Tension rippled through him. “You make it sound like some sort of damn sacrifice.”
“Would you have come home and run this place if your father were still here?”
“He isn’t, so it isn’t a question that needs answering.” The snap in his voice was directed at himself rather than her, but she had no way of knowing that. He was about to apologize when he felt the gentle touch of her fingers on his thigh.
Remembering how those fingers had felt wrapped around a certain part of him, Jackson almost drove off the road.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft. “I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m tired and cranky and right now I don’t want to talk about this place.” He tried to focus on the road and not the touch of her hand. “And I’m not sure Walter should be talking to journalists. I don’t want the world to know he doesn’t want me here.”
“He wants you here. I spent an hour with him this morning. You’re all he talks about and he talks with love and pride.”
“Family loyalty. He’s not going to say anything different to—”
“To an outsider. It’s fine...you can say it. And he’s proud of you, Jackson. You have no idea how lucky you are to have that.” She withdrew her hand and he had to stop himself from grabbing it. Instead he kept both hands on the wheel and steered the vehicle into the parking area at the foot of the chairlift.
“I should have come home sooner.” Guilt gnawed at him, aching under his ribs. “Should have asked some questions. My father was a lousy businessman. He considered a day that wasn’t spent outdoors trying to break his speed record flying downhill a day wasted.”
“He sounds like Tyler.”
“There are similarities, but Tyler loves Snow Crystal. To Dad it was a boulder around his neck stopping him doing the things he wanted to do.” He wondered why they were talking about this when all he wanted to do was talk about the night before.
He wondered how she could block it out so easily.
And then he saw her fingers. She was clenching them in her lap, her knuckles white, and he knew she wasn’t finding it easy, either.
“I’ve been thinking that we should invite some of the top international ski journalists for a weekend.”
He ought to be interested. He should be listening to her words, not looking at her mouth. “We?”
“You.” She leaned forward to remove her boots. “I’ll be in New York, obviously.”
He swore under his breath. “Look at me, Kayla.”
“I think it would be an excellent way of getting coverage and—”
“Look at me.”
“I’m just—”
“You’re just trying to pretend last night never happened, but I’m not going to let you do that.”
Color streaked across her cheekbones but she kept her eyes down. “It happened, but now it’s done.”
“No, it’s not.”
She stilled and took several breaths. “You are already the longest relationship I’ve ever had, Jackson.”
“Maybe I am, but that doesn’t mean you have to run.” It was what she’d done after her parents had split up. It broke his heart to think of her shivering and alone on Christmas night.
He thought about what she’d told him about her life. Adding those pieces to the other bits she’d revealed over the time they’d been together had enabled him to build a picture in his head and it didn’t make happy viewing.
She adjusted her socks. “I’m not running.”
“I woke up alone.”
“I took Maple back to your mother.”
“At seven in the morning?” He slid his fingers under her chin and forced her to look at him. “Am I that scary?”
“I’m not scared.”
“Sweetheart, you’re so scared intruder alarms go off in your head when someone comes close. There are better ways to live your life.”
“This way works for me.”
Exasperation flashed through him. She was more stubborn than Walter. “Don’t trust, don’t get hurt—is that right?”
“Maybe it is, but what’s wrong with that? I’m only here for a few days. This can’t be—anything.”
“So we can either play it safe and boring, or we can make those few days count.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “I know which I want.”
“Jackson—”
“I don’t remember you checking your emails, Kayla.” He could see a tiny pulse beating in her throat.
“Enough. You need to back off.”
“I’m not good at backing off. That’s why I’m still at Snow Crystal.”