Chapter Three – Chrysi

Should she trust him? Any choice was moot when the snow began to fall so thick she could no longer see his face two feet in front of her. So how did she know he was so close? The sheer presence of the man. There was an animal magnetism emanating from him that she could not deny. Not that she wanted to…

Wait, she had just escaped the clutches of Ross and his friend, and already she was willing to throw herself into the path of a stranger, who, for all she knew, was in on this kidnap and ransom plot with them.

Chrysi went to drag her hand from his, but he held on to her tightly, as if he would never let her go. Nevis turned into the snow, his arm encircling her waist as he propelled them both forward through the blanket of ice-cold flakes. Cold and exhaustion clawed at body and mind; any remaining will to fight left her and Chrysi allowed herself to be led by this mountain man. There was no way she would survive out here alone with no shelter. If Nevis was in on the deal, then she would deal with the problem when it arose. If he wasn’t, then he was her best chance of getting through this alive.

She dug deep into all the knowledge she had gleaned from her father about reading people. Not enough information. That would be her father’s answer. Chrysi would have to trust her intuition until she knew more.

She stumbled, her foot caught in a hidden tree root, and he held her fast against his body, stopping her from falling to her knees. “Thanks,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by the collar of her jacket.

“You are welcome. We’re nearly there,” he replied, concern lacing his voice.

Chrysi marveled at his sense of direction. He knew which way they were supposed to go, even though there were no visible landmarks to see, no path to follow. At least she hoped he knew where he was going. The forest reminded Chrysi of her eighth birthday party, when she had been blindfolded and spun around and around until she was totally disorientated, before being let go to hit a piñata.

“How do you know the way?” she asked, her teeth chattering. The temperature was dropping by the minute.

“I’ve been living up here for a couple of weeks,” he replied.

“Why?” she asked. “Sorry, none of my business.”

“No, it’s OK.” He shielded his eyes, peering through the trees. “There.” He moved with more determination, and a small wooden cabin slowly materialized out of the blizzard. “I’m a photographer. I came up here to capture the mountain in all its glory. I did not anticipate the snow coming this early.”

Chrysi didn’t answer; her teeth were chattering too much for her to speak in any coherent way. But she found herself relaxing a little. If he was a photographer, and he had been up here for weeks, surely that meant he was just a regular guy, with no surprises up his sleeves. She’d take that any day. After her experience with Ross, she was in no hurry to enter into another relationship. But if she did, she sure was looking for Mr. Normal.

When they reached the porch, she nearly tripped up the first step; it was almost completely hidden under a blanket of snow. Nevis kept her upright, his arms strong, making her feel safe. She could get used to those strong arms around her…

“Hey, you OK?” he asked, and she jolted into the present.

“Yes. I’m just so cold.” Chrysi’s legs didn’t feel as if they belonged to her, they were numb, along with her feet and her hands. And her face. She was surprised she could talk at all; it was as if she had been injected with Botox, leaving her features unable to move.

“Let’s get you inside.” He pushed the cabin door open and they practically fell inside. Slamming the door closed, he moved quickly. “I’m going to help you get out of these wet clothes. Is that all right?”

Chrysi nodded, feeling like a three-year-old when he began to unzip her coat. Pulling off her gloves, she tried to help although her fingers were numb. However, Nevis had everything under control, carefully slipping her coat off her shoulders and hanging it by the door, where it dripped onto the hardwood floor.

“Don’t worry, I’ll mop it up once we get you warm.” He peeled off her fleece jacket, then her sweater. Luckily her base layer was dry, or else he would have left her standing in only her bra. Her poor befuddled brain liked that idea. Perhaps he might have to strip down too and they could use each other’s body heat to keep each other warm. If she had any body heat to share.

Shivering, she lifted one foot up after another, resting her hand on his shoulder for balance while he pulled off her boots.

“We need to take your pants off too,” Nevis said, standing in front of her, giving her a look that lit a flame inside her, spreading heat across her ice-cold skin. “Here.” He opened a door to her left. It led into a sitting room, with a fireplace, which contained the hot, glowing embers of a fire.

Chrysi moved toward it, drawn to the heat, temporarily forgetting all about her wet pants. She held her hands out in front of the fire, grateful for the warmth. “That is so good.”

“Don’t get too close. You need to give your body a chance to acclimatize.” He backed away from her. “I’ll be two minutes, I’ll set the kettle on to boil for coffee, and I’ll grab you some clothes.”

“Thanks. Is there anything I can do?” she asked.

“Sure, put another couple of logs on, but don’t smother the fire,” he instructed.

“Got it.” On numb legs, she shuffled toward the basket containing logs, and placed one on the fire, her survival training coming back to her. The fire needed to be able to breathe.

It wasn’t the only thing that needed to breathe, yet she found when Nevis came back into the room with some dry clothes, his nearness took her breath away. What was it with him?

“That looks good.” He held out the clothes to her. “Here.”

“Where shall I get changed?” Chrysi asked, looking around. There was no way she was going to take any more of her clothes off in front of a stranger. No matter what her traitorous body craved.

“Here.” He saw the uncertainty on her face. “Don’t worry, I’ll go and make some coffee and get you something to eat.”

“Thank you. For everything.”

He gave her a look that spoke of a wealth of emotion she could not fathom. Could he feel the same connection between them? Or was he just hoping to get lucky? “You’re welcome…”

“Oh, sorry… Chrystal Remington.” She winced at her name. “Everyone calls me Chrysi.”

“Remington?” His brow furrowed.

“Yes.” She sighed; this was when people usually started to treat her like the Queen or a pop star. “My father is Harlan Remington.”

“Ah. Remington Acquisitions.” Nevis nodded.

“Yes.” She waited for the usual questions, which ranged from how much are you worth to do you have a spare million lying around I can borrow?

“Don’t stray too far from the fire, you need to keep warm.” Nevis turned to walk out of the room. “Once you are dressed, wrap the blanket around you too.” He pointed to a thick wool blanket on the sofa. “You need to stay warm.”

“I will. Thanks.” Chrysi hadn’t realized she was holding the clothes up under her chin. Was she trying to hide from him now that he knew who she was? It hadn’t been her fallback position since she was a teen. As she had grown up she had become used to the way people treated her. It ranged from awe, to plain jealousy. That was why Ross had seemed different; he’d come from a poorer background than Chrysi, but had treated her normally.

“All an act,” she spoke to the flames. They replied with a crackle and a spit as the logs burned, warming the room.

Undoing her belt, she dropped her pants to the floor and pulled on the sweatpants Nevis had given her. They fit her curvy body perfectly. The clothes belonged to a woman.

The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. Chrysi had taken so much for granted. She had assumed Nevis was single. What a fool. Just because his woman wasn’t here, didn’t mean he was single. This knowledge had, thankfully, come in time to stop her from making a fool of herself if…

If what? If he came on to her. Or if she came on to him?

Her face blushed bright red. She didn’t know what had come over her. Chrystal looked down at her left hand. Technically, she wasn’t even on the rebound. She still wore the ring Ross had given her on her finger.

“OK. Coffee. And cake. I made it yesterday, but it’s still fresh.”

“Thanks.” Chrysi took a coffee cup from him and sat down, cross-legged, in front of the fire. Nevis set the tray down on the floor next to her and settled on the other side of it. He’d changed out of his wet clothes and wore jeans that hugged his toned thighs, and a sweater that emphasized his broad chest. His hair was almost black, short, but in need of a cut, as if it were being left to grow.

“Try the cake.” Nevis’s voice pulled her from her study of her host. Was he aware she had been staring? Yes. She could see it in the way his hazel eyes twinkled with amusement.

Chrysi took a piece and tasted it. “Wow, that is delicious. So sweet.”

“Honey cake. The guy who owns the cabin keeps bees up here, and always leaves some honey in the cupboards.”

“The cabin isn’t yours?” Chrysi asked, deciding it was high time she knew who Nevis was.

“No.” He grinned and his eyes danced. “It belongs to Carter Eden.”

Chrysi looked at him, read his expectant expression, and felt as if she had ruined his punch line when she said, “I don’t know who that is.”

His eyes widened, and he laughed. “My name-dropping fell flat.”

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s a refreshing change.” He ate a piece of cake, licking the honey off his fingers. A mesmerizing spectacle, which made her insides squirm.

“I don’t really watch movies. I’m always too busy.”

“Do you work with your father?” Nevis asked.

“In a way. I run a subsidiary company that I set up myself. He’s taught me a lot, but he wanted me to make something of my own. For now, at least.”

He watched her intently, and she found herself blushing, or maybe it was the heat from the fire. “Are you expected to take over when your father retires?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure my father will ever retire. Except for me, the company is his life.”

“But if he did?” Nevis asked.

“If you think you can marry me and get your hands on the company, you might have to get in line.” She tried to hide the bitterness from her voice.

“No… I…” Nevis glanced down at her ring finger. “You are engaged. To one of…?”

“To one of the men who tried to kidnap me? Yeah.” She held out her hand, and looked at the diamond-and-sapphire ring on her finger. “I thought we were so happy.”

A sob erupted from her, which she quickly let go. Nevis moved closer, his arms going around her shoulders, and he hugged her lightly. “I’m really sorry.”

She let herself sink into his body, loving the comfort he gave her. “It’s all right. Better to know now rather than later. I’ll take a broken engagement over a broken marriage any day.”

“You had no idea?” he asked softly.

“No, he played his part well. Right up until we ventured onto the mountain, I thought he was the one for me. But almost at once, his façade dropped away to reveal who he truly was.” She took a shuddering breath. “And if there is one thing I cannot stand, it is being lied to. Trust is everything, and once broken, it’s the hardest thing to mend.”

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