Page 25 of A Billionaire for Christmas

I FACE MY FEARS WITH COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE (EXCEPT WHILE BEING BURIED ALIVE)

Toby was already tearing through the snow towards her as the lodge came into view.

She could just make out the lights of his snowmobile up ahead, still quite some distance away.

Toby swung his machine around in front of her, waving his arm for her to follow him.

He veered off the track through a small copse of pines.

Molly followed, weaving in and out of the trees for what seemed like only seconds before he swerved to a stop in front of a wooden hut.

Molly did the same. Toby leapt from his snowmobile and ran to her, grabbing her hand.

She couldn’t hear what he was yelling for the snow whipping around them.

They raced into the hut, and he slammed the door shut behind them, plunging them into darkness.

A horrifying roar shook the ground as the hut became enveloped in snow, whacking off the walls, making the whole thing shudder.

Molly stood still, petrified.

Time seemed to slow. Her breathing came quick and shallow.

As the blood rushed to her head, she pulled off her goggles and helmet.

She needed air. It was so thin. She couldn’t get enough into her lungs.

Spots appeared before her eyes. Toby rushed towards her.

He grabbed hold of her just in time. She hadn’t even realised she was falling.

He laid her down gently, kneeling beside her.

Molly breathed rapidly, trying to prevent herself from fainting. The roaring sound outside was beginning to fade.

‘Molly. You’re okay. We’ll be safe here.’

That voice. That unmistakable accent. The one that had floored her the moment he first spoke. He yanked off his ski goggles.

She squinted in the dim light poking through the cracks of the skylight. ‘Levi?’ His face came into focus.

‘Are you hurt?’ he asked.

Molly shook her head and saw him visibly relax.

‘Thank God.’ Levi hunched his shoulders, unfolded his legs and sagged down on the floor beside her. He lifted the walkie-talkie to his lips. ‘This is Levi. Do you copy? Over.’

It crackled to life. Toby’s concerned voice was faint. ‘Copy that. Are you both safe? Over.’

‘Yes. We’re at the hunting lodge. Everyone in the main house okay? Over.’

‘Shutters down. Everyone safe. Thanks to Molly’s warning. Over.’

‘Resort notified? Over.’

‘All protocols in place, boss. But it seems like it headed away from the resort. Over.’

‘Thanks, Toby. Give us a minute to assess the situation. I’ll be in touch. Over and out.’

Levi slumped to a lying position. ‘Oh man. That was way too close.’

Molly was struggling to speak, her mouth dry. ‘Thank you for coming to get me.’

‘It was my stupid fault you were out there in the first place. Thanks to you everyone is safe.’

Oh.

A myriad of emotions swirled around, jumbling her thoughts as they lay staring at the high wooden ceiling, the skylight illuminating the one light fixture swinging above them.

Molly watched it swing until the rumbling sound outside faded.

The lodge stopped shuddering, and the lightshade eventually stopped swinging.

The avalanche had subsided. She heard Levi let out a loud breath as he lay next to her on the wooden floor.

They lay side by side until their breathing had regulated.

She had almost died today. Her life flashed before her eyes. Such a short and uneventful life. Most of it spent in a kitchen washing up pots and pans.

Levi stood up, the snow melting on his ski jacket. He held out a hand to help her. Molly took it as he pulled her easily up. They began to speak at the same time.

‘I’m sorry I’ve been acting so crazy,’ said Molly.

‘I’m sorry I asked you to leave,’ said Levi over her.

She regarded him for a moment and waited for him to explain. Levi seemed unsure of what to say, mixed feelings running across his face.

‘Why did you fire me?’

‘I didn’t fire you. I just wanted to avoid a…

situation from happening.’ Levi took off his wet coat.

Molly noticed his hair, T-shirt and jogging pants were soaked through.

He’d obviously just grabbed a jacket and raced out to rescue her.

He strode over to the moose antlers hanging on the wall and hung his jacket up.

It dripped into a bucket lying underneath on the wooden floor.

He reached over to flick on a light switch and all the lamps lit up at once.

‘There’s no boot room here for kit. Just this drip bucket and clothes horse. ’

Molly gazed around the room. ‘Wow, this place really is stunning.’

Levi was kneeling on the rug, twisting knobs by the huge stone fireplace which made it roar to life.

She watched him hunch in front of the fire, rubbing his hands for warmth.

Molly was glad of the heat. She was sure her lips must be blue.

Levi guided her to the sole armchair in the centre of the room, instantly dropping to his knees. He pulled off her boots.

‘We need to get you warmed up before hypothermia sets in. You’re shivering.’

It wasn’t the snow that was making her shiver. She pulled her scarf off in a daze. Would every encounter with Levi render her a big mess of jelly? He helped unzip her coat and neatly put it on the peg next to his, likewise tucking her boots into the designated boxes. He was a neat freak like her.

Impressive.

She tried to remove her salopettes without falling over. Why was skiwear so unnecessarily uncooperative?

He walked back over to give her a hand, bending to hold the salopettes as she stepped out of them. Those dark eyes of his, framed with thick lashes, caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach.

For no reason she could understand, neither of them spoke. ‘It’s like we’ve forgotten how to have a conversation with our clothes on,’ he said matter-of-factly, straightening up.

Genuine laughter danced from her lips. A sound she hadn’t heard for a long, long time. ‘I know. None of this came up in the interview,’ Molly said, choking back a flurry of giggles to get the words out. ‘In fact, I’m surprised with me not being naked, you bothered rescuing me at all.’

Levi threw back his head and laughed. It was instantly infectious. And before she knew it, there were tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks. It was a while before they both caught their breath.

‘I haven’t laughed like that in forever,’ Molly said, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

‘Me neither. It feels good. It’s probably delayed shock.

’ After a moment, Levi stood up. He grabbed a remote on the large oak mantelpiece above the fire and within seconds, flames roared brighter.

The blast of heat was instant. Levi pulled her from the chair, gently down to the rug. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

Molly held her hands out to warm them as she sat cross-legged and leaned forward. Levi rested on his knees beside her, dark patches growing where his clothes were damp.

He followed her gaze.

She felt a fluttering in her stomach. She had been so furious at him, but now their fallout had been well and truly put into perspective. ‘Maybe we should get you out of those wet things.’ Molly tried to keep a straight face.

Levi shook his head slowly. ‘I knew it. This avalanche was probably all your doing.’ He began laughing again, the tension draining from his face.

Molly chuckled. It was a relief to feel her heartbeat return to normal.

Levi’s face dropped slightly. ‘I’d probably deserve it. I’m sorry for the way I acted.’

Molly took a deep breath in. ‘Me too. I probably shouldn’t have… you know. But…’

Levi reached out to put a hand gently on her arm. ‘You do not need to apologise. This was all on me.’

She swept her gaze around the room. The light brown worn-leather armchair was draped in richly coloured, warm woollen throws.

The coffee table was strewn with magazines, opened books and financial periodicals lying face down.

Lamps, cushions, neat stacks of books and large vases of dried flowers gave the place a homely ambiance.

Molly breathed in the woody floral scent. ‘Do you stay here?’

‘When I need time alone to escape my family and to think, yes.’

Molly was having trouble concentrating. Levi’s T-shirt was sticking to his torso. His jogging pants were hanging low, revealing a glimpse of that taut stomach. A fine line of hair snaked its way down to…

‘I like the solitude. It clears my mind. Allows me to think and plan. I practise Hansei. A mindful Japanese approach to business.’

Molly was only vaguely aware of what he was saying.

Levi had grabbed a towel. He was lifting his wet T-shirt to pat down his stomach and his arms. She became mesmerised by his forearms, so strong with a light sprinkling of dark hair.

Her pulse raced, causing her to become lightheaded, his voice drifting away.

Levi cleared his throat.

Molly snapped to attention. She hadn’t been listening to a single word. ‘Yes. That’s right. Me too. To all of those things.’

But it was too late. She saw her own lustful thoughts mirrored in the dark eyes staring back at her.

‘I doubt you could repeat a word of what I just said.’

‘It’s the avalanche,’ she said, her breath quickening. ‘It has affected my ability to concentrate.’ The electricity crackled between them. She was acutely aware of her chest rising and falling.

Levi, looking unravelled, shook his hair, drops of wet snow showering her.

‘Yes. The trauma of a near-miss. It elevates the… erm, the…’ He closed his mouth and opened it again.

‘You’re right. We should get out of these clothes.

’ Levi seemed alarmed at his own words. ‘I mean separately. Not together.’ He hurried across the room to a big wooden door, as though to put a safe distance between them.