Page 18 of A Runaway Bride For Christmas
“It’s safe, Allie. Trust me.”
And I do. Hans pushes off with his poles, and I follow. The snow is soft and we glide slowly at first, ducking around the snow-laden pines.
“You okay?” Hans calls back to me.
As I move through the snow, excitement floods me. It’s been too long since I was on skis, and the added risk of it being nighttime and the hot man I’m skiing with makes my heart race.
“Oh yeah!” I call back.
He laughs, and I laugh too because it’sexhilarating.
Hans picks up the pace, and soon we’re flying down the mountain. I follow his tracks, trusting him to keep me safe.
The dark shapes of trees loom ahead, and we weave between each one, my skis cutting into the snow as I bank and turn, zig-zagging down the mountain.
I let out a whoop, and Hans does the same.
I can’t get the smile off my face, and I’m still grinning when we come to a stop at the bottom of the hill.
“That was awesome!”
I’m panting hard and sweating, even though it’s the middle of the night and we’re surrounded by snow.
“I knew you’d like it. You want to go again?”
“Hell yeah!”
It’s worth the trek back up the mountain to get the ten minutes of flying through the night on the way down.
We do the run again and again until we’re both exhausted. After about the sixth time, I’m panting hard and my legs are hurting from trudging through the snow.
“I need a rest.”
Hans pulls a picnic blanket out of his backpack and throws it on the ground. We sit down, and I’m so heated that I pull my ski suit halfway down. The cool air prickles my skin, turning it to goose bumps.
“I brought snacks.”
Hans pulls out a couple of muesli bars and a thermos of hot chocolate, and we sit in silence eating while I look out at the view in front of us.
The resort is somewhere behind us with its Christmas lights. But we’ve skied around the slope, and when I look out over the valley, there’s nothing but the dark shapes of the pine forest.
“Don’t get cold.” Hans twists his thermos into the snow so it stays upright and slides over to me. One strong arm goes around my shoulders, and I lean into him.
It’s perfect, this moment, and I sigh in contentment. It must be almost midnight by now, but I’m energized from the skiing and far from sleepy. With Hans’s arm around my shoulders, I’ve never felt more alive.
I turn to him and he’s looking at me, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight.
“You look happy, Allie.”
“I am happy. That was awesome.”
His face is close to mine, and suddenly we’re kissing. The heat from his mouth warms me up, and his hand slides into my ski suit and runs over the back of my neck. I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline pumping in my veins from the ski run or being close to this man, but I have a hunger for him and kissing isn’t enough. I crouch on my knees and shrug the bulky ski jacket off my shoulders.
Hans runs his hands over my skin, keeping the cold at bay. He kisses my neck and my throat as my hands move under his ski jacket and over his hard chest. I feel every muscle of his torso through his t-shirt, which is damp with sweat. I tug at his ski jacket and pull it off, but I want more. I want all of him.
“Allie…” he moans as my hands run over his body. I slide down to his ski pants and tug at the clasp.
“Is this what you want?”
