If someone had told Vaughn an hour ago that he would be riding a ski lift with Sydney, he would have laughed. But here he was, next to the woman who made his heart beat a mile a minute. He thought he must have been seeing things when the elevator doors opened and she was standing before him. Part of him was so incredibly happy to see her there, but the other part of him was fearful that she was being watched. Eventually, he decided to take her word that she wasn't. He was so excited about the opportunity to spend time with her that it was easy to convince himself that it was okay for them to be seen in public together. Being her was worth the risk, he decided, and now he was about to go skiing with Sydney -- or falling with her, anyway. How appropriate. He'd already fallen *for* her; why not fall *with* her while he was at it? Not that he had believed her when she said she couldn't ski. Sydney was the most amazing woman he had ever met, he simply couldn't imagine her being bad at anything.
"You seem deep in thought," Sydney teased. She had been staring at him for the last five minutes, and he hadn't even noticed. Of course, her sunglasses were so dark that he wouldn't have noticed, anyway. She complimented herself on her taste in eyewear; even Marshall couldn't have created a more useful pair of sunglasses. "What are you thinking about?"
Vaughn was too embarrassed to admit that he had been thinking about her. "I was just admiring the scenery. I've been here all week, but the scenery never fails to take my breath away. Have you ever seen so much natural beauty?"
"Never." Vaughn was right, the view was amazing -- white for as far as the eye could see, dotted with beautiful green trees, and framed by a crystal clear sky. It was almost as breathtaking as the man sitting next to her. Sydney silently thanked whatever higher power had led her to the same resort as Vaughn. Then she made a vow that for the rest of the afternoon, she wouldn't allow herself to think about anything but him. She pushed everything and everyone that she left behind in L.A. to a distant corner of her mind.
*****
Hours later, Vaughn and Sydney stood at the top of the intermediate ski course. After a few hours on the beginners' course, Sydney decided that she needed a bigger challenge. Vaughn was a great instructor, and had taught her several tricks that kept her from spending the greater part of the afternoon on her rear end. Meanwhile, she had admired how graceful he was on skis. She tried to keep herself from also admiring the way that his ski clothes emphasized his lean, muscular body, but she couldn't help herself. She was sure that he must have caught her staring at him several times during the day, but she didn't care. She decided there was no such thing as protocol for two people who were on vacation. Especially not if their names were Michael and Sydney and they had let protocol dictate their lives for the better part of a year.
She turned to Vaughn and shot him a dazzling smile. "Hey, I'll race you down."
He laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Someone's feeling a little overconfident."
"Aw, c'mon. I could take you, Vaughn. I've had a really good instructor."
"Ha. Syd, you're crazy. I would do almost anything for you, but I would never let you beat me down the slope. Never. Not in a million years."
He was smiling, but he was dead serious. Sydney had never realized how competitive he could be or how much of a turn-on it was. She knew that she was no match for him, but she wasn't about to back down now. "Whatever, Vaughn. Let's go on three, okay?"
Seconds later, they were whooshing down the slope. Sydney was in the lead, but only because Vaughn was holding back before making a push near the bottom. Besides, he was enjoying the view immensely, at least until one of her skis flew out from under her, leaving her sprawled on her back. Vaughn raced over to her. "Sydney, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said laughing. "That's what I get for trying to be a show-off."
He grinned. "Yeah, it is." Vaughn let out a sigh of relief that Sydney wasn't hurt. He couldn't even imagine how they would have explained an injury to Sloane and Devlin. He reached out a hand to help her up, but didn't offer much resistance when she pulled him down onto the snow next to her, instead.
"Vaughn, you were totally holding back on me. Don't think I didn't realize it." She grinned at him. "I thought you said you weren't going to let me win."
"I wouldn't have. Trust me, I knew what I was doing."
"You always do." They were both all smiles, enjoying each other's company as the sun slowly started to set. Sydney couldn't help but be disappointed. The day had been so much fun, and now it was coming to an end. She didn't want it to. She would happily stay on that slope with him forever.
"Vaughn, thanks for today," Sydney said softly. "I had such a great time. I haven't had this much fun in . . . well, I can't remember the last time I had this much fun."
"Me either." Suddenly he realized that he didn't want to have to say good-bye to her when they returned to the hotel. Having spent the day laughing and joking with Sydney, he didn't want to go back to a lonely room. He wanted to spend the evening the same way he spent the afternoon -- with her. "Have dinner with me," he blurted out.
She looked at him in surprise. "Seriously?"
"Sure. We have to eat, right? And I don't know anyone else at the hotel. You'd be saving me the embarrassment of eating alone."
Sydney rolled her eyes. As if he would ever be alone for long. Sometimes she couldn't figure out if he was just modest or completely blind to what he saw when he looked in the mirror.
"Okay. Dinner sounds good. I'm starving, actually."
"Good," Vaughn said softly. He opened his mouth to say more, but decided against it. Instead, he just smiled at her. She had been the lucky recipient of so many of his smiles today, but she couldn't get enough of them. They made her feel like she was the only person in the world to him. She'd committed all of those smiles to memory, just in case they became more infrequent when they returned to L.A.
After a few more minutes, Vaughn stood up and reached out his hand for Sydney once more. This time, she let him pull her up and they made their way down the slope together.
"You seem deep in thought," Sydney teased. She had been staring at him for the last five minutes, and he hadn't even noticed. Of course, her sunglasses were so dark that he wouldn't have noticed, anyway. She complimented herself on her taste in eyewear; even Marshall couldn't have created a more useful pair of sunglasses. "What are you thinking about?"
Vaughn was too embarrassed to admit that he had been thinking about her. "I was just admiring the scenery. I've been here all week, but the scenery never fails to take my breath away. Have you ever seen so much natural beauty?"
"Never." Vaughn was right, the view was amazing -- white for as far as the eye could see, dotted with beautiful green trees, and framed by a crystal clear sky. It was almost as breathtaking as the man sitting next to her. Sydney silently thanked whatever higher power had led her to the same resort as Vaughn. Then she made a vow that for the rest of the afternoon, she wouldn't allow herself to think about anything but him. She pushed everything and everyone that she left behind in L.A. to a distant corner of her mind.
*****
Hours later, Vaughn and Sydney stood at the top of the intermediate ski course. After a few hours on the beginners' course, Sydney decided that she needed a bigger challenge. Vaughn was a great instructor, and had taught her several tricks that kept her from spending the greater part of the afternoon on her rear end. Meanwhile, she had admired how graceful he was on skis. She tried to keep herself from also admiring the way that his ski clothes emphasized his lean, muscular body, but she couldn't help herself. She was sure that he must have caught her staring at him several times during the day, but she didn't care. She decided there was no such thing as protocol for two people who were on vacation. Especially not if their names were Michael and Sydney and they had let protocol dictate their lives for the better part of a year.
She turned to Vaughn and shot him a dazzling smile. "Hey, I'll race you down."
He laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Someone's feeling a little overconfident."
"Aw, c'mon. I could take you, Vaughn. I've had a really good instructor."
"Ha. Syd, you're crazy. I would do almost anything for you, but I would never let you beat me down the slope. Never. Not in a million years."
He was smiling, but he was dead serious. Sydney had never realized how competitive he could be or how much of a turn-on it was. She knew that she was no match for him, but she wasn't about to back down now. "Whatever, Vaughn. Let's go on three, okay?"
Seconds later, they were whooshing down the slope. Sydney was in the lead, but only because Vaughn was holding back before making a push near the bottom. Besides, he was enjoying the view immensely, at least until one of her skis flew out from under her, leaving her sprawled on her back. Vaughn raced over to her. "Sydney, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said laughing. "That's what I get for trying to be a show-off."
He grinned. "Yeah, it is." Vaughn let out a sigh of relief that Sydney wasn't hurt. He couldn't even imagine how they would have explained an injury to Sloane and Devlin. He reached out a hand to help her up, but didn't offer much resistance when she pulled him down onto the snow next to her, instead.
"Vaughn, you were totally holding back on me. Don't think I didn't realize it." She grinned at him. "I thought you said you weren't going to let me win."
"I wouldn't have. Trust me, I knew what I was doing."
"You always do." They were both all smiles, enjoying each other's company as the sun slowly started to set. Sydney couldn't help but be disappointed. The day had been so much fun, and now it was coming to an end. She didn't want it to. She would happily stay on that slope with him forever.
"Vaughn, thanks for today," Sydney said softly. "I had such a great time. I haven't had this much fun in . . . well, I can't remember the last time I had this much fun."
"Me either." Suddenly he realized that he didn't want to have to say good-bye to her when they returned to the hotel. Having spent the day laughing and joking with Sydney, he didn't want to go back to a lonely room. He wanted to spend the evening the same way he spent the afternoon -- with her. "Have dinner with me," he blurted out.
She looked at him in surprise. "Seriously?"
"Sure. We have to eat, right? And I don't know anyone else at the hotel. You'd be saving me the embarrassment of eating alone."
Sydney rolled her eyes. As if he would ever be alone for long. Sometimes she couldn't figure out if he was just modest or completely blind to what he saw when he looked in the mirror.
"Okay. Dinner sounds good. I'm starving, actually."
"Good," Vaughn said softly. He opened his mouth to say more, but decided against it. Instead, he just smiled at her. She had been the lucky recipient of so many of his smiles today, but she couldn't get enough of them. They made her feel like she was the only person in the world to him. She'd committed all of those smiles to memory, just in case they became more infrequent when they returned to L.A.
After a few more minutes, Vaughn stood up and reached out his hand for Sydney once more. This time, she let him pull her up and they made their way down the slope together.