Page 33 of Love Under Snowfall

“Do you ever swear?” Frankie did her best to keep any hint of humor out of her tone. She refused to warm to him; he didn’t deserve it.

“Everyone swears sometimes, Francesca.”

“I’ve never heard you do it.” She shrugged, really thinking back, and, nope, he’d never dropped so much as adamnorhellin her presence.

“Ofcourseyou wouldn’t,” he said as though the reasoning should be obvious.

“Because it would be uncouth? Unseemly? Unprofessional?” She knew excessive cursing was frowned upon at the college, but it wasn’t unheard of for a few choice words to get flung around during especially heated discussions. Her child and family inequalities professor loved a certain four-letter word and had zero qualms about using it.

He chuckled. It was a smooth and rich sound, like decadent hot chocolate for the ears, and made her shiver.

“No.” He shook his head and looked at her, claiming her eyes with the frozen ocean depths of his. “But there are only two very specific times when I do, and you haven’t been privy to either.Princess.”

His implication was crystal clear . . . at least with regard to one of the situations.

Sex.

If her cheeks weren’t already flaming from physical exertion and the nip in the air, Frankie would have to admit she blushed. She never blushed, except this wasn’t the first time he managed to make her do so. What was his problem? Hadn’t he agreed to keep his distance this week? Yet here he was, weaseling in on her outside time, ruining her communion with nature. Prick.

She steeled her face and shrugged.

“And it appears I never will.” She smiled sweetly before rolling her eyes.

His buoyant laughter floated across the glistening drifts on either side of the trail. It did things to Frankie that she refused to acknowledge.

They lumbered their way up a set of switchbacks. The elevation gain was minimal yet exponentially more challenging in snowshoes and the extra foot of untouched powder. Frankie pushed through, relishing the burn of her glutes and thighs as she sped her way up the winding route. She had to hand it to the professor; for a first-timer, he was holding his own despite her ambitious speed.

And it pissed her off.

She wasn’t trying to lose him, not completely. She just wanted a gap between them so she wouldn’t have to hear his voice. Or smell his warm cinnamony scent, which seemed to grow stronger the more he pushed to match her speed. A wafting breeze added to her frustration as it swirled the heady, befuddling aroma around her.

Eventually, Frankie couldn’t see or hear any of the others in their group.

“Do you suppose we should pause and wait for the others to catch up? It might be the safe thing to do,” Benjamin said. He hid his elevated exertion well, yet Frankie could still make out the ragged drag of his heavy breath.

“There’s no need.” She didn’t slow. “Buddy system, remember?”

“I highly doubt Johnny’s reasoning for pairing us off was so you could blast up the trail like an out-of-control rocket.”

She stopped and peered over her shoulder.

“And how could you possibly know anything about my brother? It’s not like you’ve been there for him since college.”

She caught him flinch. She’d hit a nerve.

Good.

Her brother never uttered anything but the highest praise about his best man, and yet he hadn’t shown up when Jon needed him—not when their father had passed away or following Cynthia’s accident. He didn’t even know Jon and Lucy had gone missing on Mount Stuart for several days last summer. What kind of “friend” checks out of someone’s life like that?

Benjiwas merely an acquaintance her brother hadn’t had the heart to cut loose.

He remained silent. Rolling back his shoulders, he resumed his pace, staring ahead of Frankie’s position on the trail. She continued forward as they passed a large green structure on their left. The ski resort’s utility tower marked the halfway point of the ascent.

“Feel free to stop and catch your breath,” she drolled over her shoulder. “I understand if you can’t handle it. Someone should be along shortly.”

“Not a chance,” he said, using his stern professor tone. “We have to stay together, Francesca.”

“Then keep up.”

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