Page 57 of Sinful Temptations

Laura saw me and easing back from Roman, she looked at me in a way that suggested I’d interrupted something.

Maybe I had. After all, based on the non-existent queue, they were about to have the entire cable car to themselves until I’d ruined it.

I felt like a teenager again on the first day of school. I’d done that enough times in my life to remember the feeling. “Hey, Laura, how are you?”

“I’m okay. Thank you.” Laura had a scarf around her neck and a pink beanie with a white pom-pom on her head. Her cheeks were flushed, and she’d glossed her lips with a delicate shade of pink. She looked so cute and happy; it wasimpossible to believe she was the same woman I’d met on day one of our tour.

It suddenly hit me. The other night at the banquet, I’d been paying attention to Susan flirting with Roman, but maybe it was Laura I should have been watching.

A bell shrilled to announce the arrival of the cable car.

“Say, you know what?” I made a show of checking my watch. “I’ve got to, ummm, do something. I’ll leave you two to head on up.”

“Come on, Dais. It’ll be fun.” The tone of Roman’s voice suggested that he really wanted me to say yes.

I hadn’t expected his invite, and by the way Laura was blinking up at him, I think she was surprised too. “Please, Daisy,” she said. “Come with us.”

Maybe my ability to read people wasn’t as finely honed as I’d thought because Laura’s request was upbeat and seemed genuine.

“Oh, um, are you sure?”

“Yes, of course,” they both said in unison, and the two of them burst out laughing.

The cable car spun around the turnstile, giving me barely five seconds to make up my mind. At the very last second, after Laura and Roman had stepped in, I joined them. Roman and Laura sat on one side, facing up the mountain. I sat on the other. Each car could seat eight people, but being low season, we were able to depart with just us three.

The car clunked and wobbled as it pushed through the mechanism securing it to the wire and the car swung back and forward as we released from the station and began our ascent up the mountain.

Laura slid toward the window. “This is so beautiful.”

“It sure is.” Roman stared at me as he said it.

Butterflies in my stomach took flight.

I was no expert on men, but the way Roman was looking at me, like he wished it was just the two of us sharing a romantic ride up the snowcapped mountain, gave me the impression he was interested in me. And not just interested—really, truly keen.

But it was pure rubbish. It had to be.

I’d seen him look at several women like that. Roman had just mastered the I’m-so-into-you look that had women melting in their panties. Me included. If Roman asked, I’d tear my underwear off in a heartbeat.

Oh, God!I have officially gone insane.

Then again, Daisy and sanity had been living on different planets since I’d met Roman.

Laura turned her gaze from the window, rescuing me from my delusional bubble. “I want to thank both of you,” she said. “This holiday has been much better than I thought was ever possible.”

Thankful for the distraction, I smiled at her. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m glad you’ve managed to have a good time,” Roman said.

“I contemplated not coming. But both of you helped me realize that what Richard did, leaving me like that, was a blessing in disguise.”

Roman nodded. “I think you’ll do just fine.”

She nodded and a frown drilled across her forehead. “Also, I’ve, ahhh . . .” She cleared her throat. “I’ve decided not to keep my baby.”

“Oh.” My stomach dropped. I had no idea she’d even been contemplating that decision, but when Roman started nodding, it confirmed she’d been discussing it with him.

“As long as it’s the right decision for you.” Roman tapped his hand on her arm. “And you’re not doing that because you think that’s what everyone else would want.”

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