.” He pitched his ball at the same time she took off at an awkward run, so he ended up hitting her squarely in the back.
He took off after her, catching up in no time. He tackled her to the ground, bringing both of them onto the soft but thick snow. He rolled her onto her back to discover she was laughing. Having fun. Doing exactly what he’d wanted for her when he’d purchased all this winter apparel.
She gazed up at him, smiling.
His heart swelled even bigger. He cleared his throat. “Hey. Do you want to make your snow angel before you get too cold to stay out here much longer? After all, your blood is much thinner than mine, what with you being from down South and all.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. You northerners and your pasty skin, you make a pretty pathetic sight if you ask me.”
He shook his head and laughed. He liked teasing her because she took it so well. “Pasty skin, huh? You say
Warmth surged through him, licking at him like flames on logs in a fireplace. She opened her mouth, letting him slip his tongue inside to delve deep and swirl around and around, devouring her because he couldn’t get enough. Making him wonder if he ever would.
By the time they broke apart, panting and out of breath, he was ready to curse the confining clothing.
But she wasn’t finished playing in the snow. She gave him a playful shove so he fell onto his back, carving out more room for herself. She lay down on her back and began to swipe her arms and legs in broad strokes, creating the snow angel she’d talked about earlier.
He watched her, realizing she was his angel. And despite how much time they’d spent together here, he wasn’t ready to let her go just yet.
AN HOUR LATER, AMY AND Roper had showered-together-and redressed, heading down to the coffee shop for something hot to drink. Amy needed to pick up a few personal items in the shop, while Roper went ahead to get a table and put in their order.
Once seated, Roper ordered himself coffee and Amy a hot chocolate, and settled in to wait for her to return. He barely had time to take in the rustic interior when Hannah stopped by.
“Mind if I join you?” she asked, and in her usually friendly fashion, didn’t wait for an answer before sliding into the booth beside him.
The waitress place their drinks down.
“Do you want something?” Roper asked Hannah.
She shook her head. “No, thanks. I just was hoping to give you a message for Amy.”
“If you wait five minutes you can tell her yourself. She’ll be back anytime now.”
The other woman shook her head. “I need to make myself scarce.” She glanced around as if looking for someone. Nervously looking for someone. “Just tell Amy that Big Mama’s here and it isn’t pretty. She’ll understand,” Hannah whispered right into Roper’s ear. “Tell her to use my personal cell to reach me. I need to talk.”
Roper nodded. “Who’s Big Mama?” he asked, obviously too loud for Hannah’s liking, because she smacked her hand right over his mouth.
“Shh. Ask Amy. She’ll explain.”
Women. He would have rolled his eyes but he didn’t want to insult Hannah. “Whatever you say,” he told Hannah.
She smiled. “You’re as great as Amy thinks you are.”
Amy thought he was great? Now, that was something Roper could live with, he thought wryly.
“Thanks, Roper.” Hannah leaned in and placed a grateful kiss on his cheek.
Everything that came next happened in a fast-moving blur. A security guard tried to grab the phone, but the woman holding it, an Amazon by anyone’s definition, ducked and ran toward the door.
Hannah yelled and took off after the woman, shrieking for her to come back. By the time security had stopped the female photographer and her phone, Roper had a hunch the photo had already been sent to the highest bidder or whoever was in place ready to receive and run with it.
He didn’t plan on sticking around to find out. He had to do damage control. He groaned and swiped his hands over his eyes. Drawing a deep breath, he reached the door, coming face-to-face with Amy, who appeared stunned by the commotion around them.
“What in the world is going on?” she asked.
He explained the situation as quickly as he could, hoping she’d take it in the spirit in which he relayed the tale. He wasn’t worried about himself. He was worried about Amy and her reaction to photographers. To one catching him with Hannah in what the tabloids would call a “canoodle.” To their idyllic time here being over.
“Typical photographer bullshit,” he said. “Hannah and the security guard went after the woman. Hannah seemed way more upset than I was.” He was so used to the unwanted photographs and the way reporters twisted reality, he could ignore it with the best of them.
And the lighter he made the situation, the lighter Amy would hopefully react. Because as he’d come to realize earlier today, he wasn’t ready to give her up yet. Or for his lifestyle to intrude and yank her away before he’d had a chance to cement the bond building between them.
Amy bit down on her lower lip, obviously upset. “Do you think Hannah was worried that Mike might think the two of you are more than friends? Is that why she was so upset?” Amy asked.
She was worried about Hannah and not them? Typical Amy, caring for others almost to a fault. He assumed the realities of their situation hadn’t hit her yet.
