Which he did and she nearly fell off her skis. Oh… my… God. The wolf could kiss. But damn, she could kiss back, too.
Nipping his lips, licking, tasting, chasing his tongue with hers, she gave one last full-contact smooch before she pulled away. She felt light-headed, her breath creating puffs of mist. Smoking.
He stood there and looked at her like she was a wet dream come true. The cheers went up, the woots, the whistles, and she laughed.
Grinning, the ski-lift operator handed Tom his ski poles. “Way to go, Tom.”
When she was seated beside Tom on the chair and had begun the ride up, he shook his head as if he was trying to clear it after what had just happened between them.
“What?” she asked, turning to observe the breathtaking vista. Every tree was covered in white frosting, and the sky was bluebird blue.
He chuckled.
She glanced at him when he didn’t answer. His mouth curved up as he studied her, though with his ski goggles now in place, she couldn’t see his eyes the way she wanted to. He looked really cute and in charge in his red ski-patrol jacket, although she already knew he was a sub-leader and very much in charge.
“What?” she asked again, tilting her head to the side.
“You do realize everyone in the pack was already giving me a hard time. Probably about a quarter of our people are up here today enjoying the fresh powder. Those who did see what just happened will tell those who didn’t. Oh, they won’t say anything, much, to my face. Just the knowing smiles and slaps on the back. But you’ve sure got the pack stirred up, and the word has already spread. I didn’t even have to call Darien to confirm the dinner arrangement. He called me.”
She gaped at him and then frowned. “You said he already wanted me to come to dinner.”
“I know my brother. He would have called before long if I hadn’t gotten hold of him.”
“So will your other brother, Jake, and his mate be there?”
“You bet. When I told Darien that you’re a photographer, he said Jake wanted to meet you.”
“Well, it was all your fault for trying to be in charge of me.”
“About that. Yeah, I’d like to try that again. Someplace where we’re not likely to melt all the snow off the slope.”
She chuckled and looked at the vista as the chair rode up the cable, vibrating, the rattling noise filling the bitingly cold air. She didn’t remember a time when she’d had such lighthearted fun.
Tom’s radio came to life, and he listened as the dispatcher relayed information about an injury on one of the slopes. He answered the call. “I’ll be there in just a couple of minutes.”
“Duty calls?”
“Yeah, but I’m free at noon. We’ll have lunch.”
She smiled. If he could find her.
She still had to meet with North at the Timberline Ski Lodge. That put her on edge a bit. What if North didn’t come alone? Or what if someone else came?
Someone who wished her dead?
Chapter 4
Elizabeth skied away from the chairlift but Tom followed her. “Noon,” he said. “Meet you at the base lodge.”
His comment wasn’t an offer but a command. “You don’t take no for an answer, do you?” She smiled when she asked.
He offered her a wolfish, sexy smile in return that had her whole body warming despite the chill in the air. “You never said no. See you later. Enjoy your day if I don’t get a chance to meet up with you on the slopes. A blue trail is off to the left, expert to the right.”
He skied along the connecting trail for the black-diamond slope.
You never said no, echoed in her thoughts. Yeah, if she hadn’t really wanted to meet up with him, she would have been all alpha and said no. He had her figured.
She watched him move like a pro and wished she could ski down the expert trail with confidence. She didn’t get a chance to ski nearly as often as she’d like, since they had no skiing in Texas. But she loved the slopes and took every opportunity she could get to ski. She was definitely an intermediate skier.
She was about to head for the intermediate slope when two males on the chairlift got off and joined her.
“Need a ski buddy?” one asked, looking hopeful. He was a blond and reminded her of a Viking, muscled and with beautiful white teeth grinning at her.
“He’s busy, but I’m free,” the other said, looking like the first one’s twin.
She chuckled. “I’m mostly just taking pictures. Sorry.”
“Well, if you get tired of just taking pictures, I’m Cantrell.”
“Robert,” the other man said.
“You’re brothers, I take it.” And both gray wolves.
“Yeah. Kind of no mistaking it,” Robert said with a wink.