Roarke laughed. “Yes, they have one and an amazing winter park around it. We could go up there, do a few things, and then finish the evening with dinner at the Botta restaurant where we can watch the sunset.”

  “That sounds incredible.” It also sounded intensely romantic, and Shana wasn’t about to complain about that. She was starting to fall in love with him. It was strange, how easy it was to be with him. She didn’t worry as much about things when she was with him, nor did she worry what he was thinking. But most importantly, she liked being with him, liked the person she was when she was with him. When she was with Roarke, it felt like the most real version of herself she’d been in a long time. That had to be mean something.

  “I figured seeing the Alps like that would be more memorable than buying a postcard in the gift shop in town.”

  Shana hastily finished her breakfast, then got out of bed and grabbed some winter clothes to change into in the bathroom. After combing the tangles out of her hair, she joined Roarke as he grabbed his wallet and coat. She was glad she’d bought a puffy, dark blue marshmallow coat to stay warm. He wore a hunter green winter coat and looked ready to explore.

  “Ready?”

  She tapped the toes of her winter boots together and grinned. “Let’s go.”

  Glacier 3000, the winter park that occupied a space on the top of a mountain, offered an amazing panoramic view of the Alps. Roarke had always wanted to go there, but it seemed odd to go alone. Something amazing like that should be shared with another person. Now he could take Shana. A boyish giddiness filled him as he escorted her toward the doors of the Alpine lift that would take them up the mountain.

  They boarded the lift with a dozen other people by stepping into the enclosed box, made mostly of glass, that ferried people up and down the mountain. Shana leaned into him, clearly nervous about the height as the car moved up into the air along the cable. He wrapped an arm around her waist, the hold both comforting and exciting as their bodies pressed close. He loved the feel of her so near to him. They ascended the mountain, marveling at the whitecapped mountainsides and the valleys full of powdery snow. Occasionally they saw someone ski down the mountain below them. The skiers created wide arcing sprays of snow as they made turns going back and forth.

  When the cable car reached the top, they exited and headed for a path that led to a suspension bridge.

  “What’s the Peak Walk?” Shana pointed to a sign as they made their way up the path.

  “It’s the only suspension bridge in the world that connects two mountain peaks.”

  “A bridge?” She paused at the end of the bridge and eyed the narrow path with clear anxiety.

  “We’re standing on View Point, the smaller of two peaks. That over there on the other side is Scex Rouge.” He stepped out onto the bridge a few feet but stopped when he realized she hadn’t followed him. He turned and looked back at her. She stood rooted a foot from where the bridge started, her posture rigid and her eyes wide with fear.

  “I don’t think I can cross that. I’m not good with heights,” she admitted.

  Roarke walked back to her. “I can see that,” he murmured soothingly. He put himself between her and the bridge, blocking her view of it as he cupped her face. Her nose was turning red from the cold so he bent his head, nuzzling her in an Eskimo kiss. She relaxed against him, leaning in as their lips met in a slow, sultry kiss that almost made him forget where they were. He finally broke the kiss and savored the dreamy-eyed look she gave him. Her fear had been banished for a few brief moments. He felt a surge of pride mixed with relief and something else that he didn’t dare name.

  “I would never force you to do something you’re not comfortable with. If you don’t want to cross with me, I get it—it’s scary. But the view is apparently worth the adrenaline. We’ll be high above the clouds looking out at a snow-covered Swiss countryside. I promise the view is spectacular if, if you want to try it. I’ll hold your hand the whole way, babe.”

  The look she gave him was one that he would never forget—an expression of complete and total trust as she held out her hand.

  “You promise?” she asked.

  “I promise.”

  He took her hand and for good measure put an arm around her waist. “Come on. We’ll walk together side-by-side. It’s only a hundred and seven meters. You can make it.”

  The first few steps out onto the bridge, she leaned heavily into him, and he took her weight, helping her feel like she was lightly stepping on the bridge. She stared down into the misty sky beneath them, her fingers digging into his gloved hand. Her breath escaped in little, panicked pants.

  Shana’s hands dug into his arm as she held on for dear life, but she kept moving and he moved with her, knowing she was stiff with fear, yet trusted him with every step she took. It humbled him beyond words to know this beautiful, brave, smart and compassionate woman was literally trusting him with her life. Even though he knew there was little danger on the bridge, he knew that her body believed it was threatened, and the fear in her was warning her to turn back, but she didn’t. God, she was fucking glorious.

  They moved together side-by-side across the bridge that spanned the two mountain peaks. He paused once in the middle of the bridge, and she tried to close her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held onto him for dear life.

  “Don’t look down, look up,” he said. “See those peaks in the distance?” He pointed to the distant mountains ahead of them. She nodded. “Those are the Alps—the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.”

  “They’re so beautiful,” Shana breathed and smiled up at him. “I’m still terrified, but you’re right—this was worth it.” She peeped around a second longer and then pushed at his chest. “Okay, beauty moment taken. Let’s get to the other side so I can get off the bridge, okay?”

  Trying hard not laugh at her adorable expression of determination as she shoved him along, he put his arm back around her waist and they started walking far more briskly toward the other peak. She kept hold of his hand the entire way. Something warm and bright cocooned his heart, and he felt so happy he almost couldn’t breathe for a second.

  When they exited the bridge, they ended up at a safe viewing location at the top of Scex Rouge. Below them lay a thick blanket of clouds.

  “You weren’t kidding. We really are above the clouds.” Shana leaned on the rail and peered down at the vast expanse of beautiful white below them, their shapes rippled like white velvet.

  “It’s just so beautiful,” she murmured. Roarke took in the sight of her, the way her skin was flushed with excitement and how her eyes gleamed bright and her lips curved in a smile. He thought of how she’d braved the bridge to get here, and he was filled with such a bright and burning joy that he could scarcely stop himself from hauling her into his arms and kissing her senseless.

  “It is beautiful,” he agreed, but he had eyes only for her, always had. He didn’t want to think about what it would be like when they went back to Chicago. She might retreat behind her protective friends and bury herself in work for her father, who would never value and appreciate her. And Roarke…would be left out in the cold again. Only this time it would be worse because he knew what he would be missing without her.

  She turned to look up at him. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” he asked.

  “For giving me a chance to just be myself and do something like this.”

  She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. It was a soft kiss, not one meant to seduce his body, yet it was a siren’s call to ensnare his heart. He couldn’t resist reaching up to cup her face in his hands and return the kiss. Last night they’d fucked like desperate animals, needing to be with each other on a primal level, but today was different. The kisses they’d shared today were softer, sweeter, yet no less passionate than last night. They held affection and trust, which somehow deepened the impact of the kisses on him.

  “Roarke,” she spoke softly. “Why do the others hate you so much?” she asked.

  He almost smiled at the way she called Thad, Angelo and Jared “the others.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Tell me here on this mountain. No one will hear, no one will…” She faltered.

  “No one will judge?” He somehow sensed what she been about to say.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s what I meant.”

  He gazed at her a long moment, drinking in the sight of her. When a man like him looked at a woman he adored, like Shana, it was easy to become drunk on her beauty. He couldn’t say no to her.

  “The others never liked me because I was from a world that looked down on them,” he admitted. “I’m old money from an old family. Being from that world comes with a price. They assumed they knew what sort of person I was, but—”

  “They were wrong,” Shana finished for him. “Why didn’t you ever correct them?”

  “I had a bit too much fun provoking them. I still do.” He grinned at her, but she didn’t laugh or smile back.

  “Someday I’ll make them see you the way you deserve to be seen.”

  He didn’t doubt that she would try, and he loved her infinitely more because of it. He’d never said it even in his own mind before, but he loved her. He’d loved her that moment on the quad at Creighton when he’d seen her for the first time. He didn’t care that it sounded like some sort of ‘instant love’ nonsense. For him, it was just the truth. And no one had the right to challenge what he felt in his own heart.

  “Would you like a picture?” A middle-aged woman was watching them on the platform. “I’ll take one, if you want,” she offered with a bright smile.

  Roarke glanced at Shana. “I’d like to … if you do.”

  “Yeah, I’d love that.” She waved the woman over and handed over both her phone and Roarke’s after he lifted it out of his coat pocket.

  “Okay, lovebirds, give me a big smile,” the woman said as she took a few photos. “Now turn and look at each other,” she encouraged.

  Roarke wrapped his arms around Shana and gazed down at her, unable to deny how happy he was in this moment. He pushed away the heavy stone of fear that weighed down his stomach at the thought of losing her.

  “Got it!” The woman handed back their phones.

  “Thank you,” Roarke said.

  The woman winked at him. “I remember how busy I was on my honeymoon. We forgot to take photos half the time.”

  Shana blushed but didn’t correct the woman, and neither did he.

  “Come on, let’s cross back over the bridge. I have something else for us to do.”

  “Oh?” She looked a little apprehensive, which made him laugh out loud, the sound echoing off the distant tops of the Alps.

  “Trust me, you’ll love it. No more frightening heights, I promise.”

  “Good, I’m holding you to that. I’ve pushed my boundaries enough for one day.”

  He hoped she hadn’t though, because tonight he wanted to make love to her again—and he didn’t want either of them to feel like they had to hold back.

  Roarke was right. She did love what he had planned. She sat on a dogsled with him behind her, cushioning her so she could rest against him. The entire day felt strangely surreal and yet she had been memorizing every detail—from the bite of the cold to the crisp mountain air. Now, she had the warmth of Roarke’s body behind her and the excitement of sled dogs in front of her. She didn’t want to forget a single thing about today. Ahead of them, a team of huskies were barking and howling at each other in excitement.

  “Are you ready?” their sled driver asked. He stood on the sled rails extended behind the back of the sled.

  “Ready!” Shana and Roarke both said at once.

  “Line out!” the driver shouted at the dogs in English. The huskies all moved to line up, their harnesses pulled taut as they leaned forward.

  “Hike!” the man barked. The dogs leapt forward, the sled gliding smoothly behind them.

  Roarke wrapped his arms around Shana, and she leaned back against him as the dogs tore off across the snow. They glided along a long circular path to view the entire glacier and the other beautiful scenery. The sled would carry them through the entire journey.

  The glacier and the snow-dusted mountains around them glittered in the sunlight. The freshly churned, powdery snow glinted as though someone had cast a handful of diamond dust over everything. Shana had never seen snow so beautiful before. In Chicago, it often fell and turned immediately into gray slush on the streets. This, though, was like a fairy tale. She absorbed Roarke’s warmth and his body steadied hers and she marveled at how perfectly they fit together, even in a dog sled. Everything about Roarke felt right, almost frighteningly so.

  The huskies ran, their tongues out as they flashed dog smiles while they pulled the sled around the glacier park. When they finally returned to the beginning of the circular trail, Shana was truly sad the experience was over. She took her time petting each of the bright-eyed dogs who had given her such a fun ride. Each one had a different personality and look, and all of them were beautiful and sweet. She got more than one lick on her cheek, which made her giggle. When she was done, she noticed Roarke watching her.

  “You really like dogs,” he said.

  “I do.”

  “But you don’t have one.” Roarke seemed puzzled by that.

  “No. As you can imagine, my dad doesn’t like unpredictable chaos. Pets are definitely that. Mom didn’t want anything wrecking her perfect house. So the extent of what I was allowed were fish. Well, one fish—a beta fish. Even after all these years, I forget that I could have a dog now if I wanted, but given how much I work, the dog would be lonely.”

  “So you had a beta fish?”

  “Yeah, you know … one of those Japanese fighting fish. They have the long flowing tails in bold colors.”

  “Oh yeah, those the ones you can’t put in the same tank.”

  “Just the males can’t be together. You can’t even really have them in tanks next to each other for too long either. They can exhaust themselves by puffing out their fins and challenging the other male while posturing. It is cool to watch them do it for a few minutes though. They really put on a show.”

  “Hmmm, sounds like males don’t change their behavior much between species.”

  Shana couldn’t resist laughing. “You’re kind of right about that.”

  They said goodbye to the sled driver and his dogs before they started across the snow toward the restaurant at the top of the nearest hill.

  “So, what was your fish’s name?” Roarke reached for her hand while they walked, and she put her gloved palm in his.

  “Sir Francis Ahab Drake.” She laughed at the look on his face.

  “That’s a mouthful, isn’t it?” Roarke grinned.

  “I knew he was probably the only pet I could ever have so I named him twice, sort of.”

  “What do you mean you named him twice?”

  “He’s Ahab from Moby Dick, but he’s also Sir Francis Drake, the Elizabethan era sea explorer.”

  “You are such a nerd,” he said.

  She elbowed him but giggled. “I am a nerd. But I own it.”

  “Good, because nerds are sexy,” he said.

  She inwardly shouted in triumph. “You think so?”

  “Yeah, like I said, put on those glasses and tell me a book is due in your most bossy voice, and I’m yours forever, babe.”

  He was teasing, she knew that, but she pretended for a little while longer that he meant it.

  They got to Botta just in time to watch the sunset from the window seats. The setting sun formed a dark vermilion line on the horizon, blackening the once white Alps in a romantic silhouette. She’d never seen a thing like it in her life. It was a view only available on a mountain like this.

  “Worth the climb?” Roarke asked as he held up his wineglass to her in a toast.

  She lifted her glass and clinked it against his. “Worth every minute.”

  Shana remembered the heart-pounding fear of standing at the edge of the suspension bridge between the two peaks and how it felt to face the fear. She knew she would still be afraid of heights, even the same height if she had to cross the bridge again. But she had wanted to be with Roarke and to see the view from the peak on the other side, so she had mastered her fear, at least in that moment. And it had been worth it. So worth it. The best things in life were worth facing one’s fear. She had known that once, long ago, but after her grandfather died she had lost sight of that.

  Roarke had reminded her how to live.

  5

  “I have one more trick up my sleeve tonight,” Roarke said as they arrived at the hotel after the sun had set.

  “Oh?” Shana was exhausted, but she was also curious about what he had planned.

  “Ahh, there it is.” He grasped her by the shoulders and gently turned her away from the door of the hotel before she could go inside.

  A beautiful red and gold sleigh came toward them on the road, with a team of Frieberger draft horses pulling it through the snow. A driver was perched in the front, but the rest of the sleigh was open for two people to sit in.

  “We’re going on a sleigh ride?” she asked as the horses stopped in front of the hotel.

  “It’s not too cliché, is it?” Roarke asked. A charming wrinkle formed between his brows, and he looked suddenly unsure of himself. Her heart melted completely. He would never know, and she would never tell him, but seeing how much he wanted her to like this and like him... That mattered more than anything else he could do.

  “It’s wonderful. I’ve never touched a horse, but I love them. And I had no idea anyone did sleigh rides except in movies.”

  Roarke chuckled, his body relaxing. “Come here. Let me introduce you to the horses.”

  She followed him down the steps of the hotel. The Frieberger horses were incredibly tall and thickly muscled, with glossy coats the color of molasses. The socks of their legs were white just above their hooves and they stood steady and calm as Shana came toward them.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9