“So what other things around this gorgeous place might be hungry for our blood?” Ellie snags my arm and holds on tight as I sidle up next to her on the primitive hiking trail. “I’m all about the trees, but I’m not good with wild animals, Jack. Especially bears!”

“It wasn’t a bear. It was a fisher cat.”

“It looked like a bear. A small bear, but a bear. No doubt.”

“It’s more like a weasel, technically. Besides you can’t blame the little guy for wanting a bite.” I give her a playful smack on her ass—the one that only moments ago was bared to the entire state of New York from the top of a nameless, rarely traversed mountain on the outskirts of the Catskills.

We’d just completed our second “team-building” exercise of the morning—the first happening in the car at the deserted trailhead parking area—when a furball scuttled onto the rocks and screeched like a tiny demon, scaring the hell out of her.

“We could’ve been attacked,” she says, clearly unamused.

“No way. You showed him who’s boss with that primal scream of yours. I bet he’s already back in his hole, warning his friends about the fierce, five-foot terror of the Catskills.”

“Five-foot-four, thank you very much.” She shudders. “Do you know how many cases of rabies were confirmed last year in New York state alone?”

“How many?”

“I don’t remember, but it’s a lot. And the treatments are horrible.”

She shivers again and tries to speed-walk ahead of me, but I overtake her easily, grabbing her hips and backing her up to a maple tree on the side of the trail.

“Hey. I’ve got teeth and claws.” I lean in to nibble her neck, making her laugh as she twines her arms around my neck and kisses me full on.

“How did you even find this place?” she murmurs against my lips.

“Do you like it?”

“God, it’s beautiful,” she says, eyes wide with appreciation as she takes it all in again. “But it’s like the trail that time—and park maintenance—forgot.”

“It’s always been like this. My parents used to bring me when I was a kid. Every year or so I find myself gravitating back to it. It’s not on any of the maps, and most people stick to the more popular routes, so it’s the perfect getaway.”

It is perfect. Sunny and clear blue skies, a light breeze to keep us comfortable, and no one else on the trail but the forest dwellers. No fretting about stock valuations, no mind-numbing meetings, and—best of all—no interruptions.

And I love sharing this place with her.

“Thanks for bringing me,” she says. “It’s been way too long since I’ve stepped on actual dirt and grass instead of concrete.”

“I thought you’d enjoy it. Couple years ago, I did a solo backpacking trip up here—little farther in. No human contact for ten days.”

“Impressive. And I’ve got an idea for my next story.” Ellie grins, holding up her hands to frame my face. “Jack Edward Holt. From Wall Street tycoon to wilderness wanderer. How does he find the time to be so constantly fascinating?”

“Admit it.” I hook a finger through her belt loop and tug her close. “You love hanging out with me in the wild.”

Ellie bites her bottom lip, her cheeks pink. “Yeah, I do. Even with the bears.”

“I knew it!” I kiss her forehead. “An adventurer in the making.”

“It was four miles,” she says. “Round trip. I’m hardly scaling Mount Everest.”

“You know what they say. ‘A journey of a thousand steps begins with hiking four miles and mounting me on a rocky outcropping.’”

She grins. “I believe you mounted me.”

“To-may-to, to-mah-to.”

“You’re impossible. Seriously, I—Jack!” Ellie gasps as I wrap her up in a tight squeeze, my fingers seeking those ticklish spots along her rib cage.

“Stop!” she squeals, tears of laughter spilling down her cheeks. “Oh my God, stop! It burns us!”

“Not until you admit that was the most fun you’ve had since we got high and planned our apocalypse escape. Admit it, Seyfried.”

“Okay, okay! You win!” She squirms free and leans back against the tree to catch her breath, still giggling as she tugs a lock of hair from her mouth.

Maybe it’s the fresh mountain air, the workout from our hike, or that sexy glow on her skin, but I can’t stop staring at her. Can’t stop grinning like a kid on Christmas, knowing that I have the power to make this woman laugh like that. That she has the power to make this former diehard workaholic bail on his clients so we can play hooky together.

Actually, she’s got a lot more power than that.

Ellie’s the one wearing a mask for this assignment, but I’ve been doing the same damn thing for more than a decade, hiding behind my confident, master-of-all-I-survey persona.

Ian is the only person I stayed close to after my parents died—the only one who truly knows anything about my past. Not the headlines version, but the hard, ugly stuff beneath. The crappy year bouncing around foster care. The uphill battle to get my ass into college after my grades dropped in the wake of the accident.

I spent a long time building walls around my heart after that, convinced it was the only way to keep it from imploding again.

But Ellie…

For the first time since the accident, those walls are starting to crumble. She makes me want to open myself up to possibilities. To trust in something good again. To believe, like that happy kid from long ago, that loving someone doesn’t automatically come with a one-way ticket to heartbreak.

Yes, we’ve got great chemistry, the sex is off the charts, and she’s so much fun to be with—always has been. But I’d be lying if I said that this is just a good time.

Looking at that smile on her face as we make our way down the last rocky stretch of trail, seeing that sense of adventure peeking out from beneath her practical shell…

Damn. I don’t want this thing between us to have an expiration date.

I want to find out where it might lead.

Not just for today, or a few more weeks while she finishes her research, or until Ian gets back. But…for keeps.

For keeps. The thought settles comfortably inside me as if it has been there all along, warm and happy and right. Totally fucking right.

Heading across the deserted parking lot to the car, I see the mountains rising up ahead of us again, and I’m hit with a spark of inspiration so intense it can’t be ignored.

It’s a great idea. The best idea.

She has to say yes…

“Ellie. Have you ever been skiing?

“Once. Ian took me with a few friends when I was in high school. I got overconfident on the bunny hill and graduated to a blue run way before I was ready. I face-planted into the snow a dozen times before I finally made it down.”

“That’s it?”

She lifts a shoulder. “I’ve never been brave enough to try again.”

“You need a better teacher.”

Her lips curve. “Got anyone in mind?”

“Well now that you mention it, Ms. Seyfried…” I pull her into another embrace, sliding a finger under her chin and tilting her face up.

I know the question I’m about to ask is a big one, for lots of reasons. It’s obvious we both feel a connection, but we haven’t been hanging out together that long, and we definitely haven’t talked about “us”—or what that even means. And if she accepts my offer, we’ll probably have to come clean with Ian.

And then there’s the possibility that she’ll flat out say no. That the very question will send her running back to the city to wrap up her research, bang out her article, and disappear from my life once again.

But like the beautiful woman in my arms, asking just feels right.

“I have ten days off for Christmas this year,” I say, with a hell of a lot more confidence than I feel. Why am I so damn nervous? “I was planning to hit the slopes in Colorado—do a little skiing, maybe hit a few snowshoe trails in Rocky Mountain National Park, get snowed in someplace quiet with a nice big fire. I’d love to take you with me, El.”

“Christmas in the Rockies?” Her mouth rounds into a soft, pink O, her eyes widening. “Is this… Are you serious?”

I tuck a stray lock of dark brown hair behind her ear, my fingers curling around the back of her neck.

Spending Christmas together, alone in the Rockies… It’s not a confession of love or a marriage proposal. Far from it. But it’s a big step nevertheless. If I say yes, if I confirm this is, indeed, a real invitation, then we both know I’m inviting her for much more than a mountain getaway.

I’m inviting her into the wild unknown of something more—a future.

“I’m serious,” I say, the warm feeling in my chest expanding outward, edging my lips into another grin. “Spend Christmas with me, Ellie. Let me show you one of my other favorite places in the world.”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly as a grin takes possession of her pretty face. “One question. Will you bring the Cheetos?”

“Baby, I’ll bring you whatever you want.”

“Okay,” she says, still beaming. “Christmas in Colorado. You and me. I’m in.”

Her and me. Yeah, that’s sounds right.

“We make a great team.” I take her hand, dragging her not-so-subtly toward the car. “In fact, I think we should close out this adventure with a post-hike team-building exercise to reinforce everything we’ve learned today.”

Ellie murmurs her agreement, tightening her fingers around mine. “Maybe even two more, just to be sure.” Then, gazing up at me with heat and desire and happiness blazing in her eyes, she says, “Because I don’t want to forget any of this.”