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“That’s if my ski partner gets well. I must admit that being in a mountain cabin near a ski hill has its perks. My parents took me here a few times as a kid, but it’s been a while since I skied.”
“Where did you ski before?”
She flashed a wide smile, but then bit her lip. “Vermont ski trips aren’t as thrilling as what I’m expecting tomorrow,” she said, “but I can’t leave Allie on her own. Perhaps the tea will help.”
She fidgeted in her seat.
“Are you uncomfortable?” I asked.
“I feel out of place here. Everyone is so well dressed.”
The sequined dresses sparkled, and jewels shone. Axel Wagner was puffing a cigar outside, and its chocolate scent carried as his brother Ace opened the door and joined him.
I leaned in with a whisper, “You look beautiful.”
She blushed.
“This is what results from leaving my younger brother in charge,” I explained, checking the tea order on my watch. “The reading room lounge is quiet. We'll grab the tea on the way.”
“Are you trying to get me alone?”
Maybe. Likely. Yes.
I lowered my elbows to my knees and shifted closer. “How about I tell you exactly what I want, and you tell me exactly what you want? We can skip everything else in between.”
She raised her eyebrow. “What’s in between the lines here? I want to make sure I’m making a wise choice.”
I had definitely made a wise choice to spend my evening with Laura Young. My new year brought on an overwhelming future in Silver Securities, and I wanted a restful vacation… So, why not?
“The in between stuff includes me telling you I’m single, and I’d love to get to know you this Christmas. No strings attached—unless I'm too old for you.”
Her cheeks flushed with heat. “So... I would be a distraction from your wife?” she joked.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Something about her comments seemed childish, yet strangely charming, all at once. She was a tease, and she didn’t know it. But I was patient.
I took her hand and lifted her palm to my lips, saying, “Let’s start over.” I kissed the top of her hand.
“Fox Silver. My friends call me James, but you already know that.”
A small sense of trust filled her eyes. “Laura Young,” she said as she dragged her hand back. “I’m here with my friend. She’s sick. But you already know that.” Laura gestured somewhere upstairs before adding, “Sorry about the wife and girlfriend jokes. I don’t get to tease a billionaire every day.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not the worst I’ve heard. The tea's probably ready. We should go.”
I helped her up. She hooked her arm into mine, like it had belonged there for years. We walked down the hall and toward the kitchen.
“You said Fox Silver?”
“Yes, James is the nickname that stuck.”
“It suits you. Like James Bond.” We both let out a soft chuckle. “But Silver is sexier. James Silver, clever and cunning, diabolical between the sheets.”
I quirked an eyebrow.
“Diabolical?”
She wiggled her brows back at me suggestively. “You look like someone who’d have a fetish.”
She wasn’t wrong. I stopped before we reached the kitchen. Her cheeks were still tinted pink, and her body language, inviting.
