Wyne and Chocolate (Citizen Soldier Series Book 2) (7 page)

J
ill knew this was a bad idea. Every part of her being screamed
,
No, don’t go with them to the resort. It’s a bad idea
. But did she listen?
Did she pick them up from the bus station and say,
Hey, you can have Lea’s
car back, just drop me off at home
?

Hell-friggin’-no.

Idjit.

Look
what that got her…sandwiched between Lea and
Mr. Hottie
—Mason
panty-melting
Wyne.

Okay, so
she’d badgered herself all week and had vowed to step out of her comfort zone
whenever possible. Turning down Mason had opened her eyes. She’d become too
complacent and didn’t like it. She wasn’t sorry she’d turned him down. Spending
time with the mesmerizing guy and his family was too much. She definitely
needed to stay away from him, but she also needed to start going out more. A
girl’s night out or something. She wasn’t a hermit and needed to stop living
like one.

But,
dang, how did she end up right into the inferno? Sharing burgers and beer with
Mason and his family.

She was
barely three inches away from the guy, and in some places, not even. Some
places, they touched—if she moved a certain way. And, damn, yeah, she moved
that way a lot. On purpose.

Stupid
sex-starved body
.

Mason
oozed sex appeal and heat and smelled so dang delicious she found her needy
body leaning into his a few times throughout dinner.

Pathetic.

“So,
Jill, do you ski?” Keiffer asked, sparing Mason a pointed glance before
returning his attention to her.

Completely
clueless as to what that was about, she decided to ignore it like everyone else
at the table. “No. I don’t ski. I fall. Pretty spectacularly, too, I might
add.”

Laughter
echoed around the table.

“Trust
me, we all fell hundreds of times when we first started out,” Lea said, smiling
next to her.

Jill
held back a snort. “Yeah, but I doubt you took out the instructor, two
students, three innocent bystanders and a dog.”

Mason
chuckled. “You did not.”

“Okay,
it was only two bystanders. They can’t pin the third one on me. He was already
airborne. Those sidewalks were icy.”

“Sidewalks?”
Ben frowned. “Why were you skiing on sidewalks?”

“Because
the parking lot was crowded.”

“Jill…”
Lea was roaring by now. “You did not.”

She
smiled, unsure how to convince her friend, and the others holding their
stomachs laughing, that she was telling the God’s honest truth. “Yes, I did. It
wasn’t intentional, but the dang sidewalk separated the bunny slope from the
coffee shop, and I thought it was best if I remained outside and didn’t create
a ski-thru.”

“Ski-thru...”
Mason sobered and his face lit up. “I love it.” He glanced at Ethan. “Over at
the cross-country trail. We could put up a small building—”

“Yes.”
The oldest Wyne nodded, expression mirroring Mason’s. “And offer beverages and
a quick snack.” Ethan smiled at her. “Jill, you’re a genius.”

“Yeah,
thanks for the idea,” Mason said, squeezing her hand.

She
returned the squeeze. “You’re welcome. Glad something good came from my reign
of terror on skis.” Something good came from his touch, too. Hot, little sparks
of awareness that tingled down her body, waking up long dormant needs.

 His
gaze was dark and devilish as he leaned close. “I’m sure I could teach you to
ski without falling down.”

Her
stomach fluttered and heart rocked against her ribs. She was sure he could
teach her a good many things. Things her good parts were clamoring to learn.

Apparently,
they were going to have to be uneducated a while longer, as he must’ve realized
he was holding her hand and that his siblings had noticed because he released
her and sat back.

“What
about ice skating, Jill? Can you skate?” Keiffer asked, no doubt fishing for
another funny tale of her inadequacy.

Far be
it for her to disappoint. Just in time, too, because she needed the distraction
and hardly noticed the loss of Mason’s heat. Much. “Yes, actually, I can skate.
I learned at Rockefeller Center when I was seven,” she said. “But not without
the paramedics being called in.”

“Oh,
no.” Lea frowned, concern darkening her pretty blue gaze. “Were you hurt?”

A grin
tugged her lips. “No. Not me.”

“Let me
guess,” Keiffer said. “You took out two lawyers and a stock broker.”

Her grin
increased. “Close. It was one lawyer and an elf.”

“Elf?”
Mason frowned.

“It’s
New York. They dress in all sorts of things on the ice. Besides, this had been
close to Christmas.”

“You
took out a Christmas Elf?” Now Ethan was leaning forward, staring at her, gaze
hovering between amused and horrified.

“Technically,
I didn’t take him out. He did that all on his own,” she said. “Him and his
curved boot. It kind of got stuck in the lawyer’s skate and they took each
other down.”

She
shivered, remembering how horrible she’d felt freezing her buns off, literally,
as the whole fiasco played out around her.

Mason
slid her a glance. “And what part did you play?”

“A small
one.”

“Define
small.”

“Very
little.”

He
laughed. “Which consisted of…?”

“Someone
bumping into me, then me falling on my butt, which caused the skater behind me
to jump over my sprawled out body, trip and fall, but not before grabbing the
nearest person, who grabbed the nearest person…”

“I get
the picture.”

Mason
nodded, big smile on his face that completely took her breath.

The
table was laughing again.

“A
ten-person pile up on the ice.” Keiffer chuckled.

She
nodded. More like twenty, but they didn’t need to know.

Mason’s younger
brother smiled at her. “I’m almost afraid to ask if you snowmobile.”

“I’d
like to learn, but I should make sure my insurance is paid up first.”

Again,
the Wynes laughed, and warmth spread through her body at having provided them
with some enjoyment without being ridiculed or reduced to tears for being
stupid. But the Wynes would never do that. They were good people who understood
flaws and didn’t condemn. They accepted. Like the Martelli’s, her mom’s side of
the family.

After
her dad died in a construction accident when she was four, her mother hadn’t
handled it well, and they’d moved in with her Papa Martelli. Life had been
pretty good. Her grandfather, a lonely widower, had made the best cannolis and
happily taught Jill all he knew about baking. They were the best six years of
her life, until Papa died of a stroke when she was ten. Her mother didn’t like
to be alone and married several times, uprooting Jill until she’d graduated
high school and was old enough to dorm at college. That’s where she’d met
Donny.

“You’re
in luck.” Keiffer continued. “Mason’s taking some guests snowmobiling tomorrow,
and there’s still room for two more.”

The
handsome guide at her side studied her, lazy gaze half-daring her to chicken
out. And she wanted to, not because she was afraid of the snowmobile, but
because she was afraid to spend recreational time with Mason.

“Sweet!
Then sign us up,” Lea said, draping an arm around Jill’s shoulders and pulling
her close. “We’ll take the spots. I haven’t been on one of those puppies in
ages. It’ll be fun!”

“Yeah.”
Keiffer nodded, mischief dancing in his brown eyes. “As long as no one
challenges you, right Ben?”

Jill
raised a brow, gaze bouncing between Lea and her unsmiling boyfriend, clearly
having missed something. “Okay, I’ll bite. Did Lea challenge Ben on a
snowmobile and win?”

“No.
Skis,” Ethan answered with a grin.

Ben
scoffed. “Two kids crossed my path. What was I supposed to do? Plow them over?”

Mason
chuckled. “Jill would’ve.”

“Hey!”
She smacked his arm. “Okay, you’re right, but only because I wouldn’t know how
to stop.” She laughed and the others joined in.

“Unless
there was a sidewalk nearby,” Mason added.

Jill
smacked him again, enjoying the grin on his face. A grin sadly absent from Mr.
Sourpuss the past year. It was nice to see. Great, actually.

Lea
giggled and patted Ben’s chest. “That’s what you needed, honey. A sidewalk.”

In the
blink of an eye, the disgruntled Wyne lifted Lea right out of her chair and
deposited her on his lap mid-squeal.

A pang
of some unknown emotion rippled through Jill’s chest as she watched the happy
couple playfully embrace.

Once
upon a time, that had been her and Donny.

“Oh,
man, get a room.” Keiffer scowled, but amusement sparkled in his eyes.

“Already
got one,” Ben proclaimed after he and Lea came up for air. Then he glanced at
Mason. “Would you mind driving Jill home?”

Ah,
crud.
“That’s not necessary. I can call a cab,” she rushed to say as heat
flushed her face.

“Of
course not, and no, you’re not calling a cab. I’ll take you home,” Mason
insisted.

His
brown eyes filled with a stubborn determination she knew better than to test.
The Wynes were famous for it.

“Okay,
thank you.” She nodded, wishing she hadn’t come, despite having fun tonight.
God, she hated being a burden. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“All
right. Just let me get my coat,” he said, before disappearing from the bar.

“Ethan,
what time does that snowmobiling start?” Lea asked.

Dang,
she’d hoped the woman had forgotten about it.

“At
eight a.m.”

Her
friend turned to her and smiled. “Okay, then I’ll swing by and pick you up at
seven so we can get in a good breakfast beforehand.”

“I’ll
have the chocolate ready.” She smiled, when she really wanted to whine.

Mason
and recreation. Not good. Although, there would be others around, and he wasn’t
going to ignore them and dote on her.
Jeez
, she needed to get over
herself. And fast. Tomorrow, though, was a great opportunity for Resolution #4:
Be more social
. And, darn it, she was going to honor that resolution. No
more hermit.

“Ready?”

Mason
appeared, looking damn edible in a fleece lined, denim jacket, black knit hat
and a smile.

Because
her mouth was watering and pulse pounding, she opted to nod instead of speak. 
He’d already fluttered her stomach with his lazy smile, warm brown eyes, bulging
muscles stretching a dark green Henley, well worn jeans hugging…more bulges.

Unable
to stop the heat from flushing her face, she rose to her feet and reached for
her coat, but he already held it open for her.

“Thanks,”
she said, slipping it on, and two minutes later, she was sitting beside him in
his Jeep and on her way home. “Thanks for the ride. I’m sorry they made you
take me home.”

“First
of all, Jill, no one
made
me do anything,” he said, sparing her a
sideways glance that held just enough s
erious
in his brown depths to
convey he meant business. “And second, I’m happy to spend time with you.”

The warm
and fuzzy feelings his words produced were enough to melt the snow off the
trees lining the road. Unsure how to respond, she decided silence was her best
course. She didn’t live that far. Only about fifteen minutes from the resort.
Surely, she could keep her attraction in check and a secret. So far, they
hadn’t crossed any boundaries.

“Had you
always lived in New York?” he asked as they drove down the quiet road.

It was
pretty cold outside. Everyone was probably already at their destinations for
the night. A few more minutes and she’d be at hers.

“Yes,”
she replied, stalling for time. “You’ve always been here?”

He
nodded. “Yep. I grew up in a big house, where my dad still lives, until I went
to college.” He slid her a glance. “I get the impression that’s not the case
with you.”

“True.”
She didn’t want to talk about herself, but hated to be rude. He’d had a loving,
stable environment, and she’d had a host of families. Sort of.

“Gonna
make me work for it, aren’t you?”

He
smiled that damn sexy smile that had her lips responding in kind, and spilling
the beans.

“My
childhood was a bit chaotic. My dad died when I was four. Mom didn’t like to be
alone so we moved in with her dad until he died, then she remarried. Divorced.
Remarried. Divorced. By that time, I’d graduated and was living at college,
where I met my ex. So, you see? Chaotic.”

“Summers
here with your uncle must’ve seemed—”

“Like
heaven,” she interrupted. “It was the only stability I had during my teens. I
loved it here. And envied the heck out you and Brandi and your brothers.”

“You
did? Why?” He frowned, driving through the deserted streets in town.

All the
shops were closed, including hers. Theresa was manning the store tomorrow, so
Jill had worked alone today. After closing, she’d fetched Lea and Ben from the
bus station, expecting to be dropped off at her house. Not. Instead, she’d
spent a…pretty great evening with a bunch of nice people.

And she
really wished Mason would drive faster so she could get home and not have to be
answering these tough questions.

She
sighed, knowing she’d run out of time and needed to reply. “Because you had
your parents and each other and you didn’t get ripped away from your life every
few years.” An involuntary shudder rushed through her at the memory of just
finding her feet in her new life, then being uprooted to start again, all the
while trying to sooth her mother.

“Jesus,
Jill.” His gloved hand covered hers and squeezed. “I’m sorry you had to deal
with all that, especially as a child, but, even though I wasn’t forced to move
around, my childhood was far from ideal,” he said, mouth as grim as his tone.
“My mom walked out on us when I was eleven.”