“And I made a choice to get away from that. What are you doing?”
“I’m working to make this country a better place.”
“If you count reviewing financial statements and talking with committees as fun, then you’re missing out.” She gestured toward the sled. “When’s the last time you went sledding?”
“When I was six.”
Her mouth dropped open. “When you were six?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, you want to prove you’re not a stuffed shirt?” She knocked her boot against the sled. “Then go sledding.”
“No.”
“Ah, I see.” She turned her back on him and swung one leg over the toboggan. “You’re scared.”
“You’re not teasing me into going sledding.”
“It’s okay if you’re scared. I won’t tell anyone,” she said as she looked over her shoulder and winked at his thunderous face before turning around to grab the rope. “But I still think—”
Her words ended on a squeak as a solid wall of warmth pressed against her back. A moment later Cass’s legs caged her in on the sled, his arms wrapped around her to snatch the rope from her hands. She sat straight up, but a quick tug sent her falling back against his chest.
“All right, Briony,” he murmured in her ear, sending a careening ache through her body that made her thighs tighten as her core grew hot. “Let’s go sledding.”
Before she could retort, he pushed off. Their combined weight elevated them to speeds she hadn’t been able to achieve on her own. She laughed as they whipped down the hillside, savoring the rush of the sled, the icy air, the contrasting warmth of the man who cradled her so firmly yet so gently against his incredible body.
They reached the flat plain, the sled continuing to churn across the snow.
Until the sled hit something concealed beneath the snow. One moment Briony was cocooned safely in Cass’s arms. The next she was sailing into the air, her body propelled forward by the momentum of their crash. A second later she hit the snow with a gasp. Cass followed a moment later, his muscular frame landing directly on top of her.
“Briony!” Cass lifted himself up on his forearms, one hand brushing the hair out of her eyes. “Briony, are you all right...”
His voice trailed off, and he frowned as she started laughing.
“I’ve never gone that fast before!”
“Your idea of living is very different from mine.”
Briony’s laugh died as the weight of Cass’s body registered. The blanket of snow softened the world around them, making her more acutely aware of the pounding of her heart as Cass’s eyes darkened.
“Have you thought about what it will be like between us?”
His question made heat bloom across her skin, the roughness of his voice sinking deep inside her and making her restless. She wanted to tell him no, wanted to say making love had never even crossed her mind.
But it would be a lie.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Slowly, he lowered his head. She gasped as her gaze met his, amber eyes flashing with desire as he drew closer. Her eyes drifted shut just before his lips touched her.
I’m in trouble.
The fleeting thought disappeared as Cass kissed her with a slow, smoldering intensity. The contact made her gasp and arch into his body as she wound her arms around his neck. His lips left hers, moved over her cheek in a caress as light as butterfly wings, then down her neck. He placed an open-mouthed kiss at the base of her throat that made her moan his name.
Even if there was never any love between them, at least she would have this, a passion she’d never known was possible.
His hand found the zipper of her coat and pulled it down. The cold air kissed her chest, enhancing the heat of his touch. When his lips kissed the swell of her breast revealed by the parted fabric, she moaned.