Page 8 of Snowed in with the Enemy

He had a point, and judging by the endless snow, we'd be here a while. "Fine, but I have conditions."

"I'm listening." His expression shifted to what I assumed was his boardroom face, though a hint of a smirk played at his lips.

"No shop talk."

"My shop or yours?" One eyebrow arched, challenging.

"Yours, obviously. Though I doubt you want to hear about running a sustainable bakery."

"I have questions," he said cryptically. "Next rule?"

"No funny business." My body betrayed me, protesting the rule even as I made it. Ridiculous—beautiful billionaires like Lee Lancaster didn't go for curvy redheads with big mouths and strong opinions.

"I'll keep that in mind. Anything else?"

Yes. "No—well, maybe let's keep the talking minimal. You're nice to look at, more so when I forget what you do for a living."

His face split into a devastating grin that I was certain got him everything he wanted, in and out of the boardroom. "So you think I'm nice to look at?"

"Did I say nice? Weird, because I could've sworn I said not-horrible to look at."

Ha. Take that, oh beautiful one.

Chapter 6

Lee

Nice to look at.

Her words echoed in my mind, sending a rush of satisfaction through me.

A genuine compliment, which meant she didn't completely hate my guts—or rather my face. And my body. I caught her gaze flicking to my chest and abs while she taught me how to start a fire, her eyes kindling with a heat I recognized instantly. The way her tongue slicked across her lips as if she wanted to taste me nearly caused an embarrassing situation until I reminded myself about the no funny business rule.

I hadn't actually agreed, just said I'd work on it because the truth was stark—if I was stuck here with Nix for more than twenty-four hours, that rule wouldn't last. She was feisty and gorgeous, and her curves made my hands itch, more so because she didn't hide them. She highlighted them as a woman like her should. But for now, I needed to focus on the matter at hand.

"So you grew up here?"

"Yep." She piled several more blankets into my arms, adding pillows to the stack at my feet inside her closet. "In this house, in fact."

My brows dipped. "Are your parents?"

"No," she flashed a wistful smile, gathering her own pile before nodding for me to follow. "They retired to Belize because Dad said the winters were bad for his old bones, but they own a bar down there which is the opposite of retirement. They love it and with Ryan off serving our country, they left me the house."

"You never left?"

Thunder crackled outside as she rolled her eyes. "I went off for college like most people, studying culinary arts and business. I had dreams of running a restaurant."

"What happened?" The warmth of the fire matched my growing curiosity about this woman, and it wasn't all based on her looks.

She shifted closer to the flames, shadows dancing across her face. "Working in an actual restaurant cured me of that dream. It's definitely an adrenaline rush but it's also chaotic and loud and messy. Basically food shouldn't be that stressful, in my opinion."

"You're right." I settled back against the couch, remembering my own experiences. "I've been inside some of those kitchens, and it's worse than a locker room. In a multitude of ways." The image of her shrinking under some egotistical chef's threats made my jaw clench. "Your bread is amazing."

Her face brightened. "Thanks. That's my best friend Torey, she is a bread genius I swear."

A certified bread genius would be wonderful for the resort when it opened, but that thought evaporated when I realized there was a good chance Nix would throw me out if I asked. "Are you and your brother close?"

She hugged a pillow to her chest. "As close as we can be, sure. He's gone more than he's here and it's been that way since he enlisted." Worry creased her brow. "What about you and your brother?"

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