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  “I’m not asking you to marry me to save our jobs. I want you. Forever and always. And I want you to know I meant it when I said I’m never going to lose you again.”

  My eyes burned and my vocal cords clenched tight. “Clearly you haven’t been through a shitty divorce.”

  “I lived through my parents’ shitty divorce, and I don’t plan on going through that again, ever.” He grasped my hand, stilling the shaking. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You challenge me and support me and trust me, and you make me a better man. I want you to be my wife and ski partner for the rest of my life. What do you say?”

  My shoulders quaked and I worked to shove down the fear and pain and sadness entwined with the very idea of marriage. I’d vowed not to let any man in that deep again. Somehow Max had slipped past my defenses. “I don’t know… Marriage didn’t work out so well for me the first time.”

  He stood and wrapped his arms around me, cupped the back of my head, and cradled me close. “That’s because you weren’t married to me.”

  Tears pricked the corners of my eyes and I sniffled into his chest. The nylon of our jackets crinkled too loud in my ears.

  My marriage, and my divorce, were from hell. But Max was right about one thing—he was not my ex. Instead of taking the easy way out and saving his own ass, Max had risked his career, his reputation, for me.

  “Hey…” He put a finger under my chin and tugged until my eyes met his. “I know it’s not the most romantic proposal, and I didn’t mean to pressure you or upset you. Just take the ring so we can prove to Sam we’re serious. We can break off our engagement this summer. Or not. Whatever you want.” His Adam’s apple bobbed.

  “Isn’t being engaged going to make it harder for you to stop worrying and let me do my job?”

  “Somehow, knowing you’re mine—even if we can’t act like it yet—makes it seem easier.”

  The tone of his voice. The way he looked at me so earnestly. He meant it.

  “Yes.” The word popped out of my mouth. Strangely, I didn’t want to catch it and stuff it back in. If Max was willing to give up so much for me, to make my dreams come true, I could do the same.

  “Yes, you’ll marry me? Or yes, you’ll take the ring now so we can enjoy the rest of this season?”

  “Let’s start with taking the ring now, and see how it goes by the end of the season.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  His smile lit up the room more than the sunlight beaming through the window. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you never want to give me this ring back.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” I smirked and held out my trembling left hand. “But first you have to put it on.”

  He snagged my wrist, stilling my hand and sliding the ring on my finger. “Maybe this is crazy. And maybe you’ll decide you’re sick of me by the end of the season, but I love you Sophie Tremore.”

  “Good. Because I love you too.” Those words popped out before I could stop them too. But I didn’t want to take them back either. Not when they were the truth.

  About the Author

  Compulsive tea drinker. Outdoor sports junkie. Lover of good (and bad) puns.

  Stacy Gold gave up her day job as Communications Director of a nonprofit mountain biking organization to write sassy, steamy, contemporary romance novels. Her stories are packed with strong, independent women finding love and adventure in the great outdoors. When Stacy’s not busy reading or writing, you can find her dancing, laughing, or playing hard in the mountains with her wonderful hubby and happy dog.

  ~*~

  Thank you for spending a few hours of your time with the characters inside my head! I’d be thrilled if you could take another minute to leave a review.

  Want to win a FREE e-book, plus be the first to know about new releases, special contests, and freebies? Join the Gold Club:

  www.stacygold.com/goldclub.

  ~*~

  Visit Stacy at

  www.stacygold.com

  Or find her on social media at

  @AuthorStacyGold

  ~*~

  To chat with Stacy Gold and other Wild Rose Press authors of erotic romance, join us at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thewilderroses.

  Also Available

  Just Friends

  Emerald Mountain Book One

  By Stacy Gold

  Taya Monroe is trying to pick up the pieces of her failed writing career and broken life after walking out on her cheating fiancé. The last thing she needs is a serious relationship. The last thing she wants is a fling. Then she runs into an old friend and ski partner—the one man she always wanted who never wanted her.

  Ski Patroller Jordan Wiley is a single dad with zero time or energy for dating. When he reconnects with Taya, his attraction to her is even stronger than before she left him behind for a career in the city. But with a young son to think about, he’s determined to ignore his feelings. Again.

  After a magical day on the slopes, a snow storm traps them in an avalanche of chemistry neither can deny. Will their friendship survive the weight of their passion or will they surface as more than friends?

  Also Read

  Good Little Teacher

  By Gemma Snow

  New teacher Emmy Lange is adjusting to life at the Redding Boarding School. She can’t shake the giddy feeling that the handsome headmaster, Marcus Powers, is attracted to her. Underneath his stern and commanding demeanor is a spark that beckons to her. When he asks her to his office to review her progress, she can’t help but wonder if the intimate setting could lead to some sinful discipline, especially when he takes her to task for her improper usage of his title. His deep voice makes her shiver, and Emmy might find it all too easy to enjoy a “hands-on” lesson on how to properly address the handsome headmaster.

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