Chapter 3
“What in the world?” Ciara whispered.
“There was snow in the forecast, Your Highness,” Jessy explained quickly. “But over the past few hours, the cold front moved over the Alps faster than anticipated, gathering more moisture. So, the six inch snowfall has turned into a blizzard.” Jessy paused, her mouth stretching into a grimace. “The city is expecting about three feet of snow.”
Ciara's heart sank as she stared out into the now-acknowledged whiteout. With a growing sense of alarm, she grasped at the tiny gaps in the snowfall, fleeting windows to the outside world. These brief glimpses, however, didn't extend far enough for her to see the buildings across the street.
“Is there a problem?” a deep voice asked from behind them.
Ciara spun around, her mouth falling open as she stared up into the dark, penetrating eyes of the man she’d been trying so hard to avoid.
“No!” she replied back forcing an optimistic smile. “No problem at all.” The area just outside the auditorium was filling up with conference attendees. Ciara saw several of them turn, staring in astonishment at the quickly growing piles of snow.
Falk’s next words pulled her out of her misery. “Can I walk you to your hotel? I know that the sidewalks are piling up with snow, but the underground tunnel to The Lustor is warm and clear.” He paused dramatically, then snapped his fingers, shaking his head. “That’s right. You decided to spread the wealth by staying at another hotel.” He lifted his eyes and looked pointedly outside again. “I hope that you’re close by.”
Jessy had stepped away, a cell phone pressed to her ear. Almost as if it were choreographed, she came back, grimacing. “Your Highness, the roof of the hotel that I booked has…,” she started to say, but paused and sighed, then tried again. “Well, the snow fell so hard and so fast that the roof collapsed. Even if we could reach the hotel, they are shuttling their guests to other hotels.”
“Sounds like a serious problem,” Falk replied smoothly. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “There is plenty of space with me at The Lustor next door.”
Ciara heard him, but too many issues were hitting her all at once. Falk was too close, the snow was coming down fast and furiously, and…and now she was going to be stuck here? Not just in his hotel, but…in his suite? “Excuse me?”