guess we better had,’ she agreed.
Arranging their clothes took less than a few seconds, and soon they were attacking the snow with real gusto.
‘Something wrong?’ she asked Luc, shooting a glance his way when he stopped shovelling and leaned on the handle. ‘Have I exhausted you?’
He huffed a laugh and gathered her close. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think you’re facing a decision between clearing the path, and visiting that sauna over there.’
‘Could be,’ he confirmed with a grin.
‘Let’s investigate. I don’t want to leave you in agony.’
Planting their shovels, they ran to the sauna. Closing the door, they stripped off each other’s clothes. The small log cabin was already warm, but Luc raised the temperature even more, both with water on the embers and with his unique take on lovemaking on scorching wooden benches. ‘We have to be quick,’ he explained, laughing against her mouth.
‘I can be quick.’
‘When you want to,’ he agreed.
‘I like to make you work.’
‘I noticed.’
His grin was infectious, a slash of strong white teeth against his deep tan and sharp black stubble. There was only one problem. Their enthusiasm combined with the extreme heat inside the sauna sent the logistics of sex haywire. ‘I’m sliding off you!’
‘Time to cool down,’ Luc agreed.
Who knew they could be so close? There was a lot of laughter involved as he carried her outside and dumped her in the snow, where they proved conclusively that heating up before rolling in ice crystals was a great aphrodisiac. Luc’s strength and potency was glaring her in the face. His naked body, challenging the elements, had never looked more magnificent. ‘On top of me,’ he instructed, arranging her so she could mount him. ‘Can’t risk you catching cold.’
‘No chance of that!’ She gasped out her pleasure as he entered her in one thrust, and when she was quiet again and snuggled into his chest, she remarked groggily, ‘No wonder this caught on.’
‘Making love in the snow?’
‘The whole sauna thing.’ Had they ever been so close? she wondered.
‘Come on.’ Luc dragged her to her feet. ‘Before we both freeze. Heat. Clothes. Then back to work.’
They talked as they worked, giving her hope that Luc might finally open up. He didn’t. Instead he directed a barrage of questions her way, so she told him about her life and friends in London, and the fact that she missed the farm. ‘I miss the horses terribly,’ she admitted. ‘And I miss Niahl, but he’s so busy these days.’ She stopped as a shadow crossed Luc’s face. Luc was so busy these days. This snowbound interlude was a rare break for him. That was what he’d been trying to tell her, that she shouldn’t expect anything beyond this, because he didn’t have the time. That was okay. On the personal front, she could deal with it. She’d have to. But where Luc was concerned, if she could unlock even just a little bit of his angst, her job was done, and so she asked the question: ‘How about you, Lucas?’
‘Me?’ His lips pressed down as he shrugged. ‘You can learn anything you want to know about me from the press.’
‘Can I?’ she said disbelievingly. ‘I can only learn what sensational journalism wants me to know, and I’d rather hear it from you.’
‘Hear what from me?’
Okay. She got the message. This was going nowhere. If she pressed him he’d clam up even more. Why spoil the short time they had together?
‘No.’ Planting her shovel, she admitted, ‘Whatever I read in the press, I see you as amazing. Always have.’ She huffed a laugh. ‘Pity me.’
‘No faults?’ Luc enquired, spreading his arms wide.
Stacey hummed as she pretended to consider this, but she was thinking, This is my chance to let Luc know I’m there for him.
‘You’re a little controlling, but only because responsibility came along in such a tragic way. However wild you were, there was no option but to rein in fast. Perhaps you overcompensated. Your parents’ death happened when others your age were free to do as they pleased, so I think it’s amazing that you not only built a business empire, but mended a family that had been so badly fractured.’
What she didn’t add was her deeply held belief that Luc could have done with someone to mend him.
He hummed and raised a brow. ‘I’m not sure I deserve that level of praise. You make me sound far more impressive than I am.’
‘Do I?’ She held his gaze steadily. ‘Or do I say these things because they’re true?’
‘You haven’t done too badly yourself,’ he said, shifting the spotlight with effortless ease. ‘You were also bound by duty, but you found an opportunity to try something new and forge your own path, which you’ve done very successfully, it seems to me.’
Disappointment welled inside her. She should have known better than to expect Luc to open up after so many years for no better reason than because she’d asked a question. Deciding to keep things light and try another time, she smiled. ‘So you’ve finally accepted I’ve changed in five years.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ he growled, pretending to be fierce.
‘Just a little?’ she suggested.
He dragged her close. ‘Quite a lot. Seems to me you’ve grown up in a very short time.’
‘Are you surprised?’ she said softly, smiling happily against his mouth. ‘One night with you is enough to make anyone grow up. My initiation ceremony was spectacular. I can’t recommend it enough.’
‘I suggest you keep it to yourself.’
‘Oh, I will,’ she promised fervently. ‘And please don’t let this be the last time,’ she whispered before she could stop herself.
‘Let’s finish the dig,’ he said, easing out of their embrace.
‘We’ll feel much better for completing the task,’ she said, packing away her feelings.
‘Time will tell,’ Luc agreed.
‘And when time has done its job?’
He shrugged. ‘We’ll know.’
She didn’t ask him what they’d know. The answer was clear to both of them. Time would push them apart, but there was no point in thinking about that now.
THEY MET UP in the great room, having taken a shower after their
