Page 6 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas

But…how could she know him? She wasn’t from Melinor.

“Is this…real?” she asked, lifting her fingers to her neck, where a silver necklace sat. She shook her head. “It can’t be. I’m dead, aren’t I?” A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “That explains it all. The snow, everything. I must’ve died on that plane and ended up here. This is some kind of afterlife, right?”

Despite his own shock, he could barely resist a chuckle. She certainly wasn’t from around here. “Afterlife? That’s new. You’re not dead. This is Frost Mountain.”

The blank stare he received informed him that she had no idea what he was talking about. “You mean…you’re real? Alive? I’m not imagining this?”

“Of course I’m real. I just—”

She stepped forward all of a sudden, reaching out tentatively with one small, trembling hand, her eyes locked on him. Michael’s breath froze in his throat as her fingers brushed his cheek. They were cold against his skin; he felt an electric jolt as her fingers caressed his face, but he continued to gaze back into her eyes. Was that…was it pain he saw in them?

“You’re real,” she whispered.

And then she kissed him. It happened so suddenly that Michael barely had time to react. He was instantly aware of herlips crashing against his, her arms wrapped around his neck. He started to protest, but all that left his mouth was a tiny groan, which he immediately recognized for what it truly was.

Not surprisingly, her lips were rather cool. Whatdidcome as a surprise was how soft they felt. Michael’s eyes slid shut, and he drew a breath as they kissed, inhaling a scent he didn’t recognize. It was sweet, and something about it reminded him of flowers—nothing he’d ever come across on Frost Mountain. He was suddenly aware of everything, from the tender fingers stroking the back of his head to the gentle whistle of the wind around them.

Before he knew it, his hands were on her hips as if acting on their own. He pulled her close, kissing her long and hard and deeply, loving the way she sank against him, her soft breasts pressed into his solid chest.

This is insane,he thought.

But the realization that he was allowing a total stranger to kiss him out of the blue wasn’t enough to make him put a stop to it. Against the thrill of the kiss itself, the circumstances were almost irrelevant. This certainly wasn’t how he’d expected his afternoon to go, but he wasn’t complaining.

“Michael,” she murmured against his lips. Even the sound of his name sounded like a song coming from her.

Suddenly, she pulled away. Michael had only a moment to gather his wits before she slapped him across the face.

He rubbed his cheek. “What was that for?”

“That,” the elfish woman snarled, staring daggers at him, “was for abandoning me at Lee Canyon three years ago.”

She wasn’t making any sense. His cheek stung where she’d slapped him, the pain somehow amplified by the cold. “What are you talking about? Lee Canyon? What’s that?”

“Don’t you play dumb with me, Michael Malone!”

Okay, she definitely knew who he was. But one second, she’d been frozen with shock, and the next, she’d kissed him. Right now, she looked like she was thinking of hitting him over the head with his skis. Michael simply gaped at her, struggling to connect the dots.

“You’re not going to say anything?” She scoffed. “After all this time? You have nothing to tell me?”

He frowned. “How do you even know who I am? Who are you?” It hadn’t occurred to him that this beautiful woman could be out of her mind, but everything that had just happened seemed to point to it. Well, except for the fact that she knew him on a first- and last-name basis, and he was pretty damn sure they’d never crossed paths before.

She lifted a carved eyebrow. “Who amI? You’re seriously going to pretend you don’t recognize me?”

“I don’t,” came his honest reply. “I’ve never even met you before.”

For a second, he caught a flash of pain in her eyes. Then, it was gone just as suddenly, replaced with anger. “Bullshit. Do you think I’m some kind of idiot? Well, of course, you do. That’s why you disappeared that day, isn’t it?”

His frown deepened. “What are you talking about…?”

“I spenthourssearching for you!” she exploded. “I couldn’t sleep that night because I had no idea what happened to you. You were just…just gone! I couldn’t concentrate for so long that I nearly lost my job. I had everyone searching for you, thinking you’d been hurt or something. You disappeared without telling anyone, without tellingme. Don’t you think I deserve an apology, at least? Anything’s better than playing dumb.”

They must’ve been an item in the past—that explained why she’d kissed him. Or at least, shethoughtso. Michael scanned his memory desperately, but nothing about this woman came up to the surface. Perhaps cold and hunger had gotten to her.

“Look,” he told her, holding up both hands in front of him, “there’s a village just up the hill. Let me take you there. You need food, shelter, and some rest. It seems you’ve been out in the cold for too long.”

She blinked at him for a few seconds as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “Did you hearanythingI just said?”

“Yes, I did.” He sighed. “Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t know who you are or how you know my name, but it’s almost Christmas, so I’m going to try and forget that you just slapped me. What you need is some help. Frost Mountain can be difficult at first, trust me.”

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