They skied the last stretch of snow side by side, and slid to the bottom of the hill together. Tara was breathless from the exertion and excitement. She threw herself into Seth’s arms, and hugged him tightly around his shoulders, not caring that their skis were tangled up.

“That was amazing.” Her voice was muffled by his jacket. “Let’s do it again.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a break first?” he asked as he untangled them before they toppled over.

“No way. Not even spiked hot chocolate can tempt me away.”

“And you’re up for another lift ride?”

“I found your strategy on the last ride very satisfactory.”

A wolfish grin spread across his face. “I think I could manage it again.”

As soon as her butt landed on the seat of the lift, Tara wrapped her arms around Seth’s neck and kissed him. There was no reason to wait until her panic rose. With a sexy chuckle that rumbled in his chest, he kissed her back like he meant it. His laughter turned to a groan when she traced his bottom lip with her tongue, and it was her turn to smile in satisfaction. She loved that she could make him desperate with a flick of her tongue.

This time, she pulled away from him as they approached the end of the ride. Seth tried to tug her back with a frustrated growl, but she gently pushed him away. “It’s time to get off.”

Seth shook his head as though he needed to clear it, and jumped off with her. The peaceful calm was broken by the raucous laughter of a group of teenage snowboarders. Tara shrugged. It was getting later in the day, so the hills were becoming a bit more crowded. The kids wouldn’t be a distraction once they started down the slope.

They pushed off without delay. Tara kept pace with Seth this time, the terrain a bit more familiar to her. He glided effortlessly beside her, as though skiing was as natural as walking to him. He was holding back so he could stay with her. She wanted him to enjoy himself as much as she was enjoying herself, so she picked up her poles and curled in on herself.

“Later,” she yelled and zoomed away.

“Not a chance.” Seth’s laughing voice reached her ears as he sped past her.

Happy that he was finally throwing himself in, Tara slowed down a bit so she wouldn’t smash into a tree.

It happened so fast she wasn’t quite sure what hit her. She knew she’d successfully avoided the trees, but then why was she lying flat on her back? Seth had apparently slowed down to wait for her because he was by her side immediately.

“Tara. Are you okay?” He clicked off his skis and knelt by her side.

“Yeah, I think so,” she managed to say.

When she heard someone groan to her side, she swerved her head to find one of the teenage boarders gathering herself off the ground. Tucking her snowboard under her arm, she walked over to Tara.