‘Not far now,’ Luke called back. ‘When we get into the trees, we’re going to turn right onto a new trail and then it’s downhill for a while before we level out. So you can have a bit of a rest.’
‘Cool,’ said Mina, keen to try out the technique for turning in the tracks that Luke had taught her. So far they’d been going in a straight line, which was great for practising, but she was ready for something new.
As they neared the trees, the incline got a little steeper and she focused on her skis rather than looking ahead. She could do this. It was just a question of willpower. Not looking how much further there was to go always helped when she ran. Digging in deeper, she forced herself to work harder to get up the last bit of the hill and completely failed to see that Luke was slowing down. Before she knew it she was almost on top of his skis.
‘Oh no! Luke,’ she called, realising that her momentum was such, she wasn’t going to be able to stop in time, even if she could remember how.
He turned and saw her but there wasn’t enough time for him to take evasive action and she caught one of his skis with hers. In a slow motion tangle of limbs, she pitched forward taking Luke with her, her boots snapping, as they were supposed to, out of her skis.
‘Sor—’ Her apology died as she grabbed him around the waist and the two of them rolled to the side of the track. The icy touch of snow worked its way down her neck and her hat was wrenched off, and she found herself lying on top of Luke, her hair flopping into his face.
She drew in a quick breath. ‘Oh God, I’m sorry. Are you OK?’
‘We must stop meeting like this.’ He grinned up at her. ‘I think your knees are almost as pointy as you’re elbows, and one of them is about to unman me.’
‘Ouch, I’m sorry.’ In her haste to roll off him, somehow she took him with her, so that they were now side-by-side facing each other in the snow, looking at each other. The silence pressed in on them and inexorably like a pair of magnets they gave in to the pull. Mina couldn’t honestly have said who moved first, but she did know she sighed when his soft lips landed on hers with an unexpected but thrilling sense of familiarity.
Despite lying in the snow, her bones turned liquid, and inside her ski clothes she felt deliciously warm. Luke’s mouth was gentle and unhurried as his lips explored hers and it was just like before, that gorgeous sensation of stepping into a sunbeam, all that golden warmth directed full on her.
When his tongue touched hers, a spark of electric lust shocked every bit of her, and she couldn’t help the moan that escaped and sounded horribly loud in the snow-muffled landscape.
Luke groaned in response and deepened the kiss and they were lost for another few minutes before he finally pulled away and rested his head on her forehead.
He exhaled loudly. ‘Wow, Mina, you pack a punch. I’m not sure which way is up at the moment.’ With one hand he rubbed at his chest over his heart, the action as much as the hoarse words making her heart sing.
‘Me neither.’
Luke’s kisses had knocked her for six, but it was rather lovely to hear that he was as affected as she was. She felt as if she’d just been through an earthquake, did he feel the same?
When she looked into his eyes, she saw the same dazed expression. They stared at each other for a few moments longer and then Luke’s cheeks dimpled. ‘What is it with you throwing yourself at me? That’s twice now. But I’m happy to avail. I’ve always fancied making out in the snow.’
‘I thought you were worried about getting frostbite.’ She arched a teasing eyebrow.
‘That’s the hiking. It all hangs out. I’m thinking warm caverns.’ His eyes twinkled with sudden naughtiness.
She burst out laughing. ‘That’s terrible.’
Despite her laughter at his blatant innuendo, it didn’t stop the dart of lust that hit right on the target, making her squirm discreetly. Damn, he wasn’t supposed to be this irresistible and she really shouldn’t be kissing him. This was halfway across the bridge, Luke was everything she didn’t want.
Chapter Nine
‘Ready?’
She shook her head.
‘You hurt?’
‘No, er… the kissing. We shouldn’t.’
‘We shouldn’t?’ Luke’s voice held a note of surprise. ‘Why not?’
‘Why not?’ she echoed. ‘Remember what I said the other day?’
‘I like kissing you. And there’s no law against kissing, unless you’re married with a dozen children to a guy that’s going to hunt me down and cause me violence. And I’m kind of guessing that there is no man in your life.’
‘And how do you come to that conclusion?’ She raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was about her that said: single and recently rejected.
‘Because if you had, there wouldn’t have been that instant connection the first time we kissed. I would have known.’
