Page 30 of Mountain Trial

He watched as she fiddled with her fork again. She seemed to be expecting some reaction out of him. He wasn’t surprised, or upset, that she’d chosen to google it. It’s what he would have done as well, most likely, had the situation been reversed.

“So you already know what happened.”

“You knew you were hurt right away, didn’t you?” she asked. There was no pity in her eyes.

His jaw clenched at the memory. “Yes. I’d had broken bones before. But the pain this time was so sudden, so severe, it made me want to die―and, at the same time, I felt strangely numb. I later found out I’d shattered the twelfth thoracic vertebra into multiple pieces.”

His phone vibrated in his jacket pocket, rescuing him from his own thoughts. A name appeared on the screen.

Conor Hudson.

“Is it okay if I take this?” he asked. “It’s a friend I haven’t spoken to for a while.”

Kat nodded quickly.

“Conor.” It was good to hear his friend’s voice. Conor used to be a snow groomer as well, but had moved to London recently to be with his girlfriend, Siena. The start of their relationship had been fraught with danger, but they were living proof that, sometimes, things just worked out.

“Luc! Congratulations, man! Your jump was on TV this evening. It was spectacular.”

“Thanks, Conor. It was a good jump,” Luc conceded. “How are you doing? How’s Siena?”

There was a small pause. Luc’s heart froze for a second―he prayed nothing bad had happened. But no, Conor wouldn’t have waited to call him. “Everything’s fine. I asked Siena to marry me.”

“Did she say yes?” Luc asked, smiling.

Conor barked out a laugh. “You’re going to have to come to London next spring. I can’t get married without my best man.”

Luc laughed. “I’ll be there. I’m really glad, man. You deserve this.” He did. There’d been a time, not so long ago, when Conor had felt he didn’t deserve any happiness. Luc would be forever glad that Siena had changed that for his friend.

“So, let’s talk about you. What are you planning for tomorrow’s jump?”

“Uh, Conor. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m actually in the middle of dinner with a beautiful woman,” he said, smiling at Kat.

“Damn, you should have said that before!”

“But I’m really glad for the news. Please tell Siena that I said you’re a lucky bastard.”

Conor’s laugh was the last thing he heard as he hung up.

“Conor’s my best friend,” Luc explained. “He just got engaged.”

Kat nodded. “So. You think I’m beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful,” Luc said. “And brave, and magnificent. And if I hadn’t learned so much patience over the last years, I would have suggested we get out of here long before the main course arrived.”

Kat put her fork down and stared right into his eyes. “I’ve had enough food. I wouldn’t mind having dessert at your place.”

Luc would have had to be an idiot not to get the hint. He flagged down the server to get their check and paid in record time, leaving a nice tip to make up for the fact that they wouldn’t be having dessert. Kat didn’t ask to split the check, and for that he was grateful.

Chapter 13

Kat

Kat took her time bundling herself into her cream-colored winter jacket. It was a ridiculous color, one that got dirty every time she even looked at it wrong, but she’d loved it from the moment she’d first seen it on the storefront window.

She stuck her hands into her pockets to stop herself from fiddling. She was nervous. The decision to go to Luc’s place seemed somehow more conscious this time around.

She was going to have sex with him―a man she really liked. A man she could imagine falling for.