Page 22 of The Christmas Playbook
“Oh, yeah, good idea,” the husband says.
“If you can make it down in one piece, Mira.” Cammie smirks. “I’ve got to say, I’m surprised you even made it up here. Last one down is a rotten egg?”
We manage nods, and then they’re gone.
I blow out a breath.
One problem conquered. I don’t even mind being labeled a rotten egg.
The next is getting Mira down in one piece.
CHAPTER 10
MIRA
It wasmy idea to pretend I had a boyfriend, and it was my idea to pretend I knew how to snowboard.
I am zero for two at this point.
“Shit!” I bury my face in my hands, as if hiding from the situation is going to make things better.
Rhys grabs on to my wrists with his gloved hands and lowers them. It’s hard to know what he’s thinking, because his eyes are hidden behind his goggles, but when his lip lifts into a smirk, I find myself taking a much-needed breath.
“We make a good team, Frostbite.”
“A good team?!” I shriek. “I’m going to die. I can’t snowboard, Rhys!”
Rhys’s smirk turns into a full-on smile. Butterflies swarm my stomach, and it surprises me so much that I don’t even notice that he’s taken my hands in his and is pulling me to a flatter area.
“Do you trust me?” he asks.
Yes.
Wait, do I?
“Mira.” Rhys squeezes my hands.
“Yeah,” I answer. “I suppose.”
“I won’t let you die.” He positions me where he wants me. “Not until after I kiss you a few more times.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he shuts me up real quick by letting go of me. I’m on even ground, but without him helping me, I panic. A shriek works up my throat when I start sliding down the slope, but I’m quickly stopped when Rhys’s hands slip to my waist.
“Jeez,” he mutters. “Worse than I thought.”
“I told you!” I argue. “Never mind that I’m going to die going down this slope”—I push my goggles up to get a better look at it—”but Cammie will never let me live it down when I lose.”
“You care that much about beating her down the mountain?”
I nod vehemently.
Rhys does the same to his goggles, revealing a furrowed brow with determination. “Okay, Frostbite. We arenotgoing to lose.”
His panty-dropping smirk reappears, and anticipation fills me…until he kneels in front of me and unstraps my feet from the snowboard.
“What are you doing?” I step back onto the packed snow.
“You mean, what arewedoing?” He holds out my board for me to take. Once it’s in my possession, he takes my goggles and slides them back to their rightful spot. Then he moves to my coat and makes sure it’s zipped all the way before sliding along the snow to put his back to me. “Get on, Spider Monkey.”
