The Billionaire Athlete’s Christmas Fling - Leslie North Page 0,35

preferred casual attire. For another, spending the evening making small talk about his injury held zero appeal. Surrounded by all the people in the room, an odd feeling of loneliness settled over him.

Lonely.

After his skiing career ended, Chase welcomed the solitude. Now, he missed Tana. He was lonely, even in the middle of the crowd, without her. He didn’t like it. It made his suit seem itchy, the lights too bright, and everyone’s voices too loud. She’d said she’d be there, though.

Chase crossed the room and picked up a plate, helping himself to the appetizers, before circling the ballroom again. There was no sign of Tana.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and his heart leaped, hoping it was her. But the name on the text wasn’t Tana’s.

Brad: Have you given any thought to my offer? It’s yours if you want it, but I need an answer by the end of next week. We’ve got to get you started the first week of January.

Chase slid the phone back into his pocket and continued his search for Tana. Two ski instructors stood in the corner, both describing routes down the slopes based on their hand motions. His grandmother held court at one of the center tables, a smile on her face. Even Jonas had come to the cocktail hour. However, he alternated between listening to his grandmother and studying his phone intently. If he knew Jonas, he’d rather be working.

All of this, Chase reminded himself, was supposed to be temporary. He’d been itching to leave. Brad had offered him the chance of a lifetime—of his new lifetime—and the Elk Lodge had been the place where his old career had taken form. With the new job, he’d be able to prove himself somewhere new. He’d have to prove himself.

Chase popped a pig in a blanket into his mouth, one of his favorite appetizers from the lodge’s kitchens. He felt more enthusiastic about the pig in a blanket—it was, after all, a really good pig in a blanket—than he did about taking the job with Brad. And that shouldn’t be the case. He should want the job more than anything, but instead, he wanted Tana.

At the party and by his side. And leading her around the room on his arm, as his guest. Chase wanted to take her home and have sex with her in his big bed, and he wanted to curl himself around her and sleep all night. And in the morning, he’d show her the sunrise across the mountain when the snow was fresh and unmarked. And then later, he’d help Lindsey with her school lessons, cook them both dinner, and—

Horror seized him.

This wasn’t some imaginary exercise and it wasn’t infatuation. He was falling in love.

The future he wanted was there in his mind, in clear, terrifying detail. He didn’t want to be out west. He could be perfectly happy here, maybe coaching kids like he’d done with Lindsey. It would put all his skiing experience to use and keep him sharp. They might not be professional skiers, but he could teach them to love the wind in their faces and the glide of snow beneath their skis. And at the end of the day, he would go home to Tana and Lindsey.

“Having regrets over quitting the one job Grandmother asked you to do?” Jonas’s voice cut into his thoughts. “You’re staring at your plate like it offended you.”

Chase blinked at his brother. “No. No regrets.”

He could tell Jonas didn’t want to care, but they were brothers—on some level, no matter how much they fought, they did care about each other. “What is it, then?”

“Just thinking about my options.” Chase was struck by the urge to tell Jonas about Tana—it would relieve some of the pressure in his chest—but he’d promised her he wouldn’t say a word.

Jonas narrowed his eyes. “What options?”

“Job options.”

“Oh.” Jonas gave him one last look. “Don’t stare at your food that way. It makes people think something’s up. Besides your injury.”

“Thanks, Jonas. That’s very helpful of you.”

His brother brushed past him to get to the bar. In a way, he had been honest with Jonas. There weren’t options with Tana. She seemed focused on her daughter and her career. Would she really want to devote all her spare time to a relationship with him? Especially now that he wasn’t a ski champion—that he wasn’t much of anything, really, except a man from a wealthy family?

“You’re doing it again,” Jonas said, heading back to his table.

“Doing what?”

“Staring off