Page 14 of Consequences of Their Wedding Charade
‘Far from it,’ Jess countered politely, removing her arm and focusing on the business of the skiing ahead, because something in his voice was edgy and just a little bit...offensive. Although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it because it was the usual sort of teasing remark she would have expected from him.
Did he think that she should somehow have been happy to remain as the five ten, overweight girl next door hiding behind her spectacles and her untamed hair?
She banked down a sudden attack of self-consciousness because she knew she looked just fine. The outfit suitedher and if he didn’t like it, which was the implication in his voice, then too bad.
The slopes were already busy, but this part of the world was classy when it came to skiing. There were so many ski lifts that no one ever had to wait, and the ski instructors were sometimes ex-world champions.
She was in her element here. There were no kids around to channel and supervise and cajole and tell off for horsing around. An opportunity like this would never come her way again and she wasnotgoing to let Curtis Hamilton spoil it because he seemed to think that she had no right to try and change.
There was only one way to deal with that, she decided, and that was to pretend that he just wasn’t there at all, and for the next three hours that was exactly what she did.
She let the white, snowy slopes cool her mind and she lost herself in the thrill of feeling cold air rushing against her face and the freedom that came with speed. He tried to outpace her but she kept up, enjoying the challenge, equal against equal, both savouring the same thrill that was blessed respite from the tangle of emotions that had been plaguing her for longer than she cared to think.
Buoyed, she declined to join him for lunch and instead told him that she would meet him in the foyer in time for the pre-wedding party.
‘And yes,’ she said, harking back to their pre-ski conversation, ‘I know it’s going to be an informal event this evening and I think I’ve brought just the right outfit to wear.’ Which wasn’t strictly true but there were shops out there and she was going to treat herself to something nice. So what if he preferred she stood still and never changed? She would make sure she chose something that would prove to him once and for all that she was no longer the girl next door, stuck in her predictable comfort zone.
‘There’s no need to go overboard.’ He smiled a little stiffly. ‘John’s parents will be there and they couldn’t be more old-fashioned.’
‘What are you trying to say?’
‘I’m not trying to say anything.’ He raked his fingers through his hair and looked away. ‘Right. If you’re sure you won’t join me for lunch, then I’ll see you later. Six sharp. I have a driver to take us there and bring us back.’
An uncustomary sense of rebellion propelled Jess into boutiques she would never have dared venture into a handful of months before, when she was so self-conscious about her size that concealment had been the key factor when it came to choosing clothes.
She would never be able to compete with the tiny little Christmas tree baubles Curtis favoured but she was proud of her shape and wasn’t going to hide it under layers of drab clothes. If Curtis had been implying that she should try and cover up because she wasn’t skinny enough to wear tight clothes then he was in for a shock. She wondered whether seeing her in her skiing outfit had alarmed him and grinned when she thought about that.
What a prude underneath that charming libertine exterior! At least as far asshewas concerned!
She reflected as she threw herself into an afternoon of shopping and to heck with counting her pennies, that we all ended up being stuck in categories and sometimes, when we wanted to get out, it was a whole lot more difficult than we expected.
She wondered where she would end up if she broke free of the category into which she had always been stuck as far as Curtis was concerned.
No longer the comfortable friend, but then what...?
Maybe still a friend but one who was allowed past all those No Trespass signs she realised he always had up, maybe a friend who could openly chat to him about her love life because she would have gone past her inconvenient infatuation to find herself a guy who really appreciated her. Maybe they would go on double dates together, although her imagination found it hard to stretch to that scenario.
At any rate, anything would be better than the limbo she felt she’d occupied for too long.
The only coat she had was a mid-thigh-length, very unbecoming but highly practical black down padded puffer, perfect for intensely wintry conditions. But she’d treated herself to a pair of low flat boots and a long-sleeved woollen dress in a flattering shade of deep blue, with its elegant cowl neck which managed to expose just the right amount of shoulder. It clung to her much like the ski outfit did but left a lot less to the imagination when it came to the length of her legs and the fullness of her breasts.
She was a big girl and she wasn’t going to try and play it down.
She hugged herself as they stepped out to the waiting four-wheel drive limo. For a few seconds she breathed in the purity of the mountain air and enjoyed the tingling crispness of the dry cold on her cheeks.
‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ He paused alongside her, both staring out at the same stunning view of rolling peaks and valleys of purest white, even though it was dark. ‘Glad you came?’
‘It’s been a lovely day skiing.’ She moved away, letting herself into the back seat of the chauffeur-driven car and then shuffling along so that he could slide in next to her.
The stillness of everything outside, a stillness that only seemed to exist in the snow-capped silent mountains, seemed to trap them in an artificial intimacy and she hurried to break it by launching into frenetic small talk.
What was the lodge like where the ceremony was to be held? Had he been before? How many people would he know when they got there? Had he managed to get much work done? Had he spoken to his godfather? What a poppet William was...
She was hyper-aware of him next to her, within touching distance. His padded heavy-duty waterproof coat was as thick as hers but still she was acutely aware of his lean body underneath and as the car drew up to the lodge she breathed a sigh of relief. How much more inane chatting could she rustle up before he asked her whether she was feeling all right? If she veered any more wildly from making a point of showing him that everything was as normal as always between them to babbling nervously as if he’d suddenly turned into a stranger then he would definitely think she’d lost the plot.
The sight of the ski lodge, though, provided ample distraction. It was an immense pile, illuminated in a blaze of light and straddling the side of a snowy hill in various steps, with each layer fronted by an enormous wraparound veranda. Five verandas. There were at least a dozen high-end cars parked in the courtyard, each of them snow-covered. To the side, away from the house and in the blackness, Curtis pointed out a helipad, which probably accounted for how many of the guests would arrive.
‘I’ve always wondered how the other half live,’ she murmured, sufficiently distracted not to notice the sexiness of his lazy smile in response or the flare of warmth in his eyes as he looked at her straining forward, mouth half open in awe. ‘Now I know...’
