Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17473 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17473 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
I interrupt him. “Are you trying to get rid of me already?”
He crowds me, lining his body up against mine. “Never.”
Levi lets out a breath and leans down, pressing his forehead to mine. “I wish our first kiss wasn’t in a restaurant—under those circumstances.”
I freeze in his arms. What does that mean even? “You didn’t have to kiss me,” I tell him.
He smiles and pulls away, pulling my chin up to look at him. “I wanted to kiss you then, and I want to kiss you now. But what do you need?”
I look up at him in awe. I’m still surprised by everything that’s happened today, but I know I want to spend more time with him. “Take me somewhere fun, somewhere we can talk and have a good time. I don’t want to think about Richard...”
He nods and holds his hand out. “Okay, you want to go into town and play local?”
My eyes light up. “I’d actually love that.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulder and leads me to the front of the lodge. When we get outside, he’s parked right by the front doors. He opens the door of a big truck that has chains on the wheels.
He helps me in and even puts the seatbelt around me. I inhale deeply as he leans into me, and when he draws back, he’s looking at me with flared nostrils. “Did you just smell me?”
He looks so serious, and I know my face turns red. “Yes, but I mean, it’s not my fault. You smell yummy... a mix of Christmas cookies and man.”
He puts his hand on my thigh and squeezes. “Fuck, Gina, you keep saying things like that and I’m not going to make it into town.”
He doesn’t wait for me to respond. He shuts the door and walks around to his side of the truck. His eyes are on the road in front of us. “Where are you from?”
“Tennessee. A small town called Whiskey Run.”
He nods. “I like Tennessee.”
I laugh. “Me too. So what about you? How long have you been a ski instructor?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not a ski instructor.”
I look at him in surprise. “Levi, you taught me how to ski today.”
He nods. “Yeah, okay, well, I guess you can say I’m a ski instructor. I sort of do a little bit of everything. My family owns the mountain.”
My jaw drops. “Your family owns the mountain? Like the whole mountain?”
He shrugs as if it’s not a big deal. “Yeah, I mean we own the lodge and the slopes... the mountain.”
As I take it all in, he points to the lit-up bar in front of us. “This is it.”
The trip down the mountain was short, and he’s pointing at a sign that says High Noon. It looks like something you’d see from an old Western. “Wow, this place looks awesome.”
He parks and walks around to meet me. “It’s where I come when I want to let go.”
He holds my hand when I climb out of the truck, and he doesn’t let it go. He holds it the whole time we walk toward the entrance of the bar.
As soon as we’re inside, I turn my head in every direction and take it all in. There’s people line dancing in front of us. There’s a bar in the back, off to the side are pool tables, and everywhere around there are high tables with people mingling about. I smile up at Levi. “This is amazing.”
He nods. “Right? I love the atmosphere.”
I point to the dance floor. “Do you dance?”
He shakes his head. “Never. But if it means I’d get to hold you in my arms, I’ll make an exception tonight.”
I take in a deep breath. My stomach does a little somersault. He’s watching me closely, and he pulls my hand he’s holding up to his chest. “Let’s get you a drink... then we’ll dance.”
We each drink a beer, and it isn’t long before I’ve coaxed him onto the dance floor. I try to ignore it, but the number of women that openly stare at Levi is hard to miss. When a slow song comes on and he pulls me into his arms, I go easily. I haven’t drunk a lot, but it’s enough to warm me and make me a little uninhibited. “What are you doing with me?” I blurt out.
He tucks me in closer to his chest. “Dancing with you.”
I shake my head and look at a trio of women off the side of the dance floor. They’re all watching Levi and me, and they look surprised to see us together. “Do you have a girlfriend, Levi?”
He pulls back enough to see my face. He puts his finger on my chin and lifts so I have to look him in the eye. “No, I don’t have a girlfriend. Why would you ask me that?”