was Manhattan.
"Someday I'll take you to Jasper," he had said when they were on the ground again, warming their chilled hands over a cup of coffee deep inside the building. "Right in the heart of the Rockies. That is truly something to see." And then he had said the words Jake had just quoted....
"The Rockies do rise above the tree line," Jake was saying. "These are more like very distant foothills of the Rockies."
"Could I fly to Jasper?" she asked.
"I imagine there's a flight by one of the small airlines," Jake mused. "You might get there and back tomorrow and have a few hours in Jasper. It's a pity you're leaving Saturday. I could take you up on the weekend in the company plane."
"Could you?" she breathed, suddenly desperately wanting to see what Jace had wanted to show her.
A dark flame leapt in Jake's eyes, and he pulled her irresistibly to him and bent to kiss her. In the cold air his lips were warm against hers, and she surrendered completely to the kiss. His mouth was gentle and she was hungry for the indescribable comfort it gave her.
After a long still moment, Jake drew back and touched a gloved finger to her pink cheek. "Stay the weekend, Vanessa," he said softly.
But she knew what he was really asking, and she wasn't prepared to make that commitment, especially not when her brain was so fuddled by his kiss that she wanted to shout, "Yes!" and hear it echoing down the valley.
She drew out of his arms. "I can't," she said. He smiled at her as though she were a charming coward, and she added defensively, "You're wrong."
His eyes were black. "What am I wrong about?"
She faltered. "You think I want to become your lover and I'm too afr—"
His eyes darkened and he pulled her back into his arms. "You do," he said. "Don't try to deny it, Vanessa. It's in your eyes, every time you look at me. It has been right from the beginning."
"No," she said levelly.
He gave a crack of laughter. "No?" he asked, his eyes blazing at her. "You think not? Then you don't know yourself, lady. Because if I started to kiss you now we'd be making love in that snowdrift behind you in five minutes. And believe me, you would make no protest."
She gasped in a breath of cold air and tried to step back. "Let me go," she demanded.
He didn't move. "If I'm wrong," he suggested softly, "kiss me now. Let me kiss you the way you need to be kissed, and then, if you want me to, I'll let you go."
Hypnotised by his eyes, by his seductive voice, she swallowed.
"Kiss me," he repeated in a whisper, and there was black flame behind his eyes and she knew if she made the smallest move toward those chiselled lips he would let loose the passion she saw in him....She closed her eyes against the pleasure the thought gave her, then turned her head to the large snowdrift behind her that cut them off from the view of the lodge and the few tourists in the distance.
He was watching every thought play across her face. "I do not want to kiss you," she said flatly. "Let go of me."
With only the briefest convulsive tightening of his arms around her, he complied. The dark flame left his eyes. "Let's go get a meal," said Jake. "That's one appetite you don't deny, isn't it?"
Over the adequate but by no means ideal lunch they were served in the lodge's main dining room, Jake talked lightly about a variety of things. He was as calm as if he had forgotten what had just happened between them, and Vanessa fought for a similar degree of calm.
She asked him about Canada's political background, and he explained to her the difference between Canada's parliamentary democracy and the American democratic republic.
Jake was obviously well-read and he explained things clearly and understandably. But he was politically cynical, and he could not help imparting his idea of things along with the recital of facts she had requested. Although he did not care which of the three major political parties formed the government, he did not like the present prime minister, and he was
"Someday I'll take you to Jasper," he had said when they were on the ground again, warming their chilled hands over a cup of coffee deep inside the building. "Right in the heart of the Rockies. That is truly something to see." And then he had said the words Jake had just quoted....
"The Rockies do rise above the tree line," Jake was saying. "These are more like very distant foothills of the Rockies."
"Could I fly to Jasper?" she asked.
"I imagine there's a flight by one of the small airlines," Jake mused. "You might get there and back tomorrow and have a few hours in Jasper. It's a pity you're leaving Saturday. I could take you up on the weekend in the company plane."
"Could you?" she breathed, suddenly desperately wanting to see what Jace had wanted to show her.
A dark flame leapt in Jake's eyes, and he pulled her irresistibly to him and bent to kiss her. In the cold air his lips were warm against hers, and she surrendered completely to the kiss. His mouth was gentle and she was hungry for the indescribable comfort it gave her.
After a long still moment, Jake drew back and touched a gloved finger to her pink cheek. "Stay the weekend, Vanessa," he said softly.
But she knew what he was really asking, and she wasn't prepared to make that commitment, especially not when her brain was so fuddled by his kiss that she wanted to shout, "Yes!" and hear it echoing down the valley.
She drew out of his arms. "I can't," she said. He smiled at her as though she were a charming coward, and she added defensively, "You're wrong."
His eyes were black. "What am I wrong about?"
She faltered. "You think I want to become your lover and I'm too afr—"
His eyes darkened and he pulled her back into his arms. "You do," he said. "Don't try to deny it, Vanessa. It's in your eyes, every time you look at me. It has been right from the beginning."
"No," she said levelly.
He gave a crack of laughter. "No?" he asked, his eyes blazing at her. "You think not? Then you don't know yourself, lady. Because if I started to kiss you now we'd be making love in that snowdrift behind you in five minutes. And believe me, you would make no protest."
She gasped in a breath of cold air and tried to step back. "Let me go," she demanded.
He didn't move. "If I'm wrong," he suggested softly, "kiss me now. Let me kiss you the way you need to be kissed, and then, if you want me to, I'll let you go."
Hypnotised by his eyes, by his seductive voice, she swallowed.
"Kiss me," he repeated in a whisper, and there was black flame behind his eyes and she knew if she made the smallest move toward those chiselled lips he would let loose the passion she saw in him....She closed her eyes against the pleasure the thought gave her, then turned her head to the large snowdrift behind her that cut them off from the view of the lodge and the few tourists in the distance.
He was watching every thought play across her face. "I do not want to kiss you," she said flatly. "Let go of me."
With only the briefest convulsive tightening of his arms around her, he complied. The dark flame left his eyes. "Let's go get a meal," said Jake. "That's one appetite you don't deny, isn't it?"
Over the adequate but by no means ideal lunch they were served in the lodge's main dining room, Jake talked lightly about a variety of things. He was as calm as if he had forgotten what had just happened between them, and Vanessa fought for a similar degree of calm.
She asked him about Canada's political background, and he explained to her the difference between Canada's parliamentary democracy and the American democratic republic.
Jake was obviously well-read and he explained things clearly and understandably. But he was politically cynical, and he could not help imparting his idea of things along with the recital of facts she had requested. Although he did not care which of the three major political parties formed the government, he did not like the present prime minister, and he was
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