I lifted my chin, folded my arms across my chest, and stated, “I would’ve felt bad for wasting your money.”

To my surprise, Robert bent over, laughing. The deep sound moved something in me and I found myself giggling as well.

“You don’t give a shit about wasting my money.”

I lowered my head, continuing to laugh. “Whatever. Yeah, so, I wanted to come. Happy now?”

“Not quite, but we’re getting there.”

I didn’t have time to ask him what he meant before he was dragging me out the door, and over to the cabin to rent a pair of skis for the week.

“I’ve never done this before,” I stated nervously, as he helped me into my skis.

“Really? I couldn’t tell,” he responded sarcastically.

“Asshole.”

He chuckled. “I’ve been called far worse, princess.”

“I’m sure you have.”

“We can do the bunny slopes a few times until you get used to the feel of these.”

“Isn’t skiing dangerous? Like, haven’t people been killed skiing into trees?” I glanced around at the steep mountains, biting my lower lip.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Robert said.

I was taken aback by the sharpness of his tone, and when I looked into his eyes I could tell that he meant it. And God only knows why, but I believed him. Like Robert Townsend could move a planted tree on sheer will and desire alone if he needed to, just to keep me safe.

I lowered my head, choosing to stare at the white snow as the sun shone off of it. The natural scenery around us, gorgeous as it was, actually felt less hypnotizing than the gleam in Robert’s eyes.

“Let’s get started,” he urged after a few heartbeats of silence.

And so began my first ski lesson.

Chapter Seven

Then

Robert

“What the hell happened?” I growled at the two idiots who’d rushed into the resort’s dining room to inform me Deborah had had an accident. The one fucking time I let her out of my sight in the five days we’d been there something goes wrong. I knew I shouldn’t have let her ski with Kimmy and the other girls.

“We don’t know.”

“What the hell do you mean you don’t know?” I raged, running ahead of the two numbskulls, heading in the direction of the resort’s emergency services cabin. “She better not be seriously injured, or I swear to God—”

I stopped short as we reached the door of the emergency services cabin. Yanking it open, I brushed past the person who’d been trying to exit and urgently looked around. I sighed, somewhat feeling relieved when I saw Deborah sitting up, talking with one of the workers of the resort.

I walked around the chairs that were lined up around the waiting area, to get to the cot where she was sitting.

“What happened?” I demanded as soon as I reached them.

“Robert,” Deborah called, surprised.

I moved to her side, kneeling down. “What happened?”

She gave me an embarrassed smile.