Page 31 of Ice To Meet You

At that moment, Bruno returned to the table, his gaze landing squarely on me—and Matteo, now ensconced in theseat he’d vacated. In contrast, Matteo glanced up at the overhead light, the picture of nonchalance.

Bruno’s brow creased, and I bit back a chuckle. Matteo’s seat switch was hardly chivalrous, but I had no complaints about his little manoeuvre.

With no response from Matteo, Maurice and Lola scooched in to make room for Bruno. Lola leaned into the table, her grin turning into a smirk. “Have you ever been on a blind date, Matteo?” Her eyes danced all over his face.

He shifted at my side, pressing his arm into mine as he moved. “Not quite, but I had an unusual meeting once that left quite an impression.”

With his words and the low tone of his voice, the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention.

I swallowed. Hard. I knew what was coming. I wanted to tell him to stop, but Lola’s eyes lit up.

“Ooh, do tell,” she said, her voice sugar-coated.

“Well, a little while back, I met the most gorgeous woman on a chairlift.”

My belly rolled.

“In the snow?” asked Maurice.

“Yes,” Matteo said, his lips bowing.

“What happened?” asked Lola.

“Well,” he said, leaning forward. “I’d rescued her from falling over at the bottom already. Her ski was loose. She had on this crazy outfit. I thought she might be part of an eighties tribute band from one of the resort hotels. But let me tell you—the second I saw her properly, I swear I lost my breath.”

In that instant, I lost mine too, right here in the bar. My cheeks fired and I dare not look at Matteo. Blood sang in my ears and my entire body went rigid.

“Honestly?” Lola asked, her eyes wide.

Matteo nodded slowly. “Honestly.”

At the quiet lilt of his voice, the entire table leaned in.

“So, what happened?” asked Maurice.

The corners of Matteo’s lips lifted. “Well, after some small talk, the lift got stuck. It was pretty cold up there on the mountain, so … I suggested we share body heat.”

Lola let out a squeal, like an excited child. “And did you?”

“We did,” he said, his voice husky and deep.

I swallowed the lump that’d lodged in my throat. I tapped my foot, desperate to release some tension. As I did, Matteo applied the barest pressure—his thigh against mine—like he was sending me a message. It was all I could do not to grab it.

“We had to think of our survival, after all. But then the funniest thing happened. The lift started suddenly, and the motion threw us together.”

“Oh, my goodness!”

I closed my eyes against Lola’s high-pitched onslaught.

“And?”

“We kissed,” he said simply. “Or really, she kissed me. Afterwards, when we reached the top, she swore it was an accident, but I rather hoped it wasn’t.”

Lola let out a huge breath, fanning her face with her hand. “Oh … my … goodness. How romantic! Kissing a stranger in the snow!”

Matteo’s lips curved. “It felt special.”

My heart pounded in my chest. I’d assumed my actions amused him, not impressed him.

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