Page 41 of Wild Nights

She ducked her head. "I like when you say things like that. You're not worried about what anyone thinks."

"I'm just saying how I feel." I was incapable of playing games.

"Let's get on the lift. We have time before we need to head back."

Carolina grinned and pushed off the same time I did in the direction of the empty lift. I hadn't been skiing in a long time, and not in the morning like this. There was something peaceful about being out here with no one else. The air was crisp. The snow was a pure white. It was gorgeous. When was the last time I took a second to appreciate what was around me? I was usually cooped up in my office or fulfilling Joey's needs.

We went down various green slopes for the rest of the morning. I enjoyed the glide of the blades through the snow and the sound of Carolina's laughter. I couldn't remember a morning I enjoyed more.

When it was nearing lunch time, I placed an order for hot chocolate and sandwiches to be delivered to her room. By the time we removed our snow gear and made it to the room, it had already been delivered. The food was sitting on the table by the window.

"I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I smelled the food."

"I thought you might be," I said, following her to the table.

"You've thought of everything." Carolina opened the containers to find marshmallows and candy cane shavings.

I kept the extras on hand for Joey. It made his visits to the lodge while I was working less tedious for him. He had something to look forward to, and now I enjoyed her reaction to the simple pleasure. I plated the sandwiches.

"Skiing and hot chocolate. What's not to like?" Carolina said with a smile as she sank into her chair. She piled the marshmallows and shavings onto her hot chocolate, topping everything off with whipped cream. "You're not going to add anything to yours?"

I looked down at my plain hot chocolate. "I don't normally."

With a giggle, Carolina dumped a spoonful of marshmallows on top.

"Hey," I protested, trying to block her, but it was too late.

Her eyes sparkled with joy. "Will you try it for me?"

I sighed like it was a chore. "Fine."

She kept her gaze on me as I slowly sipped the warm liquid. "Mmm. It's actually good." When I looked up, she had whipped cream on her upper lip.

I reached over to swipe the whip from her mouth. "You have something there?—"

She licked her lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." What was happening? This was supposed to be purely physical, but now we were spending more time together, and I found that I liked it. I liked her. I refocused on my sandwich, taking a large bite so I wouldn't blurt out anything that was going through my head. She didn't even know I had a kid. That was a deal breaker for many women. But I wasn't ready for this to end yet. I had a few more days, and I didn't want to think about what came afterward.

"Thank you for skiing. You keep feeding me too." She dropped her gaze. "You take good care of me."

"I hope it's not breaching the boundaries of our relationship."

Carolina lifted her gaze to meet mine. "I don't mind."

I didn't either. That was the dangerous part. I was falling for this woman. But I couldn't bring myself to pull back. When would I get a chance like this again? To enjoy the company of a woman I was attracted to and not have any expectations. This was the perfect arrangement. I just had to stick to the rules.

Chapter Thirteen

CAROLINA

Iwanted to thank Oliver for the morning, but we both had to get to work. Instead, we made out against the door until we were breathless, and he whispered a promise to see me tonight around nine. I wondered what he was doing for dinner. I was kind of hoping we could spend all our free time together. But I didn't know what his plans were, and I was hesitant to ask.

Was he spending time with family or friends? Was he working? I was starting to think there was something he was hiding about his personal life. I'd shared quite a bit about mine, including my dad leaving. He'd mentioned his family's Thanksgiving meal they shared with the lodge and the community, but that wasn't personal.

He hadn't made himself vulnerable like I had, and I wanted to know more. Did he get along with his siblings? Did he like working in the family business? And more importantly, what did he do in his free time?

Once vendors started arriving, I was focused on helping them get their boxes of arts and crafts to their booths. There were things to set up, and someone always needed my help.

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