Secrets of a Chalet Girl:. Lorraine Wilson

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       CHAPTER TWO

      Like there’d ever been any doubt about whether Flora was going to leave the bar with Zac. She’d been kidding herself that she could walk out of this bar and take the turning back for Chalet Repos at any time but she knew, deep down, there was only one place she was going.

      To bed with Zac.

      She went with him to the coat rack and once he’d helped her into her coat they stepped out onto the street. The icy mountain air assaulted them immediately. Flora shivered, half with the cold, half with anticipation.

      She glanced up at the dark, star-strewn sky. It seemed appropriate; as she walked along the street with Zac’s arm behind her back, steadying her on the icy patches of pavement, it felt like taking a step into the vast unknown.

      She was due some adventure.

      Playing Truth or Dare made it easier. After all at least fifty per cent of the time she would be in control. There was quite a lot she wanted to ask Zac about himself. Getting to know him might be a lot of fun.

       And then there was the sex…

      “Is it far?” she asked.

      “It’s just up here, the modern chalet with the large windows.” He pointed to a snow-covered chalet further up the hill ahead. It nestled up above the town centre, facing the magnificent drop down over the Val de Bagnes and the view across to the French Alps. It was a sight that usually took her breath away but tonight she only had headspace for Zac.

      At least his chalet wasn’t as flashy or as large as some of its neighbours. It was a relatively new building, a quirky design but built with the same wood as the traditional luxury chalets surrounding it. The front of Zac’s chalet had windows the height of the building facing the mountain view and a couple of balconies to sit out on to enjoy the Swiss sunshine during the day and stars by night.

      Nerves hit her as they entered the main cabin. It was cosy with large padded dark leather sofas contrasting with light oak flooring. The splashes of colour in the room came from the books on the shelves that covered an entire wall of the room. The volume of books impressed Flora. It was kind of nice to find another reader. Not that it mattered obviously. This was only going to be a short-term fling so it hardly mattered if they had much to talk about.

      Zac walked over to the log basket by the fireplace and tossed another log onto the still smouldering fire. It hissed in protest and then sent flames licking around the new source of fuel, flaring into life. Outside in the darkness, snowflakes began to fall, slowly at first, then growing ever larger until the night sky was thick with snow, giving it an eerily pale glow.

      “Drink?” he asked.

      “Erm, I probably shouldn’t.”

       Shouldn’t drink and probably shouldn’t be here. Oh help, what have I got myself into?

      “Can I tempt you with a Kir Royale?”

      “Okay,” she folded, mentally swatting the worry-insects away. “You’ve found my weakness.”

      A couple of sips wouldn’t do any harm. It might help her to relax. She wouldn’t finish it. On top of the cocktails she’d already had, it could be lethal. Or at the very least, it could lead to her doing or saying something she’d regret.

      “I hope to find a lot more weaknesses,” he replied, the corners of his mouth twitching. “It will save me a lot of time if you tell me up front.”

      “You’ll have to work a bit harder at interrogation than that,” she said, taking the tall champagne flute filled with rich, dark-pink bubbles. She sipped at it, the fruity blackcurrant bursting onto her taste buds before she swallowed. The warmth spread through her chest like a comforting embrace, relaxing her.

       Zac knows what he’s doing. He does this a lot.

      Somehow the thought of Zac bringing numerous different women back to his chalet after a day on the slopes didn’t disturb her as much as she’d thought it would. It helped her to feel anonymous. It would be as though she’d never been here. Maybe Zac wouldn’t even remember her. That thought gave her a kind of freedom. It didn’t matter how bad she was in bed if he was going to forget her.

      After tonight, apart from the wedding, maybe she wouldn’t have to see Zac again if she didn’t want to?

       Perfect.

      Tash was right. This was the best way to leap back into the dating fray – with a sexy stranger in a foreign country. If she screwed up who would know? No strings sex – absolutely no pressure.

      She felt peculiarly light-headed, whether it was from the Kir Royale or the feeling of freedom and anticipation pulsing through her body she wasn’t sure.

      Probably a little of both.

      “Come and sit down,” Zac patted the leather sofa next to him and she approached cautiously, perching on the edge a little further away than he’d patted.

      Zac took some dice from a drawer in a lamp table and selected one.

      “Let’s play Truth, Dare or Forfeit,” he announced. “If you throw a one or a two that means a Truth, three or four mean a Dare and five or six will be a Forfeit – the thrower has to forfeit an item of clothing of the other player’s choice.”

      Flora’s stomach fluttered and her skin prickled to attention. Zac was so impossibly handsome – a strong jaw shadowed with stubble, intense dark-blue eyes and a physique an athlete would be proud of. He looked like he could wrestle a bear without breaking sweat. Hmm, where had that come from?