"Leroy!"
Her cry vanished into the wind. Snow blinded her. The world tilted again… and then, suddenly, a force slammed into her.
Strong arms wrapped around her mid-fall, jerking her back against a solid chest. The air left her lungs with a startled gasp. They tumbled together a few feet down the slope, rolling through powder and ice until Leroy twisted his body to shield hers, taking the brunt of the fall.
When they stopped, the world went still again, just the soft whisper of snowfall and his ragged breathing in her ear.
He was panting, one hand gripping her tightly, the other braced in the snow beside her head. His hair was dusted white, a strand plastered to his cheek, covering the glowing birthmark of the flame.
"For the love of—Lorraine," he breathed, his voice caught somewhere between fury and relief. "Do you ever stay inside when I tell you to?"
