Maybe he could allow himself one kiss

Mitch leaned close enough to breathe in the scent that had teased his senses all day. Tessa smelled like exotic flowers and it aroused the hell out of him.

He just needed one taste. Just to see if she was as sweet as he remembered.

“There are so many potential customers here.” Her voice faltered as he hovered near. “So many opportunities.” She edged away as if that would discourage him.

Fat chance. He could tell by the agitated flick of her tongue over her lips that she wanted the kiss as badly as he did.

He skimmed his hand over her thighs. “I’m only interested in following up on one particular opportunity, Tessa.” Sliding one arm around her waist, he pulled her to him. Her breathing hitched at the contact.

When her eyes drifted shut, Mitch homed in on her mouth for the kiss he’d dreamed about since their last one. Every drop of blood in his veins surged south. At just one blasted kiss.

What made him think he could ever stop at just a kiss?

Dear Reader,

The wintry Adirondack Mountains have never seen such a heat wave as when Tessa O’Neal reunites with former snowboarder Mitch Ryder…and ends up igniting a relationship that’s too hot to handle!

Marketing maven Tessa has as much competitive spirit as the next woman. When her best friend challenges her to stay out of her old flame’s bed for a whole week, however, Tessa begins to think some bets are meant to be lost!

I hope you enjoy this steamy trip to the winter wonderland of Lake Placid, New York, as much as Tessa does. Visit me at www.JoanneRock.com to learn more about my future releases or to let me know what you think of this book. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy reading!

Joanne Rock

Books by Joanne Rock

HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION

863—LEARNING CURVES

HARLEQUIN BLAZE

26—SILK, LACE & VIDEOTAPE

48—IN HOT PURSUIT

54—WILD AND WILLING

Tall, Dark and Daring

Joanne Rock

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To K. Sue Morgan, friend and mentor extraordinaire. Thank you for caring about my characters as much as I do!

To the Rocks, for accepting me into their big, happy clan and inspiring my love of the North Country. And to Dean, a thrill seeker in his own right.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Prologue

“WHAT WILL IT BE, Tessa? Truth or dare?”

Tessa O’Neal tossed back another Jell-O shot, the South Beach sunset twinkling rainbows through her thick crimson drink. How could she live in this paradise full of gorgeous men and still end up playing adolescent games with her girlfriend on a Friday night?

“Truth,” she answered, loud enough for Ines to hear over the salsa music and happy hour crowd at the open-air bar on Ocean Drive. Forget the dare. Ines would think of something really embarrassing for her to do.

Ines Cordova’s armful of silver bracelets jangled as she waggled a chiding finger at Tessa. Ines was more than Tessa’s boss at Westwood Marketing. The two of them had been friends since Tessa was a freshman in college and Ines had been a grad student.

“That is your third truth in row, chica. I remember a time when you did not always run from a dare.”

Tessa started to shake her head, then stopped when the thrum in her temples informed her she’d almost reached her Jell-O shot quota. “Let’s not go there.”

Tessa wouldn’t be sitting around getting toasted if she hadn’t had a colossally bad day. She’d planned this night out with Ines weeks ago as sort of a last hurrah before Tessa left Westwood to start her own business.

But the night had taken a decidedly glum turn since Tessa ended up breaking off her engagement to a perfectly great guy. What had she been thinking to give him his ring back just because he didn’t leave her breathless every time he walked in a room like a certain guy she’d dated so many years ago?

She definitely didn’t need to go there.

Where was the waiter with those shots?

“Now is the ideal time to go there.” Ines shoved the plate of nachos they were sharing in Tessa’s direction. “You say you do not know why you broke things off with Rob, but you do. The man is as much fun as a surfboard in Kansas, querida, and he is all wrong for you.”

“He’s reliable, and responsible, and he’s a grown-up.” Unlike others she’d dated, especially one playful hunk she wouldn’t forget even with a truckload of Jell-O shots.

Ines shook her head. Her long earrings hopped back and forth over her bare shoulders. “You need a man with a sense of adventure to match your own.”

Tessa leaned across the table, hoping to make her point. “I’ve outgrown my sense of adventure, Ines. Maybe racking up one divorce and one broken engagement in five years has sapped it all. But I don’t have any desire to dance on the table with a rose between my teeth or start a bunny-hop chain through the bar. It’s not me.” She pulled off the cheesiest nacho on the plate and crunched a big bite.

Ines scowled. “It was not the bunny hop, it was the locomotion, Tessa, and everyone had a blast.”

Mouth full, Tessa shrugged.

“So you’ll take a truth over a dare?” Ines asked, crossing her braceleted arms.

“Any day.” She’d much rather reveal some inane secret of her past than sing a chorus of “It’s Raining Men” on the strip.

Ines smiled. “Remember, you have to tell the truth.”

Tessa sighed. “I hope you don’t expect me to cross my heart and stick a needle in my eye and all that.”

“I trust you. You still want to take the truth?”

“Sometime today. Yes.” Tessa stared at her empty ring finger where Rob’s engagement diamond had rested just this morning.

“Are you still in love with Mitch Ryder?”

The name blasted away all thoughts of Rob and his ring.

Mitch Ryder. The first man she’d ever been with. The man she couldn’t help but compare all others to.

The wretch who’d ditched her to travel the world with a snowboarding team.

Her foggy brain realized she was taking too long to answer. “What kind of question is that?”

“It’s the kind I want an answer to,” Ines replied as she waved away their waiter.

“I can’t answer that,” Tessa returned, indignant on her own behalf. “That was eight years ago!” She waved the waiter back and ordered another round. She refused to make this a night of sappy regrets.

Ines leaned across the table when their server left. “Then you have to take a double dare.”

“Fine.” She was too annoyed to care about the consequences of a double dare.

Of course, she most certainly was not still hung up on Mitch Ryder. She’d had one husband and one fiancé since then, so how could she be? The point was, she just didn’t want to discuss Mitch with anyone.

Especially not with Ines, who could pry confessions from a priest if given half a chance.

Besides, Tessa knew she might harbor just a little affection for the guy—even if he had walked away from the hottest affair ever to scorch across the northeast.

“Are you sure you don’t want to just answer the question?” Ines prodded.

The next round of drinks arrived, and Tessa raised her shot glass full of jiggling cherry alcohol in mock salute. “That chapter of my life is closed, and I’m not talking, so bring on the double dare, girlfriend. I’m ready.”

Ines retrieved her purse from the floor and pulled out a manila file folder with the Westwood Marketing seal on one corner. “Then I’d like to reopen the book, so to speak.” She passed the file to Tessa.

A business dare? It was unlike Ines to challenge her with something so mundane and something Tessa would actually enjoy. Tessa loved a good test of her marketing skills.

Curious, she opened the file and stared at the business name on the cover sheet.

Mogul Ryders Snowboards, proprietor Mitch Ryder.

“Meet your new client, Tessa. I’m sending you to the beautiful Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York for your last week on the job.” Ines sipped her shot as calmly as if she’d just announced she’d decided to paint her bathroom. “I hear there’s lots of snow on the ground.”

“What?” Tessa’s heart kicked up a rhythm so fast her blood outpaced the salsa music. Ines expected her to go back to the scene of her long-ago affair and work with the man who’d turned her world upside down? “That’s not a double dare, Ines, that’s blackmail!”

“You are right, that’s not a double dare, querida. That’s just the first part.”

“There’s more?” The file folder fell closed in her hand as Tessa waited for the other shoe to drop. She suspected the bunny hop would have been a walk in the park compared to whatever torture Ines had cooked up.

“Si.” Ines’s self-satisfied grin revealed every tooth. “I dare you to stay out of his bed for the whole week, Tessa.”

A week? Last time she hadn’t been able to stay out of his bed for three days. The man was a walking aphrodisiac.

And somehow, Tessa had the feeling she’d just agreed to a lethal dose.

1

THE LAST TIME Tessa O’Neal had set foot in Lake Placid, New York, she’d been on a quest to lose her inhibitions. Now, as she strode through the Adirondack hotel eight years later, she was determined to win back every last one of them.

Shifting the bag of Florida oranges from her father’s groves on her hip, Tessa signed her name at the front desk. She always brought a bag of fresh citrus for her clients, and she figured it would help if she pretended this was just another marketing job.

A job that pitted her against the biggest temptation of her life.

Unfortunately, the four-star Hearthside Inn had been the site of many erotic interludes with Mitch. He’d worked in the pro shop the year they’d met, just about the time his career on the slopes had really taken off. His supreme confidence, his never-say-die attitude, had made Tessa feel more alive than ever before.

“Welcome, Ms. O’Neal.” The smiling desk attendant greeted her. The woman’s cable knit sweater and turtleneck looked at home in the Adirondack lobby with its oversize stone fireplace and sturdy pine furniture. “Mr. Ryder asked me to page him when you arrived.”

“He’s here?” Tessa battled a wave of panic. She’d known he was running his snowboard business from the hotel, but she hadn’t thought he might be working on a Sunday. She definitely wasn’t ready to see him yet.

“He’s here most of the time during the winter months. Want me to ring him for you?” She reached for the phone.

Tessa almost leaped across the counter. “No!” She succeeded in laying her hand over top of the woman’s fingers to prevent her from picking up the receiver. Tessa smiled apologetically and let go. “I mean, that’s okay. Just tell me where his office is located so I’ll know.”

“His rooms are just down this corridor to the left.” The clerk pointed.

Tessa thanked her and purposely walked in the other direction. Right now, as long as she knew Mitch was occupied in his office, she’d just check out the mountain view from the patio for nostalgia’s sake.

And to see if the back deck still encased the huge hot tub where she and Mitch used to watch the snowfall and gaze at the stars. Not that she was thinking of Mitch, she assured herself, just the beauty of those starry nights and how it had felt to have snow fall on her nose while hot bubbles tickled the rest of her.

Or had that been Mitch’s fingers?

She adjusted her sack of heavy oranges one more time as she clicked her way across the hardwood floors. Rounding the corner of the downstairs bar, Tessa heard laughter from the afternoon patrons. She thought she knew where she was going until sunshine from a wall of windows blinded her.

For a moment, Tessa paused to squint in the bright light, disoriented. Where she’d expected to find a door to the deck, she discovered a new addition to the Hearthside. A massive sunroom enclosed the outdoor oasis she had remembered, encasing the former patio area in glass.

The huge, sunken hot tub rested indoors, its continuous gurgle creating a rumbling backdrop of white noise. Its steamy depths fogged up a strip of window-panes, but above the opaque area of the glass, Tessa caught her first glimpse of skiers tearing down Mount Van Hoevenberg and the towering pines that dotted the slopes.

Her interest in the scenery outside lasted all of a second, however.

Just about the time it took for a familiar laugh to draw her attention to the hot tub and three bikini-clad snow bunnies vying for the attention of one very content-looking male who sprawled in the water like a pampered Poseidon.

And no wonder the mermaid trio romped around the tub for his amusement. Even some ten feet away, Tessa took a step back from the sheer impact of the man, and she’d been semi-prepared to face him again.

Mitch Ryder—her off-limits boss for the next six days.

His eyes were closed as if in heady abandon, but the rest of his face looked as if it could have been carved from an Adirondack mountainside. High cheekbones and a square jaw made him appear fiercely male, but he smiled too often for him to look truly dangerous. Dark hair lay in one slick wave over his head.

Only his face and shoulders were visible above the water, leaving her hungry for a better view.

She recalled once when she’d sat in this same hot tub with him. He’d been naked beneath the water. The idea sizzled over her, turning her as warm and liquid as the bubbling bath. She doubted he’d be cavorting around the Hearthside naked in the middle of the afternoon, but she found herself straining for a peek into the blue depths anyhow.

Oh, no.

What was she doing?

Eight years later, she acted as moonstruck as ever around Mitch. Maybe she could sneak away now and he’d never notice. She would tell herself it had been a good thing to get her first viewing out of the way so she wouldn’t be so cow-eyed tomorrow when they officially met.

It was a great idea.

In fact, she loved the idea.

Too bad her damn high heels were glued to the floor.

Before she could unstick her feet to make her exit, he moved. In a flash of sluicing water and flexing muscle, Mitch hoisted himself up onto the ledge of the pool and took a seat.

Tessa covered the involuntary squeal that rose to her lips. Whether she’d turned into a giddy coed because she could now see more of him or because he’d opened his eyes and might see her, she couldn’t say.

But she refused to let her hormones hold her hostage.

She made a fast turn on her heel before she could change her mind, forgetting all about the oranges. The netting sack swung wide and pulled loose from her arm.

She watched in slow-motion horror as her citrus bounced and hopped in a cheerful orange beeline for the hot tub.

Tessa stood motionless as the first piece of fruit splashed into the pool right beside a redheaded mermaid. Mitch’s gaze swung toward the orange and then to the impromptu citrus parade.

And then to her.

She gulped. Maybe she gasped. She searched for words and air and a small scrap of dignity to confront him with, because she definitely wasn’t going to stand here acting like one of his groupies.

Striding forward, she managed a confident step that would have made Ines proud. Too bad Mitch chose that moment to rise to his feet.

She couldn’t have looked him in the eye if her career depended on it. Her gaze wandered a slow path upward from his long feet to his lightly furred calves. His muscular thighs to his…swimsuit. The rippled plane of his stomach to tightened male nipples.

A memory of tasting his flesh in that very spot prompted her to lick her lips.

“Mitch.” She breathed the word, unable to find her voice now that she stared into familiar gray eyes that had long dominated her fantasies.

“Hello, Tessa.” His voice raked over her senses like fingernails on a lover’s back. “Welcome back.”

The steam from the hot tub seemed to kick up a few sultry degrees. It took all of Tessa’s restraint not to loosen the belt of her trench coat.

“I didn’t expect you here until tomorrow,” she remarked, wishing she hadn’t allowed herself such a long survey of him. She’d already catalogued way too many enticements. “I thought you moved to Tahoe,” she blurted, needing to fill the sexually charged air around them with something besides her heavy breathing.

He grinned as he bent to retrieve her fruit. “Been checking up on me?”

Heat climbed her cheeks. He still possessed that slow, sexy smile. The one that had made her heart do back flips and her mouth go dry.

“Hardly.” She knelt beside him and carefully avoided any random hand brushing as they picked up her oranges and put them in the sack. “I read about your accident in the papers, and they mentioned you were moving back to the States to recover.” She wouldn’t mention she’d scanned several articles to glean that much information, or that she’d been panicked when she heard he’d taken a bad fall down some Alpine mountain. “Are you okay?”

Now that they’d finished gathering her oranges, she and Mitch both stood.

Tessa tried not to stare at the broad expanse of his glistening chest.

“I’m better now that you’re here.” He reached for a towel and slung it around his waist. “Shall we head over to my office to talk?”

She had no choice but to agree. If they were going to plow through a week’s worth of business, she couldn’t afford to avoid him. But the temptation of she and Mitch in a private place sounded very dangerous for her dare…and her peace of mind. “I’m ready when you are.”

Closing her eyes to shut out visions of Mitch’s tanned skin, she sent up a prayer for some major inhibitions.

MITCH THANKED GOD he’d found a towel when he had, or Tessa would have seen rapid evidence of just how much he still wanted her.

He hadn’t expected her until tomorrow or he never would have let her catch him lazing in the hot tub with the latest batch of bubbleheaded college girls to descend on the hotel. He’d snuck in when the pool was empty to give his knee some much needed therapy time. Could he help it if the coed crowd cornered him?

Some timing for Tessa’s arrival.

He took her elbow and propelled her forward through the bar before she had a chance to protest. He had to do something to break that provocative, lingering stare of hers—the one that turned him on as much as if she’d touched him.

Even now, electricity zinged from her body to his hand, no matter how slight his touch.

She pivoted on her heel, swinging the sack of oranges into his shin. “Sorry!” She flashed him an apologetic smile.

He relieved her of the bag before she hurt someone.

“Those are for you, anyway,” she informed him as she handed over the fruit. “Sort of a hello from the Sunshine State.”

The Sunshine State had already been more than generous to him today. “Thank you.” He took a step forward, eager to retire to the privacy of his office.

Not that he minded traipsing around the Hearth-side in swim trunks—it certainly wouldn’t be the first time—but he wanted to go somewhere quiet to talk to her, stare at her, convince her to have dinner with him…

She didn’t follow his lead. Her feet remain rooted to the hardwood floor. “Would you rather just wait to talk until tomorrow?”

He shook his head. “Now is a great time.”

Those bright green eyes of hers took a quick voyage south. “Wouldn’t you like to, um, dress?”

He bit back a grin and the urge to give her the extended tour. “Only if you find me a distraction.”

She straightened, then charged down the hall ahead of him in a staccato of clicking heels. “Not in the least.”

He didn’t know how she knew where she was going, but Mitch walked behind her, enjoying the view.

He’d bet Mogul Ryders she still had a killer body under that monstrous trench coat. Trim little ankles peeked out from the long hem. The belt around her middle nipped a tiny waist. Her face was more interesting than pretty, with full lips and a slight crook in her freckled nose. But somehow it all worked. She was the hottest thing Mitch had laid eyes on since she’d skipped out of his life nearly a decade ago.

He also happened to know she was a single woman, courtesy of her boss at Westwood. He’d been absurdly glad to learn that piece of information.

Not that he had any intention of claiming her forever. He wasn’t any closer to being the stable kind of guy she wanted now than he had been eight years ago.

Still, he couldn’t help but hope he could claim this next week.

She paused outside his door and stared at the brass nameplate. “They let you put the name on the door?”

He opened the door to usher her inside. “What do you mean they? I bought this place two years ago.”

She gaped at him while he edged past her. “You own the Hearthside?”

“Long way up from pro-shop manager, huh?” He had to laugh. He still couldn’t believe he’d wrangled this prime piece of real estate from its former owner. But he had, and this business belonged to him as much as Mogul Ryders.

“I’ll say. Congratulations.” A new light glimmered in her green eyes. Respect. “I never would have taken you for the type of person who would spend enough time in one place to run a hotel.”

That single comment brought back a wealth of memories on why they hadn’t stayed together. He flipped on his computer screen and avoided her gaze. “A management group takes charge when I travel.”

“Oh.” She apparently thought his globe-trotting ways were as irresponsible as ever.

He flicked on the gas fireplace to heat the rooms. The temperature had definitely dropped a couple of degrees since they’d walked in his office. He thought of other, more pleasurable ways to generate some warmth, but they had to talk business first. With more than a little regret, he reminded himself he needed her brains more than her body.

For now.

“Have a seat.” He pulled a dry towel off the back of his desk chair and flung it on the seat so his suit didn’t soak the upholstery. “I appreciate you coming up here, Tessa. When I started searching for marketing help, I wasn’t expecting to find you. You’ve sure made your mark.”

Tessa had told him eight years ago that she wouldn’t travel with him because she wanted to do just that. Make her mark. He wondered if she was happy now that she’d achieved her goal.

She folded her coat carefully around her and took a seat across from him. “I travel a lot for my job. The trip wasn’t a problem.”

“I mean because of our history.” He wasn’t willing to act as if nothing had happened between them. She’d affected him too much for that.

Her eyes widened just a little, but she maintained her cool. “I assumed it wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Great. How about we get together for dinner later and we’ll go over Mogul Ryders’ business plan?”

She opened her mouth, but no words issued forth. On the second try, she managed, “Tonight?”

“The sooner the better, don’t you think?”

“I haven’t finished the marketing plan yet, though. Maybe if we wait—”

“Are we going to be able to work together on this, Tessa?” He eyed her with a level gaze, all thoughts of their past put aside for the moment. Sure he owed Ines Cordova big time for convincing Tessa to come to Lake Placid again—he hadn’t been able to get Tessa out of his head ever since his accident. But no matter what he hoped might transpire between him and Tessa on a personal level this week, he wouldn’t risk a misstep with the marketing.

“Of course we are. Didn’t you specifically request my help in getting your new product line off the ground?” She returned his gaze, and for a minute, Mitch spied the steely determination that had no doubt helped catapult her to the top of her field.

“I’ve heard you’re the best.” He leaned closer. “But if you’re going to find it difficult to work with me, maybe we shouldn’t go through with this.”

“It’s been eight years, Mitch.” She folded her arms across breasts he remembered all too well. “I think I’m over you.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Good. Then you won’t mind having dinner with me tonight. How is seven o’clock?”

She puffed out a small sigh and smoothed her hand over a stray lock of blond hair. His hand itched to mess it up again.

“Seven is fine,” she said finally. “I just want to give you fair warning. I barely had time to repack my suitcase this weekend, let alone do thorough research. I really had intended on working alone tonight.”

Perhaps he frowned at that, because she waved her hands in an impatient gesture.

“I don’t mean to suggest this puts me behind on your account. You have my personal assurance that we’ll come up with just the right marketing strategy for Mogul Ryders.”

Mitch stood. “Okay. You want to take the nickel tour before I walk you upstairs?”

He pulled one of the hotel’s robes off the back of the bathroom door and tossed it around his shoulders. Since his half-dressed state hadn’t made her swoon in appreciation yet, he figured he might as well try another tack.

“I’ve kept my own findings and market research in here.” He opened the door to a second sitting area and wondered if she’d notice the room’s central furnishing. “Just help yourself to anything you might need.”

He gestured to the stacks of brochures and folders on the file cabinets, but Tessa barely gave them a glance. Her eyes were glued to their old make-out couch in the corner.

Her breath caught.

Her cheeks grew pink.

She gulped visibly.

Maybe their weeks together had been as memorable for her as they had been for him.

Although the green love seat used to reside in the library, site of many of their out-of-control kisses, he’d moved the small couch in his office when he bought the ski lodge. Perhaps he wasn’t really playing fair to tease her with it, but he couldn’t resist the temptation to see her reaction.

She looked so much more buttoned-up than she used to. So off-limits.

When he’d first met her, Tessa had searched for adventure around every corner. She was the only girl he’d ever dated who gladly let him teach her how to snowboard. And she’d taken to it like a pro. He doubted she’d ever be so daring now. In her trench coat and navy pumps, she looked more fit for the boardroom than the slopes.

She faced him, cool as you please in spite of the steamy memories the love seat from the library had to call to mind. “Why don’t you box up the files and send them to my room? In fact, I should probably settle in now so I can review my notes before tonight, Mitch. I really can compile a comprehensive plan for your company once I sit down and—”

“I know you can. That’s why I hired you.”

She arched a brow as if she didn’t believe him.

“If you think I hired you because of what happened between us, you’re wrong.” Mostly. “I requested you because you’re reputed to have one of the sharpest marketing minds on the Eastern seaboard.”

That much was true. He’d been amazed to read her bio.

He stood in front of her, making sure to leave enough space between them to reinforce his claim that he only brought her here for business. He couldn’t afford to scare her away. “I need an expert to help me make Mogul Ryders a blowout success.”

Ever since Mitch had lost his ability to compete on the slopes, he’d hung his voracious need to succeed on his business. Tessa would be his ticket to realizing his goals.

She looked him in the eye. “I can do it.”

He shook his head. He didn’t want to hear the pat assurances she’d reel off to any of her clients. “But you said you hadn’t fully researched my company. What if—”

“Frankly, Mitch, if you made snake oil, I could sell it for you with a kick-butt return on your investment.”

He couldn’t help a low whistle of admiration. The cool confidence in her gaze made him a believer. “Really?”

She grinned. “Really.”

Mitch nodded, pleased his company rested in good hands and strangely proud to think Tessa O’Neal had turned into a business dynamo. “Then I guess I’ll show you to your room and let you go to work.”

He ushered her out of his office and toward the elevator. He didn’t need to ask which room she was in. He’d chosen it himself. Number 326, the executive suite.

She shuffled a few of the papers under her arm. “I’ll have at least a portion of this mapped out by dinner. Shall we meet in the hotel restaurant?”

Mitch followed the progress of her stocking-clad ankles as she stepped on to the elevator. “How about we head over to MacRae’s?” he suggested, dropping the name of their favorite restaurant as he punched number three.

Frowning, she cinched the belt around her coat a little tighter. “I don’t know, Mitch. I—”

“They still fry up a mean lake trout.” His mind conjured a wayward image of Tessa in her tan trench coat with nothing on underneath it but high heels. He really shouldn’t torture himself like this.

“You should have gone into my field, Mitch,” she muttered as the elevator doors swished open. “Which way?”

He pointed down the hall. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

She didn’t say anything as she paused in front of her door and slid the key into the lock. When the green light appeared, she pushed her way inside then turned to face him. She stood there a moment, poised in the entry, propping the door open with her hip. “Yes.”

The word hit him with the force of a mogul at high speed—jolting his whole body and launching him through the air. God, but she packed a provocative punch.

She looked at him, her breathing a little fast, her cheeks tinged with color. Right then, Mitch knew he wasn’t the only one who had mentally replayed every moment of their time together in the years since they’d seen each other.

He would have kissed her if he didn’t think she might turn around and hop the first plane back to Miami.

But maybe she’d relax around him after they tied up their business.

“Meet you in the lobby around seven?”

She nodded. “I’ll be there.”

Backing away, he opted for a quick retreat before he did something stupid, like tug on the ties of that trench coat until it fell to her feet.

The door swung shut between them, but it didn’t stop him from envisioning her every move behind it. Would she have that coat off yet?

Mitch hoped Tessa was every inch the marketing genius she was reputed to be, because the quicker they dispensed with the business portion of her trip, the faster he could get her back to that love seat in his office to relive a few fond memories.

2

HE’D KEPT the love seat.

No matter how much she tried to concentrate on developing a marketing plan, that one thought kept recurring in her brain.

Tessa paced the suite bedroom in her towel as she read over Mitch’s file for the third time since her bubble bath.

Why had he moved the love seat into his offices? Didn’t he remember what they had shared on that glorified pine bench? Or worse, what if he did?

Berating herself for her lack of focus, she planned her strictly business approach to tonight’s meeting. She could do this. She had to.

If she could keep things professional between them for one week, she’d fulfill the dare and she’d be free and clear of Mitch, of Lake Placid, of her marketing job. She could start fresh with her sedate life next Monday, go online with her small clothing venture and forget this entire mishap.

Forget Mitch?

She tossed the file on the dresser and turned to the wrinkled clothing selections in her suitcase. Why had she ever agreed to spend the last week of her job in Lake Placid?

As she combed out her damp hair, Tessa noticed her watch read six-thirty. She had just enough time to rest her eyes before her appointment with Mitch at seven. She deserved a few minutes of downtime after her ten-hour trek to the Adirondacks and three-hour cramming session to develop Mitch’s marketing plan. She’d been running on too little sleep all weekend.

Flinging aside her towel, Tessa slid between the taut sheets of the hotel bed and smiled. She snuggled into the embrace of flannel blankets and down pillows and tried not to think how much better her free time would be spent right now if she had a gorgeous man to massage her feet. A gorgeous man with gray eyes and the power to steal her breath.

Tessa squeezed her eyes closed more tightly, hoping to will away images of Mitch. Still, the tickle of cool sheets against her bare skin sent her mind on a vivid replay of this afternoon’s meeting. Especially the first few minutes when he’d been soaking wet and half naked. All those hours on the slopes had given him a washboard stomach and thighs like iron.

If memory served—and she knew darn well it did—the rest of him was equally impressive.

Of course she shouldn’t be visualizing her client in the buff. She wouldn’t get involved with an adrenaline addict again, not when she’d promised herself she would embark on a new era in her life starting with her business venture next week.

She’d been so hung up on Mitch after she left Lake Placid the first time, she’d ended up married to a man eerily similar to him two years afterward. Her husband had seemed like a reserved man with a quiet banking job, but he’d sought his thrills in the stock market. He’d bankrupted himself, filched Tessa’s credit card and run off with a wealthy figure skater before Tessa knew what hit her.

Too bad things hadn’t worked out with fiancé number two. Rob had seemed so safe. So rooted.

So colorless compared to Mitch.

Yawning, she pulled the bedside clock radio on to her pillow and turned up the volume to prevent herself from sleeping. Why did she have to be attracted to such reckless men?

Oh, well. None of that mattered right now while she snuggled in the nest of blankets. She didn’t have enough time to nap, and the dreamy love song on the radio defeated the purpose of music in her ear, so she spun the dial until she found a polka station and cranked the volume to full blast.

No way would she sleep now.

Or so she thought until she lost herself in sensual dreams. She could feel the heat of Mitch’s hands upon her body, breathe the scent of his skin. They lay entwined on the old love seat in the library, their bodies a tangle of hungry limbs. The back of the love seat knocked a seductive rhythm against the wall.

Knock. Knock.

The sound transmuted, mingling with strains of Lawrence Welk.

“Tessa!” Mitch called her name. Too bad the hoarse cry sounded more like a shout of worry than one of ecstasy.

Knock. Knock.

“Tessa!” The object of her dreams shouted to her in time with an accordion riff blaring in her head.

She tried to blink her way out of her dream.

The door to her bedroom flew open. Mitch and a middle-aged woman in a maid’s uniform burst into her room.

“Are you all right?” Mitch’s brow creased in worry. He seated himself beside her and gently shook her bare shoulder. He flipped off the accordion. “The room next door complained about the noise. Sorry about busting in here, but I got worried when you didn’t answer the phone.”

A shiver tripped through Tessa at his touch. Her dreams were still too close to the surface for her to hide her reaction to him.

The little maid peeked around Mitch, biting her lip. “She looks okay. Perhaps she was only tired.”

“Thank God.” His gaze pierced Tessa so deeply she feared he could read her recent wanton thoughts. She might have yanked the covers over her head to escape him if he hadn’t turned away then.

“Sorry to have bothered you, Daniela.” He nodded to the maid. “Tell your son we’ll resume our practice schedule next week. Joey is really turning into a pro on his snowboard.”

The woman beamed with maternal pride. “He looks up to you so much. Thank you for all you do for him.”

Tessa blinked again as the maid left. She tried to gather her thoughts. “What time is it?”

He dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed and waved the clock radio in front of her nose. “It’s quarter past seven. I was just starting to wonder if you were going to keep our appointment when I got a call about the noise up here.”

Her sleepiness evaporated as the full impact of Mitch’s presence in her bedroom hit home. He sat so close his thigh pressed against her waist and hip. In light of the awareness zinging through her, the goose down comforter separating them seemed as substantial as a bargain brand tissue.

She was definitely not dreaming.

“I guess I fell asleep.” Too many cross-country trips for her clients. Too many Jell-O shots the other night. Only one more week and she’d reclaim her life.

He barely suppressed a laugh. “How could anyone fall asleep to the musical stylings of a German oom-pah band?”

She wriggled a few inches away from him in a vain attempt to halt the hormonal overload his thigh had instigated. The fact that she was naked beneath the sheets didn’t help matters, either. If she had to stand much more of this, she’d be wrestling Mitch to the mattress in no time.

“Sorry I’m late.” She tried to discreetly pull the covers closer to her chin. “If you give me five minutes, I’ll meet you downstairs.”

She hoped he would take the hint and go before she spontaneously combusted.

“Are you sure you’re up to it?” He skimmed his hand over her forehead and leaned closer, a wolfish grin spreading over his face. “You feel kind of warm to me.”

He didn’t know the half of it.

Those long fingers called to mind the nights he had touched her, teased her in ways she hadn’t experienced before or since.

Heat kicked through her even though she wasn’t about to let herself be swayed. “I’m fine. I’ll be in the lobby in no time.”

She waited for him to leave, a prisoner of her nakedness under the covers.

He straightened but remained on the bed.

Mitch stilled his questing fingers, but his eyes were as predatory as ever. “Just out of curiosity, what have you got on under there?”

Every nerve ending leaped to life at his pretended interest, yet she would be damned if she would acknowledge it. Besides, she could handle his teasing. This was much easier than his caring.

“It’s really none of your business.” It strained her dignity to look coolly professional when she had a rat’s nest for a hairdo and had no choice but to lie down.

“I notice your bathrobe is hanging on the back of the door.” His voice turned husky and low as he jerked his thumb toward the length of navy blue terry cloth. “My guess is that it’s a hell of a lot less than that.”

Her skin tingled. Still, she pointed toward the exit. “I want you to go now.”

“Do you really?”

No.

“Yes.” She forced a determination into her voice she definitely didn’t feel.

“If we were playing our old truth or dare game right now, Tessa, I think I’d have to penalize you for fibbing.” He trailed a finger along her bare shoulder and then skimmed the length of her arm.

The touch reverberated through her, tickling nerves all the way to her thighs.

Lava streamed through her veins at the memory of past penalties. Mitch had been so very inventive….

But as delicious as those memories might be, Tessa had a job to do. She would never get it done by drooling over a man whose idea of commitment was to hire a management staff for his hotel property while he hopped the globe and broke hearts.

“I’m not here to play games this time, Mitch.”

The quiet seriousness in her voice seemed to call him from his teasing flirtation.

He scrubbed his hand over his forehead and nodded. “You’re right.”

She realized how unfulfilling being right could be when she experienced a rush of aching loss as he backed away from the bed.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “No games this time.”

“No games.” Clutching the sheet more tightly to her, she assured herself that’s what she wanted.

Mitch had nearly reached the door when he paused at the dresser to examine a sheaf of papers she’d left there. “Can I take your Mogul Ryders file to occupy myself until you come downstairs?”

He scooped up her papers and began leafing through them.

“Could you wait with that? I’ll only be five minutes.”

Engrossed in the file, he barely acknowledged her. “See you then,” he mumbled, folder in hand. He shuffled to the door as he read, seemingly oblivious to Tessa’s protest that her notes were still too rough for his review.

At last the outer door finally closed.

Frustrated he’d absconded with her work, but very happy to have escaped the temptation of his presence, Tessa breathed a sigh of relief.

That was close.

Much too close.

How was she ever going to stay out of Mitch’s bed when she’d found herself naked with him inside their first twenty-four hours together?

She headed to her suitcase to choose her most conservative suit for their business dinner. After the close encounter in her bed, she needed a no-nonsense armor to ward off any stray charm he might fling her way.

Because no matter how appealing Mitch might be, Tessa had no intention of failing in her dare. She’d conquered the bunny hop, by God. She could darn well keep her hands off an overgrown playboy for one week.

MITCH WATCHED Tessa storm into the lobby about fifteen minutes after he left her room. He’d had just enough time to read over the file she had told him not to touch.

He could tell by the gray tweed suit and the all-business French twist of her hair that she was mad. The stern set to her jaw and the pursed lips reinforced the impression. But he could not compel himself to regret filching her file on Mogul Ryders. The marketing plan she’d sketched out for his enterprise was ingenious.

He handed over the sheaf of papers as a peace offering. “You’re brilliant.”

“You’re a thief.” She snatched it out of his hand and tucked it under one arm.

So much for charming her. “Sorry, Tessa. You hadn’t even closed the folder. Once it caught my attention, I could hardly put it down.”

“You shouldn’t have been in my room to start with,” she grumbled.

He would bet she had no idea how the damp hair curling in sexy waves around her neck defeated the rest of her uptight hairdo.

“I suppose you would have been happier if I’d let you go deaf? C’mon, Tessa.” He nodded toward the front doors, eager to pick that sharp brain of hers. “Let’s have some trout and start this evening all over again. You can wow me with your plans.”

Thankfully, she seemed to forget her annoyance once they got outside. Tessa was like a kid in the snow. She held out her hand to catch the snowflakes and tilted her nose in the air to let them fall on her cheeks. She even forgave him enough to take his arm as they crossed the slippery parking lot. She’d traded in her heels for black leather boots that hugged her calves.

He tried not to think about the legs inside the leather. He needed to focus on learning everything he could from her about promoting his company. This venture embodied all his hopes for the future. He couldn’t afford to foul up another career since his professional snowboarding days had run amok.

She seemed more relaxed while discussing business over dinner, although Mitch questioned his wisdom at bringing her for a walk down memory lane at MacRae’s. The café had an outdoor service window that accessed the ice pond. He and Tessa had once skated up for cocoa before heading back to his place….

And he really shouldn’t think about that now. He grilled her about marketing in an effort to distract himself. When he was thoroughly satisfied she knew exactly how to handle his account, he paid the check and ushered her outside.

“It’s no wonder you’re at the top of your field, Tessa,” he remarked as they stepped into the crisp night air. “I can’t believe you put all those plans together in a few hours.”

Another inch of snow had fallen in the time they’d eaten dinner. Mitch knew he shouldn’t court temptation by keeping company with her any longer, but she eyed the frozen pond and the skaters with open longing. He could empathize. Lake Placid in the winter seemed like a Christmas card come to life.

He nodded toward the bench near MacRae’s skate-through window. “Want to watch?”

Shades of the adventurous Tessa flashed in her wide grin. “Sure. Cocoa’s on me.”

As she paid for the steaming beverages, strains from the restaurant’s lone guitar player drifted through the skate-up window to serenade them.

“Don’t be too impressed with my work, by the way,” she remarked as they seated themselves on the rough-hewn plank that served for a bench.

He blew on his cocoa and watched the steam curl into dancing white wisps in the cold air. “You’re being modest.”

She shook her head. “Hardly. I had the office fax me a lot of the contact names and the links for the Web site we’ll make for you.” She shrugged, as if compiling fifty pages worth of resources had been no big deal. “We’ll hit your target audience with an interactive, flashy site. Between that and the other ideas, we’ll get a broad range of exposure.”

He believed her. And felt relieved for the first time in months. He’d been so worried about taking his company to a new level that he hadn’t been able to really relax in ages. But somehow Tessa’s conviction rubbed off on him. With her by his side, he could make his new venture a success. It had been easy to buy the Hearthside, which had been a well-run business to start. The self-sufficient hotel would never give him the same degree of satisfaction as getting his snowboard business off the ground.

“So why did you leave Tahoe?” she asked between delicate sips of hot chocolate.

He stared at the tiny rim of foam on her top lip. Eight years ago he could have leaned over and licked it off. He wondered what she would do if he tried it now. “Too young. Too full of X Games wannabes.”

She licked her lip, sending shockwaves of primal hunger right through him.

“You mean too many youthful Mitch Ryders.”

The guitar player inside launched into “Bad Moon Rising.” Mitch knew half the kids in Tahoe would think Credence Clearwater Revival was an environmental movement. “I was never that young.”

Tessa snorted.

“I take it you disagree?”

“You used to be pretty wild.”

The key words being used to be, Mitch thought with disgust. Since his accident, he hadn’t even hit the top of Whiteface. He still spent some time showing the local kids the tricks and twists that had once put him at the top of his game, but he’d never have the edge that he used to. Fortunately, he had a new game to conquer, a new field to dominate. The business world.

And as long as he had Tessa to help him, he would be on top in no time.

He groaned at the image. On top.

He definitely didn’t need to think about how much Tessa liked being on top.

Tessa watched Mitch stare at the stars and wondered what he was thinking. He didn’t seem to want to talk about the past, but Tessa didn’t want to leave their winter wonderland just yet.

While she was thinking of a way to linger, a boy broke free from the skating pack and careened toward them.

“Look out!” he shouted, his face contorting into a theatrical version of fear.

“Hey, Joey,” Mitch called. “No pratfalls over my guest.”

Seconds before slamming into their bench, the boy regained control, gliding to a stop beside Mitch.

“Pretty good, huh?” The kid tried to play it cool, but he looked at Mitch with undisguised hero worship in his eyes.

Garbed in the garish colors the snowboard crowd favored, the boy looked to be somewhere between eight and ten years old.

Mitch ruffled the boy’s hair. “Did your mother tell you I’m busy this week with business?”

Joey grinned. “That’s okay, I think I’ve got all the moves down.”

“Yeah, right. Stay out of trouble this week and I’ll take you to Whiteface next week when I have some time.”

“Really?” The boy’s cool facade vanished, and his voice was pitched a notch higher.

“Really. Now take yourself off so I can get some work done.” Mitch gave the kid a nudge and sent him cruising backward on his skates.

Tessa watched the exchange with interest, curious about the ties Mitch seemed to have to the community. He’d been more of a wanderer when she’d first met him.

“That’s Daniela’s son,” he explained. A smile played about his mouth. “You remember, the maid who was with me when I came into your room when you were, um…”

He touched her shoulder and skimmed his fingers down the length of her arm, a vivid reminder of the caress he’d given her earlier when only a blanket had separated her naked body from him.

Tessa straightened, prepared to curtail any flirting before it started. “He seems very nice.” She searched for a new conversational route before Mitch could look at her with that teasing light in his eyes again. “So where are you living now? At the hotel?”

He had dropped the subject of Tahoe and his accident so fast she hadn’t figured out where he called home at the moment.

“I got a good deal on a log cabin a mile up the road from the inn.”

“You bought it?”

“You sound surprised.”

She shrugged. “I can’t picture you settling down in one place.”

“I’m grounded for awhile.”

His grimace made it clear he found the idea of staying put as painful as the monstrous fall that stalled his former career two years ago.

“It’s been a long time since I read the article about your accident, Mitch.” She’d practically memorized it, actually. Yet she wanted to hear his version. “What happened?”

“Stupidity.”

She wouldn’t press. She watched a family of skaters clutch one another as they giggled and wobbled their way around the pond. The crisp scratch and skritch of the blades on ice reminded Tessa of the home-wrecking figure skater her husband ran off with. But sitting here under a snow-speckled velvet sky with Mitch, the thought didn’t rankle as much as it had in the past.

“I caught a lot of pop coming off the pipe,” Mitch finally explained.

She made the time-out sign with her hands. “I don’t know if I can interpret snowboard-ese anymore.”

“I had too much height over one of the banks at a Swiss meet.” He gestured with his hands, using his cocoa for the bank and his free hand for the snowboard. The snowboard hand sailed above the foam cup. “I should have limited my moves to something simple so I could have regained control, but I had been on fire all day.”

Tessa remembered all too well what Mitch was like when he was on fire. On the slopes, it had meant he owned the course.

In her bed, it had meant she’d be smiling for days.

“Let me guess. You used the height to do something outrageous and reckless.”

“I got spinning so fast.” He maneuvered the snowboard hand into a single snowboard finger and demonstrated it twirling around and around in the rising steam from the cup. “Observers say I spun well over a thousand degrees. Guys frequently spin nine hundreds or ten-twenties, but this was beyond that.”

Tessa cringed. How could he be proud of an accident that nearly killed him? “And you lost control?”

He frowned and stared at his pantomimed performance as if he didn’t know where to move the players next. “More like I lost concentration for a fraction of a second. I think I let myself enjoy the moment for an instant, and in that nanosecond, I miscalculated the landing.”

He allowed the finger snowboarder to fall over and careen downward past the cocoa cup to land in a heap on the wooden bench. “I didn’t just hit the pipe and fall, I flew butt over boot heels halfway down the mountain.” He shook his head as his gaze turned from the drama of his fingers and locked on her. “I lost control.”

The regret she discerned in his eyes almost made her want to throw her carefully constructed professional persona to the wind and reach out to him.

But she refused to dare anything more with this man.

She had another dare she planned to honor, and it involved thinking with her head instead of her heart.

“I’m sorry, Mitch.” Too late, she realized her voice conveyed all the emotions she had sought to suppress. The throaty whisper reverberated in the silence like the echo of a far-off church bell.

Embarrassed by her transparent feelings, she stared downward, only to spy his hand laying on the bench beside her thigh. Almost touching.

He yanked it back after a moment and drained his cocoa. “It was a good lesson,” Mitch declared, crinkling the cup and tossing it into a nearby trash can with a hook shot. “I’m more cautious now. I have a business of my own and employees to consider. I can’t afford to be reckless anymore.”

Tessa chose her words with care. “You’ve invested a lot of yourself into Mogul Ryders.” He might be creating some stability with his business. Yet she’d be willing to bet if given a snowboard or skis—or a meaningful relationship, for that matter—he’d be as impulsive as ever.

“It means everything to me, Tessa.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, eyeing the action on the ice like a benchwarmer eager to get in the game. “That’s why I’m so glad you’re going to help me get the new product line off the ground. You’ve got the expertise I need.”

“Westwood Marketing has a great team. They’ll make sure your line makes an impressive debut.” She knew her first pang of regret about leaving her firm next week. A part of her would have liked to supervise the implementation of her plans for Mitch’s company.

“Your firm has quite a reputation. But it’s you I trust.” He winked.

A warning buzzer went off in Tessa’s head. She had to make certain he understood that she wouldn’t be part of the package after Friday. “Of course, my contribution is complete once your plan is polished and approved.”

Mitch straightened. The music from inside MacRae’s stopped, and the dinner crowd applauded. “What do you mean?”

Silence surrounded them but for the scrape of blades on the ice and the far-off giggles of the skaters. The falling snow insulated them from the rest of the world.

“I’m leaving my firm. Setting up the marketing plan for Mogul Ryders is my last project.”

Mitch’s jaw flexed in silent testament to his vexation. “Why? They don’t pay you enough? Because I can hire you—”

“No.” She didn’t care to hear how much he needed her brains when he’d never had any need for her heart. “It’s not that. It’s the pace. I don’t want to spend all my free time in airports anymore.”

He clasped her shoulders in his hands. Logically, she knew his skin must be cold from their time outdoors. His touch sent heat waves through her anyhow.

“But this is big, Tessa. This is my whole life.”

He’d said much the same thing to her eight years ago when he asked her to trot the globe with him while he chased his dreams on the pro circuit. She hadn’t been able to make him happy then, either.

“I’m sorry, Mitch. I’ve already given my notice.”

“How much longer will I have you?”

She knew he didn’t mean the question in the provocative way her ears heard it. That didn’t stop the shiver that tripped through her in response.

She took a deep breath and told herself she only had a few days to endure the sensual torment of just being in the same room with him. She could do this.

Braving his gaze, she repeated the motivational mantra she had been using to fulfill Ines’s dare. “I leave in just one week.”

3

MITCH STARED into her green eyes, willing her to change her mind. Yet he could tell by the mutinous thrust of her chin he wouldn’t be any more successful at a Vulcan Mind Meld now than he had been the last time they’d parted.

As he walked her to his truck, however, it occurred to him that he had infinitely more life experience than the last time she’d left him. And he had more than his heart to forfeit this go-round. The job security of everyone in his company rested on whether or not he could get his snowboard line off the ground.

That meant he’d have to commit himself to making Tessa stay. If she was quitting the job because she worked too hard, maybe he could woo her into helping him by showing her a good time. When was the last time Ms. Trench Coat and Heels had some fun?

With only one week to change her mind, Mitch knew he couldn’t afford his slower approach anymore. As of now, he was a man on a mission.

TESSA OPENED a reluctant eye and scanned her hotel suite for the source of the incessant pounding that woke her before her alarm sounded. She abhorred the thought of leaving her nighttime cocoon of flannel sheets and down comforter. She also couldn’t go back to sleep until the knocking ceased.

“Tessa?” Mitch’s gravelly baritone drove through her door. “You awake?”

She groaned a reply, hoping her incoherence would be enough to send him away. She’d have a hard time living up to the dare if she had to confront such a sexy voice first thing in the morning.

“There’s at least a foot of new snow from last night,” he called. “You should see it.”

Like a child rooting for a snow day, Tessa brightened at the weather report. She shimmied partway out of the covers. “Did they clear the pond yet?”

“Nope. It’s pristine. Untouched. You can be the first snow angel out there if you hurry.”

A little tremor of excitement skittered over her, but she couldn’t be sure if it had to do with eagerness to get outside or a desire to see Mitch again. What would it hurt to have a little fun? And they wouldn’t be anywhere near a bed….

She tossed off the remaining blankets and slid to the floor. “Ten minutes, tops. I’ll meet you out front.”

“I think you’ll want to let me in,” Mitch persisted.

“Not a chance. Unless you have coffee?” She dashed around the room, flicking on lights, pressing the button for a gas flame in the fireplace, running a comb through her hair.

“Among other things.”

Curious, she jabbed her toothbrush around her mouth then opened the door a crack. “Like what?”

Mitch thrust forward a room service box with two powdered doughnuts and steaming cups of coffee. “Breakfast.”

She opened the door wider to admit him. She ignored the starchy voice of her conscience that balked at entertaining a client in her hotel room. This was Mitch, after all. It seemed dishonest to pretend they’d never meant anything to each other when they had spent two weeks of their lives practically glued together.

The mental picture accompanying that thought sent a sensual wave of heat through her thighs and belly.

She hoped her cheeks weren’t as flushed as they felt. “Great! I’m starved.”

Wandering inside, he set his offering on a polished pine coffee table.

How could he look so good first thing in the morning? Her gaze drank in his lazy stride, his easy smile. He wore a long wool coat with a red scarf trailing the collar—a far more conservative look than the trademark neon apparel he used to wear in his snow-boarder days. His one concession to his former fashion sense was a tiny troll with neon yellow hair pinned to his lapel.

She looked away when she noticed he was observing her as candidly as she had been regarding him.

He cleared his throat. “You look very nice in red, by the way.”

Had he meant to comment on the blush she felt on her cheeks or the flannel pajamas she’d bought in the gift shop?

“These are the most comfortable clothes I’ve ever worn.” She dropped onto the sofa and pulled a corduroy pillow onto her lap. The tasseled blue bolster seemed a pitifully inadequate barrier between her and walking animal magnetism.

“But they’re not very practical for making snow angels.”

She grabbed a doughnut. “I’ll come up with something suitable. Have a seat.” She motioned toward the wing chair. The one farthest away from her corner of the couch.

He remained standing, one arm behind his back. “Like what? The trench coat?”

Tessa frowned, wondering what he was hiding. “What have you got back there?”

The sound of crinkling paper greeted her ears as he jiggled whatever he concealed. It sounded like a paper bag.

“Something suitable.” He tossed a bag with the pro shop logo on her lap and sat down.

“Mitch, I can’t—”

“It’s nothing.” He took the lid off her coffee and handed her the cup. “The owner always gets the best deals.”

She took a sip of coffee, telling herself she shouldn’t open the bag. But she knew it contained clothes of some sort. She had a damnable weakness for clothes. “I really shouldn’t.”

Mitch bit into his doughnut, sprinkling white powder down his sweater and groaning at the presence of vanilla cream in the center.

“Actually, this is a necessity. If you’re going to familiarize yourself with my product, you’ll need protective gear.” He handed her a pastry. “It would be unprofessional of you not to accept.”

“Unprofessional?”

“Definitely.”

How could she refuse? “You really missed your calling, Mitch. Your selling skills would knock mine off the chart.” Laughing, Tessa set the doughnut aside and tore into the bag. “Snow pants!”

“Ski pants.”

She admired the trim black spandex and thanked God his company made snowboards instead of surfboards. Ski pants would be much kinder to her legs than a French bikini high-rise. “Is there a difference?”

“Aerodynamics. You can pick a jacket to go with them on our way out. I wavered between green or red.”

“Is a jacket considered protective gear also?”

“Absolutely.”

She had to laugh, surprised at their easy rapport in spite of the undeniable chemistry between them. Had he been this considerate when they’d been together eight years ago? Certainly, he’d always been this much fun.

Perhaps this week’s trip would help her remember not to take life so seriously all the time.

Or was that a dangerous line of thought?

She tossed off the pillow shield and stood. She would face Mitch’s charm head-on. “I guess I’d better get dressed if we want to see the snow before the rest of Lake Placid wakes up.”

Mitch frowned, but he rose, too. “I’ve got a lot of things I want to show you today.” He strode toward the door.

A whole day with Mitch. No pillow armor to protect herself from his blatant appeal. No conservative business suit to remind herself to act in a circumspect, professional manner. How would she keep her distance from him if they kept having fun?

She spied the answer stacked on top of her briefcase. “I’ll bring my notes. We’ll get lots of work done.”

He shook his head. “Don’t bother. You’ll never capture the right mood for the marketing pieces if you insist on approaching everything as work. Mogul Ryders is about having fun.”

She nodded, accustomed to listening to her clients’ directives. There was just one problem with this particular command.

She knew from personal experience that having fun with Mitch might be more temptation than her overloaded senses could handle.

MITCH COULDN’T HELP but notice Tessa’s entrance attracted more head turns than a tennis match when she sashayed into the lobby.

Damn, she looked good. How was it she could garner more attention in a ski suit than most women did in a swimsuit?

Or maybe it was more a matter of her neon yellow coat dazzling everyone in a fifty-yard radius.

He eyed her selection, surprised she hadn’t gone for her usual conservative palette. “I take it they were all out of navy blue?”

The sound of her throaty laughter sent a shot of heat through him.

“I had a red one in my hands, but this one just called to me. Loudly.”

“You look great.”

It was a simple enough remark, yet it hung in the air between them, laden with more meaning than he’d meant to give it. Tessa stared at him for a long moment before tucking a blond strand behind her ear.

“Thank you.”

Reminding himself to go slow with her, he sought to break the tension by fingering the tiny pin on his black jacket. “You need a troll to match.”

“I’m going to let that remain your unique fashion statement. This coat was enough of a change for me today.” She grinned, her eyes alight with mischief he hadn’t seen in too many years.

Which might mean Phase One of his Make Tessa Stay plan had been a success thus far.

His rationale had been simple. If Tessa wanted to quit her job because she resented spending her free time in airports, maybe she would accept a position with him if she saw she could have fun while working.

Lucky for him, he had an inside angle on what she liked to do for fun. He’d felt a twinge of guilt this morning when he’d bribed his way into her room with breakfast. But with Mogul Ryders’s future on the line, he couldn’t afford to fight fair.

He needed her by his side.

He wanted her in his bed.

MITCH WAS prepared to push the envelope when they returned to the inn after a day packed with every winter sport imaginable. He hadn’t made concrete headway with her yet, but one potential weapon remained in his persuasive arsenal.

The love seat.

They stamped snow off their boots and hung their jackets on the massive coat rack at the front door.

“You’ll never get me to go down the luge run again,” Tessa announced, padding her way toward his office suite in thermal socks.

They had agreed to wrap up some business before they ended their day. Mitch couldn’t help but hope their meeting yielded more than just a marketing plan.

He led her to a different door than the one she’d been in before—the door that led to their love seat.

He let her enter first.

“Give it up, Tessa. You adored it.” Mitch couldn’t help but admire the sway of her hips as she walked.

The ski pants she’d worn all day accentuated every curvy nuance, taunting him with the memory of the sexy body her staid business suits couldn’t quite hide.

“Sure I did.” She hesitated a moment when she noticed the small couch, but she sank down into the soft green cushions anyway. “That’s why I screamed the entire time, right?”

“That’s how I know you loved it.” He switched on the fireplace in front of them and dropped down on the love seat a few feet away.

Her cheeks flushed before she turned to stare into the blaze. The shrieking she’d done today hadn’t been exactly like the primal cries he remembered from their days spent together between the sheets, but the sound had still fired his blood.

She ignored his remark and seemed to make an effort to keep their conversation on track. “The bobsled was awesome.”

“Best bobsled run I’ve ever been down.” He closed his eyes to savor the memory. Seated behind her on the sled, he’d practically had his legs wrapped around her for an electrifying sixty-three and half seconds.

Now she propped those legs on a leather hassock, and Mitch’s mouth watered.

“Have you ever thought about doing a regional publicity tour to promote your snowboards to the locals?” she asked suddenly, as if the business wheels had started turning in her much-too-busy mind again.

He shifted beside her, partly to get closer to her, partly to ease the arousal that had plagued him ever since they’d sat down. “I’m not thinking about work right now, Tessa.”

In fact, his thoughts had more to do with wrestling those ski pants from her thighs, but he knew he’d be a fool to move too fast. He should be grateful she’d spent all day with him, ostensibly reviewing possible future product lines for Mogul Ryders by trying out every winter sport Lake Placid had to offer.

He wouldn’t push her, damn it.

But maybe he could allow himself one kiss.

He leaned close enough to breathe in the scent that had teased his senses all day. She smelled like exotic flowers. The scent was definitely more neon yellow than navy blue, and it aroused the hell out of him.

He just needed one taste. Just to see if she was as sweet as he remembered.

“There are so many potential customers here.” Her voice faltered as he hovered near. “So many good opportunities.” She yanked a corner of the throw blanket over her lap, as if the frail network of yarn would discourage him.

Fat chance. He could tell by the agitated flick of her tongue over her lips that she wanted the kiss as badly as he did.

He brushed the afghan away, skimming his hand over her thighs. “I’m only interested in following up on one particular opportunity, Tessa.”

Sliding one arm around her waist, he pulled her to him. Her breathing hitched at the contact of his fingers underneath the hem of her sweater. He paused, drinking in the feel of her smooth skin as he splayed his hand over her back.

When her eyes drifted shut, as if she surrendered all control to him, Mitch homed in on her mouth for the kiss he’d dreamed about for eight years.

He groaned at the absolute perfection of her. The lips that were soft as a bubble bath. The scent that drugged him into behaving like a hormone-overloaded teenager. The taste that wavered between earthy-sexy and divinely sweet.

Every drop of blood in his veins surged south. At just one blasted kiss.

What made him think he could ever stop at just a kiss? He left her lips long enough to sample her neck and the hollow valley at her throat. Her fingers bore into his shoulders, and a strangled cry reached his ears.

“Mitch.” She gasped in time with the hungry swipes of his mouth over her neck. “We can’t.”

He could think of about a million reasons they definitely should. The first being her heart hammering against his chest at least as fiercely as his own.

“Why not?”

She inched backward, inserting a sliver of space between them. “Because this will interfere with our work. Besides, we’ve been down this path, and it doesn’t have a happy ending.”

Her words rained ice on his wayward libido. Not nearly enough to freeze it over, but enough to resurrect his ability to reason. He sure as hell couldn’t jeopardize his plan to make her stay because of his hunger for Tessa.

If she left in a huff because he couldn’t keep his hands off her, then his business suffered. More than anything, he needed to please her first.

Himself second.

In that case, he needed to take it slowly…maybe get away from the temptation of the inn and the sensual memories it posed, or he’d be right back to trying to kiss her within twenty-four hours. He wanted her so much he couldn’t see straight.

Then the perfect solution hit.

He slid away from her. “How about that publicity tour?”

She blinked. “What?”

He was gratified to see the pulse still throb in the small valley between her collarbones. It must have been at least a little bit of a struggle for her to pull away, too.

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