Page 12 of The Bossy Billionaire's Last Valentine

I whip my attention back to him and aim a finger at his chest. “Don’t you dare. I worked my ass off for every penny I’ve earned. I’m a self-made woman and I donate twenty-percent of my income to charity every year. I don’t want that mountain to be a jerk. I want it to bring joy to my guests, not all of whom are rich, by the way. A lot of them are just normal people who saved up to give themselves a beautiful experience they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. And that experience is going to be even more fantastic with downhill skiing as an option for resort activities.”

Bran glares at me in response and somehow, it’s a sexy, smoldering glare. The glare of a man who has pulled my hair and pounded me hard, and I’m suddenly completely distracted by his pure masculine hotness. I glare right back though, refusing to admit that I want to make out with him on the conference table nearly as much as I want to claim that mountain for my own.

If anything, the conflict seems to have ramped up the chemistry between us.

“Everyone has great ideas,” Chase says jovially, even as sweat is beading on his upper lip. “No matter what happens, Jingle Bell Junction is a winner.”

That’s all lovely, except the winner should be me. I want that mountain, damn it. Bran can buy a different one. Pick a mountain, any mountain.

On our way out a few minutes later—after assurances by Chase that he’ll figure out who has the prior claim ASAP—Amanda hisses beneath her breath, “For a second there, I wasn’t sure if you were going to hit him or kiss him. Is there something going on between you two?”

I narrow my gaze at Bran’s back as he storms out the door. “Not anymore.”

Amanda makes a disappointed sound. “Oh, no. I hate that. You two would be great together. You’re both so fiery and fun.”

I shake my head. “The only thing fun about Bran Ratcliffe is how quickly he’s going to leave town once that mountain is mine.”

Amanda frowns. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Nothing makes sense,” I agree with a soft growl. “The only thing worse than hating your enemy is hating him and wanting to jump his bones at the same time.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” she says. “Now that I’m married, I’ve erased the horrors of dating from my memory banks. I’m sorry, again. I can’t help but feel like this is my fault.”

“No way,” I say, resting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s Shinglepuss’s fault. He’s the one who tried to sell his stupid mountain twice.” The words spark an idea in the recesses of my irritated brain. I turn to Amanda, “Do you have the keys to his place already? I was just thinking…if a person got to poking around in there, they might find evidence to prove that he sold the place to me first.”

Her brow furrows. “Yes, we have them, but I can’t give them to you.” I start to protest—and beg, if needed—when she adds, “But you’ve seen the place. If he locked any of those ground floor windows, I’d be very,verysurprised.”

“Me, too,” I murmur, chewing on the inside of my lip as I move toward the door. “Thanks, Amanda.”

“No problem, but don’t blame me if you get tetanus up there,” she calls after me. “It’s a disaster area.”

It is. But I’m not afraid of dealing with a little disaster in the name of making my dreams come true. The fact that Bran was quickly becoming one of those dreams doesn’t matter anymore.

After all, men come and go—a ski mountain is forever.

ChapterFive

BRAN

I don’t know which is worse—that the old prick sold the land twice or that Kay knew who I was and didn’t bother to tell me. Not that she had any obligation in the short time we’d spent together not kissing each other’s body parts to declare all her knowledge of me and my life, but it’s still disappointing.

She knew I was rich the whole time. Which means I can no longer harbor the delusion that she liked me for me.

My SUV engine roars to life, and I pull out of the lawyer’s office faster than necessary because I’m pissed off. Or maybe I just don’t want to see Kayley step out the door. I’m too angry with the situation to have a rational conversation right now. But at the edge of the parking lot, I pull into another spot and decide to call my brother.

“Call Luke,” I demand of my phone.

My oldest brother is a reformed crotchety businessman himself. He should have advice on how to deal with the fallout from Shinglepuss’s greedy bastard of a move.

“Hey, what’s up? How did the meeting with Chase go?”

“Not good, brother.” I sigh. “Not good.”

Since his engagement, Luke has been living in a farmhouse with his wife, Holly Jo, and has really mellowed. But I hope he doesn’t give me some Zen bullshit right now. I need him to tell me how to find the legal loophole in this mess.

“What do you mean? I thought this was a straightforward deal.”

“It should have been,” I say. “Except the old man signed a contract with both me and Kayley Valentine, the woman who owns Aspen Heights Resort. Nancy’s friend. I dropped Elliot off there for a big New Year’s Eve party. Since it’s right next to her existing hotel, she wants it for a downhill ski run.”

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