Page 67 of A Winter Wedding Adventure
She inclined her head. ‘Seriously? How old are you?’
Up went his shoulders, hands out in a picture of blamelessness. ‘I never got to throw snowballs as a child. You’re my first target.’
‘Oh, I’m so sorry for your deprived childhood,’ Kira said, feigning thoughtfulness while she snaked a hand behind her to scrape some snow off the tarpaulin protecting the wood. ‘In that case, allow me to?—’
She hurled the snowball at him, catching him square in the chest. He jumped in shock, swiping at the patch of snow left stuck in his pullover.
‘—be the first one to ever hit you with a snowball,’ Kira finished with a grin.
‘You have an unfair advantage!’ he called out as he crouched, scooping up more snow. He flung it at her before he’d packed it down properly and it showered over her rather than hitting.
‘You’ll have to learn under pressure,’ she quipped, her snowball glancing off his shoulder as he moved.
He did learn – quickly. After several minutes of flinging snow at each other and squealing – although Mattia’s baritone squeal was much more appealing than her own choked, laughing one – she had snow in her hair and down her back and her collar was damp and cold. Mattia had fared worse, without his coat on.
‘You know if you caught a cold and damaged your precious vocal chords because of this, I’d probably lose my job.’
He rolled his eyes and took a step closer. ‘That’s not how viruses work and besides, I started it.’ His pointed look made her wonder if they were still talking about the snowball fight.
‘I’m glad we didn’t harm your expensive coat, though. I know it’s much warmer than yesterday, but don’t you think we should go ins?—’
‘You’re surrendering?’
How had he suddenly got so close?
‘A-a truce. Snowball fights don’t end in surrender.’
‘Are you sure?’
Her heart thumped against her ribs. ‘I am the more experienced one here.’
Leaning close, his lips were a breath from her ear when he whispered, ‘But I’m the one holding a snowball.’
She only had a moment to brace herself before he brought it down right on top of her head. With a shriek, she prioritised shoving him over clearing the freezing snow from her hair, but he caught her, laughing, and then helped her, his fingers gentle on her head and then the organ failure seemed to be spreading to her lungs, because her breath would only come fitfully.
Staring at his mouth, she knew exactly what could cure this illness. His small smile when he caught her looking suggested he wouldn’t mind administering the treatment. Being snowed in at the chalet was so much better than being at the wedding. She hoped it would be another few days before they could go back down again.
She’d just snaked a hand around the back of his neck when the door swung open with a creak and Mattia jumped.
‘Are you both all right? We heard a shout!’ Alessandra’s voice sounded, along with the rustling and shuffling off footsteps. Kira just had time to wrench away from him before the bride and seemingly every other member of the wedding party arrived around the back of the building. ‘What are you two doing?’
26
Mattia could think of several inconveniences of being snowed in with Alessandra’s wedding party, but the worst was definitely the interrupted kisses. He tramped forlornly back inside the chalet.
‘Come and get warm. I can’t believe you were out there with no coat on! You’re lucky the heating has come back on, by some miracle. I will never take heating for granted again. But come and sit by the fire and warm up.’ Alessandra obviously hadn’t quite given up fussing, but she had the grace to give him a sheepish look when she realised what she was doing.
‘It wasn’t a miracle,’ Kira explained. ‘The solar panels have come online. Unfortunately, it will all go off again when the sun goes down, but at least we’re prepared this time.’
Mattia straightened his shoulders. ‘With all the wood I cut!’
She eyed him. ‘Yes, all that wood. If the electricity’s on, I should go and charge my phone and check in with Ginny.’
‘And I guess the rest of us will sit around and… do nothing?’
Kira gave him a shrug, clearly communicating that his entertainment was not her responsibility, and disappeared up the stairs.
‘What did she mean, the heating is going to go off again?’ Alessandra asked in a small voice.
