02 Avalanche Pass by John Flanagan Read Free Book Online Page A

up and worked my way into the Corps softball team. Did a hitch in Iraq, with the MPs, then got out of the Corps, planning to get married to my old teenage sweetheart.”
    “And did you?” he asked. His gaze dropped to her left hand, seeing no ring there. She shook her head.
    “Seems he’d linked up with my best friend while I was away in the Marines. So I drifted a while, then got the job here in Security. I like skiing. I like my boss. And the hotel chain seems happy to move me around the network if I want to go. They’ve got hotels in the Caribbean as well as the northwest. Seems like a good deal.”
    He nodded agreement and they discussed the relative merits of skiing and scuba diving and the advantages of working in the tourism industry. She was a bright and likeable companion, easy to talk to and, as he had already noted, very attractive. He found it easy to relax in her company and he was a little saddened when the meal was over. They lingered over their coffees as long as they could but by then the restaurant staff were making it obvious that they were keen to close up for the night. Subtle hints, like clearing the surrounding tables, leaving the bill on their table before they asked for it.
    Finally, she took the hint. “I think we’d better go,” she said. In spite of his protests, she took the bill and signed it. Then she waited while he drew her chair back for her to stand.
    “Nice to have a man do that for me for a change,” she said.
    She walked back to his room with him. As he searched in his pockets for his keycard, she produced her own and swiped it in the lock.
    “Allow me,” she said, as the lock buzzed quietly and the green light showed. Jesse opened the door, looking at her keycard.
    “That’s a handy thing to have,” he said. She grinned at him.
    “Opens any room in the hotel. Sometimes there are perks to being in Security.”
    There was a long, awkward pause as they both wondered if he were going to invite her in. He thought about it, but he didn’t trust himself. They’d shared a bottle of wine and two cognacs after the meal and he wasn’t sure he could keep his hands off her. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to.
    And he wasn’t sure if she wanted him to either.
    The question was never asked or answered. She moved against him, her arms going up around his neck and pulling his face gently down to hers. She kissed him and he felt her tongue working against his lips. He opened them and let her explore the inside of his mouth.
    Finally, they separated. He felt a little light-headed.
    “Good night, Jesse,” she said and he nodded several times.
    “Yeah. Good night. It was… nice. More than nice. Thanks for listening to me.”
    She shrugged. “Listening is easy. Particularly with a nice guy like you.”
    “Yeah. Well, good night, Tina.”
    “Good night, Jesse.”
    She turned away and he stepped into his room, closing the door behind him and moving thoughtfully to the window. He could still feel the softness of her lips on his, the quick, darting urgency of her tongue.
    “Jesse,” he asked himself, a few moments later, “why the hell didn’t you ask her in?”
    “I was wondering the same thing myself,” she said from behind him. He spun around. She was leaning against the door, the security keycard in her hand. The V-necked top was unbuttoned and she dropped it to the floor, revealing the white lace of her bra and the rounded tops of her breasts. A push-up bra he noticed, but as she shrugged out of it, he could see that the breasts didn’t need too much help in the push-up department. He felt himself hardening as she unzipped the skirt and let it slide to the floor after her top. She stood before him, wearing only a lacy pair of bikini panties. He was glad she didn’t wear a thong. Thongs did nothing for him. The sight of her body definitely did plenty for him.
    “Tina,” he began, but she moved toward him and put a finger on his lips to stop him.
    “Jesse,” she said, “I