Chapter 12
“Ready?”
Leia checked her skis one last time. The wind whipped up her hair, the air frigid and bracing, reminding her she was alive.
As far as she could see, snowcapped mountains glinted under the cloudless blue sky the exact shade of the eyes of the man next to her. The helicopter had dropped them off on top of the Swiss peak ten minutes ago.
But the rush of the impending race wasn’t the reason her blood all but sang through her veins. And it wasn’t the reason he was asking the seemingly simple question.
She looked at him. “Yes.”
His eyes shone with approval and she beamed, unable to stop herself from basking in the hunger that vibrated off him.
How very quickly she was coming to know him. While Leia didn’t fool herself into thinking she knew nearly enough about him to form a solid judgment, in the past six hours he’d been relentless in seeing to her every need, starting from his firm knock on her door the moment they’d landed.
He’d whisked her away to breakfast at an exquisite little café near the Jet d’eau in Geneva, leaving the crew to deliver her bag to the private lodge they’d be spending the night in before their flight to Vienna in the morning.
They’d been picked up after breakfast and delivered to the heliport.
From there, the private helicopter had flown them straight to where their ski guides waited in Zermatt.
In the few hours since they’d landed, she’d learned enough about Noah to know what pleased him.
He was possessive. That would only become a problem if he found out about Warren. And she didn’t intend to let that aspect of her life intrude on this moment in time.
He loved to touch her. She didn’t have a problem with that.
More than anything else, he preferred it when she used her voice. No problem there either. To Noah King, the reverse of the idiom actions speak louder than words was true.
With another smile, he pulled down his goggles. “I’ll race you.”
“What do I get when I win?”
His brows shot up. “ When? You feeling brave, sweetheart?”
“I have a few surprises up my sleeve.”
He waited until the couple next to them shoved off the summit. They were fast, experienced, and traversed the trail with smooth speed and efficiency.
But she knew they would be nowhere as magnificent to watch as the man beside her. And nowhere near as fast.
Her body was in good enough condition, thanks to the three-times-a-week training sessions she’d been taking since she turned eighteen and the once-a-week sparring matches with Warren.
But Leia hadn’t hit a black run for almost two years. If she were to have a hope in hell of winning, she’d need to bring her A-game.
She calculated how quickly she could traverse the terrain and turned to find his eyes trained on her. The look in the blue depths terrified and excited her at the same time. Predatory and determined, his eyes also held a gentleness that unsettled her a little.
“If you win, I’ll let you come as hard and fast as you want to the first time.”
Her heart slammed against her ribs and her body grew hot, despite the sub-zero temperature. “And if you win?”
Blue eyes darkened to midnight and a muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth. “I get to dictate how long I keep you on the edge.”
Recalling how excruciating the pleasure/pain had been the last time, she bit her lip. She couldn’t fathom how she would remain sane if he kept her on the very edge of her endurance as he’d promised last night.
She eyed the steep run, which until recently had been a black run but had been re-classified to a yellow.
“I tell you what, I’ll give you a one-minute head start,” Noah drawled.
The fine hairs on her nape bristled at his superior tone. “What makes you think I need one?”
He shrugged. “Take the minute or don’t. I’m just trying to get us off this mountain before my balls turn into ice cubes.”
Her gaze trailed over his black and red ski suit. Her mouth watered at the sight of his broad shoulders and lean hips, then immediately dried at the latent power of his thighs as he flexed his legs on his skis. The thought of all that power unleashed on her should’ve made her take a step back.
Instead, she closed the gap between them and raised her face to his.
“I’ll tell you what.” She deliberately kept her voice low so he’d have to bend to hear her.
Her mouth brushed his ear. His throat bobbed in a swallow.
“I’ll be waiting at the bottom to warm your frozen balls for you.
And if you’re very, very lucky, I might even use my tongue. How’s that , sweetheart?”
Before he could respond, she planted an open-mouthed kiss on his startled lips, turned and launched herself off the mountain.
The skin-flaying course whipped past her eardrums as she dug her ski poles into the soft powder and hurtled down the steep white slope.
The two couples who’d left minutes before had taken the safest path to the base.
Leia chose a more challenging route, which she’d tracked when the helicopter turned to land.
It held a steep drop about halfway down, one that most skiers would think twice about before using.
She didn’t dare look behind her even though she could hear the faint swish of Noah’s skis as he came after her.
She veered to the right at the last minute, tucked her knees beneath her, held her breath and careened off the edge.
Noah’s “Shit!” ripped through the clear frigid air.
She laughed, knowing he’d left it too late to follow her shortcut. She landed hard, her teeth jarring as she absorbed the shock and fought to stay on her feet. Luckily, almost twenty years of experience came to her aid. Memories of skiing with her father flashed across her mind.
Logan Michaels had loved skiing. Aspen had been his favorite winter playground, followed by Val D’isere. He’d taken her along each year. By the time she’d turned ten, she’d transitioned to yellow runs.
Unfortunately, his vow to have her on a black run by the time she was thirteen never materialized.
She blinked hard at the tears that prickled her eyes and shoved the accompanying pain back beneath the heavy blanket she’d thrown over her memories. She’d mourned her father—as much as it was possible to do when her life had been turned upside down after his death.
Besides, now wasn’t the time to revisit the past.
The growing sound of skis prompted her to speed up, pushing even harder against the power of the man behind her.
She flew over a small outcropping of rocks and felt momentarily free as she soared mid-air. Her landing was smoother this time, and she slammed her skis harder into the snow. A small copse of alpine trees stood between her and the finish line.
She hated skiing through trees. Despite her skill and agility, she was very aware that one wrong move and it would be over. She forced herself to reduce her speed despite the fire of the challenge burning in her veins.
The other worrying thing was the reckless promise she’d thrown at him on top of the mountain.
She’d never warmed a man’s balls before, never mind with her tongue.
But no way was she about to confess to Noah King that she’d only had two sexual experiences in her life.
The first had been clumsy and embarrassing.
The second had been life changing…
She had to win.
But if she lost… being kept on the knife-edge of orgasm for hours on end couldn’t be so bad… could it? Yes, it could . She’d foretasted that insanity on the plane and that had lasted barely twenty minutes.
God, she would lose her mind if he kept her in a heightened state for even one hour.
The shush of skis drew closer. Digging deep, she ignored the burn in her thighs and raced through the trees. Bursting into blinding sunshine, she spied the billowing flags that signaled the end of the run.
The group made up of guests and crew stood to one side. One or two turned to watch them, and Leia saw their excited gestures.
Too chicken to check how close Noah was, she pushed herself harder.
The whole group had turned to look and most were shouting encouragement.
“Come on!”
“He’s right behind you!”
“Give it up, baby. I’m going to win.”
That he had to raise his voice told her he wasn’t as close as she’d thought. She ventured a quick look over her shoulder and saw he was at least ten meters away.
“No chance in hell, King,” she shouted.
His teeth bared in pure intimidation before she whisked around and gave it everything she had.
Her skis skidded across the finish line just as the tips of his swept into her eye line. Leia punched the air to applause and turned to see Noah shaking his head, his eyes narrowed on her face.
“So, you like winning.”
“I like teaching cocky guys a lesson or two every now and then, yes.”
The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile so sexy, fire flared through her belly. “Touché. Congrats on winning.”
For some reason, she was sure he meant it, although he continued to smile in a way that made her jumpy.
His next words confirmed why he was so damned pleased with himself. “Although the view coming down wasn’t that bad either. In fact, watching you move gave me a fair idea of how well you can hold certain positions.”
“Excuse me?”
He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “No, baby, you’re not excused. Not when watching that little ass move has made me as hard as that fucking mountain. You won’t be excused until I am well and truly satisfied.”
Bjorn chose that moment to approach and relieve her of the ski poles. Another valet bearing hot drinks followed him closely.
She watched, half-amused at Noah’s narrow-eyed look in Bjorn’s direction before she picked up the mug of cognac-laced cocoa to warm her fingers. He eyed her as he drank his coffee.
The look in his eyes told her he intended to claim her on his terms in the very, very near future. As she watched, he knocked back the rest of his drink and strolled to her.
“Are you done with your drink?” Impatience throbbed in his voice.
She relinquished it with a glare. “Am I ever going to finish a drink with you around?”
“Not when there’s the urgent matter on the line of your diamond-studded tongue, a private lodge and my frozen balls that needing serious and immediate attention.”