She looked out at the pristine expanse of snow, broken up by pines laden with the white stuff that sparkled in the noonday sun. Beautiful. She tried to put thoughts of her aunt out of her mind for just this afternoon, but she couldn’t help thinking about her.
After Laurel and her sisters heard their mother’s suspicions concerning her sister’s disappearance, they began investigating it. In an old chest, Ellie had found a photo Aunt Clarinda had sent their mother to help document her ownership of the highboy and blanket chest. All of the furniture at the hotel had been auctioned off at one point, and it had taken Laurel and her sisters months to finally track her aunt’s things down at another auction. The fact that Aunt Clarinda’s furniture had been sold at the hotel auction proved that she had lived there.
Now that the furniture had been returned from Paris, Laurel and her sisters wanted to keep track of it because of what might be hidden in secret compartments—if there were any. Laurel just hoped that no one had emptied what might have been hidden there.
“Here we are,” CJ said cheerfully as they arrived at the ski resort.
Several pack members waved at CJ…and at her. She wasn’t used to so many people, wolves, treating her like she was a good friend. She hadn’t considered what it would be like to be up here with him. Alone. Without her sisters to quash some of the speculation.
Despite knowing it was not the best idea to appear as though she and CJ were a couple, she felt good about it. Relished the notion that she was with the hot deputy sheriff. That he was well liked, and for the afternoon, she was with him.
* * *
As soon as Laurel was fitted for ski boots and skis, four instructors descended on her, offering to give her private ski lessons. Arms folded across his chest, CJ just smiled at them.
“Don’t tell me that you’re giving her lessons?” a blond named Cantrell said. Another man, Robert—obviously Cantrell’s twin—silently stood by, nodding. They both looked like Viking gods—blue eyed, muscled, tanned, and grinning broadly.
“I tell you, those Silver wolves always get the women,” Robert said.
“We’ve got to learn their secret.”
Laurel laughed. She’d never expected to see such lighthearted wolf rivalry over a woman. She’d been a little concerned about male wolf fights over eligible she-wolves, so she was glad there was none of that here.
“Are you ready?” CJ asked, giving her a wink.
“Yeah.” She just hoped she wouldn’t do too badly. She could do a lot of things well, but when it came to new adventures like this? She could see herself falling down more than standing up, breaking something before she barely got started, and generally embarrassing herself in front of all the pack members. It would be easier if she and CJ were doing this at any other ski resort where they didn’t know anyone.
Yet, everyone’s friendliness encouraged her.
Out of the way of any skiers, CJ showed her how to put her skis on. He demonstrated how she should point her skis to form a V. “Slightly incline your knees inward so that you can dig your skis into the snow a bit. Relax your arms and hold your poles with the tips pointing outward so that you’re less tense.”
She realized then how tense she was and willed herself to relax. He could probably hear her wildly pounding heart. Hopefully, he just believed she was excited.
“Then you’ll turn, planting the tips of your poles into the snow behind you and pushing off gently.” He demonstrated. “To slow down, widen your V and zigzag down the slope. You can traverse more of the slope to the side and then turn to go down the slope, and again turn to the opposite side, digging into the slope.”
He showed her how to take off her skis and then walked her to the beginner’s ski lift for the bunny slope. She couldn’t believe how heavy the boots were or how difficult it was to walk in them. She’d thought it would be easier to just ski over to the lift, but then she watched a kid of about ten years old flying by, pushing out with his skis to get over to the lift. And another, sliding over the snow, expertly using his poles to push him along. She definitely didn’t have that skill yet.
Skiing just didn’t seem like a wolf sport. Yet she loved the outdoors and the fresh air, the smiling faces, and everyone looking like they were having so much fun. She was glad she’d come here to take a much-needed play break before opening the hotel.
By the time she reached the ski lift, Laurel was thinking that she would be good and tired tonight. She wished her sisters could be here, but she liked that she got to try skiing first.
She managed to get her skis on without any trouble, then slid them across the packed snow to reach the lift line. Talk about unwieldy! She crossed the tips of the skis twice and nearly fell. If CJ hadn’t grabbed her arm and kept her upright until she could get her skis uncrossed, she would have landed on her butt. Talk about a lifesaver! Not that she was in terrible peril, except for risking embarrassment if she fell in front of everyone.
Wearing his mirror sunglasses, his kissable mouth smiling up at the corners just a tad, CJ looked so hot and cute that she fell in love with him a little. Not as in a mating. He was so sweet to offer to teach her and didn’t seem to mind that she was a klutz. Not all men would want to bother. Most would rather show off their hotshot skiing skills than babysit a novice.
“You can teach me for a little while, then I can practice while you ski on your own.” She didn’t want him to feel obligated to stay with her all afternoon. She could just imagine how bored he would be. And she was sure that if she just practiced, she could get better without him having to watch her.
“Are you kidding? Not only am I looking forward to having fun on the slopes with you, but there’s no way that I’m leaving you alone for a second. There are way too many hungry bachelor wolves on the slopes this afternoon.”
He looked so serious, she laughed. He just smiled back.
Before she knew it, she and CJ were sitting on the ski lift, her skis swinging a bit, which seemed hazardous. She was afraid she’d fall off because there was no bar to keep a body secure.
At the end of the ride, when she had to get off the ski lift in a hurry, her heart was pounding with worry that she’d fall right in front of the lift. One of the two male teens in front of them had just fallen, and she could see herself doing the same thing. Thankfully, the teen was up and gone before she hopped off. She managed to stay on her feet, or skis, and skied a little out of the path before she slid to a stop.
“Okay, we’ll go this way. Blue trail over there is for intermediate skiers. The green signs always mean easy, and this one over here is the easiest of the six easy slopes. To get moving, just push off with your skis, one and then the other. As we ski down, remember to form your wedge.”
When they started to ski down, he reminded her, “Keep your weight mostly on the downhill ski as you go across the slope, keeping your skis parallel, and always form a wedge when you’re turning downhill. If you find yourself falling, fall toward the upper slope.”
They headed down the slope, which looked incredibly tall and steep. It probably wasn’t, but for someone who wasn’t used to this, like Laurel, it looked that way. She began to pick up a little speed, more than she was ready for, and quickly widened her wedge. That slowed her down right away, and she began to gain confidence, realizing she did have some control over her movements. This wasn’t so hard after all.
And she was having fun as she moved down the hill. Getting tired too, as she used muscles in ways she hadn’t before.
Little kids zipped past her, making her wish she’d taken up skiing a long time ago, though she and her sisters hadn’t lived in snow country for some time. And when they had, they hadn’t lived near a ski resort.
Besides, she didn’t imagine she would have had private wolf lessons anywhere else. So this was really enjoyable.
After going up the ski lift and skiing down the slope a number of times, CJ smiled at her when they reached the base. “You’re really getting the hang of it.”
All along, he’d been saying things like that. She loved how encouraging he was. She guessed she wasn’t too bad for a beginner. In the beginning, getting used to the trail was important so that she could learn its nuances and concentrate more on her form. After a couple of runs, she knew where the top of the snow had crusted over and was more slippery, where it widened and where it narrowed, where there was a tiny bump in the snow, and how long it would take her to reach the base where everyone coming down off other slopes converged and headed for the ski lifts.
“Looking good, Laurel,” someone said, skiing past them. Someone else echoed the man’s compliment.
She smiled. She hoped her sisters would take up skiing too. By next season, they could all be halfway good at it. “Do you think you’re ready to go down the next slope, or do you want to keep skiing down this one? The next one is a little steeper, still a green, really easy to navigate, and with a much longer slope so you have more time to practice turning. It’s up to you.”
He had to be bored coming down this easy slope, she thought.
After about an hour of the green slope, she was eager to try out another trail. Especially if he thought she was ready for it.
If it turned out to be too difficult, she could go back to the easiest slope. “Yeah, I’d love to.”
“Good show.” He looked proud of her. “You’re a celebrity, you know,” CJ said as they rode up a different lift.
“What do you mean?”
“The Wernicke brothers think that their show has so much appeal, but you have everyone watching you today.”
“Great. I’d really rather that no one noticed me falling down a hill.”
“You’re doing super. And you have to remember it’s your first time.”
“I see these little kids skiing like they’ve been doing it for years, and it makes me wish I had been.”
“They have been doing it for years. Parents put them in ski school at three years of age. Ski bunnies. By the time they’re seven or eight, they’ve already been skiing for a number of years.”
“Wow. Do you ever teach them?”
“On occasion when I’m off-duty. I’m usually up here during the duty day, if Peter needs me for deputy sheriff duties. I’ve taught the kiddies in a pinch. You’re really doing well, Laurel. Some people can’t get the hang of it right away. You’re having fun, aren’t you?”
“Loving it.” She couldn’t envision CJ teaching the little ones, but she would love to see it.
“Loving it is all that matters.”
With all his encouragement, she felt she was doing really well. She was learning how to fall and get back up, which was a lot harder than it looked. Ski poles and skis just seemed to get in the way. And when she was on a slope? She couldn’t decide if it was harder or easier than when she took a spill on level ground.
Taking a different ski lift meant seeing a different view of the trees and slopes from up above and, for her, exploring a new virgin trail. This one curved more and was steeper. Although still wide, it wasn’t as wide as the bunny slope. Attempting a different slope was scary, but after she had gone down it, she was ready to sample another and another, which she did until she’d tried them all.
CJ even took her on the easiest intermediate slope. It was much steeper with a few moguls, but she skied around them. She loved it, although her legs were becoming weary. Running, walking, and swimming kept her in great shape as a wolf, but skiing worked her muscles differently. She fell more on the intermediate slope, maybe because of the steepness of the slope, and panicked when she hit a mogul and flew over the top of it rather than cutting sideways across it. She quickly turned into the slope and maintained control. Thankfully.
When she skied down the last time and reached the base, she wasn’t sure what happened next. She turned to stop, but an out-of-control skier nearly ran into her. CJ came in behind her, his skis on either side of hers, and moved her in a forward motion out of the skier’s path. But the skier who sliced past them startled her, and Laurel lost her balance, while the skier crashed and burned a few yards away.
Laurel felt herself falling. And taking CJ with her.
Skis and poles and legs tangled, he landed on the ground hard, softening her fall. She was sitting half on his lap and half off. They looked at the wiped-out skier, who was getting up, dusting off snow, and heading out to confirm that he was fine. Then CJ and Laurel’s gazes collided. They both burst out laughing.
He dropped his poles, cupped her face, and kissed her.
Letting go of her poles, she kissed him right back, tongue for tongue, mouths locked, the cold wind no longer noticeable as he heated her blood right up.
She kept telling herself that the way she was feeling was just gratitude for him being such a trouper in teaching her to ski. Yet, she couldn’t help wishing the kiss would lead to more. A deeper relationship, maybe.
They still had so much other stuff to resolve. But in this instant, half sitting on his hot lap and half off, wearing the unwieldy skis on her heavy ski boots, and feeling his mouth hot and hungry against her lips, she was leaning a lot toward yes!
CJ pulled his mouth away from hers first, his eyes darkened to midnight, his hands still cupping her face, as if trying to sense how she felt about this jump in their relationship.
She smelled the testosterone fired up between them and smiled a little. “I bet when you’re teaching new students to ski, this doesn’t happen often.”
He smiled a little. “I never give private lessons.”
She chuckled.
“But for you, just say the word and I’ll bring you up here for more.”
“I’d love it. I need to do it again soon so I don’t forget all that you taught me.” She sighed. “What are we going to do about getting up?”
He was fully aroused, and she figured he was going to have a time of it. So was she.
“I don’t think there’s any way to do this gracefully. Just do whatever you have to. And then, did you want to get a drink at the lodge?”
Leaving at this point would be less embarrassing, but she wasn’t a cowardly wolf. A hot drink sounded good.
“Yeah, I’d love that.”
Somehow, she managed to swing her leg around, despite wielding the long ski, though he groaned a little as her buttocks pressed against his arousal. All she’d accomplished was to move her leg off his. She was still sitting squarely against his crotch. She leaned forward to try and stand, and he gave her rump a little boost. Startled to get some help from behind, she nearly fell but managed to stabilize herself. She looked back to see how he was managing.
Despite being so good at skiing, he took a moment to rise to his feet. He squirmed a bit as if he was trying to re-situate his gear to get more comfortable, while she was trying not to smile. Then he skied with her to the baseline lodge.
They left their skis and poles outside, leaning against a wooden rack where he looped his pole straps around her skis and his as if claiming her—or stating they were together. Which she found amusing.
Little things like that might not mean much to some people, but they were a big deal to lupus garous. He was telling other wolves to keep their paws off her. She didn’t mind, because she really liked CJ, and, well, she could see them going further with this, if she could resolve the business with their aunt’s disappearance and not upset the pack in the process.
Inside, they looked for a free table to sit at. Many were filled with skiers stopping to get a drink. At one of the four-person tables, the Viking brothers, Cantrell and Robert, waved them over.
“Do you mind sitting with them?” CJ asked.
She really appreciated his thoughtfulness, ensuring she liked the men before she agreed.
“Sure. That would be fine.” She glanced up at CJ. “We have only a half hour left to ski before the resort closes. I thought this would be a nice end of the day. What do you think?”
“Hell, yeah.” He grinned from ear to ear.
She laughed.
“Bu
t,” he said very seriously, “we still have supper plans.”
“Yeah.” She wouldn’t give them up for the world. It would be a lovely way to conclude the evening, especially since her sisters weren’t around and she knew she would be lonely.
When they sat down with the brothers, both were grinning at them. “I should have known you’d take your cue from Tom,” Cantrell said, directing his comment to CJ, who smiled back a little. To Laurel, he explained, “His cousin Tom and Tom’s mate, Elizabeth, were caught on video kissing up by one of the ski lifts before they were mated. The video went viral in the pack.”
Laurel frowned at them. “Don’t tell me anyone took pictures or a video of us.”
Robert pulled out his phone. “I don’t know if anyone else did, but I got a shot.”
She wouldn’t have cared if she and CJ were truly courting. But they weren’t, and worse, she didn’t want her sisters to learn about it like this. In this case, a picture was worth more than a thousand words. It would cause all kinds of speculation.
“But, of course, you didn’t share it with anyone,” she said, putting Robert on the spot. Didn’t the pack members need permission?
“Not me. My shot didn’t turn out all that great.” Robert gave her another cocky smile, then handed his phone to her.
She saw twenty-three other pictures posted of the kissing scene. Some from a distance, so it was hard to tell who was kissing whom on the slope. Others, close-ups. And one was a really short video from one of those helmet cams as someone skied past.
Shaking her head, she handed the phone back to Robert. But she was amused. She’d never expected that to happen.
“So how did it work out for Tom and his mate after they earned all that fandom on the ski slopes?” she asked, curious if that had led to their mating shortly thereafter.
“She left him,” Cantrell said.
Laurel laughed.
“But obviously she returned,” Robert said. “We knew that would happen.”
“We have to get back to ski rescue. If you need rescuing from CJ, just let me know,” Cantrell said.