Corporate Fire: Corporate Romance Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

tightened her grip around her ski poles, and her body broke into a sweat under all the ski gear. She hated it when men wanted her to break the rules for them. She yelled, “I would never break my rules for you, and do you want to know why? You say you're a perfectionist, but you're an asshole about it. You find a flaw and either complain to whoever you think did it, or if it's you, find someone else to blame. When I see a problem, I just fix it, whether it's mine or not. And every time you've talked to me since I was fired, you've found something to pick at me about. Since I am a perfectionist, having my flaws talked about is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. You and I are not going out.”
    Grace was so upset that she unlatched her skis and stomped over to sit on a boulder.
    “You're making a mistake, Grace,” he yelled. “And the rest of the programmers think you're a bitch since you won't answer any of their emails.”
    She ignored him and pulled her knees to her chest, her skis lying at the base of the rock. Finally he shoved his poles into the ground and took off down the slope. She hoped he broke his leg.
    She put her head on her knees, trying to block out the rest of the world. But the cold from the rock crept through her ski pants and kept her alert. The sound of skis drew near.
    To make the moment worse, she heard the voice that at breakfast had raised the hairs on the back of her neck. “Hey, anything I can do to help?”
    She should've asked Jill to join her. They might've grown closer, and Jill would've kept the losers away. She'd have to call her tonight. Without lifting her head, Grace mumbled, “Just go away.”
    Silence answered her. He was right next to her. She sighed and looked up. Royce's eyes expressed concern. It'd be easier to ignore if his goggles were on, but they hung around his neck.
    He said, “You must be pretty good to do this run.”
    The compliment was a relief after the constant badgering from Doug. She found herself saying, “It's one of my favorites.”
    “How often do you ski?”
    She didn't know if it was her sudden sense of loneliness or his easy manner, but she found herself responding with personal information. “Several times every winter. That’s why I live in Denver.”
    “If I lived here, I'd ski all winter too.”
    Naturally. Her perfect man except that he’d axed her. “Why are you wasting your time on me? I don't want anything to do with you.”
    “Because you're smart and beautiful. And you already know what I do. Revealing my job is a huge turn off to women.”
    Smart and beautiful. She heard the smart part often, but never beautiful. He was playing at something. “Gee, what a surprise. I'd think you'd keep it a secret.”
    “I don't like to keep secrets from people I care about.”
    Her insides squirmed. She wouldn't be able to hold up much longer under the assault of his smooth talk and good looks. This had to be some sort of weird game. He couldn't really mean these things. “I don't care about you. Could you just start your run already?”
    “I'd rather you went first so I don't have to worry about you sitting up here all dejected. ”
    She had to get rid of this guy. There was no way he was going to seduce her. She needed to take control. An idea popped into her mind, and she spoke before she considered it. “How about we race to the bottom of the hill? If I win, you leave the ski resort so I can finish my weekend in peace.”
    He gave her a measuring look and then turned towards the trail. She looked over at it too. Trees capped with snow crowded the hill, creating several divergent paths. Her favorite path had more moguls than the others, but fewer trees.
    After a moment he said, “Sure. But if I win, you have to go to dinner with me tonight—with an open mind.”
    She had to admire his persistence. But dinner with him would be too much time with the enemy. She knew these slopes better than an out of towner, even if he was a great skier. She'd