Page 14 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

He thought of the almost-kiss and the thank-you kiss, her lips a breath away from his. This time he wanted more.

Chase took a step closer to Tana. She was irresistible, and the hallway was narrow. He wanted the distance between them to get smaller and smaller until it was nothing at all. “You’re welcome. You both looked sohappyout there, and that’s all the reward I need. It’s clear you and Lindsey love skiing.”

“We do.Ido,” she said softly.

“Honestly, Tana, that’s what I find so amazing about you. You’re all in on everything. Your love for your daughter is like...it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. You tackle everything head-on.” His voice had gone gruff, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Out in front, the employees’ voices rose and fell, but all Chase cared about was Tana.

Inches apart, the tension between them was thick, their heated gaze making him forget how hot it was in the cramped space in their winter jackets.

Tana’s breath came light and fast. “Chase.” The whisper of her words landed against his lips. “Are you going to kiss me, or not?”

Chase felt like she’d opened the gate at the top of a mountain run and set him free to soar over the hills. He went in for the kiss the way he’d attacked a thousand ski runs in his life—hard, fast, and focused.

Tana’s lips were cold, but her tongue was hot where it battled his. He kissed her deeply, exploring her like he might not get another chance. He put an arm around her waist and backed her into the ski racks. The only thing that mattered was kissing her. Tana tasted sweet, her mouth holding a hint of caramel. His whole body leaned into the sensation, heart pounding, tongue searching, lips desperate for hers.

“Chase.” His grandmother’s voice called out his name like a reprimand.

Tana jerked away from him. He caught a glimpse of her red face and then her back as she ran faster than he could have imagined toward the front of the building, leaving him standing there.But not alone.

He didn’t want to turn around, but he did. His grandmother stood in the narrow hallway, her eyebrows raised in question at what she’d witnessed.

“Hello, Gran.” Chase’s brain was racing as he tried to think of a way to explain, but it was hard to focus. His skin still hummed from the kiss, goosebumps tugging at his skin. “I was—” Therewasno explaining it. He looked her straight in the eye. “Well. You saw.”

His grandmother surveyed him with the hint of a smile in her eyes but a serious set to her face. “I saw you entering the building and came to ask about something. Was that fleeing woman Tana? Aren’t you working with her daughter on ski lessons?”

“What? No, that wasn’t Tana.” he said with a straight face. Chase knew how important this job was to her and didn’t want to risk her position, even though he wanted more. Much more. “And I’ve taken her daughter out for a couple of sessions. Not a big deal. It’s actually been fun.”

His grandmother frowned at him, then reached out and smacked his arm. “Don’t you go making trouble for people, Chase.”

He raised his hands in the air, ready to say that hewasn’t,but his grandmother sighed. A wistfulness came into her eyes, and when she looked back at Chase, he thought he caught a few tears gathered there. She blinked them away. Maybe he’d imagined them after all.

“I’m not going to.” The last thing he wanted was to upset her, given everything she was dealing with. He didnotwant her to worry about the resort. But he also couldn’t pretend it wasn’t Tana. “I like her, but that won’t happen again.”

“Life is short. Just be smart and maintain appropriate boundaries.” He’d wanted to reassure her, but somehow he hadn’t found the right words.

Instead, his grandmother had taken the lead, just like when he was a young boy and being called out for some wrongdoing. All his emotions twisted up with one another, becoming indistinguishable. The only thing hecouldfocus on fully was how good it felt to kiss Tana.

She put a hand on Chase’s elbow. “I’m happy you’re back. Do you know that? It’s obvious you’re feeling more at homeandthat you’re falling for someone special.” Her eyes were shining again. “You’ve seemed so lively the last few days. I hope you’ll consider...staying here permanently.”

Buzzkill. He couldn’t stay; the memories were just too painful. The noises of the resort fell away, leaving him in a roaring silence. “I’ll think about it.” It was the only answer he could give without hurting her.

“Good.” His grandmother headed out, but Chase stayed behind in the quiet.

For a fleeting instant, he imagined bringing Tana to his home permanently, and Lindsey. He imagined how it would feel to hear their voices echoing through all the rooms that were normally silent. He imagined Christmases and birthdays, singing carols, opening gifts. He imagined a quick run to the lodge in the winters and climbing the lush green hills in the summers.

And then he blinked it all away, the images replaced by others. Like the moment he crashed into the gate during the giant slalom. The agonizing pain that pierced his leg and knee and the realization that not only was his career over, but he’d never ski professionally again. He’d known it was bad then, and he knew it now, too.

Elk Lodge held too many memories, and living here was not an option.

10

TANA

Tana couldn’t get the kiss out of her head.

She hadn’t been kissed like that in a long time, if ever. And as she went through her lessons the next day, it had crept into all the quiet moments. Her skis cut against the snow and windwhooshedover her ears, setting her at ease. The familiar motions freed her mind to think of other, more exciting things. Like Chase’s lips on hers, firm and wanting. Like how close their bodies had been, separated only by a few bulky layers of snow gear. The hard ridge of the skis against her back when he pressed her up against the rack.

Tana had worked in a lot of places that involved equipment racks over the course of her life, but nothing so sexy had ever happened near one. Nothing that sexy had ever happened, period, and it was because Chase himself was over-the-top attractive. The breeze seemed hot against her cheeks when she thought of him. If she kept this up, she’d have to press her face into a snowbank to cool down. That wouldn’t look great to her employers.

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