Billion Dollar Beast - Olivia Hayle Page 0,21
but I’d kept his pace, matching him stroke for stroke.
Skye and I return to the chalet with more than enough time before the guys get back. The shower is practically life-restoring. Warm water over my muscles, the smell of magnolia from my shampoo, and I’m a new woman when I emerge. Looking at myself in the mirror, I take my time as I put on body lotion.
The look on Nick’s face as his gaze swept me head to toe in my bikini comes to mind. It makes my stomach tighten. I’d seen him in his swimming trunks, too, but I’d been too surprised to really see anything before he got into the tub.
Refusing to think about why I’m doing it, I slip into the best underwear I’d brought with me. A nude bra edged with lace, the cups slanted and flattering. A pair of matching seamless panties cut high on the sides.
Both of them are of my own design—a part of the new brand I’m working on, the one nobody will know is mine until I’m sure it’s a success. Finally, I pull on a silk skirt and a cashmere sweater, sticking my feet in a pair of slippers.
By the time I make it back to the kitchen, the staff are already starting to set the table and prepare for dinner. I give them an excusing smile. “Is it all right if I bake something for dessert? I just need a small, tiny corner of the kitchen island.”
I’m given ample space, though all I really need is a bowl and whisk. Chatting to Kristen, the hired chef, I start making the same brownie recipe that Mom always made when we were skiing. She’d sent it to me before this trip in exchange. Well, she’d tried to—the picture she snapped was blurry, but I could just about make out the measurements.
The kitchen smells amazing by the time they’re in the oven. I’m leaning against the counter, listening to Kristen tell me stories about other chalets she’s worked at in Whistler, when the front door opens.
Cole and Nick burst into the house like a tornado. Snow drips from their jackets, both of them grinning from ear to ear. It’s the kind of smile I’ve never seen on Nick before.
“That last fucking slope, man… you had me.” Cole sits down on one of the low benches and starts tugging at his snow boots. Opposite him, Nick does the same, leaning against a wall.
“Only because of the final turn. One more of those and you’d have won.” Nick unzips his jacket and it falls to the ground behind him. The black polo-neck he’s wearing underneath looks painted on him, tight against his wide chest and the curves of his shoulders.
My brother finally gets off his own jacket. “Too many almosts for my taste. Next time I’ll have you.”
“Well, you’re welcome to try.”
Cole stretches, his eyes finding mine. “Something smells amazing. Are you making brownies, Blair?”
“Yes.” My eyes are locked on Nick, though. The smile he’d worn just prior is gone now.
Cole stops beside me to press a quick kiss to my cheek. “Good thinking. Don’t forget to send Mom a picture of them later.”
The suggestion would have made me smile, if I hadn’t been drowning in the darkness of Nick’s gaze. Am I the only one who’s caught in this tension? Around me, the staff keep preparing dinner as if nothing is happening, my brother whistling as he disappears deeper into the house to find a shower of his own.
“Congratulations on your victory,” I tell Nick.
“Thank you,” he says quietly. “Enjoyed your time with the dogs?”
“Immensely.”
“Good.” And then his lip curls, just slightly. “Look at us being civil.”
“I wonder how long it’ll last,” I say.
His gaze drops to my hands, knotted in front of me on the kitchen counter. We’d been good today, when all we had to do was ski. When the fire between us could be channeled into harmless competition.
I open my mouth to say just that when the alarm goes off. My brownies are done. I tear my gaze from his to take them out, forcing Ken, the kitchen assistant, to move. He gives me a lopsided smile when I apologize. “Let me taste one of those and all is forgiven,” he says.
Behind me, Nick heads to his room, taking my chance to offer a nice comment with him. Watching the perfect brown squares of chocolate goodness in front of me, I barely register the smell.
“Are you sure no one else