One Perfect Night

Noah went first, moving his arms and legs up and down, back and forth, until she couldn’t resist doing the same. A private plane flew overhead and when the pilot saw what they were doing, he tipped his wings at them.
    Noah stood up, then pulled her to her feet so that they could admire their snow angels. "They’re beautiful," she whispered.
    It had been an unexpectedly perfect day. Better than any she’d had in a very long time. And she had Noah to thank for it.
    "You did great today, Colbie."
    She was never going to be a pro, but he had been patient and encouraging...and she’d had fun. She’d even forgotten to be afraid of heights on the chair lift with him. He was funny and charming and sweet. He loved to ski—not to show off his moves or the latest gear, but because the snowy mountains were beautiful and feeling the wind on your face as the trees whizzed by was incredibly exhilarating.
    "What do you say we go find a fire and a vat of hot chocolate?" he suggested.
    She could so easily see them cuddling together in front of a fire under a thick blanket, her hands in his, her head on his shoulder as they watched the flames dance. A perfect day, followed by what would likely be a perfect night.
    Colbie teetered on the edge of saying yes. But even with the word right there on her tongue, and despite the fact that she’d had a fantastic day with him, she knew that nothing else about her situation had changed.
    One perfect day with Noah didn’t mean she was ready for a new relationship. And she certainly wasn’t ready for a one-night stand. Especially not with a man who out-talled, out-darked, and out-handsomed every guy she’d ever met by miles.
    Sure, sex with Noah would probably be great. Mind-blowing, even. And if she cuddled up with him by a fire, she was one hundred and ten percent sure that she wouldn’t be able to resist getting even closer for a kiss that would surely lead to more.
    But, as she knew from painful experience, after the orgasms faded, the broken heart lingered.
    For way too long.
    She’d braved the challenge of spending a day with Noah and letting him try to teach her to ski. And she was glad that she had. But there was a difference between bravery and stupidity.
    She couldn’t risk getting hurt again so soon. Not when the pain was still resonating from the mistakes she’d made in her last relationship.
    She picked up her skis and slid them back into place on her boots. When she reached for her poles, Noah grabbed her hands instead. Even touching him through their thick gloves sent a shock of awareness through her.
    "Colbie, what’s wrong?"
    Maybe if she had met him a few weeks from now when she didn’t feel quite so raw, so vulnerable, she could have taken the risk. But with where her heart was right now, one day on skis was all she could handle.
    She didn’t want to hurt him, didn’t want to do anything to ruin the gift of this day he’d given her, so she quickly said, "My friends are probably wondering where I am."
    "Call them." He pulled out his cell phone. "Tell them you’re with me. Give them my name and phone number so they’ll be able to track both of us down if they need to."
    Again, she was tempted. So very tempted. But more than that, she was afraid of what she was feeling for Noah after meeting him only hours ago.
    It was too much, too fast. Way too much.
    "Thank you again, Noah. I had a really good time with you today. Better than you know." She risked one more look into his dark eyes. "But I’ve got to go now."
    Digging her poles into the soft snow, she pushed away from him and went flying down the hill faster than she ever had. And wouldn’t you know it, the miracle of all miracles happened: She made it down to the bottom in one piece.
    See, that’s proof , she told herself. You did the right thing by turning down a night with the hottest guy on the planet.
    Only, even after she was finally safely inside her cabin with the door locked behind her, her ski clothes in a heap on the floor, fresh from a scalding hot shower, with her plans for her new store spread out all around her as she waited for her friends to return from their day on the slopes, she still wasn’t sure she believed it.

Chapter Four

    Seattle, Washington

    One week later…

    Noah Bryant threw the basketball toward the hoop and when it barely caught the rim, he turned to his friend and said, "I met a woman in Lake Tahoe last weekend and I can’t get her out of my head."
    Rafe Sullivan