Fierce: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 4) (32 page)

Icy water rushes into the sink as I wash my hands. The light lemon odor of the soap cleanses more than my skin as I let the astringency in. Composure regained, I put on my fierce persona and emerge.

I call out to Christian from the tiled area that leads to the garage. “I’m ready.” I wrap soft fleece around me and grab my purse. My keys jingle as I take them from the hook, and Christian walks with me to my car.

The ride to town is quick, and I spend the time catching Christian up on employee politics now that he’ll be working with us again. We step out of the car into slush. Bright sun makes the wet snow glisten, and I leave my sunglasses on for the walk to the shop. We cut through the alley, and large drops of moisture land on our heads.

Casey is just inside the courtyard door organizing a clothing rack. I say, “Look who I brought with me.”

She squeals and rushes over to hug Christian. I let them catch up and go to the office to check the shipment. I have no doubt Casey’s dying to hear what I have to say about him being back, but it’ll have to wait. I think I need to schedule a girls’ night soon.

Before I finish inspecting the new clothes Christian sticks his head in the office. “Hey, I’m going to run a quick errand. Be back in about ten minutes.”

“Sure.” I grin to myself, knowing the moment he’s out the door Casey will be pumping me for information.

Right on cue Casey rushes in. “Oh, my God!”

I turn to her as my smile fades. “I know. He’s back and claims this is where he wants to live.”

“And?”

“And I’m a mess.” I sigh. “I want to strip him naked and have my way with him so bad it hurts. But I’m scared to death of him breaking my heart again.”

“What does he say?”

“He’s made it clear he wants me back. Damn it, Casey, what do I do?”

She sits in my chair and twirls around. “You still love him, right?”

“Yes. God, yes.” I move over to lean against my desk and grab the arm of the chair to stop her from moving.

“Then let him prove to you you’re the one.”

“So just wait it out and see what he does?”

“Yup.” A grin spreads across her face, and she twirls one more time. “You’re about to be wooed in a big way.” She winks at me. “Make him work to get you back. It’s the least he can do after the way he acted.”

“Okay, I can do that.” Especially since it means I don’t have to decide anything yet. I glance at the door Christian exited, and my stomach churns.

I notice movement on the shop floor, and Casey hops up to wait on the customer. I’m out straightening displays when Christian returns from his errand.

He has a brown bag with a bottle inside that I suspect is wine for our dinner. I also know just where he went and why. I ask, “Wine and Cheese shop?”

I slip my arms into my coat, and Christian’s eyes crinkle a little at the edges as he smiles and answers, “Yup.”

I wave to Casey as he pushes open the door. “Neal was working?”

His smirk gets bigger. “Yup.”

My boots tap a lively beat on brick. “You just couldn’t resist letting him know you were back, could you?”

“Nope. Just making my intentions known.”

Intentions? I wonder Christian; do you think it’s that easy?

Chapter 52

W
hen Christian fills the small side sink with ice and water to chill the bottle, I discover it’s champagne. A very expensive champagne. Casey was right; he’s wooing me in a big way. He says, “Give me a job. Can I cut something?”

I toss the shallot to him and he catches it easily. “Mince.”

He does the job with gusto, and his knife chops quickly. Christian’s quite pleased with himself about something, and his joyful mood is contagious.

He pours the minced onion into the pan of melted butter. “Want me to sauté these?”

“Yes, please.” The drawer of the refrigerator rattles as I pull out broccoli. I toss it his way when he holds out hands.

I walk over with the chicken. “You’re in a really good mood. Why?”

He stops chopping to answer. “Because I’m where I should be, with the woman I love more than anything.”

“Oh.” The chicken package slaps against the counter when I set it beside his cutting board. I want to tell him I’m happy to be with the man I love more than anything too, but my damn pride won’t let me take the chance.

The container of cream is cool in my hand as I hold it while retrieving the shredded cheese. I change the subject, and we talk about the Vail location and my hopes for the shop’s design.

When we move to the table to eat dinner, Christian makes a production of opening the champagne. The cork pops, and I watch a fine mist rise from the bottle. He pours it carefully into the flutes, and the bubbles dance along the edges of the glass.

We lift our crystal and he says, “To starting over.”

Our glasses clink and I take a sip. The flavor is light and crisp on my tongue. I let it sit and savor the sensation of effervescence. “This is really good.”

He reaches over to take my hand. “I’m glad you like it. It seemed fitting to be extravagant tonight.”

I pull my hand away to twirl pasta on my fork slowly as cheesy sauce drips off. “Why’s that?”

“Oh, being here feels so right, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy. I wanted to celebrate.”

Again, I’m not ready to approach the subject of us and move the conversation back toward work. I manage to keep us there through cleaning up. When we’re done, Christian fills both our glasses with the rest of the champagne and takes my hand to lead me to the living room. He removes my flute from my fingers and sets it down on the coffee table with his.

He’s standing inches from me, and my insides melt at the proximity. Slowly, as if he’s afraid to scare me, he moves his hands to take my face in them. “I want to kiss you, Dannika.” He leans down and I know I should refuse, but I can’t.

I nod slowly as if hypnotized. And I am; I’m hypnotized by his touch and his very being. The moment his lips touch mine I’m home. His tongue plunges in, and I meld my body to his. A small cry comes out of me as I lose myself in being with Christian again after so long.

When his hand moves toward my breast I break away. “No. This is too fast.” I shake my head and step back. “You can’t just walk back into my life as if nothing happened.”

“I know. You’re my all-or-nothing girl, aren’t you?” His voice is husky, and it reverberates through my core, which aches with need.

“I am. And I’m afraid to trust you. How do I know you won’t decide this is wrong and take off again in a couple of weeks?”

He reaches into his pocket and drops down on his knees before me as he removes something and holds in his closed fist. Lifting one leg up to place a foot on the floor, I realize what he’s about to do.

Oh, God, no. I’m not ready.

“Dannika, will you marry me?” I can’t seem to move as I stare into his eyes. They are full of love that I believe is true. But my heart is still too raw, and when he takes my hand to put the ring on my finger I shake my head. “Stop.”

I step back as tears roll down my cheeks, and I swipe my sleeve across my face. Christian’s face falls, and I say, “I meant it when I said this is too fast. I can’t jump back into us, Christian. You hurt me too much for that.”

He stands up and puts the ring back in his pocket. A tiny piece of me wishes I had gotten a good look at it. “It’s okay, princess. I’ve had time to think about this, and I haven’t allowed you the same luxury. I’m sorry.”

He lifts his arms to me. “Let me hold you. I only want to hold you.”

So I do. I let him hold me as my tears fall. The cotton of his shirt gets soaked with them, and probably mucus too, by the time I’m done crying.

When I recover I say, “Neal and I have two rooms.”

“I know.”

“I can’t lie and say I don’t still love you, but you need to give me time. Give me time to believe you again.”

He kisses my forehead. “I will. You take all the time you need. You’re my forever, and I’ll wait as long as it takes.” His lips brush my check and move down my neck as he keeps the contact as light as air. Christian pulls me back into a hug and whispers into my hair, “I love you, princess. I’m never leaving you again, no matter what.”

Every ounce of me wants to believe him, but the pain of losing him weeks ago can’t be ignored. I cuddle into him and let his warmth work at healing my damaged heart.

Chapter 53

I se
nt Christian home at ten with the idea I would sleep. Fat chance. I tossed and turned over his proposal. When the sun finally came up, I took the dogs out and burned off some energy. I dropped them at Christian’s on the way back from our walk and didn’t hang around, claiming I was chilled and needed a shower.

Exhausted physically and emotionally, I fill my travel mug with piping hot coffee, expecting Neal any minute. The aroma promises energy I desperately need. I have my laptop and plan to create a mock catalogue design while in the car to keep my mind occupied. We meet with the art director next week, and I want to have my vision ready for him.

I know Neal will do his best to keep me entertained too. He’s got wonderful stories to tell, and the trip will be a pleasant distraction. Grabbing my overnight bag, I step outside to wait. The spring sun is offering another warm day. Icicles are already dripping from my eaves as tiny rivers of water stream down the slight incline of asphalt on my driveway.

I wonder if Christian is watching out the window as Neal pulls up. Not that it matters. I don’t think he’s jealous any longer, unless he’s second-guessing my reaction to his proposal last night. I dismiss the thought because Christian isn’t insecure.

When I climb in the car, Neal says, “Pardon me for saying this, but you look like hell. Are you okay?”

I have no doubt, considering the puffy state of my eyes combined with my lack of sleep. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I turn to him as he gives me his attention before shifting from reverse to drive. “I’m looking forward to today. It’s beautiful out.”

He grins. “That it is. Did you get a chance to eat? I brought pastries.”

While I hadn’t thought about it, the scent of sugary baked goods must have registered because I’m hungry. “There is a God. Sugar is exactly what I need, thank you.”

“So your ex-boyfriend’s back in town, huh?”

I have a mouthful of cinnamon roll and want to enjoy the sugar rush, so I hold up my hand to indicate he’ll have to wait. I swallow and say, “He is.” I don’t mention that I know he sold Christian expensive champagne or what it was supposed to be celebrating, and I wonder about their conversation.

I also wonder if he thinks my physical state is due to Christian. I guess he does when he reaches over to take my hand and says, “I’ll make sure you have a wonderful time today. No more tears.”

Damn it.
But his hand feels good, so I let him hold on for a little while before pulling away. I don’t want to think about Christian right now. “Have you ever skied Aspen?”

The ride goes by quickly as Neal keeps me entertained. He’s doing a great job of distracting me, and by the time we get there I’m in a good mood. The location tour is successful. Aspen has a section of shops that are for walking traffic only, and Neal owns a big building that houses many retail spaces with spots that can work for me.

Benches are set out in the brick walkways between the buildings, and we stop to enjoy an afternoon coffee. I’ve pulled my feet up and am resting them on the edge of the bench, making my knees come close to my face.

He asks, “Want to talk about what happened with Christian last night?”

I wrap my arms around my legs and hug them. “That’s sweet Neal, but I don’t think you’re the right person to be talking to.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure you’ll find this hard to believe, but I’ve suffered from a broken heart too.”

“Really?” I tease. “You’re right; it is hard to believe that about you. Tell me the story.”

“A couple of years ago I thought I found the one. She didn’t feel the same way, and I was too blind to see it. I proposed and she turned me down.” He sighs and I know the memory must be painful because his stories usually have more detail. I think I’m beginning to understand why he’s such a player.