Free Fall

her. This was beyond just a trick-it could hurt the lodge's profits. And if it wasn't some totally weird, out-of-this- world coincidence, if it was the same person who'd removed the out-of-bounds signs…

Hell, they were lucky no one had injured themselves, or worse.

She was going to be keeping her eyes wide open from now on, watching for anything remotely suspicious-and she had her patrollers doing the same, only she'd justified it to them by using the sign incident. For now, though, she had a stack of work to get through and a damn good incentive to get it done. She and Logan had arranged to meet for a late-night walk on the frozen pond to the east of the resort, and as she worked, she watched the clock. At the right time, she left the office and made her way outside.

And when she saw him waiting for her, leaning against a tree with that long, leanly muscled body she knew every inch of now, the tension shifted again, into a sexual pull, a desperate need, and a softening of the heart.

Oh, boy. Gwyneth was right, she was in trouble. Big trouble.

Because she was falling for him.

Or at least her body was.

Not her brain, though. No, her brain was far too smart for that.

Chapter 12

They took a midnight walk beneath a full moon that hung over them like a magic ball, casting and reflecting a white glow over the snow and ice around them, making Logan feel once again as if they were alone in the world, just him and Lily.

'Up there.' She pointed to a small outcropping to the east of the lodge, thick with snow. Below was a deep basin of more rocks and snow. 'If we can climb up there, the view is incredible.'

He eyed the hill, sharp with rocks and what was sure to be ice and powder, and slowly shook his head. 'It's a death trap. We'll slide, all the way to the bottom.'

Which, he didn't point out, he couldn't even see.

'It's safer than it looks. Believe me, I've done it. I wouldn't be stupid out here. Chicken?'

He craned his neck and eyed the climb, then Lily. She was bundled up in a thick jacket against the night's chill, hood up, with only her face showing and a cocky grin curving her mouth. 'Chicken?'

She flapped her hands and made the unmistakable squawk of a hen. He'd never backed down from a dare or a rescue or anything dangerous in his life, but he had to laugh because this woman made him want to do just that. Back down. Keep her safe.

Obviously he was losing his mind. She didn't need anyone to keep her safe.

Or to fall for her the way he suspected he was beginning to.

Yes, definitely, he was losing it. Something he was all the more sure of when he actually climbed up to the peak with her. They were both huffing and puffing by the time they got there, and damp with the snow, not to mention freezing, but at the top, he went still at the sight sprawled out in front of them. Above them, the moon lay low and full and stunning, lighting a vast, softly glowing valley surrounded by sharp, sky-scraping mountains. 'My God.'

'I know. I never get tired of the view.' Awed, turning in a slow circle, she took it all in.

'Me, either,' he said, not taking his eyes off her.

She turned to him and touched his face as she smiled. 'Do you mean to make me melt?'

'Just a bonus.' He pulled her toward him for a kiss, but one taste wasn't enough, and the next thing he knew, they were leaning against each other, panting with need. 'Now,' she demanded, and all but dragged him down the mountain and back to her room, where he gladly ravished and cherished her body with his, with everything he had, the cliff and the view forgotten as he struggled to hold back the words and emotions that suddenly wanted to fly from his mouth. When they'd both come explosively, they lay back, gasping for breath.

Naked, damp and looking quite sated, Lily sat up. Logan groaned and rolled to his stomach, oddly exhausted. Lily shoved her hair from her face and slapped him playfully on the ass. 'Your body is so hot. I just want to gobble you right up.'

He didn't move a muscle. Couldn't. 'If you're looking for round two, I need a second.'

'Actually…1 was wondering something.'

He could hear the hesitation in her voice-this from a woman who never hesitated which made his stomach sink. Had he said something in the moment, something stupid and unforgettable? Gathering his strength, he lifted his head and looked at her.

'I was just wondering why you always seem to look out for me,' she said softly.

'What?'

She ran a finger down his spine and sighed. 'Seriously. I just want to bite you. Why, Logan?'

'Why do you want to bite me?'

'Why do you look out for me?' She sat cross-legged at his hip and dug her fingers into the knotted muscles at his shoulders. This ripped a groan of pleasure from his throat. 'I should have offered you a massage before now,' she murmured, massaging the kinks left by days of hard skiing and wild sex. 'You've given me one. You've hung out with me at the rescues, skied with me whenever you could, taken care of me both in and out of bed…' She sighed.

'What's the matter? Hard to keep it just light and fun?' he asked, giving her back her own words.

Her fingers went still for a telling moment. 'Yes, if you must know, because with you, Logan, it's not just light and fun. It's more.' She sounded baffled. 'And I guess what I'm asking is why go to all this trouble, why hook me in like this when you're leaving in two days?'

In her voice he could hear the worry, the angst that she'd kept from him until now, and it moved him enough to temper the frustration her words caused. He wasn't the only one who was struggling to keep it light and easy. She was in, her heart was in, and it scared her. Feeling unexpectedly tender, he rolled over, slid his arms around her and pulled her over on top of him.

Her gaze met his, waiting. Only problem, he didn't have a ready answer. All his life he'd taken care of others. Truthfully, it seemed like second nature to him. Now there was Lily, a woman more than capable of taking care of herself, more so than anyone he'd ever met. That in itself was incredibly refreshing, and also terrifyingly attractive to him. He didn't have to take care of her, she could do it herself.

And yet he wanted to. Wanted to keep her safe and happy. Always. A seriously worrying thought, because his life wasn't conducive to a relationship, much less a long-distance one.

She was staring down at him, trying to read his thoughts. He slid his hands up her spine, sank his fingers in her hair. 'You think it's trouble to want you? To want to take care of you?'

'You're leaving in two days.' She sat up, straddling his hips with her bare legs. 'I guess what I'm saying is don't forget that.'

He cupped a breast, skimming his thumb over her nipple, loving how her breathing changed, how her body reacted for him. 'I won't forget.' And if for long moments he did just that, he'd deal with it, because she was right. This was enough, it had to be. Knowing it, he pulled her down for a long, deep kiss, his heart kicking into gear at the feel of her soft, supple, nude body against his.

When she lifted her head again, her eyes were heavy and filled with heat. 'Are you trying to shut me up?'

He gripped her thighs, opening them farther, groaning at the feel of her wet, creamy heat gliding over his growing erection. 'No. You can keep talking.'

'Okay, because I- Oh. Oh, yeah…' she murmured as he eased inside her. Her eyes closed, her