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“I couldn’t let you crash into the wall, now, could I?” he said in a warm tone that had the power to turn Siberia into one big puddle. “That was a pretty epic run.”
“Followed by an epic fall.”
“Which is why you should take a minute to make sure you’re okay.”
“I should be asking you that.”
His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Never been better. Hey, Milly.”
At the sound of her name rolling off his lips, all kinds of warm fuzzies ignited—in her southern region. Parts of her that she thought had gone on a permanent vacation were stamping their passport and arriving home.
“Hey,” she breathed, feeling like a teen all over again.
Having a crush on one of her clients—especially when he hadn’t so much as given her a hint of reciprocated feelings—was a bad idea, which was why she’d never acted on it. That didn’t mean she didn’t take a moment to appreciate how good he looked in a pair of jeans and black snow jacket. It was strange seeing him out of his usual suit and tie uniform.
She wasn’t sure if it was seeing him outside of the office in such a casual setting, or that she’d lost her glasses in the snow, but he looked bigger, broader. Then there were the slight crinkles around his eyes as if smiling was his day job. And he was smiling now.
She slowly became aware of their position. She was on top of him, her thighs resting between his spread hips, all their good parts lined up. Clearly, she’d hit him head-on. “I should, um … ” Using his yummy chest for leverage, she rolled off him, landing with a thud into a snow angel position. Her skis were standing up like roadkill, her poles scattered around her, and her snow cap lying limply a good foot from them.
He gracefully got to his feet and lent her a hand, pulling her up. Even through the double layers of gloves, a spark ignited. If he noticed, he didn’t let on.
“Thank you,” she said, dusting the snow off her butt.
“You need any help with that?”
Milly froze and met his gaze, pleasure and uncertainty playing a game of tug-of-war in her belly. Was he flirting with her? Was Lucas Macintyre really flirting with Milly Smartt? She wasn’t sure. It had been so long since she’d flirted with a man, she didn’t even remember what it felt like. The last man she’d flirted with was Dillon, who had bailed when life got hard.
Play it cool, she told herself. But her mouth didn’t get the message and before she could stop herself, she asked, “Are you flirting with me?”
Gah! As a logistics specialist she had excellent communication skills. Normally. Around him she became a blundering geek. Heck, she was surprised that he’d contracted her at all. She’d stumbled through her presentation, but her strategic approach to their upcoming Sierra Vista Cup—a snowboarding and ski competition—won her the job.
He looked down on her. Those crinkles deepened. “Do you want me to be flirting?”
She stood there, mouth gaping like a fish, because did she want him to be flirting with her? She needed this contract and she didn’t want to make things awkward—hard task since she was the queen of awkward. A title she’d worked hard to change. Sometimes she was successful. Around sexy, flirty guys? Not so much. So she went for honest. “I’m not sure how to answer that.”
He laughed, a low rumble of a laugh. “Let me know when you decide.”
He was even more funny and charming than she’d realized. Out of his suit he seemed taller and more filled out. Damn, the man was gorgeous. The last time they’d spoken about something other than ski wax and porta-potty deliveries, they’d both been teenagers, not even legally old enough to drink. That didn’t stop them though. Her sister, Zoe, and his wilder identical twin, Jaxon, always made sure that the kegs were flowing.
Not sure how react to that kind of laugh, she blurted out, “How’s work going?”
His smile dwindled. “Busy.”
“Are you excited about the Sierra Vista Cup?” she asked. “I can’t believe it’s almost here.”
It was just four weeks away and Milly was starting to sweat. Oh, she was on top of everything, but overseeing all the moving parts of an event that size was intimidating—and all encompassing. So that fun Milly was supposed to be chasing had taken a back seat.
“I’m guessing you’re not entering,” he teased, and she laughed.
He picked up her snow cap from the ground and settled it on her head, tugging at the dangling ties. “I like your hat.”
“It’s Zoe’s.” Millie looked down at her snowsuit and swallowed hard as a memory of her sister flittered through her mind. Memories of her sister that were slowly fading away. Milly didn’t want to remember those final images, but she didn’t regret spending every last minute caring for Zoe. Even when Milly’s fiancé walked away because her life was too much for him.
“I found it cleaning out her things.” Her eyes welled up and she knew she was about to lose it. She’d gotten better with talking about her sister, she really had. But after today, after attempting, once again, to live life full-out, it was all too much.
“I’m sorry about your sister,” he said quietly.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Today is about having a good time.” Her breath caught. “I just wanted to clear my mind before I clear out the rest of Zoe’s room … ” She waved her hand in front of her face. “I don’t even want to think about it, which is why I came here, hoping a lesson would take my mind off everything.” She felt her throat closing in, a panic attack barreling down on her like a freight train.
