Chapter 1
The large mandropped to his knees in front of me. Clutching his hands to his chest, he collapsed to the floor.
I sprinted towards him and dropped to my own knees, my ski pants easing the impact against the resort’s hard lobby floor. I hurriedly shrugged out of my ski patrol jacket to give me more flexibility.
“Sweet baby Jesus.” The man muttered, staring up at me.
“Call 911.” I shouted over my shoulder to one of the colleagues I’d been walking with. I shifted my gaze to the other and said, “Get me the AED.”
They ran off in opposite directions, pushing through the crowd that was starting to gather.
The joyous Christmas carolers had stopped singing when I shouted, huddling up against the side of the lobby with the others to watch the emergency unfold.
I unzipped the fallen man’s parka, preparing to start chest compressions. “Just hang on, we’re getting you some help. Can you hear me?”
With one hand, he gripped my wrist and pulled me down to his broad chest. Caught off guard, I lost my balance and collapsed on top of him. The woodsy, outdoor scent of him wafted up. I inhaled and sighed, momentarily disoriented.
Before I had time to respond, he spun a lock of my long hair around the fingers of his other hand and marveled at it. “You are the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life.” He turned his gaze back to me. “Am I dead?”
“What?”
“Are you an angel?” His voice was gravelly.
I’d heard similar comments on my looks before. My skin had, for the most part, been blemish free and flawless. People had told me I looked like a porcelain doll, with big brown eyes and long lashes. In the context of the moment, though, I wasn’t prepared to process his words.
My colleague dropped down beside me with the AED. “I got it,” he wheezed. His eyes darted between the man and me. “Is he okay?”
A slow, sexy grin spread across the face of the fallen man. My eyes went to his. They looked like bottomless pools of melted gold.
He whispered, gently pulling my flaxen hair, “I think I love you.”
I fought for a breath, feeling suspended in time. That voice, again. Gravelly, but husky and deep. The voice of a healthy man, not one fighting for his last breath.
That realization snapped me back to the moment. I jerked my hand from his and forcibly slapped away the other. He released me and laughed.
I pushed at him and stood, clumsily. An attempt to make space between us. “What is wrong with you?” My voice cracked. “Do you have any idea how frightened I was? I thought you were having a heart attack.”
With an agility I wouldn’t have expected, he leapt to his feet. “I am so sorry. I couldn’t help myself. You are breathtaking.”
Two very attractive men I hadn’t noticed before stepped forward. The tall, curly-headed blond muttered to the man, “Seriously, dude? You’re such an ass; you scared her.”
The dark haired one shook his head at me. “Please forgive my brother - he really is an ass. But he didn’t mean any harm.”
The hotel guests moved along, realizing the excitement was over. But they cast quick looks back at us, to see if things might escalate again. I turned my gaze back to the golden eyes.
Now that the adrenaline had slowed, I noticed just how large he was. Almost a head taller than me, and twice as wide. His eyes were the only pretty thing about him. A white and faded scar ran through his eyebrow. Another through his top lip and cheek.
His cheeks had a few small, pitted scars, just barely visible below the beginnings of a beard. His nose was crooked, I wondered what kind of story had resulted in that.
The sexy grin was back when my eyes returned to his. I grabbed my jacket up off the floor. Shoving my arms angrily into the sleeves, I said, “Please be careful. I don’t want to have to rescue you for real.”
I turned to walk away. My colleagues were waiting for me at the exit doors.
He jogged up alongside me. “I really am so sorry.”
I kept walking. “Ok.”
“Are you on the ski patrol?” His jacket was still unzipped.