Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,47

away.

"Sorry," a woman said with an apologetic wave.

Jake grabbed their sled and they dragged it over to the lift area, sliding it onto a flat piece of metal that would take it back to the top.

"Want to do that again?" he asked.

"The sledding or the kiss?" she asked mischievously.

"How about both?" he returned, his hands sliding around her waist.

She immediately regretting her challenging question. She slipped away from him. "I think we're done."

"For today," he added. "The ball is now back in my court."

"We're not playing a game."

"Oh, it's not a game," he said purposefully.

"Jake…" Her voice trailed away as she really didn't know what to say.

"Let's go build a snowman," he said.

As he turned away, she said, "I don't have to do everything you say." She impulsively picked up a handful of snow, molded it into a ball, and threw it at the back of his head.

He jumped and turned around in surprise. "What the hell was that?"

"Oops," she said, giving him a look of mock apology.

"You want to play it like that?" he dared.

"I'll play any way I want," she shot back. She dodged his snowball and jogged across the meadow. He caught up with her within ten seconds. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around.

She thought he was going to go in for another kiss, but to her shock he smashed a pile of snow right into her face. She sputtered. By the time she'd wiped the icy mess off her mouth, he was out of her range.

He flung her a quick grin, backpedaling as he did. "Ball is still in my court," he said.

"You just had a chance to kiss me. Why didn't you take it?"

"It wasn't the right time."

"There's not going to be a better time. We may never be this close again."

"Oh, we will be," he said, his promising gaze sending a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the snow still lingering on her face. "You'll see."

"Or I won't," she said, determined not to let him think he was getting his way.

"You will. Because you want it to happen as much as I do."

She wanted to argue that he was wrong, but her slight hesitation was all it took for him to spin back around and jog ahead, once again getting the last word.

She hated when he got the last word, but she had to admit that what she hadn't hated was his kiss. But then, why would she hate it?

They'd always had a crazy chemistry. It was everything else that had gone to hell. That's the part she didn't ever want to live through again. So, maybe she needed to end this game before it went any further. Not that she was playing.

Oh, who was she kidding?

She'd kissed him. She was definitely playing. But not for long, she told herself firmly. They'd had some fun. That was enough.

She really wanted it to be enough…

Chapter Twelve

Hannah had surprised him, not just with the kiss, but with the snowball fight, with the smile that had stayed on her lips, the happy light in her brown eyes. He'd wanted to see her like this for a long time, and, finally, she'd shown him a side of herself that wasn't brimming with anger and resentment. He just wasn't sure he could make the mood last, but he was certainly going to try.

He'd always thought he needed a huge challenge to face and conquer in order to get to a happy place, to escape the darkness that resided deep in his soul, in a place that no one else ever saw. That's why he hiked the tallest mountains, climbed the most dangerous rock formations, challenged himself on the white waters of the wildest rivers, tested his confidence with parachute skiing and cave diving—anything that would put his life on the line, his skills to the ultimate stress point. But today, sledding and snowman building, and a hot kiss from Hannah, had put a grin on his face that he couldn't seem to get rid of.

Everyone else seemed to be having a good time, too. Lizzie and Justin managed to snag first place with their snowman, an elaborate creation that only the imaginative Lizzie could create, while the rest of the group had had to settle for ribbons for basically showing up. After the competition, they'd gone to the dining room at the lodge and ordered up burgers, wings, fries, and plenty of hot chocolate with whipped cream. Conversation had flowed fast