Sango looked out the frosted window as the car made its way to the resort at the top of the hill. It was unseasonably cold and there was a small flurry of snow beginning to coat the mountain. It would have been quite beautiful, had the circumstances been different.
She was on her way to scout the Shikon Ski Resort to help her company decide where to host the first quarter kickoff event at the beginning of the year, and as an intern, it was a really big deal that she'd been selected to help with the event planning. The problem certainly wasn't the project, or even the location. Her bad mood came entirely from the poor company she had on this trek.
She'd been partnered up with another intern from the finance department for this project, and he was not her cup of tea to say the least. Sango had met him before, briefly, at their orientation last month. His name was Miroku, and he had wasted absolutely no time in hitting on her. Her and every other female intern there. Luckily, they'd been assigned to different departments, so she didn't have to put up with him on a daily basis. She'd heard of his antics from some of the other interns she worked with though- they thought he was charming for some reason. Sango, however, couldn't see it. He was just some womanizer, not worth the time unless she was looking for another heartbreak.
She turned her head to glance at the driver. Sure, he was handsome. Long black hair tied in a low ponytail, a strong jaw, deep blue eyes, and toned muscular arms she'd just love to get wrapped up in… She blushed, cutting her gaze back to the road ahead of them. Where did that come from? Was she really the type of girl to succumb to some flirty lines?
It had been a long drive to get all the way out here, and he'd predictably used the opportunity to flirt with her on and off through the whole trip. She'd admittedly enjoyed the attention, but she was not about to let her guard down. He wasn't serious, he just saw her as another conquest. A flirt like him really couldn't be trusted.
As she gazed embarrassedly out the front windshield, she missed the smirking glance he shot back at her. He'd caught her watching him, but thought best not to bring attention to it. She was different from other women. She acted like she was totally immune to his advances, but then in brief moments of vulnerability, he could see he still had some effect on her. He found it endearing- that shyness hiding just beneath her confident exterior.
He'd all but written her off when she rejected him at their orientation, but unable to resist the opportunity to flirt with the beautiful woman during their four hour drive, he found that he was getting more attached. Sure, she was rejecting him where most women would swoon, but he could tell it was a front. And he'd decided at least a hundred miles ago that the delicate blush on her cheeks was rapidly becoming his new favorite color.
She was just so beautiful, and he was so enjoying their interactions on the way out here. He was almost sad their trip was only for the day. What he wouldn't give for a night alone with this woman.
Not ten minutes later, the car rolled into the circular driveway of the large ski chalet. With the snow coming down around it, the grand building looked like a scene from a movie.
They climbed out of the car, handed off the keys to the valet, and made their way into the spacious lobby. After taking a moment to gaze in awe at the resort's beautiful interior, Sango reached for the notebook in her bag for the forms her supervisor had given her to complete. She had to assess the resort's appearance, room capacity, event spaces, and catering capabilities, among other things. She scribbled a few notes before she noticed Miroku's smiling face motioning toward the lobby desk.
As they approached the desk, the receptionist greeted them with a sweet smile. "Hi there! Checking in?" She glanced them over quickly as her smile brightened. "Honeymoon getaway?"
Sango's world came to a screeching halt as she flushed bright red and gaped at the well-meaning front desk woman. Miroku chuckled next to her, clearly loving her reaction to the implication. Before she could regain her composure to tell the receptionist that they were absolutely not together, Miroku stepped in.
"No, no, nothing like that. I'm Miroku Houshi, and that's Sango Taijiya. We're here from Mitama Corp, we had a meeting with Suijin to discuss a potential event to be hosted here."
"Oh of course, Mr. Houshi, I'll go let her know you're here." With that she disappeared into the door behind the counter, leaving the two of them standing alone at the desk.
Miroku smirked down at her. "It's too bad we're only here for the day, I certainly wouldn't mind honeymooning with you," he said, finishing his statement with a wink.
She glanced up at him, incredulous for just a moment before rolling her eyes at him. She quickly looked away to hide the faint blush on her cheeks and small smile playing on her lips. "How professional, Miroku."
"Plenty of people meet their soulmates at work," he replied with a charming grin.
"And you really believe in soulmates?" She quirked her eyebrow at him.
He chuckled a bit at being caught in his own lie. "Not exactly, but work can make for strange bedfellows. You never know," he added with a shrug, grin never leaving his face.
Before she could respond, the woman returned with Suijin in tow. She held out her hand in greeting, "Hello Sango, Miroku. Welcome to Shikon, the jewel of Hakurei Mountain. Ready for the tour?"
"Yes, definitely," Sango smiled at the woman, shaking her hand. She was more than ready for anything to distract her from the way Miroku's blue eyes burned into her and lit her cheeks on fire.
The next several hours were spent walking all over the resort, covering every inch of the grounds as they assessed all of the conference and banquet areas, discussed potential rooming and travel arrangements, and explored all the available recreational activities the resort could offer for attendees.
Shikon was selected as a potential location for it's beautiful view, five star amenities, and of course, slope access. Mitama Corp was very interested in arranging for a ski weekend to close out their Q1 sales launch event, and Shikon was one of the most exclusive resorts in the country. Scouts were sent to several resorts in the area, but after finishing the tour and working out all the details, Sango was reasonably sure Mitama would select their site. Which was great, it would make her a shoo in for the planning committee. After Miroku cleared some of the financial details with Suijin, it was sounding more and more likely that this resort really would be it.
Sango was practically giddy as she and Miroku made their way back toward the valet stand. Her head was spinning with how successful their scouting mission had been, and she could practically see the career opportunities this would unlock for her if she got to work on the launch committee. She was so excited, she almost forgot she'd been trying to keep Miroku at a distance during this trip.
She was smiling brilliantly as she gushed to him about how well the resort would work for Mitama's sales launch. He was smiling amusedly back at her, clearly entranced by her excitement.
"I guess that means we'll be working together." He smiled at her seductively.
Her smile dropped. She hadn't thought of that. If their resort was selected, she'd get to sit on the launch committee, sure, but so would he. Shit, so much for keeping away from him. Her career was more important than any philanderer though, she'd just have to deal.
"I guess so," she replied coolly. She looked up at him, suspicion weighing heavily in her narrowed eyes. "You'll have to behave."
"Oh, Sango dearest, I'm always on my best behavior," Miroku shot back, innocent smile unwavering.
She smirked a bit, rolling her eyes. "If this is your best behavior, I'd hate to see your worst."
He chuckled deeply as they stepped out into the cold air. The snow was coming down heavier now, and the lot was starting to look a bit like the slopes on the other side of the hotel. We'd better get out of here soon before we get stuck, she thought to herself.
Miroku was looking down at her charmingly, with the tiniest hint of desire beginning to swirl in his eyes. "Oh but Sango, I'd be more than happy to show you."
Cheeks flaring, she cut her gaze away from him and rushed toward the valet. As she reached out to hand over their valet ticket, the valet shot her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry miss, but we can't let anyone else out today."
"What?"
"The road down the mountain is starting to freeze over, it's too dangerous to travel down until it's cleared."
Sango sighed, frustrated. "Well when will that be?"
"It's pretty steep, it may be a few days. We don't usually see this much snowfall so early in the season. We weren't expecting it."
"You're a ski resort, what do you mean you weren't expecting snow? What are we supposed to do? We don't have a room!"
"That's alright ma'am, they can get you checked in in the lobby."
Sango's temper flared at the valet, about to tell him off, but she caught herself. She sighed loudly. It wasn't this poor guy's fault they were stuck… Wait. They were stuck. They. She was stuck here with Miroku. Oh god.
She hesitantly turned back toward him, noting the serious look in his eye. "What are we going to do?" she asked. "I don't know about you, but I certainly can't afford a room here…"
His lips drew into a firm line. "I'm not sure. Let me call my supervisor and see what they want us to do…"
Stepping to the side of the entrance, Sango listened intently as Miroku spoke with his boss. She couldn't figure out how the conversation was going from only hearing Miroku's end of the conversation, but from the way he was running his hand through his hair, it didn't look like it was going well.
"Okay, great, thank you," he said into the phone as he hung up, voice sounding a touch less tense. Turning back to Sango with a small smile, he informed her of how the conversation went and she breathed a sigh of relief. She'd panicked a bit at the idea of being stuck here, but their company was going to cover room and board expenses until they could get off the mountain. They just needed to go check in and bill all their expenses back to Mitama Corp's finance department.
Walking back into the lobby, the same receptionist greeted them. Miroku flashed her a charming smile. "It seems that we're snowed in for the night, do you have any rooms?"
"We're pretty booked up because of the storm, but… it looks like I do have one!"
Sango's eyebrows drew together, puzzled at why this woman thought they'd be sharing "One? No, we need two."
"I'm sorry ma'am, but there's only left." The receptionist looked back at her apologetically. "Would you like to go ahead with that one?"
She glanced nervously at Miroku, noting a bit of strain in his expression. She cursed under her breath. This resort was the only one on the mountain… The privacy was part of the reason their company was interested in it. If they didn't want to camp in the lobby, it looked like they'd have to make do.
"Yeah, that's fine," she replied, annoyance still evident in her tone. Miroku shot her an apologetic look as he dug out his company card. She wasn't buying it though, there was no way he wasn't at least a little excited about this development.
Taking the room keys from the desk, Miroku looked down at her and motioned toward the elevator bay. "Shall we?"
Sango blushed ever so slightly, still very uncomfortable with their sleeping arrangements. She barely knew this guy. Between his reputation and the way he'd been flirting with her the whole car ride, she had no idea what to expect sharing a room with him.
When the company offered to pay for their rooms, she'd been very excited dreaming about taking a nice hot shower and curling up in one of their plush robes while she read her book. Now that whole idea was shot to hell. How would she possibly be comfortable showering with Miroku just on the other side of the door? Wait. What would she even change into? She couldn't sleep in her work dress, and with Miroku in the room, she certainly couldn't go with the alternative either.
Gnawing on her bottom lip ever so slightly at the thought, Sango averted her eyes from his. They landed on the gift shop on the far side of the lobby, and her eyes went wide.
"Wait, let me check the gift shop. I need to see if they have any clothes I can change into…"
She took off before he could even respond, but she needed to separate from him for a moment if only to contain the blush on her cheeks. Entering the gift shop, she noted gratefully that they had both t-shirts and sweatpants. They were very touristy, but Sango was excited nonetheless. She was just very grateful to have something to change into at least. Picking up several shirts and a couple pairs of sweatpants, she headed to the register.
The company was only covering their meals and room, but the clothing expense was necessary. And absolutely worth it in her opinion. It seemed Miroku had agreed, seeing as he'd followed her lead and bought himself a change of clothes as well.
Making their way out of the gift shop, the pair walked toward the elevators without so much as a word between them. Sango was still avoiding eye contact, though she could feel his eyes on her and couldn't help but blush in response.
Stepping into the elevator, Sango took a steadying breath. This would be alright. She could handle this, it was only for a night or two after all. All she had to do was keep her distance and try to ignore how damn handsome this guy was.
By the time they'd made their way down the hall to their room, Sango was starting to feel alright about this whole thing. Maybe she'd even get a chance to try skiing while they were here!
The keycard clicked the door open, and they stepped inside. Dropping her tote bag on the luggage rack, she turned toward the bedroom area and her heart stopped. In front of her sat one massive king-sized bed.
One. As in singular.
Her mouth hung slightly open as her eyebrows drew together. Miroku walked up next to her, letting out a slight sigh as his hand ran through his hair. He turned toward her as if to make some comment, but seeing her expression, he thought better of it.
Taking in her nervous expression, his smile faltered and his eyebrows knit together in concern. "Hey, don't worry, I'm sure I can get them to bring us a cot or something."
She gnawed at her lip as she glanced up at him, but his compassionate smile put her at ease. She was worried enough just about rooming with a stranger, but he was trying to be a gentleman at least. Sango gave him a small smile in return. "Yeah? You don't mind sleeping on a cot?"
He laughed a bit in return, expression lightening before his eyes turned teasing. "Who said I'm the one sleeping on the cot?"
She huffed indignantly back at him, which only caused him to chuckle more. "Some gentleman you are."
He smiled back at her. Normally he'd make some innuendo and continue teasing the pretty girl, but he could tell she was nervous and he certainly didn't want to cross any lines and make her more uncomfortable. "I'm only kidding Sango, of course you can take the bed."
She blushed a bit under his gaze, but wouldn't look him in the eye. "Thank you." She gulped and tried to think of any way to end this awkward situation. Clearing her throat, she moved to put her things on the bed, trying her best to ignore how his eyes followed her. All she wanted to do was get showered, curl up in the bed, and try to relax a bit after the long and stressful day she'd had. But they needed to figure out what to do about dinner first.
"Want to go get some dinner? We could try that restaurant in the lobby..."
"Are you asking me out?" he smirked at her.
She flushed, "No, of course not!"
"No need to be modest Sango, I'd be more than happy to take you out on a date," he teased, smile growing wider at the implication of a date.
She turned to him, crossing her arms as her mouth drew into a firm line. There was still a blush on her cheeks, but her eyes were filled with annoyance. Miroku's smile turned from teasing to something much softer. She was so beautiful standing there trying to pretend he wasn't having some effect on her. Sure, their situation wasn't ideal, but he was certainly not going to complain about a free luxury trip with this vixen.
He chuckled, holding his hands up in front of him. "I'm sorry, it's just fun to tease you." She huffed indignantly as she cut her eyes away from him, but he continued anyway, "let's go get some dinner."
She glanced back his way with that same fire in her eyes, but taking in his earnest expression, she let her guard drop ever so slightly. Her frown curved up into a slight smile and her eyes softened. "Okay, let's go."
Dinner had been mostly uneventful. The hotel had a few options for food, but of course, they had to take advantage of their company's generosity and dine at the fanciest restaurant. The one with no prices on the menu and full-length windows overlooking the snow-covered mountains. Sango had never been to such a nice restaurant, and between the atmosphere and Miroku's incessant flirting, it had almost felt like a date. Almost.
Most of their conversation was about work though. Sango had been sure not to venture into more personal territory. Between the romantic atmosphere of the lodge and them sharing a room- a room with a single bed for that matter- Sango was not about to risk lowering her guard and letting this shameless flirt in. If she was careful, she'd be able to keep him at arm's length until this blizzard passed and they could get out of this honeymoon paradise. How long could they be stuck here anyway? The storm was supposed to pass in two days or so, she could do this.
Sango was lost in thought as they made their way back up to the room, but Miroku, for his part, was loving watching her. The way her cheeks flushed and how she wouldn't look him in the eye; it was just so darn cute. And it more or less confirmed that she'd felt that restaurant's romantic atmosphere just as much as he did. What he would give to go on a real date with her…
Once back in the room, they divvied up the bathroom schedule so they could get showered and changed. While Miroku was in there, Sango called the lobby about a cot, only to learn there were none left.
Sango was sitting on the bed, trying to figure what they were going to do without a cot and gnawing a bit on her lower lip as the nervousness washed back over her. Hearing the bathroom door open, she glanced up and her heart skipped a beat as Miroku made his way out of the bathroom. His dark hair was falling wet around his face and for a moment, her eyes darkened. Why did he have to be so hot?
She'd gotten herself under control very quickly, really. She'd only slipped for a moment before bringing her expression back under control, but he'd noticed. His smirk was all the proof she needed that he'd noticed.
A faint blush covered her cheeks as she dropped her gaze and let her bangs hide her eyes. Clearing her throat, she was determined to move their conversation back to safer territory. "So I called the desk, and they don't have any cots left… Apparently they need them for the staff."
He ran a hand through his damp hair. "Ah well, that makes sense. I suppose they're snowed in too."
He glanced back in her direction and noted how tense she was. Was she really so worried he'd try to use this as an excuse to sleep in the bed with her? In her defense, it was absolutely something he'd try to do normally, but certainly not when she was clearly so nervous.
He gave her a soft smile. "It's okay, I'll take the floor."
Her eyes met his, surprise written plainly on her face. "You sure?"
"Yeah, it's not ideal, but I'm sure I can make do," he said, pulling the spare blanket out of the closet.
She bit her lip again. She felt bad, she really did, but there was no way she was comfortable sharing the bed with him. "I can take the floor if you want, I don't mind."
He turned back to her, and her breath caught a bit as his blue eyes met hers. He gave her a small smile, seemingly bemused by her suggestion. "No, no, I can't let a beautiful lady such as yourself sleep on the floor."
A blush crept up her cheeks even as her eyes remained guarded. "Really it's fine, I don't mind."
"Ah but what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't take the floor." The earnest look on his face and the way his lips curled upwards in that soft smile had her head spinning. "Don't worry about it, really. I'm happy to if that makes you more comfortable."
"Okay… as long as you're sure." She held his gaze for a beat longer before a yawn overtook her. "It's been a long day, we should get some sleep."
In all honesty, she wasn't sure how she'd get to sleep with her heart pounding like it was, but she'd take any excuse to break the intensity that seemed to settle in any time their eyes met. So, moments after Miroku finished creating his pallet on the floor, Sango turned out the light and rolled over in the bed to face away from him. "Goodnight Miroku."
Facing away from him and under the cover of darkness in the room, she didn't see the sweet smile on his lips as he closed his eyes. "Goodnight Sango."
The following afternoon, the deafening sound of fingers on a keyboard filled the room as Sango hung up the phone. It was still the middle of the week, and naturally, they were expected to work despite their predicament. This wasn't an unreasonable ask given the complimentary wifi in their room, but Sango hadn't brought her laptop and was stuck working on her phone. As best she could anyway; there was only so much she could do without a computer.
Miroku, on the other hand, had the forethought to bring his computer and was busy typing away at the desk while Sango answered emails and attended meetings on her phone from the bed. The snow outside their window was falling more softly now, and she could see skiers on the mountain taking advantage of the fresh powder. She'd never been skiing. It looked fun. And yet, here she was at a five star ski resort, mountain full of fresh snowfall, stuck inside working.
She sighed loudly, and suddenly the roarous sound of typing drew to a halt as deep blue eyes fell on her. He raised an eyebrow, questioning.
She caught his eye and returned a half smile. "I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head a bit to try and focus back on her inbox. "I was just thinking how annoying it is that we have to work right now."
"Is there something else you'd rather be doing?" He asked, grin sitting lazily on his lips.
"Skiing obviously, there's no way you're happy sitting there working on a day like today."
"No, of course not, there's plenty of other activities I'd rather be doing." He wiggled his eyebrows a bit as a flirtatious grin overtook his face.
Sango rolled her eyes, clearly catching his implication. "Keep it in your pants, would you? I'm your coworker, not some woman you picked up at the bar."
The dark glimmer in his eye did not go unnoticed as he continued to tease her. "Thinking dirty thoughts about me? I just meant I'd prefer to be doing anything with you, dearest, not merely working silently in the same room."
"You're relentless," she countered quietly, a small smile playing on her lips. She sighed heavily, turning her attention back to her inbox.
"Screw it, I'm going out. I can't get anything done from my phone anyway." Sango jumped off the bed and headed for the door. She hesitated before turning around, "Did you want to come?"
Miroku chuckled a bit before sighing ever so slightly. He was a bit jealous; he almost wished he'd left his laptop back at their office like Sango so he could've cut out early too. "You go ahead. I'll catch up with you if I can slip out a little early."
Her heart shouldn't have faltered like it did, it's not like she'd really wanted him to come right? Sango held her gaze steady though, not letting on to her disappointment. "Alright, I'll see you later then," she said as she left the room and headed for the ski rental.
Skiing was harder than it looked. Much harder. Sango was having a hard time balancing as she skidded down the mountain. She'd been out here for a couple hours now and had finally figured out how to not fall down while going down the slope, but she was wobbly at best. And she didn't know how to stop, so her method was to just try to avoid hitting people until she ran out of momentum.
If she hadn't spent most of her fun money on those clothes in the gift shop and the ski rentals, she might have considered booking a lesson. But that just wasn't an option right now, so she'd have to settle for being self taught. This was certainly more fun than sitting around the hotel room trying to work from her phone while fighting off the electricity of Miroku's glances though.
Thankfully there weren't very many people out, so navigating around other skiers and pedestrians hadn't been too difficult. However, as she approached the bottom of the hill, she caught sight of someone in a familiar purple sweatshirt walking directly into her path. She tried to change course, but they moved right back into her path and it became obvious that she was on an inevitable collision course.
"Hey!" She shouted, to no avail. Whoever it was was turned away from her and didn't seem to notice she was yelling at them.
She crashed into them and fell on top of a decidedly male form. Pressing a hand to his chest, she looked up with a glare into the piercing blue eyes she'd left in her room just a few hours earlier.
"If you wanted to get that close, all you had to do was ask." He gazed at her with amusement, chuckling.
Her face flushed red as she scrambled off of him, only to lose her balance on her skis and fall straight back into the powder next to him.
His deep laugh caught her ear, but she refused to meet his eyes, embarrassment racing through her veins. He quickly got up and brushed himself off before offering her a hand.
Her eyes followed his hand, catching the sweet smile playing on his lips. She stared back with an angry look in her eyes, cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. She hated anyone seeing her so inept, especially this man with his stupid handsome face. The urge to just melt into the snow grew within her, but she swallowed her pride and took his hand as she looked away from him.
Getting to her feet, she fell forward into his chest as she struggled to get her footing on these damn skis.
This time she could feel his chest rumble with that deep chuckle of his, and her face burned even brighter. She was right, his arms around her felt so nice. His touch was electrifying, and her body hummed beneath his grasp.
Her instinct was to separate as quickly as possible, but given her situation on these skis, she dared not risk it. She was so flustered, she couldn't seem to regain control of her skis. Which of course left her with her body pressed against his. It was a vicious cycle.
"I take it you haven't skied before?" His eyes darkened just a touch as his grin turned dangerous, "or are you just trying to get my attention?"
"N-no, of course not! I've never been skiing… I don't know how to stop yet."
"That's dangerous Sango, if you're not careful, you'll run someone over."
"Maybe they deserve it," she countered, finally finding her footing enough to put some distance between them. She still wouldn't meet his eyes, afraid her flustered appearance would give away more than she wanted him to know about how his touch affected her.
He clutched his chest, feigning hurt. "Dearest, what have I done to deserve such scorn?"
She huffed indignantly, but he was right, this situation wasn't his fault. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I couldn't get lessons, okay? And I didn't want to miss out just because I don't have a teacher."
"I could teach you."
She blushed. She wasn't in a position to turn down help, not if she wanted to keep skiing, but this really didn't follow the 'keep Miroku at a distance' plan she'd come up with yesterday.
"I guess… if you don't mind…" She shifted her weight a bit, uncomfortable at the mere suggestion of asking for help.
"Wonderful, it's a date!" He returned with a wink as he turned back toward the lodge. "Let me just go get some skis."
"It's not a date!" She shouted back toward him to no avail. His chuckle was the only indication he'd even heard her.
Sango waited outside the lodge for Miroku to return with his ski equipment. There was still at least 4 hours before the slopes closed, and Sango certainly didn't want to miss the opportunity to learn how to ski before it was too late.
Over the next few hours, he took her down the bunny slope multiple times, explaining the pizza and french fry methods to help her control where she was going as gravity pulled her down the mountain.
Soon he'd convinced her to take a ride up the mountain on the lift, and looking down the snow-covered cliff, her anxiety was starting to get the best of her.
"I don't know about this…" she started, staring hesitantly at the blue square slope in front of her. A few inches of give and she'd be hurling down the mountain, but she was not at all sure she was ready to move past the green circle slope.
"You're ready. I promise, I wouldn't have brought you up here if I didn't think so" Miroku replied, looking at her with that earnest gaze that had her ready to melt on the spot.
She returned her gaze with the slightest hint of anxiety and hesitancy. "I'm not sure, it's pretty steep. What if I kill someone on the way down?"
He smirked back in reply. "You mean like you tried to kill me? I think you'll be fine."
She just glanced at the slope again, but before she could reply, he continued, "besides, the only way down is, well… down."
Her eyebrows raised as she continued to gaze off the mountain, her gaze catching a glimpse of the admittedly beautiful view of the full snow-capped mountain range from the peak of Mt. Hakurei. "I could get back on the lift."
"The lift? No, sweetheart, that only brings you up, you can't get down that way." He grinned at her flirtatiously, but noting her nervous expression, his gaze softened a bit. "Hey, don't worry, I'll be right behind you. I promise nothing will happen to you."
Her nerves eased ever so slightly with his assertion. It was nice to have someone looking out for her, and the idea of skiing down this slope was quite exhilarating. When would she get this opportunity again anyway? She glanced back his way, returning his smile before pushing off of the cliff. Sango suddenly found herself hurling down the mountain at a much higher speed than she'd experienced on the bunny slope. It was absolutely thrilling to say the least. As she approached the bottom, she remembered Miroku's instructions on braking and twisted her right ski inward to stop. Not that she'd admit it to him of all people, but his lessons really were starting to help her feel in control of her skis. It gave her a sense of exhilaration and confidence that was absolutely intoxicating.
Just as she came off the high of conquering the mountain, Miroku skidded to a stop right next to her. Her smile beamed up at him. "I did it, I got down the mountain!"
"Yeah, your form looked great as well," he said, winking flirtatiously.
She rolled her eyes and elbowed him slightly before smiling back at him. "Want to go again? I may need you to watch my back again…"
"Of course! Anything for you Sango."
She blushed a bit under his indigo gaze, before cutting her eyes away. Without another word, she skated over to the lift line, motioning for Miroku to join her.
After several more runs down the blue slope, they decided to call it a night just moments before the lift closed. The whole experience was exhilarating. Sango had long ago decided that skiing was just as much fun as any martial arts class she'd ever taken back home- maybe she'd have to make a ski trip an annual thing.
And it was all thanks to Miroku that she'd even been able to experience it. She found herself wondering if she hadn't given him enough credit. He was an alright guy, if you could get past the shameless flirting anyway. Nevertheless, she definitely was starting to feel more comfortable around him as their second day together drew to a close.
Before they'd noticed, it was sunset, and they probably didn't have enough time to get cleaned up for dinner before the restaurants closed for the night. She was too exhausted from all that exercise to properly go out anyway.
"Room service for dinner?" She asked, glancing up at him.
"You read my mind!" He chuckled back. "We can rent a movie, have a nice evening in."
"That sounds really nice, actually," she said, arms stretching over her head. As they walked back into their room, she grabbed the room service menu and flopped onto the bed to figure out her dinner order. He shot her a slight smile as he grabbed the remote to look through movie rentals.
She caught his eye though, noticing the smile on his lips. A blush crept over her. She was not used to this sort of attention from men, yet he always seemed to be looking at her. "What?" she asked shyly.
His smile brightened a bit, but he thought better of telling her just how beautiful she looked right now, all flushed from their skiing adventure. He shook his head slightly, "it's nothing. What do you want to watch with dinner?"
They scrolled through the on-demand options, eventually selecting a good action comedy after heavy debate over each other's questionable taste in films. Once they were showered and the food had arrived, Sango flopped back onto the bed, ready to start the movie.
Miroku wheeled the desk chair up to the bed, intending to use the bed as a table. Sango bit her lip, feeling bad again for hogging the bed. She glanced his way shyly, weighing her options.
He met her gaze, eyebrow raised at her hesitant expression. "Yes?"
"You… you can sit on the bed if you want," she replied with a slight blush. Why was she so nervous about just letting him sit on the bed? They were kind of friends now after all, it shouldn't be weird… Besides, she felt bad about having him watch the whole movie from the desk chair or the floor while she got to relax on the bed. Nothing weird about that.
He smiled back her way, a teasing undertone taking over his gaze. "Why Sango, if you wanted to cuddle, you should have said so."
Her face flushed and she hurled the controller at his head in response. "That's not what I said!"
He laughed heartily as he moved the chair back to the desk and took his spot on the far side of the bed. "You're feisty." He took in her beet red face with her eyebrows drawn together in anger, or was that embarrassment? His expression went softer, more genuine. "I'm just teasing. Thank you, I appreciate the offer."
They finished their meals and abandoned the trays at the end of the bed. Relaxing back into the bed, they stayed on opposite ends as they watched the rest of the film. Still, it was anything but relaxing, at least to Sango. Throughout the movie, she could feel Miroku's indigo eyes glancing her way, lighting her body on fire every time. It made focusing on the movie utterly impossible, as if focusing hadn't been hard enough with her own intermittent sideways glances toward him.
She couldn't help it. He was so hot, and he was sitting in a bed mere feet from her… It was this damn resort. Why did it have to be so romantic? Why did she have to go and let her guard down while they were skiing earlier? Was it really so special that he taught her to ski? He'd probably do that with any woman he was stuck with in this situation, she wasn't special.
She twirled her hair a bit, lost in thought. So lost, in fact, that she missed the fact that the movie had ended.
"Sango?"
"Hmm?" She jolted out of her inner turmoil, spinning to meet his eyes and feeling her heart flutter when she did.
He smiled back at her. "I said we should probably get ready for bed." He eyed her a moment, tilting his head to the side before continuing, "What were you thinking about so intensely?"
"N-nothing," she said, faking a smile.
"You sure? You were pretty out of it."
"Nothing to concern you with," she returned with a softer smile. It looked almost sad from his point of view, and his eyebrows drew together in concern.
"If you want to talk, I'm here." His expression was hard to read, but his teasing attitude had faded away into something quite different. Her breath caught in her throat at the idea of his concern, but she shook her head.
"No, you're right, we should get to bed." But as Miroku got out of the bed and moved toward his pallet on the floor, she piped up again. "Um Miroku, if you want… you can sleep up here. I think there's enough room for us both."
He glanced back her way in surprise. Her hand was clutched to her chest and her head was tilted away in a feeble attempt to hide the bright blush on her cheeks, likely from the implication of what she'd said. "You're sure?" He returned hesitantly. Of course he wanted to take her up on the offer, but certainly not at the expense of her comfort.
"Y-yeah," she replied quietly, her gaze meeting his and showing far more confidence than she felt. "We can make a pillow wall, it'll be fine."
It was a king bed afterall, there was plenty of room even with a pillow wall between them. It's not exactly what he'd been hoping for, but he'd take any invitation to get closer to her. He smiled sweetly in response. "Of course."
Miroku moved the pillows from his pallet to build a make-shift barrier between them and climbed into the bed opposite of her.
Sango worked hard to control her breathing as she felt his weight shift in the bed. Maybe this was a mistake, having him so close, but she honestly felt bad about making him sleep on the hard floor.
She tried to push all thoughts of him from her mind as she reached up to turn off her light. Falling back to her pillow, she faced away from him as he took up the spot she'd had in the bed the night before. "Goodnight," she said, meekly.
He smirked in response, resisting the urge to flirt more. "Goodnight Sango."
If she'd expected to go skiing again today, luck was not on her side. The blizzard had intensified overnight, nearly knocking out power several times throughout the day. Where the atmosphere was romantic and dreamy just yesterday, it was gloomy and dark today as the howling winds hurled blinding amounts of snow toward their windows.
The lifts were closed because of the storm, and the wifi had long ago gotten knocked out by a fallen tree somewhere down the mountain. Luckily the hotel's generator kept their lights on, but between the wifi outage and the closed lifts, they were essentially stuck in the room all day with absolutely nothing to do.
Sango had wanted to use the opportunity to catch up on the book she'd brought for the car ride- the one she hadn't gotten to touch due to Miroku's incessant flirting on the way here. But her reading was cut short by the same culprit this time around. Without his computer or the TV to keep him occupied while she read, Miroku had been chattier than ever all day.
Eventually he got the bright idea to go down to the lobby shop and get a set of cards. She might have preferred he bought a book or magazine to entertain himself, but she was beginning to get a little bored too, being locked in like they were. Maybe a game would do her good.
Miroku returned with cards and two bottles of wine. Apparently if they were stuck inside and off the hook for working today, drinking was in order. She wouldn't argue with that though- she was more than happy to drink fancy wines on the company dollar.
The card games started simple- blackjack, gin rummy, speed, the basics. Sango started getting super competitive when they switched to speed, and Miroku was quick to tease her when she lost. It seared her nerves to no end, and she demanded rematch after rematch to prove her prowess. She hated losing, but she hated his smug look at having beaten her more.
They played several rounds of speed before she threw her cards down in another loss. Sure, she'd won a few hands, but she was getting damned frustrated with losing.
"This is stupid," she said, standing to refill her wine glass. It was early evening now, time to get more heavy handed with her drinking. They'd placed a dinner order a little while ago that should be arriving any minute now anyway.
"I didn't know you were such a sore loser," he teased from his spot on the bed.
She whirled around to face him, grabbing the bottle off of the desk table in lieu of filling her glass as she headed back to the bed. "I'm not, I'm just bored with this is all," she lied. She was blushing a bit at being caught in a fit.
"Sure." He smirked back at her, holding her gaze for a bit as her defensive attitude broke down a bit. "We can play something else… if we're drinking anyway, how about never have I ever."
Sango had always hated that game, she felt like she'd never done anything interesting enough to be any good at that game. Sure she always won, but she never got properly drunk while playing, unlike her friends. "Nah, I think I'm gamed out," she replied, plopping back down into her spot on the bed.
"C'mon, it'll be fun. Besides, I wouldn't mind learning more about you." His pleading eyes bore into her from the other side of the bed. Her lips tipped up ever so slightly, a motion that didn't escape his notice as he returned her smile full force.
"You want to learn about me by learning what I haven't done?" She gave him a perplexed look with intrigue swirling in her whiskey eyes. Damn, why did this woman have to be so gorgeous, he wondered as he smirked in return.
"You can learn a lot about someone by what they haven't done," he returned with a devious smirk.
"You sure you want to do that? Telling me all the skeletons you have in your closet?"
His smile faltered a bit. He hadn't considered that. He'd been so focused on wanting to get to know her, he hadn't thought about how she might react to his more questionable life choices. Still, he decided to press on, determined to get through this beauty's guarded attitude and finally learn more about what she kept hidden underneath.
"C'mon Sango, it'll be fun," he said, shooting her a charming grin, "and what better way is there to waste this expensive wine than to share all your dirty secrets?"
She rolled her eyes and scoffed, but he pressed on, his expression shifting into something more earnest. "Besides, I really would like to get to know you."
Something in the way he looked at her caught her off guard, and a blush crept across her cheeks. He really seemed to be being genuine, but it could still be a ruse. This was Miroku after all, and he had a reputation. He wasn't for cozying up with.
"Fine, never have I ever slept with a stranger," she said, eyes narrowed at him.
"Hey that's not fair, coming for me like that the moment we start," he said, tugging at his ponytail a bit.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I just said something I've never done. That's the game right?" She said, a slight smirk playing on her lips as she fought the growing urge to toy with him. The alcohol was making her bolder it seemed.
This was a mistake, Miroku thought to himself as he took a gulp from his glass. Still, the way she was looking at him was so intriguing, like she was just as curious about him as he was about her, and he could not squander this opportunity with her. He'd just have to hit back.
"If that's how you want to play," a dangerous smile crept back over his lips as he raised nine fingers to keep count of his losses. "Never have I ever run someone over while skiing."
Sango scoffed and recoiled a bit. She hadn't really expected him to go on the offensive, but she had to admit, she did deserve it. "I didn't mean to run you over with skis!" She defended with less fire than she'd have preferred.
He chuckled. "Sango, you can run me over any day," he added with a wink.
Sango blushed a bit, but rolled her eyes. Her turn again… She glanced back his way and sized him up. Her mind kept drawing back to his playboy reputation, and she needed to know here and now how authentic that reputation was. Before she got too close. Before the wine convinced her to do something she knew was a mistake.
"Never have I ever broken someone's heart," she shot back, very much intending it as a counterattack.
Miroku's eyes narrowed at her as he took a sip. "Now, I find that hard to believe."
Sango shrugged in response and smiled a bit shyly at his compliment. "I've never really had a relationship to speak of... and I don't go around flirting with every man I meet." She shot him a pointed look.
He grinned back at her. "A woman as beautiful and smart as you is sure to have broken some hearts, whether you know about it or not."
He held her gaze for several moments, and she blushed quite intensely. She paused for a moment, getting a little lost in those indigo eyes that seemed so captivated with her. For that moment, she almost believed him. But the words of her female co-workers shoved their way through her haze, and she shoved him lightly.
"I believe it was your turn," she said, turning their attention back to the game before she gave into that little voice in her head screaming at her to kiss him.
He chuckled. "Right, of course."
They went back and forth for a bit, each taking jabs at the other on their turn until they were down to just a few fingers each. Despite the fact that Miroku was hitting her with targeted attacks each round, Sango was actually really enjoying herself. She got to get drunk and really participate in Never Have I Ever for once, and she could really see the appeal.
And it might be the wine talking, but hanging out with Miroku like this was actually pretty fun. He was flirty, sure, but his playful energy made for a really good time. Her guard was coming down. Slightly, sure, but still down.
It was his turn. She was ahead, but only just. He had three fingers remaining, and she had five. That said, it was his turn, and she knew he'd be coming for her.
"Never have I ever thought my co-worker was attractive," he said, putting down one of his fingers as he looked at her pointedly from atop his wine glass.
She rolled her eyes at his obvious self-hit. This wasn't where she thought he'd turn, but obviously he was trying to toy with her. Or was he testing her to see if she'd drink to that?
Her eyes narrowed on him. "That's your own question. Why are you putting your finger down?" She knew the answer of course, but it was still a dumb move and he deserved to be called out.
"Because I'm totally attracted to you," Miroku added without missing a beat, a bright shit eating grin rapidly spreading across his face.
She gasped lightly, eyes going wide. She let out an incredulous laugh and shook her head. Of course he would, she thought to herself. A light smile played on her lips as she crafted the perfect counter. "Never have I ever brazenly flirted with a coworker," she said coyly, as her smile twisted into a devious smirk.
Miroku took a sip as he chuckled under his breath. His cocky smirk never left his lips as he took his next hit. "Never have I ever lied to someone in this room."
Sango's eyebrows drew together in surprise. Now that was unexpected…
"I..I never lied to you!" she said defensively, a little confused at where that came from.
"You did when you said you weren't attracted to me," he said with a knowing grin. "And when you said you weren't flirting," he added with a wink.
Sango's mouth fell open at the accusations and a very bright blush fell across her face. "I-I was not!"
"I believe you owe me two sips, Sango," Miroku teased, still grinning.
Her heartbeat faster, causing her blush to intensify. She was cornered, even she had to admit that. She averted her eyes, blushing intensely as she took two big gulps of wine and discreetly dropped two fingers. With any luck, he'd only see her cop to one of them, though she wasn't sure which would be more embarrassing to admit to...
She eyed him warily from under her bangs, trying to craft a good counter for the devastating hit she just took.
"Never have I ever slept with a coworker," she shot at him. To her shock, he didn't move. Not a finger nor hand to mouth to sip his wine. He just sat there smirking back at her. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Hey, put your finger down," she all but yelled at him.
"I can't, I've never done that."
She snorted in derision as she rolled her eyes at his blatant lie. "So much for not lying. You've propositioned half the operations department and you don't even work in our office"
"That doesn't mean I've actually hooked up with any of them…" He said very matter-of-factly, before nodding his head toward her diminishing wine supply. "Now I believe you have to drink."
Sango scoffed and took a sip of her wine. Hesitantly, she turned back to him. "What stopped you then?" She smirked, adding, "everyone saw through your lines?"
He laughed slightly at her accusation. "Not exactly, I just have a rule about getting involved with women I work with."
"Oh." Her face fell briefly, betraying her disappointment. He grinned lightly as he took in her evident disappointment at his revelation. So she was interested after all, good to know, he thought to himself.
His oceanic gaze never left her face as she tried to recover. She knew her expression must be an open book for him, but she really couldn't contain her shock at that extremely unexpected statement. She shook her head slightly, as if the motion was jarring her back to reality. Her eyes showed her surprise as she collected her thoughts."That's- that's just surprising coming from you."
Miroku shrugged, "It's better that way, keeps things less messy."
"Right," Sango replied curtly, mouth drawing into a fine line. "Less likely to run into someone after the deed then."
She sighed deeply, considering his less than appealing reputation. She took a big sip of wine and moved to roll off of the bed. "I think I'm done," she added, annoyed, as she turned away from him.
Before she could stand up, Miroku grabbed her wrist, and she turned to him in surprise. His face was unreadable. He had a very slight smile, not playful like before, and his eyes had a serious tone about them. "Rules can be broken, Sango," he said as his deep blue eyes pierced through her defenses.
Her heart beat heavily in her chest, hurrying the alcohol into her bloodstream. Her breath was becoming more intense as she slowly drowned in those deep blue eyes. If he kissed her right now, she just might let him…
Just as her eyes drifted to his mouth, a knock at their door sent her flying away from him. Oh right dinner, she thought as she tried to compose herself. She'd really almost kissed him just now hadn't she?
With her hand still clutched to her chest in a feeble attempt to calm her racing heart, she glanced toward Miroku from the side of her eyes. Was that disappointment in his eyes or was she imagining it? Had he wanted to kiss her too?
He sighed heavily as he rolled off the bed to get the door. Dinner was pretty quiet following that intense moment at the end of Never Have I Ever. Sango wasn't entirely sure what to talk about with him now, so she focused on the fresh bottle of wine that no doubt cost more than she made in a day. By the time they finished their meals, she was sufficiently buzzed and her reservations about her flirtatious coworker had almost entirely faded to the back of her mind.
"What now?" She asked, moving her tray off the bed.
"Hmmm," Miroku pondered as he sipped their expensive wine. "We do have cards, how about a round of poker?"
"Poker? We don't have chips or anything to make bets with."
She was looking at him with that same intrigued smirk she'd had at the beginning of Never Have I Ever. Maybe it was too forward, but he really couldn't resist. He raised an eyebrow at her and shot her a dangerous smirk. "Well my dear Sango, we have clothes don't we?"
Her eyebrows rose in shock, and for a moment, he wondered if she was about to slap him. He'd certainly deserve it. But to his surprise, her lips curled into a smirk that mirrored his as her eyes narrowed on his. It was the sexiest look he'd ever seen.
"Sure, why not?" She agreed, glancing him over appreciatively.
This time it was his eyes that went wide in shock. That was definitely not the reaction he'd expected. She'd been so wary of his advances all day, what had changed? Of course, the wine…
He sighed heavily. As much as he wanted to play strip poker with the sexiest woman he'd ever met, she was clearly too inebriated to have really thought this through. He looked at her with reluctance evident on his face. "Maybe we ought to hold off…"
"Why? Worried you'll lose?" She teased as she twisted her body toward him.
He chuckled lightly. "No dearest, I'm just trying to be a gentleman. You've been drinking quite a bit, maybe we should take a rain check."
She puffed out her cheeks in an indignant pout, but before she could form a retort, the power flickered off. Sango gasped at the sudden darkness while Miroku fumbled for his phone. After a few moments, his flashlight was on, and they could at least see again.
"What happened?" Sango asked, taking in the creepy glow of the flashlight-lit room.
"I don't know." He sounded a bit incredulous as his gears turned on what the problem could possibly be. A resort this large and isolated must have back-up power, but why wasn't it kicking on? "My guess is the generator finally ran down," he continued. "Maybe the tree that cut the wifi took out the power supply too."
"I guess that makes sense… everyone's probably been running the heat, I guess it ran the supply down?"
That must've been it. The power had been flickering a bit all day, but this time it really didn't seem like it was coming back. In fact, it had been off long enough now that the room was rapidly starting to cool.
Without the power to keep the heat running, the chill of the blizzard was starting to settle in. Sango shivered slightly in the cold, her breath beginning to become visible in the air. The alcohol in her system wasn't enough to stop the cold from setting in. She bundled up under the blankets, but even then, she was still quite cold. She was beginning to worry how the rest of the night would go if they didn't get power back pretty soon.
Miroku had gone into the hallway briefly to confirm that they weren't the only ones without power. His suspicions were confirmed- it seemed the whole resort had gone dark. Some of the staff were coming around with additional blankets, and he took the opportunity to try and get more information.
Apparently he was correct, the reserve power had run out. It would have been quite a dire situation, but the staff informed him that the maintenance workers were refilling the generators and power should be back up and running within several hours.
Returning to the room, Miroku noticed Sango had bundled herself under the blankets.
"Getting cold? With all that wine, I thought you'd be alright a bit longer…"
"Well evidently not," she replied. It was snarkier than she'd meant it, but she was frustrated with her apparent inability to get warm.
His brows knit together in concern, and he took the opportunity to spread the extra blanket over her. "Here, they gave out extra blankets, but I was only able to get one."
She peeked her eyes out from under the comforter and gazed up at him. A light blush covered her cheeks, but thankfully due to the darkness and her face being mostly hidden by the blankets, he wasn't able to see it. "Thank you," she said, dropping her gaze.
Miroku walked back to his side of the bed and huddled under the blanket. Sango was curled up facing away from him on the other side of the bed, but even in the faint flashlight glow, he could see her still shivering ever so slightly. They were out of blankets, and he couldn't give her his hoodie without freezing himself.
Drastic times called for drastic measures, and afterall, who was he to turn his back on a damsel in distress. She'd been pretty flirty with him before the power went out, maybe she'd be receptive to it. He turned to her, a slight grin on his face. "You know Sango, penguins often huddle together to keep warm in a blizzard."
She cut her eyes toward him suspiciously, but didn't roll over to face him. "Good for penguins," she replied dryly.
"I was just suggesting that perhaps they're onto something, being evolved to survive freezing temperatures such as these and all."
"I'm pretty sure Antarctica gets much colder than this, Miroku," she replied, rolling onto her back. "Although not by much," she muttered as another chill fell over her.
She glanced over at him, and saw him gazing at her. Despite the innuendo, his expression showed genuine concern for her. Normally, she might consider just toughing it out, but she'd been drinking so what the hell. "Fine," she muttered.
"What was that?" he questioned, a cocky smile spreading on his lips.
"Fine. I said fine, just get over here before I change my mind," she replied annoyedly. She had a slight pout on her face and was looking away from him as a blush covered her cheeks. In that moment, she was perhaps the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
He smiled brightly as he scooted down in the bed and moved closer to her. She still wouldn't make eye contact, and her blush deepened the closer he got to her. Still, his body heat drew her like a moth to a flame, and she inched closer to him, cozying up to his side before his arms even wrapped around her.
Between the residual wine in her blood, her increasingly rapid heartbeat, and the way his intoxicatingly musky scent surrounded her, Sango was feeling dazed.
"I'm sorry about this… if I had another blanket to give you, I certainly would have," he said cautiously. He knew she was nervous, but this really was the best solution given their situation.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, you're loving this."
He chuckled in response, and she shivered at how his chest moved under her face. "Well I certainly can't say I hate how this turned out, but I really am sorry you're so cold." He paused before adding, "and that our strip poker game got cancelled."
She grinned. "I wasn't actually going to do that…"
"Could have fooled me," he responded teasingly as his fingers started playing with loose strands of her hair.
Thanks to his body heat, Sango was finally starting to warm up and the wine pulsing through her veins was starting to make her drowsy. She sighed, taking in the woodsy aroma of his sweatshirt and closing her eyes. Rather than responding to his admittedly accurate accusation, she focused her mental energy on the feeling of his fingers brushing through her hair and the smell of teak and cedar radiating from his clothes. Her thoughts drifted to a campfire in the woods as his cologne overwhelmed her senses.
And next thing she knew, it was morning.
Apparently, they had fallen asleep cuddled up like that. Sometime during the night, the power had kicked back on, and Sango woke up to a bright room with all the lights on. The heat had come back as well, and huddled up to him like she was under three layers of blankets, she was almost sweating.
The urge to rip herself away from him out of embarrassment coursed through her, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. She'd been right on that drive here- his arms around her did feel nice. And when he was sleeping like this, holding her in her arms so preciously, she could almost forget why she ever thought keeping him at a distance was a good idea.
From her position next to him, Sango studied his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, so innocent. She knew better, of course, he could be quite the philanderer when he was awake. Still, he was so handsome and being wrapped up in his arms felt good. It felt right.
Sure, he was a womanizer, but he could also be sweet and considerate. Underneath that flirty exterior, he seemed quite kind, and she was worried she was actually falling for him. She kept watching him a bit longer as she puzzled over her feelings.
He'd been such a gentleman on the first day, sleeping on the floor- the hard hotel room floor of all places- to be sure she was comfortable. He taught her how to ski so she could actually enjoy her day on the slopes, and he was so patient while doing so. He could have spent the day going down the big slopes and enjoying himself, but instead, he spent hours on the bunny slopes with her teaching her the basics. Then, yesterday. He was genuinely concerned with how cold she'd been when the power was out… He was kind, patient, and considerate. Not at all the douchey womanizer she'd made him out to be when the car rolled up the mountain three days ago.
And on top of all that, he was attractive to her in such a magnetic way that she all but ripped her clothes off after a few glasses of wine. If the power outage hadn't shocked her back to reality, she just might have gone through with strip poker... and whatever may have happened after.
I'm in trouble aren't I? She thought to herself, sighing heavily.
Ever since they woke up that morning, Sango had been weird around him. He was sure of it. They'd woken up a bit late thanks to their drinking the night before, and he was ecstatic to have found her in his arms when he woke this morning. She was sleeping, or pretending to at least, and the way her brown eyes met his in the sunlight nearly caused his heart to skip a beat. Those intoxicating whiskey eyes… They were overwhelming and impossible to resist. She didn't believe him when he told her so though, but they were no less appealing when they were rolling away from him. Or when they were paired with that disbelieving smile she adorned with every new advance he made. She was beautiful. And he was living for every smile she sent his way. Unfortunately, she'd all but run out of the room soon after they'd gotten up taking her lovely smile with her.
Thanks to the storm and the lack of functional internet, they had yet another day off of work, but Sango couldn't bring herself to enjoy it. Ever since she'd realized she liked Miroku- like really liked him- she couldn't bring herself to be around him. This was particularly difficult given their rooming arrangements, but she'd managed to create communications barriers and, at most times during the day, avoid him altogether. She'd found excuses to wander to different areas of the resort, just to put distance between them.
After all, this couldn't be a real crush. There was no way these were real feelings. She'd just gotten a little caught up in how his arm wrapped around her last night, how his scent had overwhelmed her senses, how his personality had infiltrated her defenses…. Sango couldn't believe she actually had a crush on her philanderer of a coworker. How could this have happened?
Rather than have to face him and own up to her irrational emotional response to his arms around her last night, Sango was using her favorite move- avoiding the handsome man at all costs. Since they'd gotten up that morning, she'd found every possible hiding place outside of their shared room. She'd hung out at the lobby coffee shop, wandered the resort grounds, and taken a whole additional tour of the special events spaces. Before she knew it, she had wasted the whole day and it was dinner time again.
Returning to the room to get cleaned up for dinner, she encountered Miroku again. Apparently, he'd been thinking of dinner as well, though it seemed he had much bigger plans than her absolute avoidance of his presence.
After some debate, they'd decided to dine at the same restaurant they'd discovered on night one of their snowy adventure. After all, the snow was melting and the storm was passing. They'd only be here one more night before heading back to their usual lives and routines, and it was only right that they expensed one more extravagant dinner before leaving the resort.
With this in mind, they got dressed up in the nice clothes they'd arrived in three days ago and prepared for the extremely fancy dinner that awaited them downstairs.
He wasn't imagining it, she was definitely avoiding him. It was frustrating after all the progress he'd made with her last night. She'd all but confirmed she'd felt the same about him as he felt about her, so he really couldn't understand why she'd been spending so much time away from him today. He'd been hoping to make his move earlier in the day and ask her on a real date, but that was hard to do when she wasn't present. And with their trip coming to an end, it was really now or never.
Entering the elevator, he smirked a bit and turned to her. "Hey Sango, I have an idea. Let's pretend we're not on a work trip."
"What?" She turned toward him with a puzzled expression.
"This time dinner is my treat," he continued, cocky smile unwavering.
This did nothing to alleviate her confusion, though she was suspicious he was hitting on her again. She blushed at the thought. Biting her lip a bit, she added shyly, "But the company will pay for it, you don't have to..."
"I know, but it's only right that a gentleman treats a lady while on a date," he said, winking at her.
Her eyes went wide at that statement, and she let out an incredulous laugh. "Who said this was a date?"
"Who said it wasn't?" He shot back without missing a beat.
Sango blinked back at him a few times, but the faint smile on her lips betrayed her real feelings about his asking her out. "You really want this to be a date?" she asked seriously, almost afraid to hope he was serious.
"Of course, if you do anyway."
Sango narrowed her eyes at him. Obviously she wanted to say yes, but she was still pretty suspicious of his intentions. She needed to know what he was playing at.
"Why?" she asked skeptically.
Miroku laughed lightly in response. "What do you mean 'why?' I like you, I thought I'd made that pretty obvious."
"You mean you'd like to hook up with me,"
He shook his head, still smiling at her. "That's not what I'm after. I wouldn't break my office dating rule for something frivolous."
Sango continued to eye him warily for a moment, but after a beat, her lips curved into a coy smile. "You know what, okay," she agreed. "You wore me down."
"Yeah?" He asked, not believing she'd actually agreed.
The way his eyes beamed at her answer lit her skin on fire and sent her heartbeat into a frenzy. Maybe she'd been too in her head about this. Maybe he really did like her after all, and he deserved a chance at least. "Yeah. Give me your worst," she added teasingly.
Dinner had been surprisingly enjoyable. Sango really hadn't expected to enjoy it as much as she had given her nervousness over this being a proper date, but Miroku was surprisingly easy to talk to. Especially now that she was less reserved about venturing into more personal topics of conversation. Between the restaurant's atmosphere, the scenery, and the wonderful company, this had been one of the best dates Sango had ever been on.
Not that there was much in her history to compare it to, but being with Miroku just felt so natural. She was actually disappointed when the check came.
They took their last round of drinks to go and wandered to the patio just outside of the restaurant. It was night now but the warm glow of the string lights and the moonlit, snow-covered mountain made the scenery every bit as magical as it was during the day.
Sango leaned on the railing, taking in the view. Miroku's eyes, however, were on her.
"It sure is gorgeous here," she said, sighing intensely. "I'm actually going to miss it."
"It's not half as gorgeous as you," he replied, his indigo eyes burning into hers as her cheeks lit up in a delicate blush.
Her eyes darkened as they fell to his lips. All she could imagine was how they might feel pressed against hers, a thought that caused her blush to intensify. She wanted to just lean in and kiss him so badly, but something was still nagging at her… He was such a flirt, and with every woman he met. She had to be sure she wasn't setting herself up to be disappointed. She had to make her intentions here clear.
"I'm not looking for a fling," she warned less sternly than she'd intended. It almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
"Who said I was?" He smirked back at her, eyes never leaving hers.
She turned her head slightly, eyeing him suspiciously. "You flirt with every girl you meet. What am I supposed to think?"
"They're not you," he said with an expression so genuine it was all she could do not to give in.
"Yeah, I bet you say that to all of them too," she teased, careful to keep her guard up as best she could. It was becoming more and more challenging to resist him though.
Miroku smiled at her in a softer, earnest way, and her heart skipped a beat. "Mmm maybe," he admitted, "but I really do mean it."
He reached out and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her skin buzzed at the touch, and she was unable to move as she stared back into his serious eyes.
He smiled sweetly at her as he continued, "You're different Sango, one night could never be enough." He wrapped his arms around her waist, causing a gasp to escape her lips as her senses were overwhelmed again by his closeness. "I want to wake up to those whiskey eyes every day... I promise, I'm not going anywhere."
Her expression turned incredulous, and it was all she could do to control her breathing as she searched his expression for any indication of dishonesty. But it wasn't there. He'd meant it.
Relief flowed through her, and she finally shed her inhibitions about indulging her feelings toward him. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his face down to hers.
The kiss was spectacular. It was soft and warm, lighting her skin on fire as she melted into his touch. Their lips met again the moment the kiss was broken, but this time, she wanted more. Slowly their kisses began to intensify. His lips were firm against hers as she ran her tongue along his bottom lip.
Opening his mouth to let her in, he lifted her onto the railing to allow for better access. She wrapped her legs around him to keep him close as her tongue roamed through his mouth, tasting every inch of him. Her whole body felt like it was floating, but the kiss alone wasn't going to be enough to satiate the growing need she was feeling.
Reluctantly, Sango broke away from his lips and grinned at him deviously from beneath her bangs. "You know…we do have a room…" she said, biting her lip and blushing at her uncharacteristic forwardness.
"Sango dearest, don't tell me I've already rubbed off on you." He gave her a lecherous grin as he teased her back.
It really wasn't like her to be so forward, but her gut really told her that he was being genuine with her. "Not yet, anyway," she replied with a wink.
With that, she hopped down from the railing and grabbed his hand as she led him back toward their room.
The next morning, Sango woke up happily in Miroku's arms again. His skin was warm against hers as rays of sun streamed in through the curtains for the first time in days. It was fitting really, because lying here next to him made her feel so peaceful. She studied his sleeping features just as she had the day before, reflecting on how handsome he was and just how much she was really falling for him. But unlike yesterday, there was no anxiety from these thoughts today. She didn't feel the need to run anymore.
She smiled up at him as he stirred next to her. He pulled her in closer for a hug before his bright blue eyes opened to meet hers. "Goodmorning," he lulled as he gazed down at her with a sweet grin.
"Morning," she returned, before leaning up to kiss him again. Smiling into the kiss, her thoughts returned to last night. It had been so amazing. Their connection was magnetic, and she was feeling especially impatient about having him again.
Unfortunately, that would have to wait until later. With the storm gone and the roads clear, they had to head back home and the check out time was looming. Reluctantly, they rolled out of bed and got dressed. Having gathered the few things they had, they returned the key to the desk and retrieved the car from the valet.
Rolling down the driveway away from the lodge, Sango stared out the window. Taking in the scenery one last time, she reflected on how much had changed since they'd arrived and she found herself hoping maybe they'd return someday. Maybe we'll return for an actual honeymoon weekend one day, she thought to herself, lighting up a bright blush on her cheeks.
Miroku peeked at Sango and smiled at the blushing beauty next to him. He was so thankful they'd been paired together for this assignment, and he was even more thankful they'd wound up snowed in. Otherwise, he'd never have gotten a chance to really get to know the real her. Without the blizzard, he'd only have really met workplace Sango, and she was so, so much more than that.
I am a truly lucky man, he thought to himself as he reached out a hand and placed it on her thigh. Startled a bit by the touch, she turned her head and returned his smile as she laced her fingers through his.
Hand in hand, they made their way back to the city, excited about what life would bring now that they'd found one another.
AN: Thanks so much for reading! I speed-wrote this for Day of MirSan 2021 and only ended up posting a day late- so big success there. Special thanks to Skyelara and Sapphirestarxx for helping me develop my plot, get through all my blocks, and generally hype me up to finish this fic in record time. Truly, this story would not exist without them 3