“We’re not all born to such privilege. Or born in states with snow.”
“I’ll teach you.”
“No, thanks.”
“Scared of falling over in front of me?” He walked until he was standing right in front of her. Tempting. Challenging. “Scared of needing me to help you? You’re really frightened of that, aren’t you?”
“You think you’re so smart.”
“I can have you competent in a day.”
“Competent?”
“Not good enough for you? She who must be the best.” He teased and bent to whisper to her. “Or are you too chicken?”
“I’m not afraid of falling in the snow in front of you.” She turned and paced away from him so she had some chance of being able to think. This was him doing his charming hero act. Trouble was, she was finding it hard to say no. The thought of escaping her screwed-up family for just a few more hours? One last morning of fantasy? “I’d have thought you had too much work to do. That you can’t afford the time to have fun.”
“I can always find time to spend up on the mountain.”
“So it’s the mountain you’re investing the time in… of course.” She faced him again barely able to stop her small smile. “I don’t actually like the snow. It’s wet and cold. I prefer wet and hot.”
“Your hotel was a summer place?”
“Of course. Steamy Louisiana summers. Anyway, you can’t take me today. You have that wedding.”
“And I have an extremely capable manager who’ll ensure all goes well now the flowers are all so perfect. Come on. I even have some sexy snow pants you can borrow. Summerhill brand is very popular for good reason.”
She shook her head. “You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Taking care of the wounded party. You know I was upset. You’re trying to fix it. You’re making sure I have the perfect Summerhill experience…”
“Would it be so awful if that were partly true?” He stepped right into her personal space, so close she could feel his heat.
“Yes. I don’t want your pity,” she whispered, unable to tear her gaze from the bottomless blue of his eyes.
“Well you don’t have it.” He bent, whispering right into her ear. “Being near you turns me on and I like it. I like touching you. Kissing you. Arguing with you…” He pulled back and smiled down at her. “Don’t think I’m doing this for you, Sugar, this is all about me being selfish.”
She could barely breathe, turned on by his rough-edged talk, by his sly smile. He pulled off workaholic-turned-wicked very well. “Seeing you put it like that…”
He took her hand and turned. “Come on, we’ll find you some butt ugly ski gear.”
He’d obviously put in a couple of calls while she’d been showering to set the deal up, because only twenty minutes later, she was clad in new season Summerhill brand skiwear and he was walking her towards a helicopter that was apparently loaded with all the equipment they’d need for a morning in the snow.
“Why a helicopter, can’t we just go on that lift over there?” Savannah asked with a longing look at what she knew to be the beginner slope. “You know, the one nearest the doctor and those warm fires.” And Connor’s huge bed.
“Because we want to get to the best slope.” He sent her a sideways look. “You’ve been in a helicopter before?”
Actually no, she hadn’t. And to be honest, this didn’t look like the biggest helicopter. He guided her into the front seat and handed her a headset. She looked about for other people as he went round the other side to get in. But then she slumped back into her seat as he pulled on the headset and started fiddling with the controls. “You’re the pilot. Of course you’re the freaking pilot. Is there nothing you can’t do?”
“Of the things that need to be done on the mountain? No.” He pulled a paper from a compartment and scribbled a couple of notes on it before folding it and stowing it again. “Don’t worry, you’re safe with me. I fly almost everyday, I’m not a hobbyist.”
“Why do you fly every day?”
“I usually do a couple advanced skier drops and I do any accident runs and—”
“Accident runs?”
“You’ll be fine,” he soothed, still focused on his pre-flight checks.
“Gee, it must be something to be picked up by the handsome young CEO of Summerhill when you’ve broken your leg skiing,” she said with mock awe. “Does it make them less likely to sue?”
“You think I’m handsome?”
She laughed.
He finally glanced at her. “You ready?”
Savannah held her breath as the rotor blades whirred. Even with the headphones it was noisy. And then they lifted up and she held her breath so long her lungs were about to burst.
His soft laughter sounded whisper close through the headset. “Relax, Sugar. Just take in the view.”
Oh there was no tearing her eyes from the view. One look from this eagle’s angle and she understood why he loved it.
She could see for miles and miles and what she could see was utterly majestic. So much bigger than either of them. The mountain range stretched far, gorgeous snow covered peaks, tree-studded on the lower slopes and then the valleys of the expansive countryside.
So beautiful it made her eyes water.
In minutes they were swooping, following up the snow-iced ridges until they were flying well above the tree line. Exhilaration flooded her. The helicopter cockpit was basically a glass bubble, it was like she was a bird flying without feeling the wind. And she was so not going to tell the guy how amazing his flying skills were.
“You like?” he asked.
She hesitated, then decided not to play the shrew. “I love it,” she muttered. “I just love it.”
She sensed his smile—was too riveted by the beauty of the ranges to turn and look at him. But the bubble of happiness enveloped her and she instinctively knew it held him in it too. A bubble of pure joy.
In silence she gazed as he took her higher and deeper into the range. And then she realized he wasn’t just dipping for a thrill, he was descending.
“You’re landing?” she asked. “We don’t have to do this, you know. I’m happy just taking in the view.”
“You don’t want to just see it. You want to touch it.”
She held her breath again. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but that she couldn’t believe she was here at all—on the far side of the big mountain, circling into an area that kind of looked like a giant shallow bowl. There was no bump as they landed on the snow-layered ground, it was a gentle, perfect, placing of the helicopter.
In moments the noise of the machine had died and there was only silence.
She waited while he jumped down onto the snow and came round and opened her door. She almost didn’t want to move—she might shatter the illusion. It was like no one else in the world had ever been there. Like they were the first to touch this place.
It was so damn beautiful.
“Come on, let’s get you moving.” Connor prodded.
She frowned as he pulled out a giant looking skateboard.
“Starting on a snowboard you can progress a little quicker.” He explained.
“These boots are heavy.”
“You need to lock them into the bindings, see?” He lifted one of her feet and clicked her boot into position.
“You can slide down this slope, across the middle and up the other side, okay?” He demonstrated on his skis. Made it look so easy she was immediately irritated.
He clicked off his skis and walked towards her. “Come on, I’ll give you a hand.”
Which was exactly what she didn’t want.
“You hate being seen as less than amazing, don’t you?” he teased. “Thing is, you’re so fucking sexy in that snow gear, you can fall over fifty times and still be amazing to me.”
“I’m not falling over fifty times,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Determined creature.”
; “Always. Tell me what to do.”
His eyes lit up.
“That’s what you’re getting off on really, isn’t it,” she challenged. “You getting to boss me about.”
“You got me.”
She laughed as he held her hands and ran with her, balancing her. “So you’re a snowboard instructor as well?”
“You really need to ask?”
“I bet there are lots of requests for one on one lessons.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
She was right, she knew it. But she also suspected he didn’t take that many private classes these days. He was too busy.
Forty minutes later she was hot and happy and actually able to balance on her own for more than a bit.
“You’re doing great.” He caught her in his arms as she cruised along the gentle slope towards him. “You deserve a reward.”
“What did you have in mind?” Oh she knew already.
“The view.” Keeping his hands on her, he moved to stand behind her. “See?”
He wrapped his arms more tightly around her middle and drew her back to lean against him.