her lips in a clearly unconscious gesture and every rational thought fled his brain.
âIs this the line for hot cider?â she asked through those lush lips, full, ripe and begging for him to taste.
That voice, also familiar, nudged at the back of his mind even as his thoughts were already churning with the unbelievable notion that Claraâs prediction had come true. And he couldnât do more than nod in response.
âWhatâs wrong? Cat got your tongue?â she asked in a teasing tone.
A wry smile pulled at his lips. âYou wouldnât believe me if I told you.â
She raised her eyebrows warily over the top of the mask. âTry me.â
He shrugged. Why not? âThis is going to sound corny as hell but a fortune-teller told me I was going to meet you tonight.â
She tilted her head back and laughed, a full,throaty sound that knotted his stomach and sent desire rushing through his body at breakneck speed. No woman before had ever made such an impact.
Only one had come close and heâd been too young to appreciate her.
âTell me about that fortune-teller,â she urged.
He shook his head. âIâd rather not.â
She sidled up to him. âThen tell me about you.â Her green eyes sparkled with interest.
âIâm just a local.â He eyed her curiously, still wondering why that déjà -vu feeling hadnât subsided.
âYouâre not just anything,â she assured him flirtatiously.
Thatâs when he knew.
He immediately flashed back to their first meeting. âIâm just a skier,â heâd said in an attempt at false modesty. Heâd wanted her to appreciate him, not the medals heâd won.
âYouâre not just anything,â sheâd said, those inquisitive yet knowing eyes boring into his.
The connection had been made, their bond solid from that moment on.
Jason swallowed hard and studied her now, attempting to see beyond the mask she wore to the intervening years theyâd been apart. The same green eyes, those lips heâd kissed, the body heâd known as well as his own.
Blood rushed from his head to other demanding body parts as reality hit him. The woman behind the mask was Lauren Perkins and she apparently had no intention of admitting it.
Jason was curious as well as intrigued. She certainly had to recognize him.
Always up for a challenge, he decided to play along and pretend they were indeed strangers. âI appreciate the compliment,â he said, stepping closer, invading her personal space. âDespite the fact that you probably think the fortune-teller story is a corny pickup line.â
She grinned. âItâs not just a corny line, itâs the worst Iâve ever heard.â
A light burst of cold wind whipped around them and he inhaled her warm, seductive scent, increasing his interest as well as his desire.
He wondered what she wanted. And when sheâd reveal herself.
âWhat if I told you I can do better?â he asked, still playing along.
âIâd tell you to go for it.â Lauren barely recognized her own deep, husky voice.
Sheâd made her way over here on trembling legs, determined to check him out up close. Foolishly believing she could handle him. Sheâd thought that whatever impact heâd had on her in thepast would have died. Sheâd been wrong. The man heâd become packed more of a punch than the boy heâd been. He blew her away and she needed time to process her reaction. Flirting with him was fun and safe behind the anonymity of the mask.
âSo whatâs a gorgeous woman like you doing at this small-town festival?â he asked as they moved up in the line.
She swallowed hard. âIâm just passing through,â she said, keeping her explanation deliberately vague.
âLucky me.â The words rumbled from deep inside his chest, reaching down to her soul.
Theyâd made out, theyâd kissed,