The Billionaire Athlete’s Christmas Fling - Leslie North Page 0,7
Gabe came home for the holidays.
Chase decided to cut across the parking lot, hoping to miss seeing anyone he knew. The convenient shortcut back to his house was one he’d used a lot lately, even if it did take him past staff intent on decorating everything at the resort to within an inch of its life.
The trees lining the parking lot boasted strings of Christmas lights, all in the same classy white, every other one decorated in red tinsel. They’d gone so far as to wrap silver tinsel around a bower at the edge of the parking lot—the same one Chase had to cross under to get to the path. He could stand to skip it, but sometimes in life a man had to confront decorations where he didn’t want to see them. They just weren’t his thing this year.
Three rows of cars in, he spotted Tana crouched low next to a blue Honda, muttering something under her breath. He’d put five dollars on a series of curse words, her voice rising enough for him to catch some of them. He bit back his smile, realizing she was upset and needed help, not mockery.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, staying back a few feet so as not to scare her. “Looks like you’re having a bit of trouble running that errand, ma’am. Anything I can do?” he offered, teasing her with the ma’am thing to make her smile. It worked.
Tana wrinkled her nose. “Do you have a spare tire? Because this one doesn’t look drivable. Want to give your opinion on this, too?” she teased.
She got to her feet, and Chase moved closer. “Looks like it might go totally flat the second you drive it off the lot.” The two of them looked down at the ruined tire. “You don’t have a spare in the trunk? I can change it if you want.”
She nudged him with her elbow, her playfulness sending sparks of awareness up his arm at the touch. “I can change a tire, but no, I don’t have a spare. And I’m already running late.”
“I have some wonderful news,” Chase said, unable to squash his grin. “I have an entire car.”
“But does it have all four tires?”
“You’re in luck. It does. How about a ride?”
Tana shook her head. “Sure. I’d love a ride if you’ve got the time to spare,” she said, her answer the opposite of what she intended to say.
“I have nothing but time. This way—my car’s parked at my place, which isn’t far from here.” Chase led the way, ignoring the way his leg protested the quick pace. He might not be a professional skier anymore, but he wasn’t going to let a little pain slow him down when it came to helping Tana. Because by helping Tana, Chase was helping the resort, and by extension, his grandmother. This was about family and not because he found her attractive and wanted to spend time with her.
They cut along a snow-covered path that led them through a narrow stand of trees and ended at his driveway. Chase pulled his keys from the pocket and hit the fob button to open the garage. A second button started the car.
Tana nodded approvingly. “Nice setup.”
“What? You don’t have remote start?” He winked.
She laughed as they climbed into his Audi, a car he’d bought shortly before the accident. “I wish. Maybe if…maybe if things go well for me this year, I’ll save up for a new car. Or I could just get a ride from you every so often. This baby still has its new-car smell.”
That’s not what he noticed. Tana’s scent reminded him of snow and sunshine and a bare hint of aloe, and that was better than any expensive scent Chase had ever encountered, including new-car aroma. “It does,” he agreed. “I don’t come across people with flat tires very often.” He flashed her a teasing smile.
“You only drive this when people get a flat tire? No wonder it’s still brand-new.”
“That’s right,” he teased. “Everything I could ever want is right here.” A beat went by, the tension crackling between them. “At the resort, I mean.”
“Honestly, everything I could ever want is at the resort, too.” Tana sounded a little wistful. Chase’s mind raced ahead, out of control. Was she talking about him? No way. Couldn’t be. And even if she was, it would be a mistake for them both. His grandmother would kill him if he was caught trying to seduce an employee. “Nice slopes. A good