CHASING TROUBLE

“Get your coat on, Care. We’re going for a walk,” Nicholas encouraged her abruptly once lunch was over and Caroline sat huddled beside the warm fire in the bar.

She didn’t look impressed by his suggestion as she turned to glance out of the frosted window.” It’s been snowing again.”

“I noticed,” Nicholas drawled. The snow had started to fall again as he’d helped Jim spade the worst of it away from the pathway leading to the front of the inn. “Come on, Care,” he cajoled. “It will be fun!”

She grimaced. “I can’t see any fun in getting cold and wet.”

Nicholas eyed her darkly. Was she still annoyed with him over their conversation earlier this morning? “Didn’t you ever go out and play in the snow when you were a child?”

She raised her brows. “I’m not a child anymore,”

“Come on, Care. It will be fun,” he prompted, “I’ll teach you how to make and throw snowballs.”

She eyed him unenthusiastically. “I’ve already told you, I have no desire to end up wet and cold.” She was still annoyed with him.

“That’s half the fun.”

“Maybe to you it is,” she came back. “Nicholas, I’m perfectly happy where I am, thank you very much. What are you doing?” she protested as he crossed the room in two long strides to take hold of her arm and pull her effortlessly to her feet. “I am not going outside, Nicholas!”

Her eyes sparkled rebelliously as he began to march her towards the door.

He came to an abrupt halt, green gaze narrowing as he looked down at her. “The way I see it, Care, you have two choices. You can either put on your coat, hat and gloves, and come outside with me willingly. Or-” he paused for effect “-I’m going to just pick you up exactly as you are before I carry you outside and drop you into a snowdrift!”

Caroline stared up at Nicholas, her earlier anger now added to by indignation as he refused to let her shake off the tightness of his grip on her arm.” I don’t want-”

“Too late; you had your chance.” Nicholas bent and swung her up effortlessly into his arms before striding towards the door.

“Nicholas, stop this!” she squirmed frantically in his arms. “Nicholas, put me down!” she ordered furiously as she pushed ineffectually against the hardness of his chest.

“Nope.” His face teased her. “Snowdrift, here you come,” he warned as he bent slightly to open the door, at once admitting a cold blast of wind and snow.

“These are expensive boots! If you ruin them-”

“I’ll replace them,” he came back mildly, having paused in the open doorway. “Make your mind up, Care. Willingly, or not?” He gave a devilish grin as he eyed one of the deep snow drifts outside.

“Okay, okay!” Caroline cried protestingly, glaring up at him, knowing he would make good on his threat if she didn’t comply. “I’ll go and change these boots and get my coat,” she muttered impatiently. “But the first thing I’m going to do when I get outside is stuff a nice, big, wet snowball down your neck!” she warned as he slowly placed her back on her feet.

He grinned down at her, unconcerned. “You’ll have to catch me first.”

“Don’t worry,” she grated. “I’ll catch you!”

“Now you’re getting into the spirit of it.”

“No-now I’m going to take my revenge!” she assured him.

He was nothing but a bully, Caroline decided as she stomped up the stairs to collect her hat and coat. A heartless, uncaring bully. A sexy, heartless, uncaring bully. A very sexy bully… she sank down onto the side of the bed. The bed where Nicholas had lain with her, so briefly, the night before.

Damn it, she was never going to be able to think of him as just Nicholas Connelly, her employer, not after all these kisses. This was the third time now.

She was always so aware of him. She found herself looking at him, studying him, when she hadn’t even been aware of doing so. She realized how those ruggedly hewn features could make her heart beat a little faster. How his eyes could be so cold and compelling one minute and then wickedly sensual the next. Most of all she’d found herself looking at his mouth; his bottom lip was slightly fuller than the top one; his teeth were very white and even when he gave one of his wolfish grins, or less often a burst of full-throated laughter. And his hands…Nicholas had long hands that he moved with unconscious grace, the fingers slender, the nails kept short.

She found herself wondering how it would feel to have those hands caressing her… More than he had the previous night. Or how it would feel if he made love to her. Would he be soft and sensual? Or hard and demanding?

After last night she could guess the answer to those two questions at least, She reminded herself as she stood up impatiently. The answer was both, of course.

Forget it, Caroline, she told herself firmly as she picked up her coat and gloves. Nicholas was her boss…or her boss’s son. If Caroline wanted him to remain that way, she had to get rid of these feelings, but did she really want to?

She didn’t even know anymore.

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“You aren’t still mad at me?” Nicholas prompted as Caroline walked silently beside him in the snow in the direction of the pine forest at the back of the inn. The majestic trees were weighted down by the snowfall. Caroline had been upstairs much longer than he had expected, and he had been on the verge of climbing the stairs to go and get her. But before he could do so she had arrived back downstairs in the bar, having changed her expensive boots for walking boots. She was also wearing her coat and gloves, with a woolen hat pulled on over her hair and dark glasses perched on the bridge of her nose against the glare of the snow, effectively shielding the expression in her eyes from his searching gaze.

“I wasn’t aware that I was mad at you.” She shrugged, her face red and glowing, her breath a delicate mist in the coldness of the air.