The Billionaire Athlete’s Christmas Fling - Leslie North Page 0,22

gaze on his face.

He sat down on the far side of the tub, his arms stretched out, completely at ease. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me. Okay?”

Tana nodded. Okay. Cool. That’s what she should have said, but no words came. She turned and left, unsure of what to say. This had not gone at all like she’d planned or hoped.

But then honestly, it was her own fault.

She could have said yes.

9

Chase watched Lindsey fly down the beginner slope, wishing he was out there. His body still remembered what it was like to speed down black diamonds and carve his skis into the snow to stop at the last possible second. His physical therapist said he could try, but if he did, he wasn’t going to start on the bunny hill. He hadn’t done one of those since he was Lindsey’s age.

Lindsey’s lessons had been going well and she was going faster than she’d ever gone before. Man, did she have natural talent. Her cuts were sharp and precise, and Chase marveled at how much more confident she looked on her skis.

“I’m going on the jump!” she shouted, then turned her focus back down the hill. The jump was a very mild one at the bottom of the bunny hill. Wait. But it was too late. Lindsey was already on the approach. She caught a little bit of air and came down with her face screwed up in concentration. And landed. She landed. She’d done it.

“Yes!” He was surprised at how loud he was cheering, but that was fine—Lindsey was whooping too. Joy suffused him, making everything seem like it was in new and vivid color. “You got it! You got it.”

Lindsey skied over to him, hands held high, and they clashed their ski poles together.

“Mom!” she shouted. “Mom, look what I can do!” Lindsey went past Chase in a blur.

Tana had come out of the lodge in her ski boots and was waving at Lindsey. “What did you do?”

“I went over the jump!”

Seeing Tana sent Chase mentally right back to the hot tub and the roll of her hips in his hands. The slide of her bathing suit against his chest, the way her mouth yielded to his. He shook himself out of memory lane. Lessons were not for fantasizing about Tana. Period. He came to a stop beside the mother and daughter pair in mid-conversation.

Tana frowned.

“—do it again? I have to show you. Can I, Chase?”

“That’s up to your mom.” He’d seen the worry in Tana’s eyes in the hot tub when she’d talked to him about Lindsey’s leg. So far, it hadn’t made a difference. “Really, Tana, she handled the little bump beautifully. All on her own.” Maybe it’s time for her to test her limits.

“I don’t know, Linds.” Tana’s eyes flashed in irritation as she glanced at him before turning her focus back to her daughter. “How’s your leg feeling?”

Lindsey made a face. “It’s fine, Mom.”

“One run,” Tana said. “One slow run, and then we’re going home.”

“Okay,” Chase and Tana said at the same time, laughing.

Chase cleared his throat and pushed off as Lindsey headed for the chairlift. Tana followed, coming to stand beside him at the bottom of the hill. “That’s the bump she went over.” He waved toward the hill.

“What bump?” Tana ground out, worry in her voice.

“That one.” Chase jabbed a finger at it, but she was looking in the wrong direction. He raised a hand to her cheek and gently turned her head another inch or two. “It’s barely a bump. Easy to miss.”

“Whatever. It may be small, but it’s a jump,” Tana said. “I couldn’t have pictured her skiing days ago, much less doing jumps. Ever.”

Chase nudged her with an elbow. “You can’t encase a kid in bubble wrap and expect her to enjoy the lesson.”

“It was only one layer of bubble wrap,” Tana joked, and a tension Chase hadn’t known he was feeling eased off. “Can you blame me?”

The two of them watched Lindsey get off the chairlift at the top of the bunny hill. She waved, the motion big and free, then started down the hill.

“Did you tell her to go on the jump?” Tana’s eyes were trained on her daughter, who was picking up speed toward the top of the hill. Still in control. Still confident.

“No. Lindsey did it all by herself.”

Tana glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Seems risky.”

“Well, I brought extra bubble wrap.”

Lindsey barreled down the bunny hill