“Trust me. It’s delicious. And this place is great. Tyler, Jackson and I used to come here all the time.”
She could understand why.
A curl of smoke rose from the chimney and a few skiers wrapped in warm layers were seated at tables outside, a slash of color against a background of white. The sky was Caribbean blue, the temperature arctic cold.
Despite that, Ethan picked a table outside. “Keep your coat zipped and you’ll be fine.”
Harriet settled herself in a chair and he was back moments later with brimming mugs topped with swirls of cream and a dusting of chocolate powder.
Dana had opted to stay with the dogs and Harriet was almost tempted to join her.
Ethan must have sensed it because he put the mug in front of her. “People ski for miles to sample Brigitte’s Belgian hot chocolate. Taste it, and you’ll see why.” He straddled the chair next to her.
Sun glinted off his hair and Harriet noticed the group of girls at the table closest to them turn and look at him.
Ignoring it, she took a sip of her drink, tasted hot velvety sweetness and moaned.
His gaze flickered to hers, then dropped to her mouth.
In that breathless moment of unspoken intimacy, she knew he wasn’t thinking about the hot chocolate. And neither was she.
He leaned forward and wiped away a drop of cream from her lips with his thumb.
The heat and the tension should have melted every last drop of snow and ice around them.
Never in her life had she felt anything like this.
She wanted to freeze time and stay in this moment forever. Blue sky and snow. The dog team waiting impatiently on the edge of the forest. Hot chocolate and Ethan.
Ethan, Ethan, Ethan.
A burst of sudden laughter from the girls at the table next to them cut through the tension and Ethan slowly pulled away and reached for his own hot chocolate.
She noticed his hand wasn’t quite steady.
His dark brows met in a frown, as if he was puzzling about something and she looked away quickly, hoping that what she felt didn’t show in her eyes.
Unlike her twin, she wasn’t good at hiding her feelings.
And right now her feelings were overwhelming.
Did he know? Had he guessed that her feelings had changed?
And what exactly were his feelings?
He’d arranged for her to go dogsledding because he’d known she’d love it beyond anything. No one had ever done anything like that for her before.
She finished her hot chocolate, wishing that they didn’t have to go back to New York. Whatever happened, it wasn’t going to be like this.
“We have another hour with the dog team.” His voice was casual. “After that I thought we’d go back to the cabin. As this is our las
t afternoon on our own, I thought we could relax.”
She didn’t care where she was, as long as he was there too.
“Is that an indecent suggestion?”
“Definitely.” There was a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Just doing my bit to help you earn your bad-girl credentials.”