Page 69 of The Chalet Girl

‘Great, we have an extra skier in our party– this is Emme from London. Emme, this is Kelly, Shivam, Justin and Patrick.’

The wine buyers smiled and nodded hellos, as they all shuffled themselves into the queue for the chairlift. The chairs were four people wide, so Tristan instructed the four wine buyers to take the first chair, and he and Emme waited for the next. As they waited, her heart pulsed. They were about to be alone, in the air, for five whole minutes. More if the lift stopped again.

As much as Emme didn’t want to like him– this dog who slept with his girlfriend’s married sister– the thought of being on her own with him, riding the peaceful panorama with him, was thrilling, especially after last night. She wanted her thighs to touch his on the chairlift. For it to stop so they could talk forever. He was so sexy, she had never physicallyfancied someone with all her body like she did Tristan. Not even Tom. With Tom it was pure, deep, friendship and love. She could picture being married to Tom, creating a family with him– but Tristan stirred a lust in her that she had never known. And he wanted her too. She could have fucked him.

I should have fucked him.

‘Quick Wolfie, slide in!’ said a father to his son, as the next chair scooped them up and lifted them skyward.

Damn.

Emme was sitting at one end of the chairlift, next to her was Tristan, then the little boy was nestled between Tristan and his father at the other end. Emme and Tristan looked at each other, their faces close, both feeling obvious disappointment not to be alone.

They sighed and smiled at their luck.

Why am I falling for this?Emme asked herself, as Tristan pressed his thigh against hers. She felt it. Electricity from his body to hers. Making her wet, even under all those layers of underwear, thermals and salopettes.

The dad fussed over his son. Tristan broke the tension and leaned into Emme.

‘You’ve done well, you’ve really progressed.’ This time he didn’t sound patronising, he sounded genuinely impressed.

‘Thanks. Although I confess I’ve had a few more sessions with Milla now.’

Tristan nodded.

‘It shows.’

‘I’ve even started to enjoy it,’ she added, laughing. Emme looked at his lips and had to look away. She wanted to taste them again. She wanted them on her nipples so desperately.

‘Look, Daddy! The mountain is pink!’ the boy said.

‘I heard what you said to the group about the alpenglow.’ Emme said quietly. ‘I’d like to see it one day.’

Tristan leaned in closer.

‘I’d like to show you.’

Their lips so nearly met, but it was time to get off.

At the top Emme couldn’t have been more disappointed at the four eager faces awaiting them, but together they all snaked down the slope again, and Emme felt a surge of envy when Tristan guided Kelly, putting his hands on her hips to help her lean and turn. Even though she knew he wasn’t looking at Kelly the way he was looking at her. The chemistry was intense. Being near him was intense. If she’d been alone with him on the chairlift, they would have kissed again for sure. The knowledge of it felt thrilling.

‘Right guys, let’s bypass this chairlift, go down the next slope, and take the cable car all the way back to town, yah? You need to see the famous diamanté gondola…’

‘A diamond what?’ Patrick asked.

Emme had heard about the diamanté gondola– kitted out with padded, heated seats. And because it was sponsored by a jewellery brand, the interior was studded with sparkling gems.

Only in Kristalldorf.

‘Only one in ten of the gondolas is diamanté, but the others are pretty plush too…’ Tristan explained.

‘Next slope is a trickier blue, some say it should be red, but I think you’ve got what it takes.’ He looked to Emme and nodded. Emme wasn’t certain, but Tristan Du Kok seemed to have a knack of making people feel competent and capable enough to achieve anything.

It took them a while– Shivam almost cried at the steepest point– but they managed to get to the bottom of the slope and the top of the gondola cable car station that would take them back to Kristalldorf.

‘OK, skis off, and skis and poles in the rack on the outside of the car!’ Tristan instructed, as the gondola swung around the carousel slowly enough for him to help each member of the party put their skis in the rack outside.

‘It’s a diamanté one!’ he said, as if he had arranged it, and he ushered the buyers in one by one, holding their hands to help them in as the gondola moved around a carousel. Just as Emme went to embark, Tristan put an arm across her body.