A

it the b

ss.I was all limbs and fear and a deep, unshakable certainty th

f course, she did. She looked at home in the snow, the sky, the breez

ed like an off-brand actio

e're going to take it slow. I'm going to walk y

epeated. "Yes.

n emergency landing. "Think of it like a pizza. You angle your skis inward like t

ed. "P

look at pepperoni t

t it that deeply

e doing ski

ck, watching m

forward like a rogue missile and suddenly I was sliding jus

ho

bing my arms to steady me. "Ther

wn. She had

uickly released me

omplai

es flicker toward my face for hal

Mr. Ryan. Slower this t

ed to glide a few feet before stopping in a semi-controll

... did I

she laughed.

peated, proud in

onor" she teased. "Savior of bu

l laugh that cracked through the weird la

t felt

n forward, when to keep my knees soft. I slipped. A lot. Once, I fell sidew

she asked, pe

ell my shareholder

ave sharehol

n't

g her help me up. Our gloves pressed together, warm

t seem to

and stepped back. "Okay. Let

e than ten seconds. Isn't tha

where the rea

otal respect,you are a t

cack

bey

ghing and the occasional moments of shared breath, the fear started to

make it ten yards down t

m of the hill. Lily brushed a snowflake

did g

because I didn't take out

me close to hitting that snowman, but

ouding in the cold. "

ach

make it...

down at her boots. "Than

expression now. Not flirtation e

verwhelming urge to

guy from the ski lodge with two

ackson

from the fallout of a very public scandal. The billio

dn't know a

I was ju

, that felt

e asked suddenly, b

ked. "

st cocoa on the mountain. Come on. It's basi

e slope, my legs sore and

me here to f

s already

ghts twinkled overhead, and the air smelled like sugar and cinnamon. We stoo

er while she w

Car

own sunshine. Possibly m

e asked, c

thi

ve me

st wondering what your hot c

ked. "A cocoa

l. Whipped cream means you're traditional.

what does double c

dangerous and

"You already signed up

id

my students very s

gaze. "Because I'm already

nked, s

en she

it seeme

asn't just the cocoa tha

was

this

oment that didn't demand anything f

a very long time, that fel