Their eyes locked for several seconds. “No.” She broke the gaze.
He chuckled at the ridiculousness of their situation. “Well, that’s not going to change in one night.” He took her hand and swung it. “How about we shift to a lighter topic?”
She tilted her head and peered at him with interest. “Like what?”
“As I’d promised, something fun tonight.”
Her eyes flickered wider. “Do we have options to choose from?”
“We could walk the trails, go ice skating on the pond, go snow tubing.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s when you sit on an inflatable tube and slide down the mountain.”
“You don’t have to learn anything, like with skiing, do you?”
“No, it’s more like sledding as you sit on a tube. You don’t even have to drag it up the mountain since we have a lift.”
She nodded and smiled. “Yes, let’s try that.”
Rafe chosea double tube so they could ride up together. It gave him a chance to hold her close as they rode up the towline. When they reached the top and stood, walking over to where they would descend, Mila glanced at him with an excited glint in her eye.
“Everyone’s going down so fast. And it’s so steep.”
“Trust me, it’s fun.” He put the tube down and sat before encouraging her to climb in and lean against him once more. Besides, I’ll be holding you."
One side of her mouth curled up any grin. “Does that mean we will tumble down the hill together?”
He chuckled. “We won’t fall. Don’t worry.”
When she climbed in and leaned against him, he inhaled her scent once more and his world felt right once more. How could he grow so addicted to her presence so quickly? Especially since any future between them beyond this week was uncertain?
Now wasn’t the time to think about it. They were there to have fun. She’d been riled up after the conversation with Grayson and Aurora, and Rafe had to strike a balance between their business negotiations and pleasure. In his role as alpha and CEO, he definitely made business the priority for the past decade, but maybe it was time for him to enjoy his life a bit.
At least for seven days.
He leaned forward in the tube. “Ready?”
She squirmed and leaned against him. “Yes.”
He pushed them forward and their tube moved slowly at first, but once they gained some momentum, they sped down the hill. Mila squealed and laughed. Oh how he loved to hear that sound. He held her closer to him, aware of the huge grin on his face. How did he never know how much fun this was?
Because he’d never done this with Mila.
As they approached the bottom of the hill where it leveled out, their tube slowed and eventually came to a stop.
Mila climbed out and turned. “That was so much fun.” Her cheeks had a pink tint, and her eyes gleamed with excitement. She offered him a hand, and he took it before he climbed out.
“Glad you liked it.” He grabbed the tube. “Want to go again?”
She clasped her hands together. “Yes!”
An hour or so later,Rafe suggested returning the tube. Mila was reluctant to stop, but the winds had risen. Her cheeks turned red and her teeth chattered.
“You’re freezing,” Rafe said. “Come here.” He opened his arms and wrapped her in them. Holding her this way, keeping her warm, filled him with a sense of purpose. Aside from his desire for her, something deeper bloomed within. He wanted to care for her.
“It got so cold,” she said and curled in closer to him.
