From part 3 ...
With a roll of his eyes, Clark did as he was told. Her lips were cooler than usual, having been exposed to the cold winter air, but he couldn't help but relax a little as her mouth softened against his. The kiss was gentle ... tentative ... but he couldn't deny that the butterflies in his stomach no longer seemed to command his full attention.
When he pulled back, Lois lifted her free hand up to his face, tenderly stroking his chin with a gloved finger. "Hmmm, that was nice," she sighed. "Can you do it again?"
This time, Clark didn't even try to argue, covering the small distance between their lips with a tiny moan. His eyes closed and he lost himself to the wonderful sensations kissing Lois always brought him.
When they finally separated, several kisses later, Clark blinked in surprise. "We're almost to the top."
Lois just grinned. "Still nervous about the lift?"
With a broad smile, Clark let go of the railing and got his skis in position to meet the snow at the top of the hill.
"For the first time in my life, Lois, I'm actually looking forward to the next ride!"
*****
and now, part 4 ...
*****
As the large clock on the tower of the base lodge approached noon, Clark found himself carving a series of quick turns down an intermediate run, trying to keep track of everything Lois had taught him over the course of the morning. His task was made only slightly more difficult by the fact that his girlfriend was, at that very moment, skiing a few yards in front of him and he kept being distracted by the sway of her hips as she moved from turn to turn.
As she had indicated, Lois was an excellent skier, and it had been a joy to spend the morning with her. They'd moved quickly from the easy runs to the intermediate ones -- as soon as Clark had been able to convince her that he indeed wasn't a total beginner -- and it hadn't taken them long to get their "snow legs". Fortunately, the skills he'd developed in his college days had come back to him fairly quickly, though trying to keep up with Lois without resorting to the use of his superpowers was definitely a challenge.
Lois had been a very patient and helpful teacher, and she'd seemed genuinely interested in watching his form and offering suggestions for improvement. Under her tutelage, he'd finally been able to understand some of the techniques he'd been taught in the past, but hadn't really put into practice because it had been easier to compensate with his strength instead. After only a few hours of one-on-one instruction with Lois, he found that his turns were more fluid, his balance was better, and the whole experience was more satisfying. Even when he occasionally slipped, lazily forcing his skis into the intended position instead of using proper form, he could immediately feel the difference. Doing it correctly simply felt much better.
Amazingly, Lois had even gotten him more comfortable with the chairlift. It still wasn't his favorite part of the day, but knowing they'd be able to kiss and snuggle on the ride had him almost looking forward to their trips back up the mountain. Coupled with the gorgeous weather -- the temperature was hovering just below freezing, the sun was shining brightly -- he could honestly say this was shaping up to be a perfect day.
Noticing suddenly that Lois was moving off to the side of the run, Clark adjusted his course to follow her, imitating her as she changed from short, fast turns to longer looping ones. They skidded to a stop just above a fork in the trail, out of the way of the other skiers on the hill.
Clark watched as Lois took off her gloves and pulled the trail map from her pocket. "Anything wrong?
She shook her head and smiled. "Nope; I'm just getting hungry, that's all. How about you?"
"Oh, you know me," he replied, smiling back. "I can always eat."
"I was thinking we could try that sandwich shop they have at the top of Lift 7. It looked cute and we could get back on the slopes fairly quickly. If you want something more substantial, though, there are lots of other choices...."
"No, no, that place sounds great. I checked out the menu the last time we went up that way ... they've got chili, too, if you want to warm up."
Lois studied the map for a moment, then returned it to her pocket. "OK, then, you have two choices as to how to get there." She grinned at him as she spoke.
"Uh oh," he laughed. "You have that look in your eye."
With a smile, she pointed the rest of the way down the slope they'd been on. "This one stays intermediate all the way down. It lets us out at the bottom of Lift 3, which we can take back up to work our way across to Lift 7. Or ..." she paused dramatically, her eyes dancing. "We can take this fork here to our left and it will drop us right at the base of Lift 7, which we can then take directly to the restaurant."
"I can tell by your tone there's a catch," he said, narrowing his eyes with mock suspicion.
Lois chuckled. "This way includes a moderately steep black diamond. It's not the hardest run on the mountain, but it's a lot more than we've done so far. Think you're up for it?"
Clark planted his poles in the snow as if gearing for battle. "I'll follow you anywhere, my love! Lead on."
Lois laughed but she continued to eye him carefully. "You're sure?" she questioned. "I mean, you've been doing great but I don't want to push you if you aren't ready."
He gave her a confident grin. "Lois, I was born ready."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Ah, male ego. I should have known." Then she grew a bit more serious. "OK, we'll go this way, but listen, Clark, there's a mogul field to the left, so stay to the right. I might do a few, but you don't want to get stuck in there if you've never done them before. OK?"
He just smiled. "Are we gonna ski or talk?"
"Oh, someone's feeling cocky!" she laughed, giving him a challenging grin. "OK, big boy, let's see what you've got." And with that, she darted off down the narrow trail, leaving him behind.
Clark grinned as he immediately set off after her, his competitive spirit piqued. Lois had been doing a wonderful job of instructing him on the easier slopes all morning, but he was ready for a bigger challenge. And from the excitement he could see sparkling in her eyes as she'd taken off, she clearly was, as well.
He followed her down, keeping his turns tight to control his speed. It was more difficult to resist using his powers on the steeper slope, but he was determined to put what he'd learned that day to the test. Furrowing his brow in concentration, he focused on keeping a smooth rhythm, trying not to overcompensate as he picked up speed.
As he came over the top of a small ridge, however, Clark found himself skittering to a stop. Lois had been right about there being a mogul field on the bottom of this run, and he watched, amazed, as she ventured into it. Each of the numerous mounds of snow were nearly as tall as she was, yet she had thrown herself into them with abandon.
Fascinated, he studied her movements, marveling at how quickly she was able to turn as she worked her way through the field. As much as he'd enjoyed having her teach him this morning, he'd been hoping he'd get a chance to see what she really could do ... and he certainly wasn't disappointed now that he had. The strong leg muscles that helped her take out bad guys with martial arts kicks were now helping her absorb the bumps of the run, and the focus she usually showed when attacking an investigation were now focused solely on attacking the mountain. Watching her, Clark couldn't help but wonder if the nickname "Mad Dog Lane" had been coined on the ski slopes instead of in the Daily Planet's newsroom. If not, it should have been.
As she exited the moguls, Lois executed a few more graceful turns as the run ended, then stopped at the base of the lift, clearly searching for her partner. She looked very pleased with herself, Clark noted as he watched her over the top of his glasses, and he couldn't help but smile in response. As she caught sight of him still in the middle of the slope, however, her grin of accomplishment turned first to a look of confusion, then to one of concern.
Clark furrowed his brow for a moment, wondering why in the world she would be worried, but it didn't take him long to put it together and he laughed out loud. She probably thought he had chickened out on the run! With a grin, he launched himself down the slope, knowing that he had her full attention and suddenly feeling like showing off for her. He skirted the edge of the mogul field for a few moments, concentrating on keeping his turns quick and tight, but as his confidence built, he suddenly threw caution to the wind and darted into the bumps.
Once inside, Clark wondered briefly if he had made a mistake in trying to show off -- it was a lot harder than he'd expected to keep his focus as he traveled from one snow mound to another in quick succession. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to concentrate, trying to duplicate the path that Lois had taken, traveling only halfway up the side of each mogul before turning sharply to reach the next one. He was slower than Lois had been, and much less graceful, that he knew for sure. But as he made his final turn and saw nothing but smooth snow ahead of him, Clark couldn't help but raise his poles with a triumphant shout. He had made it!
He looped a few more turns down the rest of the hill, and skidded to a stop near the end of the lift line where Lois was waiting for him. His grin widened even more when he saw that Lois was just as excited as he was.
"You did it!" she cheered. "Come on, let's get on the lift so I can hug you!"
Clark laughed as he followed her through the line, and it didn't take long before they were on the chair riding up.
True to her word, Lois threw her arms around him as soon as they were in the air. "Clark, I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed. "That was fantastic!"
He hugged her close, feeling so pleased with himself that he couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you!"
"I was worried when I got to the bottom and I saw you still up there. I thought you'd gotten in over your head and were trying to figure out how to get down without turning into a human snowball."
"No, I'd just stopped to watch you," he explained. "You looked so good out there, Lois! And you're a lot better at the bumps than I am. But you made it look like so much fun that I just had to try."
"And did you have fun?"
"Uh," he stalled, still grinning. "Let's just say I was both delighted and relieved when I was done. But I'd definitely like to try it again after lunch."
"You got it, partner," she agreed, smiling broadly. "This afternoon, we're hitting the good stuff!"
*****
They didn't linger long over lunch, choosing to head back out to the slopes as soon as their food had settled. The weather was beautiful, the slopes well-groomed, and they were having too much fun to spend their time cooped up in a restaurant, even in one with such beautiful views of the area.
As they'd agreed before their break, the next few hours were spent exploring the more advanced trails that Mount Troy had to offer, and Clark found his confidence growing with each run. Lois, too, was clearly enjoying the steeper terrain, and was no longer taking it easy on him as they raced their way down the mountain.
Of course, the more competitive Lois became, the more it inspired Clark to do the same, and he couldn't help but tease her with a little "trash talk" when he'd finally beaten her to the bottom. "Ah, the student has surpassed the teacher!" he exclaimed as the chairlift climbed its way back up. "There is clearly nothing more for me to learn."
Lois laughed at his cocky announcement, even as she rolled her eyes. "You just got lucky this time and you know it. Besides, it's not all about speed. Gracefulness counts, too!"
Clark just shook his head, trying not to grin but failing miserably. "No, no ... don't try to put a spin on it. I beat you fair and square." He slung his arm over her shoulders, the picture of confidence. "Might as well give it up, Lois. I'm clearly destined for the Olympics. Or maybe I'll skip that step and just turn pro."
"Yeah, but a professional *what*? Hey, I know!" she exclaimed, answering her own question, "You can be one of those dummies the ski rescue people practice on!"
"Oh, quit trying to deny it," he teased back. "You know you're impressed. I can see it in your eyes."
She jabbed an affectionate elbow into his side as they neared the top of the lift and prepared to dismount. "That's indulgence, sweetheart, not admiration. I'm just letting you enjoy the moment since we both know you'll never experience it again."
Clark laughed out loud and followed her to the top of the next run. "I guess I'll have to prove it to you, then."
Lois stopped at the edge, then turned to him, a sly look on her face. "Maybe you'd like to back up that confidence with a little bet?"
"What exactly do you have in mind?"
Her expression turned more seductive as she looked him up and down. "How about ... the first one down the mountain -- without falling -- earns a full body massage?"
"A full--" Clark swallowed, his heart rate picking up immeasurably. "Tonight?"
Lois's mouth curved into a slow, sultry smile. "Well, we could do it at the bottom of the run," she purred, pressing her body against his. "But what I have in mind could get us arrested if we try it in public."
He let out a shaky breath as his gaze flickered to her mouth. "Lois ..."
As if reading his mind, she lifted her lips to his and kissed him provocatively. "So do we have a deal?" she whispered against his mouth.
"Definitely," he agreed breathlessly, his voice low and husky. "But I'm not sure it's much of a bet ... I win either way."
Lois smiled. "I'm glad you think so," she murmured, giving him another lingering kiss. Then she pulled away and grinned. "'Cause there's no way you're going to beat me this time." And with that, she ducked out of his embrace and took off down the mountain.
Clark's jaw dropped at her sudden escape, and he stared after her, stunned. Still, it didn't take him long to figure out what had just happened. "Why, you little--" he exclaimed, taking off after her. "You're gonna pay for that!" He could hear her giggle from several yards down the slope and he couldn't help but shake his head in amusement, even as his body protested her absence.
Luckily, despite Lois's substantial head start, the run was open enough for him to be able to close the gap and Clark put all his focus into doing so. Letting himself pick up speed by limiting his turns, Clark knew he was cheating by using his powers, but he rationalized it away by remembering Lois's sneaky -- albeit extremely effective -- tactics. What was good for the goose was good for the gander, after all. He sped down the run until he was skiing parallel with her, then slowed to exactly match her pace, waiting for her to notice him.
It didn't take long for Lois to glance over, and as her eyes opened wide with shock, Clark couldn't help but give her a cocky grin. "I hope you packed some massage oil," he called out. "You're going to need it!" And with that, he accelerated again to take the lead.
As Lois's gasp of protest reached his ears, Clark could only laugh as he sped up even more, pulling farther ahead. Granted, she would probably kill him when they reached the bottom, but really, it didn't matter to him who won their bet ... he had already promised to give her a massage tonight, and he had no intention of backing out. In fact, he'd been unable to think of little else since lunchtime, when Lois had stretched enticingly in her chair and wondered aloud how sore she'd be at the end of the day.
Of course, if she were to take her loss in stride and return the favor by giving him a massage as well, he'd be more than happy to oblige. He wasn't sure how much skin a "full body" massage entailed, but if their experience last night had taught him anything, it was that they could give each other an incredible amount of pleasure with their hands.
Clark inhaled sharply as memories of their night together filled his mind and he felt his skin begin to flush. Being with Lois last night had been one of the most incredible experiences of his life, even if they had honored their agreement not to go all the way this weekend. Her body had felt so good molded to his, her feminine curves an alluring mix of strength and softness, her skin like silk under his touch ... and she had known just how to touch him in return. He had never known he could feel as good as he did last night.
Completely distracted by his thoughts, Clark didn't notice at first that he'd wandered a bit too close to the edge of the slope, but the stand of pine trees which suddenly showed up in his peripheral vision brought him abruptly back to reality. Biting back a mild curse, he turned sharply back towards the hill, but in his haste, he overcompensated and quickly felt the edge of his ski bite into the hard-packed snow. It swerved out from under him and he was down on his side before he knew what was happening.
His first impulse was to use his powers to right himself, but it didn't take more than a second to dismiss that thought. Not only was Lois coming up behind him, but there were other skiers on the slope -- not to mention on the chairlift above him -- who might well notice if he did something unusual.
Resigned, he allowed himself to tumble, adjusting his position only enough to prevent his glasses from breaking. He felt his left ski pop off, followed quickly by his right, then the force of the snow peeled one of his gloves from his hand, taking his pole with it. Finally, he felt himself come to a stop and he sat up, sputtering and spitting snow from his mouth.
Within seconds, Lois was skittering to a fast stop nearby, almost falling herself in her haste to get to him. Her face was full of fear and concern. "Oh my God, are you OK?" she gasped.
Clark just shook his head in embarrassment. "I'm fine, I'm fine ... nothing bruised but my ego." It was only then that Clark noticed she had picked up one of his skis on the way down. "Thanks," he said sheepishly.
Relieved that he wasn't hurt, Lois took a moment to survey the snow around them, taking inventory of his scattered gear. One of his poles had landed within reach, but the other -- along with his loose glove -- had continued a bit farther down the hill. His remaining ski, however, had come to a stop before Clark had, and was now resting on its brake, several feet above them. "Now this is what I call a yard sale!" she declared, her tone almost admiring.
Despite himself, Clark burst out laughing. Taking the ski Lois had collected, he slid down the hill on his hip until he'd caught up with his runaway pole. By the time Lois had joined him again, he'd replaced his glove, pushed himself up into a standing position, and clicked his boot into the single ski. Then he glanced up the hill to where his other ski had come to rest, far out of reach.
Lois followed his gaze, then looked at him apologetically. "I managed to grab one of them as I followed you down, but I couldn't get them both. Here, hold my skis while I hike up to get it for you."
Before she could pop them off, however, Clark stopped her. "No, that's OK. I can get it. Even though they're rentals, I have them pretty well trained."
Lois just looked at him in confusion. "Trained? What are you talking about?"
Trying to smother a smile, Clark pointed to the ski. "Watch," he told her. Pursing his lips, he gave a sharp whistle in the direction of the ski, then quickly inhaled. Sure enough, the subtle use of his super breath caused the ski to disengage from the small chunk of ice that had been holding it in place, and it began to slide directly towards him. As it came into reach, Clark quickly grabbed it and popped it back into place on his foot. Only then did he meet Lois's look of complete astonishment.
"How did you do that?" she gasped.
Clark winked. "Ancient snowball's secret," he answered, his face breaking into a grin as he saw her eyebrows crawl up into her forehead. Before she could formulate a response, Clark leaned over and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "Race you to the bottom," he teased, then pushed off once more.
*****
To be continued, in part 5, on Thursday.
