Falling for His Boss

by Rosie Praks

  Whitney took a deep breath and took Darcy’s hand, feeling a thousand and one heartbeats about to break through her ribcage.

  Darcy grinned, helping her into the cable car, not forgetting to get a firm grip on her butt to push her up.

  Whitney snagged a glance at him, warning him with a threat that didn’t sound anything like her usual tyrant self. “Watch where you’re touching, Darcy. Or I’ll fire you.”

  “Sorry,” Darcy apologized with a chuckle, nothing like his usual meek self.

  Once they were both in the car, Darcy got up and wedged himself beside her, so close she was literally squashed to one side.

  “Darcy. Move.”

  Two words. But it was effective. Her PA grinned, never dropping that sloppy smile from his face, and went to sit across from her.

  Finally having all that room to move, Whitney relaxed against her stiff metal seat and closed her eyes, waiting for the cable car to take them up to the top of the slope.

  Whitney found she was tired. Really tired. Her mind was plagued with a million thoughts. Clarice’s wedding, Max’s strange crush on their best friend Elise, and Dar—

  “Whitney.”

  A soft whisper resounded in her left ear, startling her, making her eyes blink open. Whitney saw Darcy’s striking profile and glittering hazel irises, his nose an inch from her cheek.

  “Let’s have fun, okay?” His husky voice sounded different all of a sudden.

  Whitney blinked again and moved her face an inch away from his, just for some breathing room. Once she regained enough oxygen in her brain, she replied, as unenthusiastically as possible. “Yes. Let’s have fun.”

  If only her voice didn’t tremble and her heart didn’t beat nearly out of her chest, that answer would have been perfect. But she knew this day would turn into a disaster. There was no way her heart would calm down again with Darcy in her presence.

  Chapter 18

  After ten minutes of slipping, sliding, and dumping herself in the snow with numerous back falls, Whitney found out there was absolutely nothing fun about skiing, She was a total lost cause. Nothing could help her. Not even the Skiing for Dummies book she had brought with her.

  Meandering through the snow, she picked herself up, only to be greeted with boisterous laughter. She grouched and cast her gaze to her left. The owner of that voice was none other than Darcy, her supposed ski partner.

  Whitney sent him her death glare, counted to three, then repeated the process. Only to slip, slide, and fall all over again.

  Drat! I suck at this.

  “Need help over there?” Darcy asked all too cheerfully, hiking toward her.

  Thump! Whitney’s heart skipped another beat.

  “No, I’m fine,” she replied too quickly, eyes downcast at the snow, heart continuously drumming in her chest.

  What’s wrong with me? she asked herself again. But more specifically, what’s wrong with my heart? Since getting off the cable car, she had told her heart to calm down, galloping away like a horse with free rein. She’d been staying a good fifty meters from Darcy, which she thought had clearly helped, but one word from him had her heart sprinting again. Maybe if she stayed farther away… With this thought, she picked up her ski pole and slowly skied toward the downslope, when—

  “Whitney, don’t ski over there.” Darcy flew into her peripheral vision. The next minute, she felt strong fingers gripping her hipbone, stilling her movement.

  Whitney blinked, heart in her throat. Darcy released her, then started saying something, his hands flying about like a man possessed. But she couldn’t hear him. All she could focus on were those long fingers now wrapped securely around her wrist. And suddenly, she could remember that night again. His fingers lingering on her skin, tracing her neck, her earlobes, and other places like...

  Oh God! What am I thinking again? Am I falling for Darcy?

  Whitney blushed, then had the sudden urge to shake herself. Not under any romantic light could she see herself falling for her subordinate. She knew Darcy hated her guts, as a boss and as a person, and she could say the same for herself, but that night… that night when Darcy showed his dominant self, he transformed… He… he… Now that she thought about it…

  Whitney blinked, and this time she slapped herself. Right on the cheek, just to wake herself, but dear Lord, it was painful.

  “Whitney, why did you hit yourself?” Darcy asked curiously.

  “Sandflies.”

  “Sandflies? I didn’t know sandflies lived in the snow. I thought they lived near the beach and—”

  “Darcy! Hand.” She cut him off, indicating her hand, which was still firmly wrapped in his grasp.

  “I can’t let your hand go, Whitney.” Darcy shook his head firmly. “It’s too steep. You might slip and fall over that hill. You don’t want to be like Jill, do you, rolling down the hill?”

  “Don’t worry, Darcy. I’m fine.” She managed to shake his hands off. Her heart was pacing normally again and she recollected her demeanor. “I’ll make sure not to drag Jack with me when I roll down that hill. Now you go play with the snow over there like a good boy.”

  “Whitney!” Darcy shouted, popping his shoulders, making himself look intimidating. “Haven’t we already established I have a soft heart, and you shouldn’t call me a little boy?”

  “Fine. Darcy, be a grown-up man and go play with the snow.” Whitney tried again, quite tired of conversing with him. The truth was she kind of wanted to be by herself, to fully understand her condition better. Could one fall in love with someone in a matter of days?

  “You’re still treating me like a kid,” Darcy responded, interrupting her train of thought. She wanted to laugh when she saw an animated look on his face, but the situation wasn’t called for.

  “I am older than you.” She tried to look big by squaring her shoulders, too. And she also didn’t forget to add, “And also your boss. So go. Over there.”

  Whitney pointed to a spot in the far distance. Darcy gave her a sour expression. Again, she wanted to laugh.

  How many facial expressions do you have? Whitney found herself thinking. Since I’ve worked with you, I’ve never seen you look anything apart from scared.

  “Seriously, Whitney. Would it kill you for me to help? You’ve been avoiding me since Clarice and Hunter appeared this morning.”

  Oh, you sure know how to put it bluntly, Darcy.

  “Me? Avoiding you?” Whitney scoffed. She shook her head in denial and stared right back at him. “It was you who disappeared as soon as the real couple came back.” She bit back, like a dog with a bone, thirsting for her chance to avenge her confused heart.

  “I admit I scrammed when I saw Clarice,” Darcy defended, giving his boss his valid excuse. “But that’s all been resolved now. But you, you wouldn’t look me in the eye? Are you in love with me?”

  Pow! Straight in the guts. Whitney almost choked on her own tongue.

  “Please, Darcy. You’re the last man I would ever fall for.” She blinked and looked away, swallowing something terrible down her throat. Maybe it was the lie.

  “Then why aren’t you’re acting like before?” Darcy was right in her face again, blinking, eyes large, waiting for her answer.

  Watching Darcy’s face so close to her like this unnerved her. His hazel irises were sparkling, sending out a secret message for her heart.

  “I just…” Whitney blinked, then turned. She couldn’t find the right word to describe her reaction. She was in turmoil; her emotions were wound tight, her whole body rigid.

  After a minute of restless silence watching his boss fumble with her skiing pole, Darcy burst. “Whitney, seriously. You’re my partner. Let me help you. And get away from that slope. It’s scaring me.”

  “I’m fine.” Her nostrils flared, her breath billowing out. “You just stick to your side. And I’ll stick to mine.”

  “Would it hurt you to just be nice to me for once? I’m only trying to help,” Darcy grumbled, a perfect representation of
a child losing his favorite candy.

  He took a step forward, closing that already little gap they had between them. Whitney innately took a step back. But that didn’t stop him. He moved closer still, pressing his solid body against hers.

  “Really. I just want to help.” Darcy spoke gently, fingers slowly tracing her lower lip. A sensation, so hot, shot right through her, down to her wee toes, and spread out through every cell in her entire body. But all too suddenly, that finger was gone, and he lifted her chin, titling her whole face upward until now her vantage point was just his face: eyes, nose, and lips.

  Whitney blinked and licked her lips subconsciously, the same area Darcy was tracing before. They were so close to each other. His nose was rubbing against hers. His eyes were fixated on hers. His lips were hovering above hers.

  Whitney didn’t know what to do. More confusing, she didn’t know who acted first. Maybe it was her. She was so drawn to him, like a string being pulled to those lips. She had kissed those lips a few nights before, but now in broad daylight, she found them even more irresistible. Glistening with moisture, reflecting the bright sun and white snow.

  She moved forward. He moved closer. Just one more inch and their lips would touch. He—

  Whitney gasped when she toppled over backward, colliding and rolling down the white slope. “Arr… ah… argh…”

  “Whitney!” Darcy shouted, face drained of color, voice strained in fright, watching as his boss rolled down the gentle slope like Jack and Jill rolling down the hill. Except Jack wasn’t rolling down that hill. Only Jill. Maybe Jack should roll down that hill, too. And so he did, shouting, “Whitney, I’m coming. Wait for me.”

  Darcy prepared himself, pole digging into the fresh snow, arms swinging like a flightless bird as he slid down the slope, riding as fast as the wind. An image of a blue puffer jacket caught his eyes, and he dug the pole into the thick snow, spinning around and jerking his body to the right just in time to block Whitney from sliding any farther. Unfortunately, Darcy was too swift and he collided with her, and both were like a Swiss roll, tumbling down the slope together. As the slope evened out, they came to a complete stop.

  “Wow! Jack and Jill really did roll down that hill.” Darcy laughed, thinking of their ridiculous crash. “Wasn’t it fun, Whitney?” he asked, heart crashing against his ribcage in exhilaration.

  Whitney didn’t respond. She was shaking. Really bad. Darcy sensed something was wrong. And his intuition was proven right when he felt tears running down his cheek.

  Obviously, those tears did not belong to him.

  Darcy sat up, arms still tightly bound around Whitney.

  “Whitney, are you okay?” he asked, fear creeping into his heart. When she didn’t reply, he knew something bad must have happened. His voice gave out a slight crack. “Whitney, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me. Are you hurt? Tell me.”

  Whitney still didn’t respond. Her body went rigid. Her fear of that episode was stressing out her body so much that all she could do was cling to Darcy, her lifeline. He was warm and comfortable, a reminder that she was still alive after that awful fall. She hid her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in the comforting scent of his aftershave.

  “Whitney, tell me. What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.” Darcy shook her again and peeled her off him. Right in front of him was a woman so vulnerable. Tears stained her cheeks. He felt terrible. Worse yet, pain, like someone was gripping his heart, such a fierce pain like a heart attack, an unfamiliar pain he never experienced before settled inside him. “Are you hurt? You’re crying. What’s wrong? Oh God, what’s wrong? Are you scared? You look so pale.”

  “Don’t let me go, Darcy. Don’t let me go.” Whitney lunged back into his embrace, hugging him with all the force she possessed. She wanted to seek comfort; she needed emotional support, and right here in Darcy’s arm was where she found it.

  “I’m not going to let you go, Whitney.” Darcy soothed her, patting her hair, calming her. “You’re my partner. And my pretend wife. I won’t let you go.”

  Whitney cried for the first time in ten years. Since her breakup with Johnathan, since her father betrayed her mother, since her mother’s death. It all came down to now. For so long she’d kept her emotions in check, trying to be brave, trying to build a wall around her heart, but this event had opened a flood gate to her emotions.

  After trembling in Darcy’s arms, bawling her eyes out, Whitney felt a sense of relief.

  No more. She couldn’t do this anymore. She couldn’t pretend to be that mean person anymore. She almost experienced death, and the person who was now hugging her and brought sanity back to her was none other than Darcy, her PA she despised and detested.

  But she knew, as she was resting in his arms, that those feelings from many months before no longer existed within her. This hug wasn’t just a game anymore. She no longer cared if Johnathan bothered her because she no longer felt insecure. She was safe in Darcy’s arms.

  “Are you feeling better now?” Darcy asked gently, parting her hair, revealing her tear-stricken face.

  “Yes,” Whitney said slowly. After a small amount of time, she spoke again. “I’m sorry for behaving like a child.”

  “You should behave more like a child. You’re so cute when you cry.” Darcy continued to soothe her, using that soft voice he never heard himself use.

  The way Darcy said it was so funny that Whitney laughed, a hard belly laugh.

  “And you should laugh more often, too. You look so adorable, unlike your usual witch face.”

  “Darcy.” Whitney tried to speak sternly, but her voice was nothing but gentle today. Maybe she didn’t mean it.

  But Darcy relented anyway. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

  Darcy gazed at his boss through his hooded lashes as he pretended to pick his gear up. She really was cute today, he thought. Cute and sad. It really forced some strange emotions to settle in his heart.

  “Where are we?” Whitney asked slowly, feeling a slight ping of pain in her lower leg as she bent to pick up her pole.

  “I say we’re down the bottom of the slope somewhere.”

  “We’re not lost, are we?”

  “Nah. I’m an expert on this ski field,” Darcy said cheerfully. I think we’ll just walk back to the main base. Everyone should be there soon. We’ll wait for them there.”

  Darcy got up first, dusting himself, then held out his hand for Whitney. She looked at that hand, then slowly placed her palm in it. Darcy gripped and pulled her up. She was propelled forward, and just when she was about to take a step forward, her whole body collapsed and a painful cry escaped her lips.

  “Whitney, what’s wrong?” Darcy was immediately by her side.

  “My ankle.” She massaged the area. “I think I sprained it.”

  “Damn on me. I was the one who did this to you. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right. Here, I’ll try again.” With the help of Darcy’s leverage, Whitney stood up again, but as soon as she applied pressure on her right foot, pain shot up and she cried out. “Ahh. Darcy, it hurts.”

  “Mmm. This is not good.” Darcy contemplated their situation. “There’s only one solution left,” he finally announced.

  Darcy helped Whitney up so she was sitting comfortably on the snow. Then he crouched down in front of her, presenting his back to her.

  “What are you doing?” Whitney asked, looking at that broad back.

  “Offering my back to you.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Come on. Climb on my back. I’ll piggyback you.”

  “I can walk.”

  “Stop lying to yourself. I know it hurts. You know it hurts. So stop being stubborn and get on my back. That’s a demand.”

  “A demand?”

  “Yep. A demand, Whitney. You don’t want the dominant beast to be unleashed now, do you?”

  “Darcy…” Whitney bit her lip, unsure where this was going.

  “Come on. I’m waiting.” Darcy smiled in his
dorky way again.

  And so Whitney inched herself on his back, clinging onto him for dear life.

  “Don’t let me go.”

  “I won’t.”

  It was only two small words, but somehow those words calmed her, providing her with feelings of security and warmth.

  Trekking through the snow, they started on their journey back toward main base.

  “Hey, Darcy,” Whitney asked after sometime.

  “Mmm,” Darcy hummed.

  “I want to say thanks. For helping me before.”

  “No worries. I’m your superhero. At work, I’m your super assistant. Outside of work, I’m your superhero.”

  Superhero?

  Darcy gave a sad chuckle. “I’m only joking, Whitney. I’m just an ordinary guy. A poor ordinary guy who is always late in paying his rent. With you, I’m sure any guy who sees a woman like you tumbling down a hill would come to the rescue.”

  “But you still rescued me, even though I’m your tyrant boss.”

  Darcy chucked. “In the middle of this forest, we’re just a man and woman. Alone. There’s no status. Everyone is equal.”

  Whitney didn’t catch the rest of what Darcy was saying. All she heard was a man and woman. Alone. In the middle of the forest. The idea sent something akin to warm and fuzzy floating through her body. And something else. Hot heat...

  Sheesh, Whitney? She mentally slapped herself. Are you aroused?

  Whitney swallowed and shifted on Darcy’s back. Now was not the time to excite herself.

  “Oh God, Whitney, you’re heavy. I’m about to lose my grip here.”

  “Darcy!” she smacked his back.

  Well, that was like a bucket of ice water poured over her face. She sure did wake up. Her arousal dissipated faster than steam.

  Darcy only laughed. Whitney hit him some more.

  “Don’t be mad.” He laughed, jolting her body, the movement sending a rippling wave through her fingertips, eliciting more erotic thoughts in her mind. “I was only joking. You’re not heavy. Women like you are cool. Lots of flesh for a man to enjoy.”