Free Business Affairs by Shirley Rogers Page A

happily-ever-after tempted Alex to take a chance with her. She was warm and thoughtful. And loving. But letting his guard down around her could prove fatal to his heart. He’d be a fool to let a romantic sleigh ride go to his head.
    â€œOh, Alex, look! It’s snowing!” Jennifer squealed, her voice filled with excitement as snowflakes danced through the air.
    Alex looked around. “Yeah, look at it.”
    â€œIt’s just perfect,” she whispered. “The sleigh ride, the snow, it’s so…” Her words faltered when she looked at him.
    â€œRomantic?” he murmured, finishing her thought. Alex let his gaze roam over her face, her alluring mouth. Yeah, it was. And she was so damn tempting. The sleigh hit a dip and she bounced closer to him. He tightened his arm around her to keep her there. When his gaze met hers again, he felt as though he couldn’t breathe. Her eyes were aglow and her cheeks were rosy from the cold. A snowflake drifted down and touched her nose. Alex brushed it away with his glove.
    Even out here in the iciness of winter, she smelled like a meadow of flowers. As if it was the most natural thing to do, he kissed her nose, erasing any trace of the snowflake. Her mouth parted and he couldn’t stop himself from tasting her. He nipped at her lips with his teeth.
    â€œAlex….” She started to protest, but he ran his tongue along her lips, then pulled back. She licked her lips, tasting him, and desire coiled inside her.
    â€œI just want to kiss you,” he whispered, as if asking for permission. When she hesitated, he said, “It’s only a kiss, Jen. Who could it hurt?”
    Me, her mind whispered. But she pressed her mouth to his, greedy for the taste of him, knowing it was crazy to invite heartache into her life. His lips were cool, but his hot tongue found hers as he angled his head and deepened the kiss. Jennifer struggled to get closer to him, and he turned her in his arms, drawing her into his embrace.
    Alex’s gloved hand found her chin and he held her head still as he devoured her mouth. Hot blood surged to his groin and he groaned deep in his throat. Beneath the blanket, he pulled her against him, damning their thick clothes and the gloves on his hands.
    The sleigh came to a stop. Alex dragged his mouthfrom Jennifer’s when he realized they’d returned to the lodge and the driver was waiting for them.
    He wasn’t sure what to say to her, but he knew an apology was in order. He’d never intended to let their kiss get out of hand. Before he could speak, Jennifer touched a gloved finger to his mouth.
    â€œThank you for making this evening perfect,” she whispered.
    It was clear she was pulling away. Alex wasn’t thrilled about it, but he remained silent, knowing her decision was for the best. It would be wrong to pursue something intimate between them.
    Climbing out of the sleigh, he helped Jennifer down, then escorted her to her room. Without speaking, she went inside, leaving him to stare at her closed door.
    It was going to be hell going to bed alone.
    Â 
    â€œAlex!”
    Jennifer dug her skis into the snow and came to an instant halt. She was barely able to make out Alex’s face where he’d stopped halfway down the slope. Looking back at her, he cupped his gloved hands around his mouth and shouted something to her. Darn, she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
    The light, fluffy snow that had started early that morning had thickened, blanketing the ground with several inches of powder. Actually, it was so beautiful, she’d enjoyed skiing in it. She’d graduated to the Intermediate slope, but the last few times she’d skied down it, due to the heavy snowfall, she could hardly see where others had gone down ahead of her.
    Hoping Alex would wait for her, she pushed off to catch up with him. With the deteriorating conditions,very few skiers were on the slopes. She’d