Page 18 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas

Crap, she thought. Wasn’t the dress code “business casual”?

She should’ve taken Sam’s fashion advice earlier.

“Don’t worry about it,” Michael said.

Easy for him to say. He was wearing a blue blazer over a white button-down. He looked a lot different without his skiing gear. The first few buttons of his shirt were undone, affording her a tantalizing view of his solid chest. Rachel lifted her gaze from his exposed forearms to his grey eyes and nearly melted in her seat.

Oh, dear Lord.

“You look stunning,” he told her, which did nothing to slow down the melting process.

You look good enough to eat,she almost blurted. But before she could utter a word, a smiling waitress appeared at their table.

“Ready to order?” she asked brightly.

“We’ll have the steak,”Michael replied in a surprisingly perfect English accent, and both women laughed.

Once the waitress was gone, he faced Rachel, piercing her with his gaze.

Double crap.

“So…” he began. “Who are you, Rachel?”

“That’s a weird question to ask.”

He smirked. “I’d like to get to know you.Reallyknow you beyond your pretty eyes and dazzling smile.”

“You’re a flatterer.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Well, is it working?”

She brushed the question aside. “What would you like to know about me?”

“Let’s see…” He tapped his chin. “Any hobbies?”

“I like art. I draw and paint sometimes, not that I’m very good at it. What about you? Wait, don’t answer that. You ski.”

He shrugged and let out a chuckle. “Maybe I’ll take you skiing with me one of these days.”

“Whoa there, Rudolph. We haven’t even gotten past our first date.”

“We’ll see how it goes.”

The waitress soon returned with their order, and they both dug in. Over the steak, which Rachel found delicious, they asked more questions about each other. He ran a furniture store and was thrilled to learn that she was in the modeling business. To her surprise and relief, he knew she was an elf and didn’t seem to have an issue with it.

“Wait,” she said tentatively, “you’re sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure.” He rolled his eyes. “You’re not the only supernatural present at this table.” When she held her breath, he added, “Bear shifter.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Whoa.”

“Try not to let your jaw hit the table, darling,” he said with a smirk. “So…what’s a damsel like you doing living in Vegas without a guy like me on your arm?”

I could ask the same about you…“A guy like you?”

“You know…handsome, funny, boyfriend material…”

“You wish,” Rachel replied, but she could hardly resist a chuckle.

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