Page 6 of Snow More Secrets

“Damn,” I muttered.

Hannah’s mouth curved into a full smile. “But I haven’t had dessert.”

I turned to Wendy, not caring that I was interrupting her conversation with Zander. “Mind if I steal your friend away for Christmas Eve?”

Wendy paused and looked at me, her dark brown eyes twinkling. “Only if you promise to make her do something spontaneous and wild,” she said with a devious twist to her lips. “Make sure she ends up on The Naughty List.”

I winked at her before turning my gaze back to Hannah. “I think I can agree to that.”

“Good. She needs to loosen up and have some fun for a change.”

Hannah gasped and scowled at her friend, her cheeks painted red. “I’m fun!” she insisted.

Wendy snorted. “Not the right kind of fun, Hannah Banana.”

“We won’t do anything you don’t want to do,” I assured Hannah as I held out my hand. “But I reserve the right to try to talk you into being ‘spontaneous and wild.’”

My beautiful girl blushed harder, but her expression was tinged with intrigue.

“I like him.” Wendy giggled.

A low growl emitted from Zander, and I glanced at him in surprise. He glared at Wendy as he closed the distance between them and grabbed her stool, swiveling her around to face him.

I didn’t wait around to see what happened next. Holding out my hand, I only had to wait a second before Hannah placed hers on my upturned palm. Her hand was practically engulfed by mine when I threaded our fingers together. But they blended easily…and it reinforced my belief that her body would fit perfectly against mine.

“Are you sure?” Hannah asked worriedly. “I don’t want to ditch you on Christmas Eve.”

“I’ll keep her entertained,” Zander offered, his eyes never leaving Wendy’s face.

It looked like he might be as taken with her as I was with Hannah. I wondered if he’d forgotten that he would be headed back to his home country of New Zealand in a few days. Like me and the other two guys we’d come with, he’d be headed into intense training for the Olympics.

“Go, go,” Wendy told her with a wave of her hand. “If this sexy accent and growly attitude turns out to be a bust, I have bubble bath and a romance novel to keep me warm tonight. Go let your hair down, Hannah Banana.”

“Okay, but consider this your Christmas present, Wendy Darling,” Hannah quipped at her friend as I helped her off the stool. Both girls laughed and wished each other a Merry Christmas before I guided Hannah to the bar's entrance.

Four

HANNAH

How did I let myself get talked into this?I thought as Jake held up my coat so I could slip my arms inside. Then he walked around me, and I got another look at his muscular body, piercing blue eyes, and Adonis face.

Oh right. That’s how.

Jake belonged on a magazine cover—that’s when it hit me. I’d seen him in an ad for snowboarding gear. He’d seemed vaguely familiar when we met, but I hadn’t been able to put my finger on it.

He was Jake Ashley, a professional snowboarder and two-time Olympic medalist.

I watched him with a bit of awe as I buttoned my white wool double-breasted trench coat. Once both rows of buttons up the front were secured, I adjusted the faux-fur lined lapel, then smoothed out the flared skirt.

December in Vegas was relatively mild during the day, but the temperatures could drop pretty low at night. So, along with our dresses, Wendy and I had both bought warm, but fancy, coats as well.

Another splurge, but when Jake’s gaze heated as it swept over me, I didn’t care about the cost.

“You are fucking gorgeous,” he complimented sincerely, making me blush.

“You’re not so bad yourself. But then, I imagine you are already aware of that since you’ve been on quite a few magazine covers in nothing but a snowboard,” I teased.

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration,” he said with a laugh. “I was never in anything less than a thermal and snow pants.”

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