Page 36 of Mountain Trial

“One could get used to this,” she said, smiling. As she stretched her arms over her head, the duvet fell, leaving him a clear view of her beautiful breasts.

She smiled as she saw where he was looking, but pulled the duvet back up. Her body disappeared on the other side of the bed. When he looked up again, she was wearing the blue shirt he’d been wearing the night before. It was longer on her, falling down to her thighs. She’d only done up a few buttons, so a lot of her cleavage was on display.

Luc felt a tightening in his groin and forced himself to think of something else.

“Is it okay if I shower?” she asked.

Luc felt a moment of embarrassment, then shook himself out of it. She’d likely already seen his shower chair―and in any case it had to be evident to her that he couldn’t just stroll into the shower. They had no future together if she wasn’t able to accept any of these things.

Future together?

He almost laughed at the presumption. What made him think she’d want a future with him? But the thought, once it’d come into his mind, was hard to get rid of. If he just let himself dream, he could easily imagine a future with her.

“Luc?” she said uncertainly.

He nodded quickly. “Of course. You’ll find some new toothbrushes in the cabinet. Please take what you need.”

He watched her until she disappeared into the bathroom. His shirt had never suited anyone as perfectly as it did her.

Luc’s phone chimed with an incoming message. It was from Scott.

It’s -5° up there today.

What time are you going up?

Luc took a second before replying. It was six a.m. now. He still needed to shower and get ready, plus he had no idea what Kat’s plans were―he’d stick around with her for as long as she could.

Go on up without me. I’ll be there by ten.

The response was almost instantaneous.

Ten? Isn’t that cutting it a bit close? We start at eleven today.

Don’t worry, I’ll be on time, Mom.

Luc wheeled himself into the kitchen and started making coffee. The espresso machine was probably what had sold him on the apartment, when all was said and done. He made himself a small cup and added a splash of milk to it. He realized he had no idea how Kat took her coffee so he made it black and put some milk and sugar on the table next to the cup.

Less than ten minutes later, she made her way back. She’d taken off his shirt, unfortunately, but looked just stunning in the clothes she’d been wearing the night before. She also smelled of his shower gel, and Luc knew he’d never be able to shower again without thinking about her.

“Is this for me?” she asked, diving for the coffee.

Luc nodded. “I didn’t know how you took it.”

“A lot of milk, no sugar,” she said. Her expression filled with pleasure as she picked up the cup he held out.

“This smells amazing,” she said. After a couple sips, her expression went serious. “I’ll get out of your hair. I need to get in to work, I’m on duty in Annecy today, and I know you―”

“Have an event to get to,” he filled in, laughing. “You can take me up there yourself, to make sure I’m not late.”

She shook her head. “No. I want you one hundred percent focused on the event. Not on what might happen between us later.”

“Do I get to take you out to dinner if I win?”

Kat’s face took on a pained expression. “I regretted making that joke as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I’ll have dinner with you regardless.”

Luc reached over across the table and took her hand in his. “Hey. I was kidding, too.”

“I just wanted you to make sure you knew.”