Chill Out (6 page)

“I hope you like it,” he said as he took his seat.

Renata skimmed her spoon over the top and blew on the steaming contents for a moment before tasting it. The flavors exploded in her mouth, rich and flavorful and comforting.

“Mmm, this is delicious, Noah. Well done.”

“Thanks.”

“Oh! I forgot the wine.”

She brought the wine to the table and made a show of pouring the same amount into each wine glass. When she was done, she lifted her glass.

“To good food and good company, both the human and the canine kind.”

Noah touched his glass to hers. “I’ll drink to that. Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

When they were finished with the soup, she took away the bowls and brought the teacups with the candy hearts to the table.

“Since we didn’t have a dessert, I thought I’d share some of my stash.”

“If I’d known when I’d stopped for groceries that you were going to be here, I would have bought ice cream and cake.”

“Be honest. If you’d known I was going to be here, you probably would have booked yourself into a hotel someplace, even if it meant smuggling Spike into your room again.”

“You’re probably right.” He raised his glass. “Let’s drink to not knowing what the future holds in store. I’m glad I didn’t know, or I might not have met you.”

Renata held up her glass, touched by his toast. “To the future and all its surprises.”

“To the future.”

Their gazes met across the table, and Renata simply couldn’t look away. His blue eyes pinned her in place with their intensity. But then he averted his gaze, reaching for the teacup with the candy hearts as if looking for something to do with his hands.

“I’m not a big candy person, but I don’t mind these.”

“Yes, they’re very good.” She reached for her own teacup and pulled out a candy. Why had their conversation suddenly turned so banal?

She turned over the candy.
Stir My Heart.
Noah had certainly done that to her.

“What does yours say?” she asked.

“
Cheer Me On.
I wonder what that means?”

“It doesn’t mean anything. You do know they’re just candies, right?”

“Very funny.”

Despite her cheeky words, the candy heart sayings were freaking her out. She was relieved that
Cheer Me On
had no real meaning to their situation.

Renata drained her glass and then reached for the wine bottle. “Just enough left for one of us. I think I should have it since I brought the wine.”

“Wait a minute. As your guest, I believe I should have it.”

She pretended to think it over. “Technically, we’re both guests here. I think I deserve the last of the wine, considering I’m the pathetic one who lied to her mother so I wouldn’t have to go to my second cousin’s stupid Valentine wedding.”

“If pathetic is the criteria for winning the last drink, then it should go to me. Remember my sister-in-law, the one who’s having a baby in a couple of weeks?”

“Yeah?”

“Two years ago she was my fiancée. Until she ran off with my brother and married him.”

Renata stared open-mouthed, her heart breaking for him. How painful for him to lose the woman he loved, and his brother, in one fell swoop. She couldn’t imagine how deeply he’d been hurt. The betrayal boggled her mind.

She poured the wine into his glass. “You win.”

He lifted his glass and saluted her with it. “Told ya.”

“I’m sorry, Noah.”

He drained the glass. “Don’t worry about it. It was a long time ago.”

“Not that long ago. Just two years.”

“Enough time to think about my part in all this. I was so focused on my career that I didn’t think about all the time I was spending away from Kendall. I didn’t realize how unhappy she was in our relationship.”

“You’re being very kind. I’m not sure I’d be as generous.”

He twisted the stem of his empty wine glass between his thumb and forefinger. “Believe me, I wasn’t very generous at the time. I called both of them a lot of names, and then I took off. I couldn’t stand to be in the same country, let alone the same city.”

He stared at the glass, as if lost in memories. “Kendall and I had been together all through university, and I know now I took her for granted. I could have accepted her breaking up with me, even taking up with another man. But my brother? That’s what really hurt.”

Renata grasped his hand. “You’re back now. That took courage.”

“You give me too much credit. Tyler told me about the baby, said he thought I should know. He and Caroline keep in touch with my brother.” Noah squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes, and she saw the pain there. “Dylan wasn’t just my brother, he was my best friend, and in some ways, he was like a father. When our mother died, he petitioned the court to make him my legal guardian so I wouldn’t have to go into care. He made sure I studied, pushed me to apply to med school, helped me with expenses.”

“He sounds like a wonderful big brother.”

His lips curved in a sad smile, and Renata’s heart ached for him. “He was, and I know he’s going to be an amazing father. I want this animosity between us to end. I want my brother back.” His voice cracked. “But I’m not sure he feels the same way. I said some ugly things…”

“Perhaps, with the baby coming, he wants to mend the rift between you as much as you do.” She hoped she was right.

“Maybe. I’ll find out tomorrow. I’m going to phone Dylan and try to arrange a meeting.”

“It’ll work out. You’ll see.”

He leaned toward her, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with his smile. “I appreciate the pep rally.”

“Well, I was a cheerleader in high school. Rah, rah.”

He laughed softly, then cupped her face with his hand, his thumb idly stroking her cheek. Her breath hitched at his tender touch. “Thank you for making this easier for me, Renata.”

He leaned in and her heart pounded in anticipation of his kiss. When his lips touched hers, a firestorm of longing ignited inside her. She strained toward him, needing his kiss, needing to heal his pain. His lips parted against hers, and she opened her mouth eagerly, reveling in his taste as his tongue danced with hers. The world faded away, and nothing existed for her except this man and all the tenderness she felt for him. It felt so right to kiss him, so perfectly, completely right.

And she wanted more. When he touched her breast, she moaned with pleasure.

Oh, yes. Please
.

Her eyes flew open as he pulled away from her abruptly, saying, “I didn’t mean for that to get so out of hand. I’m sorry.”

I’m not!
Renata bowed her head. Apparently, the kiss meant more to her than it did to him.

The story of my life.

She swallowed her humiliation and got to her feet, attempting a breezy air, as if a mind-blowing kiss with an attractive man like Noah was no big deal. She lied through her teeth.

“Hey, we both got a little carried away. It’s okay.”

He nodded and turned his head. She saw his Adam’s apple work and wondered if maybe he was more affected by their kiss then he let on. But then he whistled to Spike and walked to the door.

“Spike needs to go out.”

While he dressed in warm outerwear, Renata busied herself in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher and putting away leftovers, afraid that if she looked at him he’d see the truth.

She was falling for him.

It was crazy.
She
was crazy. She barely knew Noah, yet her feelings for him were strong. It was more than wanting him physically, though she did want him, desperately. She was also drawn to the courageous, giving man inside that beautiful package.

When she heard the door close, she expelled a long breath and leaned against the counter. Was she once again going to find herself in a one-sided love affair? She couldn’t handle another rejection.

She picked up the teacups containing the remaining candy hearts and had a sudden epiphany.
Cheer Me On.
That’s what she’d done when he’d told her about his brother. She’d been a cheerleader, telling him everything was going to be all right.

Renata shivered. Since when were candy hearts the freaking Oracle of Delphi, predicting the future?

Despite giving her the willies, she couldn’t resist taking another candy from her teacup. She even closed her eyes to be sure she couldn’t see which one she choose.

I Love You.

She was in so much trouble.

Renata prayed for the storm to end before she totally embarrassed herself. And before her heart broke into a million pieces.

Chapter Seven

Noah stayed outside with Spike until they were both half frozen and covered in snow. When they stepped inside, Spike shook himself, spattering the floors and walls at the back entry with melting snow. Noah fetched paper towels and cleaned up the mess.

Spike circled the great room and even stuck his nose into the powder and laundry rooms, obviously searching for Renata. Noah scratched his ears.

“You’ve got it bad for her, too, don’t you, big guy?”

He heard water running upstairs and knew Renata must be taking a bath. He imagined her rising from the tub, water streaming down her slick, heated skin. He saw full, lush breasts, the nipples a dusky pink, her small waist flaring out to generous hips and shapely legs. His cock responded enthusiastically to the picture in his head.

Think of something else.
He envisioned hookworms growing in the intestinal tracts of their unfortunate hosts. He made himself remember a Guinea worm the size of a string of spaghetti bursting through a man’s leg and causing agonizing pain. Then there was the poor bastard who’d had a parasitic disease that had caused his scrotum to swell like an overinflated balloon.

No luck. Not even remembering the grossest sights of his career made his physical interest subside.

Noah decided to stay downstairs until he heard Renata go to her room. For both their sakes, he needed to give her a wide berth. After the amazing kiss they’d shared, he was afraid to touch her again, afraid that one touch would lead to two, and then three, and soon he wouldn’t be able to stop.

He’d just met Renata. He shouldn’t be feeling like he needed her like he needed his next breath.

Spike didn’t give a damn about his plans. He trotted up the stairs with surprising speed. By the time Noah got upstairs, Spike was already scratching at Renata’s door, whining loudly. Noah tugged on his collar in an attempt to pull him away, but it was no use. A determined Spike was immovable.

The bedroom door swung open, and Renata stood in the opening wearing a short robe that revealed her lovely legs. A light floral fragrance drifted to his nose—he envisioned a field of flowers. Spike brushed past her and entered the room.

“Oh! I didn’t realize you were with Spike.”

“I’m sorry. When he gets a notion, he’s pretty hard to stop. I’ll get him out.”

“No, that’s okay. I don’t mind having him in my room. Besides, I doubt you could make him leave if he doesn’t want to.”

She was probably right. “You’re sure? He snores something awful. And did I mention the drool?”

She smiled. “Yes, I discovered the delights of sleeping with Spike last night. But I have to admit, I kind of like having the big lug around.”

“You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“I’m sure.” She took a step backward into her room, holding the door between them. “I should get some sleep.”

“Yeah.”

She hesitated, as if waiting for him to speak. For a moment he thought she was going to invite him into her room. But then she swallowed and lowered her gaze.

“Goodnight, Noah. Sleep well.”

“Goodnight.”

She quietly closed the door. Noah’s heart beat frantically as he stood outside. He wanted her in a way he hadn’t felt in a very long time, a deep primal urge, an overwhelming desire. Should he knock, ask to come in, ask to spend the night with her? Should he throw caution to the wind and let her know how he felt?

He raised his hand, ready to knock. What if he’d misread the way she responded to his kiss? Were his feelings for her simply a product of their isolation together? If she made love with him tonight, would she later regret it?

Fear slapped him in the gut. He couldn’t face another rejection. He let his hand drop to his side and walked to his room.

****

When Renata woke the next morning, the first thing she noticed was that the wind no longer howled around the cottage. The only sound in her room was Spike’s snoring. She patted his head and he opened one eye, grunted, and went back to sleep. Renata smiled at him fondly. She was going to miss him when she left.

The thought brought her up short. If the blizzard had stopped, she’d soon have to leave.

She pulled back her blankets and slipped from her bed. Drawing back the curtains, she peeked out the window. Though it was still mostly dark, she could tell the storm had abated. Her time with Noah was nearly over. She closed her eyes as a wave of sadness washed over her.

Last night she’d lain awake for hours thinking about him. Should she tell him how she felt? Should she suggest getting together in the future, maybe ask for his phone number, or would that be too weird and stalker-like?

How could she feel the way she did after knowing him for less than a weekend?

When she’d opened her bedroom door last night and found him there with Spike, for one wild moment she’d thought he’d come for her, that he wanted to spend the night in her bed. But it had soon become obvious that only Spike wanted to sleep with her.

She had a short time left with Noah. If something happened between them, it would be because he made the first move. She’d just suffered through a breakup with Kevin; it would hurt too much to confess her feelings only to have him tell her he didn’t feel the same way.

Renata sighed and let the curtain fall back into place. She dressed and, after convincing Spike to get out of bed, straightened the blankets. As she walked down the stairs with the dog close behind her, the aroma of fresh coffee greeted her. Noah was already in the kitchen, mixing something in a large bowl. He looked up and smiled warmly.