Voyeur - Lacey Alexander [98]
“Not just for you, snowflake,” he said quietly, and her heart soared.
She smiled over at him, reached out and found his hand. God, she was going to miss just being close to him, just being able to look into his dark eyes or touch him whenever she felt the urge.
He rose on one elbow next to her. “Let me steal you away for awhile tomorrow—just half a day. For some skiing and lunch. Then you can write all afternoon. Besides, I hear all work and no play makes Laura a dull girl.” He grinned. “What do you say?”
“I say if I was ever a dull girl, it was before I got here. But that aside, sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.”
“Good. Otherwise, I’d have to strap you into some concrete snow-shoes and make you sleep with the fishes.” His brows narrowed slightly, as if thinking it through. “After the spring thaw, that is,” he added with a soft, sexy laugh.
Ah, how she wished they would both still be here after the spring thaw. But she had two more nights in his arms, and a day of fun with him tomorrow, so she reminded herself again to be a big girl, act like a grown-up, and enjoy these last couple of days with him for all they were worth.
“You’re doing great, snowflake.”
The ski lift gradually took them skyward up the mountain, and Laura smiled over at Braden, replying with a kiss. She thought she’d never shared a more romantic moment with a guy—with pristine snow falling all around them, the solitude of a lift ride made her feel much more as if they were alone than at a busy ski resort.
They’d started out early, Braden helping her put together a suitable winter ensemble from his large foyer closet, promising—when she asked—that the ladies’ skiwear belonged to his mom and other family members who’d left it behind for return visits. His mother’s skis had been stored there, as well, and he’d assured Laura it was okay to borrow them. “Especially since I bought ’em for her,” he’d added with a wink. Upon taking to the Vail slopes, they’d stayed on only the easier blue and green runs, and so far, she hadn’t yet fallen.
“I’m glad I came skiing at least once before heading home,” she said. “Despite wanting to get my book done, this is nice.”
He cast a soft grin. “Are you looking forward to that? Heading home?”
She answered honestly. “In some ways yes, in others no. It’ll be good to see Monica, and my mom. But I’m going to miss you . . . us.”
He leaned in for another soft kiss, his tongue pressing lightly between her parted lips, and even now, a mere kiss from the man made her pussy tingle.
“But all good things must come to an end, right?” he said. He seemed lighter about her departure than he had last night in bed—and she supposed that sealed her fate, if there was ever any doubt.
She’d found herself thinking about Braden’s mom—given that she wore the woman’s parka and was using her skis. When Tommy had casually brought up Braden’s family over dinner the other night, Braden had quickly changed the subject, so she and Braden had never discussed them. “Do you see your family a lot? Do they live in L.A.?”
He shrugged, looking ahead of them at the snow-covered pines dotting the rocky outcrop the lift currently traversed. “I see my mom every couple of weeks, but my dad . . . eh, not often.”
“Why not?” she asked, but his expression had grown a bit distant, that quickly, so she added, “I mean, if you don’t mind telling me.”
“They divorced when I was eleven and I never really forgave my dad. He was a drinker, and a cheater. They think I don’t know that, but I do.”
Laura’s heart contracted to suddenly envision her strong, commanding Braden as a little boy, having his heart broken by his father’s hurtfulness. She let out a sigh, not sure what to say. “Wow. I’m sorry. My dad died when I was a teenager—a heart attack—but I’m blessed that my parents had a happy marriage.”
Braden’s gaze shifted briefly back to hers, but he still spoke matter-of-factly. “I didn’t know many people with happy