“But if you get hurt, then that will derail all the plans I have for you…”
The tone of his voice snapped me out of my panic spiral, and my head whipped in his direction. His goggles were up on his forehead, and his eyes shone with a little bit of mischief, heat and promise.
And once again I was wondering if maybe this was all too fast, too much, too soon. Because the way I felt around him, about him…
With Asher, it had been gradual and natural. We started as friends, and grew into something more, and then apparently something else. It made me wonder what went wrong—what had changed so much that he thought I’d be okay with him hurting me in that way, intentional or not.
But with Lukas, it was hot and bright. I found myself wanting things I’d never even imagined. It scared me. How much he occupied my thoughts was a bit terrifying. The way I dreaded the end of this vacation—hell, I didn’t even know where he was located. Our meeting here after all these years was a coincidence. A chance encounter, and the fact that he was there that day—that he’s been tangled in my life without me even knowing. It feels like I should be concerned, but it also feels like it might be a little inevitable. Like maybe the world was telling me that I’d suffered enough, and had put him in my path to help ease the pain.
“Plans?” I squeaked.
He smirked and his eyes turned to promises that had me wanting.
“Plans,” he said and gripped my leg with his free hand.
He yanked me towards him on the bench, and I yelped. He was so close now, despite all the gear we were wearing.
“So…many…plans,” he said softly and slowly.
I wanted to moan. I wanted to be anywhere but right here—well, no. I wanted to be somewhere where layers of clothes didn’t bar us from each other, where one wrong move would send us falling onto the slope below. And this intensity of wanting him, to feel him touching me—this is what was terrifying. I barely knew him, and all I wanted was to sink into him, feel him on me, around me…in me.
I swallowed hard at that thought.
“I’m a virgin.”
My face flushed hot, andoh my fucking God. Why the hell did that just pop out of my mouth? Falling off the chair lift sounded like a perfect idea now. I quickly looked forward, not wanting to see whatever look was on his face. Nope. I cringed and inwardly berated myself.
Lukas coughed, and it suspiciously sounded like he was trying to cover a laugh.
Ugh, what a jerk.
“Aimee, that’s nothing to be embarrassed by,” he said gently. “You were young before the accident, and I’m guessing the last almost a year and a half haven’t really been conducive to having sex.”
“You laughed,” I said, my tone accusing.
God, this lift ride needed to end, so I could get away from him. Being stuck here and having this conversation that I stupidly started was not my idea of fun.
We rolled over another support, and relief flooded my body when the end came in sight. Only a few more seconds and I could leave him and disappear. Lukas lifted the lap bar, and I let the forward momentum of the lift push me up and out of the space and out on top of the mountain. I skied away from him, but I don’t know why I thought I could out maneuver the actual professional.
“I wasn’t laughing at what you said,” he said, stopping in front of me, cutting off my escape route.
“Just ignore what I said.”
“Aimee,” his voice was doing that soft and gentle thing again and somehow it had become my weakness.
“You being a virgin doesn’t matter to me—and you shouldn’t be embarrassed by it. It doesn’t make me want you any more, or any less—and I already want you probablywaymore than I should. I shouldn’t have laughed, I’m sorry.”
I pouted. It was childish, I know.
“Asher and I never got to that point,” I said.
He pulled one of his gloves off and reached forward to cup my face. His thumb brushed over the apple of my cheek.
“It’s okay, Aimee,” he said softly.
“But you have plans,” I said.
“Yeah. I do. It just means that they’ll have to wait for another time.”He laughed. “The look you just gave me,” he said. He moved closer, slotting one of his skis between mine.
