Page 17 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas

He found the thought exciting.

“You don’t remember the day we met?” She blinked at him, an expectant look on her face. “The Starbucks?”

He scrunched his eyebrows, scanning his memory. “Nope.”

She sighed. “What about our first date? You took me to a restaurant in Vegas and promised to take me skiing.”

Michael grinned. “I wish I could say that rings a bell. Did I take you skiing, though?”

She nodded. “At Lee Canyon.”

“Lee Canyon.”Thatsounded familiar.

“It was a disaster. I kept falling over. You know, that was where we shared our first kiss.”

“What was that like?”

She smirked. “Why don’t you tell me?”

The memory of her throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him filled his mind. His body responded immediately, and he felt the front of his trousers tighten. He swallowed the urge to whisk her behind a cabin and kiss her delicious, inviting mouth for all he was worth. Out here, they’d be spotted for sure. Maybe he could invite her into his cabin…

No, what the heck was he thinking? He discarded the memory, feeling a twinge of shame. He still couldn’t be completely sure that he’d had anything to do with this woman in the past. He didn’t remember her. For all he knew, she could be lying to him. But some of the things she’d mentioned made sense, like the ski resort.

How could he possibly have forgotten this woman? A face as gorgeous as hers would have burned itself into his memory. He would surely remember kissing her, running his hands along her enticing curves. His mind shot ahead of itself, spinning from nothingness a mouthwatering image of Rachel naked, lying beneath him.

It took him a moment to realize that they had stopped walking. They stood gazing into each other’s eyes, neither uttering a word. Michael’s pulse pounded harder, and a rush filled his ears as those beautiful lips slowly parted…

“What else don’t I remember?” he said suddenly, clearing her throat.

Was it just him, or was that disappointment in her eyes? She bit her lip, frowning as though searching her mind for an answer. “Well, the day you disappeared—”

The sound of footsteps cut her off. The duo spun just in time to see someone marching toward them. It was a slender woman with long, stringy brown hair, a frown creasing her somewhat- rugged features.

“Elena.” Michael straightened suddenly.

“Michael,” the woman replied. She slid her gaze toward Rachel, but only for a moment before turning again to him. A smile tugged at her lips. “I’ve been searching all over the village for you. Weren’t you skiing?”

“I was, but I decided to spend some time with Rachel here.”

Maybe it was his imagination, but he could’ve sworn he saw the woman’s lip curl slightly. “I see. Well, Reba wants to see you in her cabin. Something about some furniture that needs fixing.”

He suppressed a sigh. “I’ll drop by the workshop to get my tools.” Turning to Rachel, he smiled. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

She smiled back a little uncomfortably. “Sure.”

Elena did an about-face and walked off without another word.

Chapter Seven

Santa on Skis

“Well, this is nice,” Michael said, sitting across the table from her in the restaurant. He picked up the menu, a broad grin on his face. “The Capital Grille.”

The restaurant was fairly full tonight, packed mostly with older couples, although there were also a few families dining. The restaurant was a sight to behold, and anyone walking in for the first time was sure to be impressed.

“It’s great,” she agreed, casting a glance at their surroundings. “But I think I overdressed.”

Around them, the other customers were staring unabashedly. It wasn’t too hard to see why. She had on a short black satin dress trimmed with sequins that left part of her thighs exposed. Between that and the low neckline that revealed a healthy cleavage, she stood out like a spotlight among candles.

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