After he pays, we drop my backpack at the front counter, and Christian takes my hand, leading me out. “Where are we going?” I ask as the brisk air washes over me and I feel nothing but heat. He leads me down a path, going slow because of my ankle, and we come upon a shop.
“Your chariot awaits, my lady.”
I stop in my tracks when I see the long row of snowmobiles, all lined up and ready to be rented.
“Are you serious?”
“You said you wanted to see the top of the mountain.” He pulls me close and kisses me.
“You didn’t know that. I never said that to you.” At least I don’t think I did. I’d only thought it in my head, I’m sure.
“I saw the way you were looking at the ski hills when we first arrived. You wanted to go up, but had no way to get there. Now we have a way.”
Wow, he doesn’t miss a thing, and I really like that about him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“This is…this morning…the phone.”
“Yeah, sorry for not answering. I wanted it to be a surprise.” I shake my head, astounded by his sweetness. “You want to go, don’t you? It shouldn’t hurt your ankle, and this is a great way to get to the top. Wait until you see what’s up there.”
I laugh, hard, like a load has been lifted off my shoulders, and he looks at me like I might have just escaped an asylum.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Yes.” I throw my arms around him and give him a kiss. “This is a great surprise.”
“Remind me to surprise you more often,” he says as I go back down on my feet. He puts his arm around my waist, and we head inside the warm building. Less than ten minutes later, Christian is latching my helmet and helping me onto the beast of a snowmobile. I slide my hands around him and hang on.
“You know what you’re doing, right?”
“I’d never put you in danger, sweetness.”
He pats my hand, and the next thing I know, we’re on the snow-beaten trail, the wind in my face. I might have been frightened by this new adventure, going through the woods and up a mountain, but I feel completely secure as I hold on to the guy I’m really, really starting to like.
Starting?
That’s possibly a lie. I might have hated him in the past, but so much has changed since I started sharing his room. He slows and points, and I catch a bunny hopping into the snowy underbrush. A wide smile splits my lips.
“A bunny,” I squeal and steal a glance at the gorgeous, white-tipped trees. It’s quite breathtaking out here, and I really wish I could walk without fear of injuring my ankle. I wrap my hands around him tighter, and press my body to his, needing the contact as my emotions rev faster than the beast we’re on. I can’t quite remember the last time I was this happy.
We go a little further up the hill and we wave to a couple coming down on another machine. Christian slows, and points again, but I don’t see any wildlife.
“Deer tracks.”
“Amazing. Wait, are there bears here?”
“Probably hibernating right now, so we’re good.”
I relax a little and he revs the gas, and we take off again. I watch the scenery, a sense of peace washing over me, all worries about school, my future with Christian, and life slipping away as I breathe in the refreshing mountain air and let it soothe my soul. We finally reach the top and a quaint little log building comes into view.
Christian kills the engine. “You must be starving?” he asks as he removes his helmet. I fuss with mine, unable to get the clip to snap open and he shoos my hands away and easily removes it, much the same skill with which he always removes my bra. It comes with experience, I guess, and I am not going to think about that for one more second.
The scent of fresh coffee reaches me and my stomach growls. “They have a coffee shop here?”
“Amazing food too.”
We head inside, and customers and staff alike greet us like we’re all a part of one big family. We take a seat by the window and order the soup and biscuits, and coffee. I peel my heavy clothes off, the fire in the hearth washing over me, creating a warm glow inside my body. I glance at Christian, and I can’t seem to keep the ridiculous smile from my face.
“I really love it here.”
“I’m so glad.” The server comes with our coffee, and I pour a bit of milk into mine. “I’m not sure if you were watching or not, but I ran into Cynthia on the hill.”
“Yeah, I thought I saw you with someone,” I say casually. “Did you finally beat her?”
He laughs. “Hell no, she’s too good, and like I said, I think she cheats.” He reaches across the table. “I forgot to tell you, she invited us to have dinner with her and her family tonight.”
“Oh, how nice,” I say a bit disappointed because I really just wanted a quiet night with Christian. We don’t have too many of those left. He angles his head and arches a brow like he’s waiting for some light bulb to go off. “What?”
“Did you forget her father is the dean of the law department at Harvard?”
I gasp. “Ohmigod, I can’t believe I forgot that.” Then again, I’m so wrapped up in Christian, I can’t seem to concentrate on much else.
Maize, you’re having dinner with the dean of the law department!
My nerves jump as I think about sitting down with him and his family. While this might be a dream come true for most, I’m not one to schmooze, and don’t even know what I’m supposed to say in a situation like that. God, I
