“That’s fascinating,” I blurt out.“You are fascinating.”
She doesn’t smile, but looks me directly in the eyes, a hint of suspicion there.Maybe thinking my reaction calculated.I guess it hit a nerve.
“Thank you… I guess,” she says finally.
There was no calculation.The words were out before I could think them through.
But I wouldn't take them back, because that's what she is.With every minute of those two hours here, I get not only more attracted to this woman but also more intrigued by her.
Every piece of her is fascinating.Her voice, her body, her mind, her drive and ambition, and the way she talks about skiing.I love skiing.I love racing.But when she talks about it, it's as if it means more than I thought.
And all of a sudden, I realize that never in my life have I desired a woman more than I want this one.I sure as hell will not let her go home until the morning light.
"You know," I start tentatively and sigh.If I knew her first name, it would sure help my seduction attempts.But one has to work with what one has.
"Listen, I know it's going to sound cocky.And too blunt.But we're leaving Hintertux tomorrow..."
"So am I," she grins, but purses her lips in a playful expression, and I know she knows where I'm headed, but won't make it easy.
"So, I wonder if you would love to..."
“...watch the sunrise with you?”she teases, but there's a softness in her laugh.The kind of softness that comes right before clothes start coming off.
I grin."That wasn't the line, but I like your version better."
She watches me for a second, and I feel the air shift between us, just slightly, but unmistakably.There's heat in it now.
"I haven't watched a sunrise in a while," she says slowly, running a finger along the stem of her glass."Not with someone."
We fall silent.Around us, the pub hums with quiet voices and clinking cutlery, but in this corner, the world feels narrowed to just us.She's looking right at me.Still hasn't blinked.The glass between us might as well not exist.
"You don't have to," I say, feeling suddenly bad for the bluntness."Just...don't want to miss the chance.Whatever this is—it's rare.You feel it too."
“I do,” she murmurs, tracing the rim of her glass again, this time slower, more deliberately.“That’s the problem.”
I grin.Can't help it.Something tight flicks under my ribs."Then don't overthink it.Just come with me."
A pause.Her eyes drop to the table for the first time in minutes, then lift back to mine.
She nods.
It's barely a movement, but it says everything to my ego, my brain, and my body, which is slowly overtaking the course of action.
I stand, toss a couple of bills onto the table, and offer her my hand.She doesn't hesitate.Her fingers find mine, and the touch sends tingling up my arm.I cannot resist the urge to kiss her fingers, and she catches her breath when my lips brush her warm skin.
I bring her hand to my lips and press a kiss to her fingers, slow, deliberate.She gasps, just enough to let me know I hit the right nerve.Her pupils darken.My control frays.
That look she gives me, like she knows exactly what I want to do with her and gives in completely, is a little too much for my patience.
If we don't leave in sixty seconds, I’m going to drag her onto this table.
***
I feel her shiver beside me as we step out of the restaurant into the crisp mountain air, her small hand slipping perfectly into mine.Fuck, that simple touch ignites me.It sends a jolt straight to my groin.
I force my steps slow and even, gripping her hand just hard enough to feel her pulse racing through her fingers.I'm holding myself back from scooping her up and sprinting to the hotel like some caveman.
I stop under the streetlamp's glow and turn to her, letting my gaze linger on her face, dark hunger I can't hide.Her breath hitches; I see it in the quick rise of her chest, the way her lips part.She's used to smooth talkers, but this raw need is carving me open.
