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Desperate, she looked up at him. His jaw was strong and darkened by a day of stubble, his mouth a sensual curve in a face that made her want to revisit her own rules and codes. Never before had she been remotely tempted to kiss one of her clients, but neither had she ever walked out of a meeting. Apparently it was a day of firsts.
She rarely thought about sex, didn’t have time to think about it, let alone do it, but she was thinking about it now. Hot sex, with no ties or promises, no past or future, just a moment of raw physical passion. And with Jackson O’Neil you just knew that moment would be good.
Heat rushed across her skin And desire uncurled inside her.
“I’m pretty big on rules and codes. And tomorrow I’m buying all the gear in the store. Any ice-walking-shoe-boot things That might help keep me upright.” For the rest of her stay, she was going to be professional. No more falling on her back in snowdrifts. No more falling apart in meetings. That was a one-off lapse that wasn’t going to happen again.
“We have some gear we can probably lend you. A decent coat and some ski pants. And some ice-walking-shoe-boot things.” That mouth flickered at the corners and then he reached across and opened the gate.
The cabin glowed warm and welcoming in the darkness. The trees by the front door were studded with twinkling lights and the same tiny lights were twisted around the windows.
The cold numbed her face and seared her lungs. Her toes were freezing through her soaked shoes. She knew it was nothing that a hot shower wouldn’t cure. The cold inside her? That was going to be harder to fix.
As they reached the door, she pulled out her keys. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She tried to tug her hand away from his but he tightened his grip, hauling her against him.
“Are you going to tell me what happened tonight? Because I sense it was personal.”
The fact that he’d noticed her reaction made her feel as if she’d been caught sleepwalking naked.
“I’d like to forget about tonight and start again.”
“Yeah, I get that. But starting again might be easier if you tell me what went wrong in the first place. You were in a panic.”
There was a soft thud as snow slid from the roof behind her and landed on the deck. “I’m allergic to gingerbread.” She kept her tone light. “It always has that effect on me.”
He reached up and brushed flakes of snow from her hair. “Me, too. I can only eat a ton of the stuff before I want to resign.”
Kayla relaxed slightly, relieved he’d backed down so easily. “Do you feel like resigning?”
“Every damn day.” He smiled. A slow, sexy smile that made her want to strip him naked and do bad things to him.
Oh, shit, she was in trouble.
“But you don’t resign.”
“The one thing a person can’t resign from is their family.”
Oh, yes They could. She knew that for a fact. And knowing it created the distance she’d been struggling desperately to find. They were on opposite sides of an enormous chasm. This man, wrapped in the big warm blanket of O’Neil love and affection, had no idea what it was like to be shivering in the cold by yourself.
The words snapped her back to her own lonely reality.
“Your family is lucky to have you. Thanks for walking me to the door. Good night.” She unlocked the door but couldn’t move, because he’d planted an arm on the door frame, trapping her. She stood there, locked in by muscle and hot man, staring into those knowing blue eyes.
“Tell me, Kayla. Tell me what happened in there.” The gentleness in his voice matched the look in his eyes.
“Why? Why would you even care?”
“Maybe I can fix it.”
She was willing to bet he did that a lot. Jackson O’Neil was a man who fixed things for other people. That was why he was here, fighting his family so that he could save their home.
And now he wanted to fix her.
A different type of woman might have been tempted. Maybe she was, too…a little.
But she knew some things couldn’t be fixed.
“Thanks, but I’ve been fixing myself since I was thirteen years old so I’ve had plenty of practice. Good night, Jackson.” She ducked under his arm and stomped over temptation into the warmth of the cabin.
I’VE BEEN FIXINGmyself since I was thirteen years old.
He wondered what she’d been fixing.
Whatever it was, something or someone had upset her tonight.
Jackson turned up his collar against the cold and took a long, last look at the closed door before crunching through the snow back to his car.
Maybe it was just being here.
Maybe it had finally hit her that in her eagerness for the business, she’d volunteered to give up her Christmas. Maybe seeing his family had made her think of hers. Maybe she was homesick.
It could have been any number of things, none of which were his business.
Ignoring the powerful urge to make it his business, Jackson reversed out of the parking spot and drove back down the track that led to the main lodge. He was guessing his brother would be there, and he was right.
Tyler was seated at the bar, entertaining a group of guests with stories of bear encounters and downhill daring. Spying Jackson, he threw a remark at the group that had them laughing, then made his excuses and joined his brother.
“You look as if you need a drink, and I guess I owe you one.”
“One? You owe me at least a hundred.”
Tyler reached across the bar and snagged a couple of beers. “So did you drive her back to the airport?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because when she stumbled out of the kitchen she didn’t look like she was planning on staying around.”
Jackson closed his hand around the beer. “Does she seem like a quitter to you?”
“No. Anyone who can still be talking business while Mom is forcing food on them and Grams is trying to wrap them in lurid green is definitely not a quitter. But she seemed serious about her job and anyone like that isn’t going to last five minutes in this place.”
“Thanks.”
“You don’t count. You’re tied here by blood and a guilty conscience.” Tyler glanced over his shoulder as the door swung open letting in freezing air, a flurry of snow and another group of tourists. “So if she isn’t on her way back to New York, where is she? The least you could have done was invite her for a drink. God knows, if she’s working for this family she’s going to need one.”
Jackson wondered how his brother knew about the guilty conscience. It wasn’t something he’d talked about. “I offered. She wanted to go back to the cabin and do some work. Talking of which…” He leaned across to the bar and called Pete over. “Can you send a pizza over to cabin ten please?”
“Toppings?”
Jackson glanced at Tyler for inspiration. “What do Brits like on their pizza?”
“How do I know? Stick to cheese. She might be vegetarian. She looked stressed enough to be one. Although, come to think of it she looked the way we all look after an evening with the O’Neils. My advice? Hold the pizza and send over whiskey.”
“Cheese and tomato.” Jackson dug out his wallet and handed over a note.
“Why are you paying when you own the place?”
“Because I want the books to balance.”
“Fat chance of that. So she didn’t want to eat dinner with you.” Tyler shook his head sympathetically. “You’re losing your touch, bro.”
“Unless you like your eyes black and your jaw broken, I suggest you keep your thoughts on that subject to yourself.” The door opened again, letting in more cold air and a young woman with a bright smile.
“Hi, Jackson!”
“Brenna—”
“Good to see you.” Chocolate-brown hair peeped out from under a fur-lined hood. The pretty smile dimmed when she saw his drinking companion. “Tyler.” She gave a brief nod and slipped her hood back. “Glad I caught you. I’m two instructors down. They’re forecasting a foot of fresh snow and I’ve got a couple wanting to do Sunrise and Powder and no guide—you can take them.”
Tyler choked on his beer. “Me?”
“It would make their day to be escorted by an exmember of the U.S. ski team.” She levered herself onto the bar stool and charmed Pete with a smile. “Coke, no ice, thanks. Are you a daddy yet? How’s Lynn?”
“Big enough to be having twins. She can barely move, or that’s the excuse she gives me when she asks me to make tea.” Pete handed her a Coke. “Doctor thinks it will be here before Christmas.” He looked dazed at the thought, and Brenna beamed as she unwrapped her scarf.
“Best gift of all. Text me the minute you have news. I cannot wait for our Snow Crystal baby to arrive.” Sipping her Coke, Brenna turned back to Tyler, her gaze a fraction cooler. “About tomorrow—”
“Are they experienced? Last time I took a group into deep powder they were clueless. The woman thought powder was something she put on her face.”
“These are experienced, but it’s their first time skiing the East Coast.” She tugged off her gloves and pushed them into the pocket of her jacket. “They don’t want an instructor, just a guide, and you know this area better than anyone.”
“Why can’t you take them?”
“I’m teaching a ‘bumps ’n’ trees’ class.”
Tyler lifted his beer to his lips and drank, and Jackson wondered how two people who knew each other so well could turn every conversation into a combat zone.
They’d grown up together. Played together as children and skied together as teenagers. They’d been fiercely competitive and inseparable until the day Tyler had announced he’d gotten Janet Carpenter pregnant.
Soon after, Brenna had announced she was leaving New England to train as a ski instructor in Colorado. She could have done that here, of course, but she’d picked a place where there was less risk of bumping into Tyler. When she’d graduated, Jackson had offered her a job with his company running the kids program in Switzerland. She’d never once asked about his brother.
Jackson hoped it wasn’t going to be a problem now that Tyler was back home.
The last thing he needed was to lose Brenna.
As if to prove that, she pulled out her phone and checked her calendar. “I’m running the teen course and taking ‘bumps ’n’ trees’. Then I’m filling in for Todd, who is taking his wife for a checkup. The only person without commitments is you. We can’t afford to turn away the business. They’re willing to pay good money for the privilege of leaving ski tracks in fresh snow. All they want is a cheerful guide. Think you can manage to hold the sarcasm for a few hours, O’Neil?”
“I’m not the only one with that name around here.” Tyler glanced at Jackson, who shook his head.
“I have plans tomorrow.”
“Fine, I’ll do it. At least, I can do the guide part. Not so sure about cheerful if they want an early start. Smiles are extra at that hour of the morning.”
“They’re paying us extra, so you’ll smile.” Brenna slipped her phone into her pocket and picked up her drink. “By the way, Jess asked if I’d ski Devil’s Gully with her someday this week. Says you banned her from doing that run.”
“I banned her for a reason.” Tyler’s fingers tightened on the bottle and his eyes glittered dangerously. “And that reason is she’s way too young and inexperienced.”
Brenna lifted her brows. “You and I skied that run when we were half her age.”
“And were grounded for a week as a result.” Tyler gave a laugh and then remembered he was trying to be a responsible father and glared at her. “That’s different. You and I skied more than we walked. Jess has been living in a city. Nearest she’s been to mountains is a picture on her wall.”
“She’s your daughter,” Brenna said softly. “She’s inherited your natural aptitude.”
“She’s twelve.”
“It isn’t about age, it’s about ability, and she’s got it, Tyler. Talent. She feels the slope. She knows the mountain. Call it whatever you will, you need to let her do this.”
“Kill herself?” Stubborn, Tyler shook his head. “Not on my watch.”
Remembering their conversation earlier, Jackson felt a twinge of sympathy for his brother. It had taken long enough for him to have the opportunity to prove he could be a good father to Jess. He didn’t want to blow it in the first month.
Tyler was frowning at Brenna. “How come you know so much about what she wants anyway? I can’t get more than five words out of the girl.”
“She often stops by my cabin.” Brenna took a sip of her drink. “Yesterday we had lunch.”
“Lunch? Why don’t I know any of this?”
“Maybe she’s afraid you’d say no. For a guy who never understood the meaning of the word, you sure as hell use it a lot now.” Brenna slid off the stool. “I see our chief of police enjoying a quiet few minutes. Think I’ll just interrupt that. I need to talk to him about our Emergency Response Plan.”
“Wait, Brenna—” Jackson caught her arm before she could walk away, “don’t you keep a supply of spare ski clothes in case someone needs them?”
“What size?”
“About your size. Maybe a little smaller. Not that I’m saying you’re big,” he added hastily, “but you’re strong because of the skiing and—”
“You pick up many women with that line, Jackson?”
He cursed himself and then saw that her eyes were bright with laughter. “Brenna—”
“Shut up, before you fall into that hole you just dug for yourself. What do you need? Apart from a spade to dig your foot out of your mouth?”
“Whatever you’ve got.”
“I assume this is for the woman from New York? Is she going to be able to help us?” Anxiety shadowed her eyes, and Jackson wondered how many of the Snow Crystal team were worrying about their jobs.
“She’ll help us.”
“In that case I’ll drop off what I have at her cabin on my way to the slopes tomorrow morning. If any of it fits, she’s welcome to it.” Ignoring Tyler, she flashed Jackson a smile and then turned and walked across the room, unzipping her coat as she went.
