To Tempt A Tiger(20)

“I develop sports equipment. Things like better safety equipment for rock climbing, gear for rafting and parasailing, that kind of thing.”

“Like stuff Granny and Grandpa and Mommy do?”

He nodded. “That’s how I met your mother. I was testing a new cam my company was working on, and she happened to be climbing in the same area.” He glanced at Rose, his expression mischievous. “Testing out a new site for a future expedition, if I remember correctly.”

Zoe glanced between them, then looked at Vlad. “Where’d you go?”

“Utah.”

“I like climbing,” Zoe announced. “Mommy takes me.”

Vlad raised his brows, and Rose shrugged.

“She’s good at it. We use the gym by the offices, and she scurries up like a goat. She does the same thing in trees if I let her.”

“Climbing fun,” Zoe confirmed.

“I agree,” Vlad said, his expression soft.

Zoe yawned then bounced off the bench as if she wasn’t getting tired. She didn’t take a lot of naps anymore, outside of the sleep she needed after an episode, but since arriving in Alpine, she was often tired after lunch and napped for an hour or so. Whether it was the altitude or all the time spent outside in the cold, Rose wasn’t sure, but she knew Zoe was happier if she took that hour.

“Nap time?” Rose asked.

“No. Don’t wanna. Talking with Vlad.”

“I know, baby, but you’ll feel better if you nap. Vlad will still be here when you wake up.” She glanced at him for confirmation.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Not tired,” Zoe insisted, stamping her foot.

“Fine,” Rose said, “but if you get grumpy, we won’t be able to play in the snow this afternoon.”

Zoe paused to consider that. It rarely snowed in Phoenix, and hadn’t once in Zoe’s short lifetime, so the opportunity to play in the snow wasn’t taken lightly.

“Won’t get grumpy,” Zoe announced with a confident chin jut.

“Okay. Your choice.” As Rose cleaned up the remains of their lunch, she caught Zoe yawning again.

Vlad followed Rose into the kitchen, bringing the cups Rose hadn’t had hands for. For a strange, disorienting minute, Rose could feel what their lives would be if he hadn’t left—this moment as a family vacation they’d decided to take for fun, rather than to avoid danger. The sensory impression shocked a depth of emotion from her. It was so vivid and real. Like stepping into an alternate timeline. Hurt and longing, love and satisfaction all tangled into a complex mix she couldn’t sort out.

She shook off the thoughts and focused on putting the remains of lunch away, trying to ignore how right it felt having Vlad in the kitchen with her, helping her do the little domestic things.

To Zoe, she said, “Why don’t you go into the living room and color for a bit? I need to talk with Vlad.”

Zoe flounced off, but not before reminding her mother, “We go out into the snow soon.”

“Soon,” Rose confirmed with a smile.

Even with Zoe in the living room, Rose knew she’d hear everything they said. “This would be an easier conversation if she’d just nap,” she murmured as quietly as she could.

“Not tired,” Zoe yelled from the living room.

Vlad laughed.

“You want a cup of tea?”

“That would be nice. Thank you.”

Rose concentrated on putting on the kettle as she asked, “What else has she inherited?”

“Probably an excellent sense of smell and good night vision.”

“Never asked her about the night vision, but her sense of smell is very good.” Rose thought about it. “She’s never asked for a night light. I suppose that could mean good night vision.”

“Or she’s just fearless, like her mom.”

Vlad settled against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed. The position emphasized the bulge of muscles in his arms and shoulders through the tight fit of his shirt. She was a complete sucker for his arms. That first meeting, climbing in Utah, she’d had a hard time not staring as he pulled himself up the rock face. Unfortunately for her distracted mind, she was soloing and couldn’t afford to lose her focus. She’d nearly gotten into trouble twice.

Being distracted by him now was going to get her into trouble, too. And she didn’t have any ropes to catch her if she slipped this time.

“So your brothers really believed you were trying to get back together with me?” It was probably the wrong topic, but she was curious and the question had just popped out.

He shrugged. “They knew some of what had happened between us. It’s a believable story.”