The thought of those women crashed down on her like a frozen wave, and she pulled back with a gasp.
“What’s wrong?” Chris asked, loosening his arm, but keeping his fingers splayed at her hips.
“It’s snowing.”
Chris looked up with her into the endless black sky. The snow came down in fat, clumpy flakes. “So it is. Forgive me if I’m more interested in you right now.” He tried to tug her close again but she held back. “Kate?”
“I’m sorry, Chris. I need to go inside.” Even though her heart was a pit of sorrow, she smiled and pressed another kiss to his willing lips. “But this…? This was perfection. Thank you.”
She pulled out of his arms and slid out of the hot tub. She threw her robe over her shoulders and ran to her room. She didn’t even feel the cold of snow under her feet because she was already frozen with grief inside.
***
Kate couldn’t breathe or think. What had she done? After such a devastating kiss, where could they possibly go from here? The longer she let this go on, the more it would hurt when she said goodbye to him in two days. Because say goodbye she must.
She’d bought too many bracelets and earrings for the other women in his life who’d failed to keep his interest—models, movie stars, heiresses, fashion icons. If all those rich, beautiful women who moved in his circles and were adored by the rest of the world couldn’t hold him, how could she? Even in her fantasies, she’d never dared to dream about anything beyond a kiss. Everything she wanted—marriage and children and lasting love—would have to be found somewhere else.
But now that she’d taken this step, she feared she’d never be satisfied with anyone else. How could anyone ever compare to Chris? His touch, his kiss, the way he’d made her feel as if the whole universe was revolving around them. One thing was clear: this was quicksand. The longer she stayed, the deeper she’d sink. She had to break free while there was something left of her heart to be salvaged.
As she ran around her room packing, she thought desperately about how to get to her parents’ house. It was only forty minutes away. She could call them, of course, but the snow worried her. There was no way she was going to ask them to drive at night with a snow storm rolling in. But she also couldn’t take the car and leave Chris and Shaun stranded.
She tossed her clothes in her suitcase, not even bothering to fold them. What if she got snowed in here? No. It would be far too tempting to just enjoy him for as long as she could have him. That would end in disaster. Her only choice was to beg Shaun to drive her. Poor Shaun. He was going to hate her for this.
As soon as she was packed and dressed in her warmest clothes, she looked at the clock. It was after ten, and she hadn’t heard a sound from Chris’s room. Somehow, she had to get past his room without him hearing her. She had no doubt he would try to stop her.
Luckily, her boots fell softly on the wood floor of the hall. She carried all her bags, not wanting to risk the sound the wheels of her suitcase would make. Halfway down the stairs, she banged into the rail and made a racket. Freezing for a moment, she waited with dread for Chris to open his door and investigate. He didn’t though. She tried to tell herself she was relieved to actually be making a getaway.
Moving silently through the house, she went out to the garage and put her things in the back of the SUV. She wished she could start the car to get it warming up, but she didn’t dare.
Now for the truly tricky part.
Shaun was exactly where she expected to find him—in the theater room. She opened the door slowly, just in case Chris had decided to join him. When she saw he was alone, she crept inside, closed the door behind her, and turned on the lights.
“Hey, what?” Shaun shielded his eyes with his forearm. “Turn it off, I’m blind.”
Kate shrugged and turned it off. The movie gave her enough light anyway. She had no idea what movie he was watching, but the B-list actors onscreen were enjoying an energetic kiss that reminded her way too much of the one she’d just enjoyed with Chris. The one that was sending her running.
“Shaun, I need you to do me a favor.”
His expression grew decidedly suspicious. “What is it? And why are you wearing a coat?”
“Please don’t ask me too many questions. I just need you to drive me to my parents’ house. It’s forty minutes away.”
“You mean tonight?”
“Yes. Right now.”
“You’re crazy. There’s no way I’m going outside. Did you happen to notice it’s snowing out there?”
“Yes, that’s why I have to go now, before the roads get bad. Plus, you’ll need time to get back here.”
Shaun crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “No. Way.”
Kate gave him her sternest look. “If you won’t drive me, I’ll drive myself. And then you won’t have a car to get home to your girlfriend for Christmas.”
He gaped at her. “That’s wicked.”
“I’ll give you five minutes to get ready.”
Shaun called after her as she left. “Where are you going?”
“To the garage. And if you tell Chris, I’ll be out of here so fast. With the car. Leaving you stranded.”
“You’re killing me. Okay, I’ll be right there.”
Kate walked back to the garage and just prayed that everything would turn out right. After a wait that seemed to take entirely too long, Shaun came into the garage dressed in a heavy coat and thick-soled boots.
He got in and started the car. “This sucks so bad. You know that, right?”
“I totally get that, believe me. I really need your help though.”
After a long look between them, Shaun buckled his seatbelt and hit the button to raise the garage door. As he backed out, the car windows immediately became covered with snow. He turned on the wipers. “If I get stranded out here, I hope you feel terrible when I die.”
“Oh, relax. The roads won’t get that bad. You have plenty of time to get back before it’s really bad. “
“Let’s hope so. I’m too pretty to die this young.”
“And Chris, when he asks where I am, you can say anything except give him the address you’re taking me to.”
Chapter Fourteen
Chris awoke the next morning with a feeling that he suspected was similar to what most people felt on Christmas morning. Kate hadn’t said in so many words how she felt about him, but it was all there in her kiss. Even though she knew his every flaw and failing, especially how bad he was at relationships, she still cared. All at once, he felt as if he might actually have a chance at something meaningful and lasting. Because with Kate, it could be nothing else. Not a fling, not a one-off.
Anxious to see her, he jumped out of bed and didn’t bother to do more than brush his teeth before going downstairs. It was a clear sign that he was not himself. He hadn’t left his room in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt since his college days.
Speeding downstairs with anticipation pounding in his chest, the first thing he saw was Kate’s Christmas tree. The lights were still on, though their dim glow didn’t show up much against the bright morning sunlight. Snow was piled up against the glass doors, and any other time, he would have paused to check out the scenery. But he was more interested in getting to Kate.
He was puzzled that he didn’t smell anything baking or hear any sounds of food prep coming from the kitchen. When he didn’t find Kate there, he just figured she was still abed. He was stupid for not knocking on her bedroom door before going downstairs. Turning around, he ran back up and knocked on her door, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he thought about giving her a good-morning kiss.
When she didn’t answer, he figured she must really be out and knocked harder.
“Wow.”
He tried the doorknob experimentally. It turned in his hand, so he pushed the door open slowly and leaned his head in. Instead of Kate tucked under her covers, he found them hanging off the edge of the bed. And absolutely nothing else. No clothes, no per
sonal items, no shoes.
No Kate.
A bad feeling spread over him. What was going on?
Striding from the room, he headed down the hall and knocked on Shaun’s door.
“Come in.” When Chris walked in, Shaun spun around in his computer chair, looking grim. “I’ve been dreading this.”
“Where is she?”
“At her parents’ house. She forced me to drive her there last night.”
Chris felt as if his world was falling away, piece by piece, into an abyss. “But why?”
“I don’t know, sir. She wouldn’t tell me. But she seemed desperate to get away from here. Sad too, though. The whole way, she kept sniffling and looking at her phone as if she was hoping for a call.”
Chris hit fist against the door, making it shake, then moved forward to drop down on the bed. “Where do her parents live? I have to go after her.”
“She made me promise not to give you their address. It doesn’t matter anyway.”
“Why not?”
“Didn’t you notice the snow outside? We’re not going anywhere until the plows come through. And I’m guessing that in a remote place like this, that might take a while.”
“Well, let’s call someone and see if we can get them on it sooner. Or bring in a helicopter. I don’t care. I need to talk to her.”
“You might try calling her.”
“I’d prefer to see her in person. I have no idea why she ran away, but I have a feeling I’ll only be able to fix it in person.”
Shaun nodded. “Women in love do irrational things. Believe me. I have watched enough Christmas rom-coms in the last forty-eight hours to know that.” But then he narrowed his eyes at Chris. “Of course, the men always pull these really stupid stunts or get prideful and ruin everything. What did you do?”
Chris held his hands up like he’d been caught stealing gum at the convenience store. “I didn’t do anything. The last time I saw her, we were kissing and it was amazing. We didn’t even talk much, so I couldn’t have said anything too stupid.”
Shaun raised his eyebrows. “So you kissed your personal assistant in a hot tub in a secluded cabin, but did you talk?”
With dawning horror, Chris considered his words. “You have a point there. I mean, it wasn’t like you just made it sound. She’s practically not even working for me anymore.”
“Practically isn’t not.” Shaun pointed out.
“And this isn’t… that kind of thing.” He looked at Shaun. “She’s the one.”
Shaun’s mouth twisted sideways. “You don’t have to tell me. You think I couldn’t see that with my own eyes? Why do you think I’ve been hiding away downstairs so much?”
Chris had to give the man credit. Of course, he did only hire the brightest people to work for him. And it looked like Shaun was a lot smarter than he was when it came to women.
“I’m going to go pack. You figure out how to get me out of here. And then you’re taking me to Kate.”
Shaun got up and followed him out of the room protesting. “I told you. I promised not to tell you where they live.”
Chris didn’t bother to turn around. Time was of the essence. “You’re not going to tell me. You’re just going to take me there.”
***
A few hours later though, Chris was still trapped at the cabin. Not wanting to cook, he and Shaun had eaten gingerbread cookies for lunch. They sat together in the living room in front of the Christmas tree, waiting for a helicopter to drop out of the skies and rescue them.
“Last night when it started snowing…” Chris said.
“Yeah?” Shaun asked, taking another bite of gingerbread.
“I was hoping to get snowed in. But not with you.”
Shaun looked at him sideways. “Where did you think I was going to be?”
“I mean, not just you. And now, all I have left of Kate are cookies that smile at me like lunatics and a Christmas tree that reminds me of her and her whole devious plan to make me miserable with Christmas.”
“I think she was trying to help you love Christmas. It’s pretty a common theme in the romances I’ve been watching.”
Chris raised his eyebrows. “So, what now? Am I supposed to start belting out Christmas carols or eating fruit cake?”
With an uncaring shrug of his shoulders, Shaun said. “I don’t know. Usually the magic kiss under the mistletoe is happening right now. But you’re going to have to wait for that because that is one thing I’m not helping with.”
“Oh, shut up.” Impatient past bearing, Chris stood and walked to the window. The world beyond was white as far as the eye could see. The sky was clear blue overhead without a cloud in sight, so the afternoon sun was almost blinding as it reflected off the snow. Finally, he heard the sound he’d been waiting for—a faint thumping. Grabbing his bags, he called to Shaun. “Time to go.”
Quick footsteps sounded behind him. He knew Shaun was almost as anxious to get off this mountain as he was. He had a flight leaving out of Charlotte later that night to get him back to his girlfriend in time for Christmas, but first, Shaun had to get Chris to Kate.
But after locking the door behind him, Chris saw the bucket of pine cones and knew he had to take it with him. It just seemed like if you were going to chase after the woman you loved on Christmas Eve, you couldn’t show up empty handed.
The helicopter landed on the wide drive to the side of the house. The force of the wind coming off the blades sent the evergreens swaying, shaking off the heavy layer of snow that had settled on top of them.
Chris handed his stuff to one of the pilots to stow, though he got a weird look over the bucket of pine cones, and then climbed up into the cockpit. Within minutes, they were airborne, flying out over a breathtaking scene of the Smokey Mountains robed in pristine snow.
“This is amazing,” Shaun said, his voice coming through Chris’s headset.
“Yes. And once again, I wish Kate was here with me instead of you.”
“Good to know, boss.”
Fifteen minutes later, the helicopter landed at a small municipal air strip. Shaun had arranged for a car to be waiting for them.
“Okay, how far is it from here?”
“Twenty minutes.” Shaun said. “Luckily for you, I have an amazing memory.”
Chris nodded. “You mean good for you. This is going to get you a bonus so big you can get your girlfriend something nice for Christmas. And if you don’t get me there…”
“I will! I will.”
Fortunately, Shaun made good on his promise to find the way to Kate’s parents’ house, though it took longer than twenty minutes since the roads were still slick even though they’d been plowed and sanded. When they rolled up in front of the small, two-story house on a quiet street, Chris felt as if he was walking into a hostile negotiation for the biggest deal of his whole life.
“Want me to wait and make sure you don’t get kicked out on your butt?” Shaun asked as he got Chris’s luggage out of the trunk.
“No,” Chris said. “I’m counting on Kate’s mercy to give me more time here. If I have a ride, she might not stay long enough for me to fix things.”
Shaun carried his suitcase toward the front porch. “Okay. Good luck, sir. I’ll see you back in the office in a few days.”
“We’ll see. If I’m not back right away, you’ll have to take care of things for me.”
“Merry Christmas.”
Chris set the bucket down and shook his hand. “Thanks, you too.”
With a deep breath for courage, he knocked on the front door. His fist against the wood was barely louder than the thumping of his heart in his chest. When a petite, blonde figure opened the door, Chris could no longer restrain himself. Reaching out, he pulled her against his chest. Just as he started to realize that something felt off, the woman in his arms laughed.
Looking down, he saw that although there was an uncanny resemblance, this was someone else entirely.
“Hey, Kate,” she called. “I think
your boss is here.”
Chapter Fifteen
Kate had stayed up way too late telling her family the whole awful story of how she’d fallen in love with her boss, kissed him, and then run away home like a chicken. Her parents had been sympathetic and welcoming and thrilled to have her home a day early. But her sister Lisa had enjoyed it way too much. She was pretty sure that Lisa knew everything there was to know about Chris after she’d pumped Kate for information until two A.M.
So, Kate didn’t feel the least bit guilty sleeping in past noon and coming down to eat lunch with the family on Christmas Eve still wearing her rumpled pajamas. She was halfway down the stairs when someone knocked on the front door. She almost turned around so she didn’t embarrass her parents by the way she looked in front of whatever guest had just shown up at their house, but she wasn’t really in the mood to care much.
But then she heard Lisa say the craziest thing. It sounded like she said her boss was here. Half-running, half-sliding down the last few steps, Kate looked toward the front door and saw Chris and Lisa breaking apart from an embrace.
“Mr. Warren.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Chris said, moving past Lisa. “I don’t know why you left last night, but I didn’t get snowed in with Shaun, left to eat gingerbread, and flown over the mountains in a helicopter, lugging a bucket of pine cones, just to be called Mr. Warren.”
“Bucket of pine cones?”
Chris stepped back onto the porch and turned back with an orange painter’s bucket full of…sure enough…pine cones.
Kate pressed her hand to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. “Did you gather those for me?”
“Of course I did.”
It was the sweetest gesture ever. Especially since this was Christopher Sterling Warren the Third, heir to one of the oldest fortunes in American history and billionaire in his own right. He’d never had to pick up his own shoes, but he’d picked up pine cones for her?
A Tree for the Billionaire (Southern Billionaire Romance Book 4) Page 8
