He chuckled. Humans really were outrageous creatures. They landed lightly on the snow without mishap and glided away from the lift. The course was pretty straightforward and without many challenges, but going down the hill with the wind rushing in his ears was going to feel great.

“Ready?” Her body coiled back like a spring. Hmm. He suddenly doubted her claim of being a modest intermediate skier.

“Here we go,” he said and pushed off with Tara close by his side.

The graceful flow of her movements proved his thoughts right. She skied beautifully. He stayed close to her and didn’t pick up speed. He was serious about not being separated from her. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight. As though she was testing him, Tara swooshed downhill, suddenly picking up speed. With a hoot, he sped up to join her.

She curled herself tighter as they approached the bottom of the hill, and he couldn’t help himself. Maybe he wanted to show off like a peacock during mating season. He zoomed past her and stopped in a smooth arc at the bottom. Quickly, he pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket and pretended to scroll through messages.

Tara slid expertly to a stop beside him a few seconds later. He glanced up from his phone with surprise. “Oh, there you are. I thought you’d gone for some refreshments.”

“Show-off,” she said, and laughed. “You really can ski like James Bond. I thought maybe it was just The Ego talking.”

“And you’re no intermediate skier.”

“I really am. I’ve never skied on the advanced slopes.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Seth cocked his head to the side, truly puzzled.

“I have this irrational fear of sliding off the chairs, and landing on the snow way below like a crumpled doll,” she said, staring down at her boot-covered toes. “That’s why I get so scared getting on the lifts. But to go to the diamond courses, you have to take multiple lifts, going even higher.”

“But it’s not the heights because you did fine on the gondola ride.”

“Because it’s fully enclosed. The lifts are so … open.”

“What if I promise you, I’ll never let you fall? I’ll hold you tight the entire ride and not let go.” He leaned closer to her so she would look at him. “I’ll be your personal seat belt.”

Her eyes widened and her lips parted, and she seemed almost mesmerized when she said in a breathless whisper, “Okay.”

He’d had no ulterior motive other than to make her feel safe, but her reaction heated his blood to a quick boil. The depth of emotion she brought out in him was unnerving, yet thrilling. He wanted to laugh with her, to protect her, and make love to her with an intensity that surprised him. But he liked it, and hungered for more than a little taste of it.

Suddenly, the beginning of his new chapter in Paris loomed like a ticking bomb, ominously counting down the time he had left with Tara.