The Billionaire Athlete’s Christmas Fling - Leslie North Page 0,15

One of Tana’s favorite subjects.

“Definitely not new. She’s wanted to ski ever since she learned to walk.” Tana cradled her glass in her palms and leaned in closer. “Not just an average skier, a great skier. Like you, in case you couldn’t tell.”

“I can tell.”

They both laughed.

Tana felt comfortable enough to ask the question on her mind. “Is it hard? Not being able to ski anymore, I mean.”

Chase’s gaze grew distant. “A little bit. I’ve had my struggles. But it’s made me slow down and take stock of my life.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. “I’ve had an offer from a friend to be a spokesperson for his sportswear company startup. It would mean leaving Elk Lodge.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Yeah.” Chase took a long drink of his beer. “We had a follow-up call a few days ago that went surprisingly well, but I’ve never seen myself in a sales career. It’s tough to adjust your expectations after something happens. You know what I mean?”

“I do.” Of course Tana did. Her life had been a series of surprises, and having Lindsey meant even more of them. Life had dealt her plenty of adjusted expectations.

“But at the same time, I know I can’t stay here forever.” Chase’s green eyes lingered on hers, and Tana looked down at her beer to hide her blush. “I want to spend the holidays with my family, but then I need something else.”

Chase was only beginning to come out of what seemed like a depression over his ski accident. Another good reason this wasn’t the best time for them to explore their attraction. He didn’t even know what he wanted in life. And yet—his determination to move forward with his life drew Tana to him.

“It’s difficult,” she said after a minute. “Things happen. All you can do is roll with it.”

“I could have been better.” Chase winked, his grin a good sign.

“You? I don’t believe it,” Tana scoffed, playing along with him.

He shrugged. “I guess we’ll never know.” Chased laughed, and Tana felt herself falling into his laughter headfirst. Heart-first. Enjoying his company was a risk.

She wiped the smile off her face and straightened. “Listen, I don’t think we should...continue this…umm, this,” she waved her hand back and forth between them, “whatever it is that’s going on between us.”

Chase leaned back in the booth. “Why not?” he asked, one eyebrow cocked. “It was just a simple kiss.”

There was nothing simple about it—not to Tana. “It wasn’t a full kiss,” she pointed out.

“Right. And why not?” Chase raised his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have minded a real, honest-to-god kiss instead of a three-quarters kiss.”

“We can’t.” Tana couldn’t keep the laugh out of her voice. A three-quarters kiss? Ridiculous.

“I’d say we can.”

“It’s inappropriate.” Time to come clean. “I applied for the ski director position and have a second-round interview coming up soon with your brother Jonas.” She was relieved to have finally told him the truth.

Chase looked surprised, which Tana had to admit was a good look on him. Everything was a good look on him, which was what made everything so hard. It was hard not to talk to him. It was hard to talk to him.

“I’ve got something to admit also. I’m helping my brother narrow down the candidates.”

“What?” The single word came out as a squeak, Tana horrified by what he’d just revealed. Chase laughed.

“No, no. I was put in charge of sorting through the external applicants. We got about five hundred of them. People are really interested in this job. But Jonas and I split up the work. I have nothing to do with internal applications. Honestly, Tana, if it was up to me, you’d already have the job. You’d be great at it. But the final decision is up to Jonas.”

“Right, of course it is. But wouldn’t people wonder if I got the job after we’d been talking?”

Chase shrugged. “If I must, I’ll give up the helping Jonas. If I must choose between talking to you or vetting applicants, I choose talking to you.”

Tana looked at him, the backdrop of snow-covered hills and gorgeous pine trees perfect for him. Chase was not making things easy. Flirting with him could only be a temporary thing, especially since he was talking about leaving. But flirting with him could also be a permanent mistake. If things ended badly, she’d be the one left behind looking bad to her coworkers and her bosses long after he left.

“That’s