Page 27 of The Jellybean Dilemma

Another quick scoot and Greg’s front pressed firmly against my back. Um. My heart stopped as he reached around me, one hand grabbing the rope then settling at my waist. “All set?”

There were no handles. “What do I hang onto?”

His husky voice sounded low in my ear. “Me.”

I swallowed hard, unable to react right away. Tentatively, I glanced at his thighs, covered by the thick snow pants. I grabbed more than that just yesterday. I gulped, then wrapped my mittened hands under his muscular legs. A thrill leapt through me as he tensed at my touch, and I pictured his muscles bunching beneath all the layers. My breathing was shallow as I adjusted my grip, wondering if I would survive this.

“Ready, Jellybean?” The huskiness amplified.

I didn’t trust my voice, so I nodded.

“I can steer, okay? So make sure you keep your arms and legs inside the sled all the time.”

I nodded again, letting out a little gasp as he gripped me tighter to him, his breath warm on my cheek.

“Here we go.” He shoved us off, and we flew.

The hill itself was free of trees, a wide swath that ended in a clearing. I couldn’t even scream because my breath disappeared, and I held on to Greg, needing something solid to clutch. The trees flew past on either side, snow and wind stinging my eyes, but it was beyond exhilarating.

I couldn’t stop grinning. My stomach dipped when we hit a bump, sailing high enough to catch some air. The ground finally evened out, and we slowed to a stop.

I sat still, beyond overwhelmed.

“What’d you think?” Greg’s voice sounded next to my ear, filled with all the adrenaline I was feeling.

I whipped my head around, a wide grin stretching my cheeks. “Let’s do it again!”

His laughter echoed around us, and his hand tightened on my waist in the briefest of hugs. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He stood first then helped me up. “We need to get off the path, so others can use it. Sledding etiquette one-o-one.”

The trek back up wasn’t nearly as fun. Greg didn’t leave me behind, though, and insisted on pulling the toboggan. We watched others whip by. One pair zoomed down on plastic sleds, seeing who could reach the bottom first.

At the top, I sat for several minutes as I caught my breath, happy to let others have their turn. When I’d rallied, we went again. The morning flew by in a rush of adrenaline and excitement.

Every time I sat with Greg on the sled, a thrill went through me, even before we started down the hill. As his body pressed against mine, my heart beat faster, my pulse thrumming in my ears. Each time I wrapped my hands around his thighs, he tensed, showing me I wasn’t the only one affected. Every time he asked, “Are you ready, Jellybean?” I wanted to reply with an ardent, “Yes.”

Just after one o’clock, Peter and the others decided to go get lunch. Mandy decided to go with them.

“We’ll get the toboggans, no worries,” Greg offered after he’d agreed to drive her SUV home.

She hugged him, waved at me, then hurried to catch up with her friends. I watched them go.

When I turned back to him, Greg asked, “Ready to head to the house?”

I bit my lip. “One more time?” It was a long shot, but I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to have Greg all to myself in the woods.

His grin was reward enough. He positioned the toboggan at the top of the slope, and I sat down, holding my knees up as he slid under them. We’d done this so many times today, I’d have thought it would be easier by now. My breath caught as his front settled against my back, seeming closer than before.

He took an extra second to push my ponytail aside, his mitten brushing my cheek before his warm breath cascaded over my skin. “Gotta be able to see.”

I swallowed against the dryness in my mouth, my palms damp in my gloves. Then he shifted again, reaching for the rope as his hand settled on my waist. I rested my mittened hands for an extra beat on his thighs, feeling brave as I slid them down to hold on. I waited, anticipating his next words.

“Ready, Jellybean?” His voice was low and husky.

My stomach flipped as his lips brushed my ear. “Yes,” I breathed, leaning into him.

He launched us down the hill, this time aiming for the divots and jumps. We flew through the air at least twice, me jostling him on the landing. One last bump near the bottom of the hill dislodged me enough that my leg flew out. It didn’t hurt, but our sled went careening off the path and tipped us over. We rolled over and over in the snow.

Greg landed solidly on top of me with a quiet oomph. His weight just made my heart race more as he looked down at me in concern. “Are you all right?”

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