On the Line [Run Cold Book Two]

2: Fireside Chat

While I spent the vast majority of our venture falling down the mountain, my brief glimpses of the night from high elevations were stunning. A vivid aurora fell like celestial rain, drenching the boughs of distant pines whose green and purple shadows pooled across the lightly-traveled trail. If there was ever a night to celebrate my failure, this was it. A few times I sat in the snow longer than necessary, soaking in the view as Nik crisscrossed the path ahead in slow, quiet angles. By the time my skis hit the flat ground of the mountain's base and Nik gently pulled me along like a soaked ragdoll, I was determined to learn how to ski.

"Another time," he promised, plucking my cap from my head as I exchanged the poles and equipment with Einar for a pair of dry, lined boots to shove my damp socks into. Nik was more appropriately layered as he shrugged off his jacket in favor of a breathable, fitted shirt.

Meanwhile, I'd prepped for a blizzard and found myself sweating though a heavy knit sweater. We checked the coats and gloves near the entrance to the resort lounge and bar. Roasting though I was, I couldn't refuse a hot chocolate- or the chance to relax on the outdoor deck. Not on a night like this. "My legs are going to kill me in the morning," I sighed, easing into a wooden armchair beside a tremendous stone firepit. "Getting up that many times, I must've done a hundred squats."

Nik lowered a mug into my welcoming hands and took to the chair beside me. With our backs to the resort we watched golden embers skip into the starlight.

"You're not afraid of being overhead?" he asked. Somewhere on the other side of those glass doors was Uli, and I wasn't keen on craning my neck to find out where the reporter had stationed herself.

Holding the mug with two hands, I licked a dollop of melting whipped cream off the rim. "Let's keep this public."

"Don't trust yourself, or me?" It was an understandable question, what with our past relationship so close to being consummated, and he phrased it with a playful smile. His lean swimmer's muscles and lanky legs hadn't changed but I actually found him more appealing now that the secrets were out and he could fully be himself.

I inclined my head towards the lounge. "Her. She's not getting one snap of you and me entering a hotel room together."

Nik took a small sip to avoid passing on a knowing look. "Your mom?"

"Her daughter's scandalous trysts aren't exactly what she wants to discuss in book club with Mrs. Xavier and company."

"But you're okay with us being seen together that way?"

I took a deep breath of cinnamon-sprinkled heaven. "We dated for two years. People thought what they wanted to then, and they will now. I'm comfortable around you and I trust you. That's what matters." While we figured things out I'd rather our every move not be plastered around news outlets and social media, but not once had I ever felt embarrassed to be seen with Nik. He wasn't a secret, and I hoped I hadn't treated him like one by shooting down his idea to take this talk into a hotel bedroom.

With an agreeable "Mm" he leaned across the nearest chair arm. "So, to business."

I groaned and stretched my boots toward the heat of the blaze. "It's been a long day."

"The night's young and we've got an early morning ahead."

He was right but that didn't make me more willing to do anything other than sip cocoa and watch the aurora dance.

"How's the life of a queen?"

I could feel his eyes on my profile and, twisting reluctantly his direction, spoke. "Exhausting. I'm terrified of opening my mouth and hearing it spun a hundred ways. I hate standing around for pictures and squeezing into different dresses every night because suddenly style is supposed to matter. Last week I'm pretty sure I offended the chef by making baked spaghetti with my dad and eating leftovers for three days straight. I don't feel at all qualified to be dispensing advice and kissing babies and all that." I had to stop for breath, or my list of possible offenses wold have run us through the night.