Fierce: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 4) (11 page)

“I suppose we are. But be careful. There are quite a few that are running away from something. We have our share of dysfunctional individuals too.” I reach up and open the moon roof shield to see the stars overhead.

“I’m in that camp too. After a broken heart, I needed a fresh start.”

I stretch my legs out and slide down a bit in my seat. “Oh, Christian, that’s hard.”

He glances over at me. “I’m fine now. But the city lost its magic for me.”

“So you think you’re a country boy instead?”

“It is what I grew up with.” He flicks on the blinker, and it ticks softly as we approach the main road.

“Me too. Home to me is where I can be in a forest and see the stars.” I lean my seat back and stare into the sky.

Neither one of us speaks, and I ponder why I didn’t stay with Kelly tonight. Am I really that worried about what Christian thinks? I look over at his profile as he focuses on the road. Or is it something more? I’ll bet Gretchen wouldn’t have given Christian’s opinion any consideration.

I smile as I think about her assertive ways. My brother can be a control freak, and every time he tries to squash Gretchen under his thumb she gives him a mental kick in the shin. I wish I were more like her.

By the time we get home I vow to follow my heart instead of worry what others think. I’m going to employ a “what would Gretchen do?” tactic. Because if I had, I might be naked in Kelly’s bed with his warm body surrounding mine.

I sigh as we pull into the driveway of my house and floodlights automatically light up. I’m tired of being lonely, but at least I’m on track to fix that problem. “Thanks for driving.”

Christian’s seat belt zings as it retracts. “No problem. Thanks for taking me. I had a great time.”

The dogs greet us with their wiggly bodies, and I watch Christian play with them for a moment. He’s a placeholder for the man I want in my life, and if things go well, Kelly will be doing this by the time Christian is ready to leave.

Chapter 17

Stu
mbling down the steps to let the dogs out, it isn’t until I’m at the bottom that I realize Christian is at the granite counter, drinking coffee while reading something on his laptop. The familiar sight makes me smile as I think of Derrick. I bet Christian is reading the
Wall Street Journal
like my brother does.

My storm door automatically slams shut after I let the dogs out, and Christian says, “Good morning. There’s coffee ready.”

“Thank you; you’re the perfect houseguest. You’re filling in for Derrick quite nicely. He’s an early riser too.”

“You’re more like Gretchen. Although not nearly as grumpy before your coffee. Or is this the honeymoon phase?”

My mug clatters on the counter, and the cabinet door bangs shut. “Don’t push it. I haven’t had a sip yet.”

I imagine what waking up next to Kelly this morning would be like. While the salty male scent of him makes me wish I were, I’d have to climb down the ladder to use the bathroom.

Knowing there could be numerous hungover people on various couches and the floor of the great room wouldn’t be something I’d welcome, either. I certainly wouldn’t look forward to walking through them to come home. Maybe not staying over last night wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

My spoon clinks against the ceramic cup as I stir in my milk. Not quite cool enough to drink yet, I take my coffee over to the sofa and curl up with it cradled in my hands before I remember the dogs.

The glass storm door rattles as Jake paws at it to be let in. I start to get up, but Christian says, “I’ll get them. You sit and I’ll do their breakfast. One and a half cups, right?”

“Yes. Thanks.” I settle back and let the overstuffed leather of my couch hug my body. “Goodness, this is like having Derrick here.”

He taunts me as he walks by. “I’m just another man taking care of you, the way you like.”

“Hey!”
Damn it.

He leans over the back of the couch to speak in my ear. “It’s not such a bad thing, princess.” He chuckles as he retrieves the dog food from the pantry.

Princess?
I’m not awake enough to banter back, so I sit back and listen to the dogs crunching their food. I ignore him and take a sip of my coffee. When did flirting lessons turn to taunting?
Shit.
Searing pain tells me I burned my tongue.

Christian comes over and takes my mug from me to set it on the table. He plops down next to me with his laptop, and I bounce a bit. He’s taking the morning perkiness to a dangerous level.

“You’re kind of annoying.”

“I know, but you’re going to like this. Promise.” He adjusts the screen of his computer for me to see easily. “Help me design my kitchen.”

Okay, he’s good. Because this is exactly the kind of thing I like to do, even in my morning haze. “Hmm, you might need to make me breakfast too.” I pull the computer away from him and settle it on my lap.

A selection of wood cabinets is laid out, and I ask, “Do you have something in mind? White? Dark? A color?”

“Manly, but not so much as to push away any potential girlfriends.”

I smirk. “You’re designing a kitchen with future girlfriends in mind?”

“Well, yeah.” He leans into me. “Once I lure them to my lair, I’ll need them to cook.”

“Of course. Whatever was I thinking?” I click on a couple of images to enlarge the picture. “White’s out because you’re doing the mountain cabin thing, but you could do a pale whitewashed birch, or my favorite—cherry.”

“That’s what you have, right?” He turns to look back at my cabinets, and I wonder if he ever built a tree house as a kid.

“Yes, it’s a nice, warm tone and you can do pretty much any other color with it. Are you getting granite counter tops?”

“Yeah. Want to see my top picks?”

He pulls the laptop away before I answer, and I chuckle. “You’re actually enjoying this, aren’t you?” Christian bought a spec house that wasn’t completed, and while the floor plan is already set, he gets to decide the finishings.

“More than I expected. I’ve never designed the inside of a house before.” He returns the computer to my lap with a page full of granite samples. The heat of the electronic is warm against my legs.

I ask, “What’s your favorite color?”

“Green.”

“Mine too. Do you like my granite?” The keyboard clicks as I type the color name of my granite in the search box.

“Yeah, but if I do my kitchen like yours, will you mind?”

I grin. “No, but that means you’ll be attracting princesses. Sure that’s what you have in mind? Because we don’t like to cook.”

“Oh, that is a problem, isn’t it?” He pretends to be seriously considering it.

I shrug. “We do have other talents.” I let a sly smile form on my face.

Christian says, “Careful, you’ll make me want to go find my necktie.”

I’m flushed, but can’t resist playing with him. “Now why would you want to do that?” I wiggle my fingers. “The things these hands can do, and you want to tie them up?”

Christian grabs one of my wrists and holds my hand in front of his face. He traces the lines of my palm slowly with a finger. “Nice comeback. You’re learning. Now you’ve got me thinking about how to decorate my bedroom. Are bedposts out?”

His touch has my core quivering, and I pull my hand away. “Okay, Romeo, I’m not going there. Let’s get back to the kitchen.”

When we’ve finished with the major decisions, he gets up and takes my coffee cup to go refill it. “I’m meeting the contractor later this morning. Want to come?”

Liquid trickles into my mug. “Sure.” I remember I have a tentative date with Kelly this afternoon. “I can go for a little while, but I’m planning on getting to the mountain around lunch time.”

“That’s fine, thanks. I appreciate your help.” He splashes milk, and when he stirs it for me I smile.

“Sure, now are you making me waffles? Because I like them with chocolate chips and whipped cream.”

“At your service milady.” And he bows as he hands me the cup.

“How long do I get to keep you?”

He places his hands on either side of my thighs and leans down close enough that I can detect the odor of coffee on his breath. “I wonder what Kelly would say if he knew you plan to keep me.”

His lips are full, and I suspect they’d be soft too. His morning musk is mixed with a spicy scent, and I struggle with the thought that I’m attracted to two men at the same time. I bite my lip in frustration, and Christian’s gaze falls to my mouth.

He lets out a sigh and stands back up. “Such a pretty mouth. I’ll bet it tastes even better.” When he’s back in the kitchen he says, “About a month.”

What?
Oh, right. That’s how long he’ll be here. I squirm a bit and lift my mug to my lips. I swallow down a scalding mouthful, which manages to take my mind off the dampness between my legs.
A month.

Chapter 18

T
hings at Christian’s new house run longer than we expected. It’s only three lots down from me, and I could easily leave and go to the mountain, but I don’t because I’m having fun making a list of the decisions he needs to make.

The tip of my nose is cold, and the wind makes me wish I had worn a hat as we walk down the road. “I’m excited for you. It’s nice to be able to customize things, isn’t it?”

“It really is. Thanks again for all your help. I’m not sure I would be having as much fun doing this alone.” He kicks a chunk of ice, and it skitters across the pavement.

“What are you up to this afternoon?”

“I’m not sure. I might go into town and walk around. You?”

“I was going to ski this afternoon, but I don’t feel like it now. I do have to go in to the locker room for a bit though.” I don’t get into the fact that Kelly doesn’t have a phone and I said I would look for him this afternoon. I figure I can slip a note in Kelly’s locker if he isn’t around.

“Want me to figure out dinner?”

“That would be great. We could do an every-other-night thing if that works for you.” We’ve reached my driveway, and the dogs are barking inside the house.

“Sounds like a plan. What foods won’t you eat?”

As I open the side garage door I say, “I’m easy. I like pretty much anything. And dessert. I love dessert.”

I hear Christian chuckle as the dogs burst through the door from the house.

***

When I got to the locker room Kelly wasn’t anywhere to be found, so I left him a note saying I would be at the Baked Bean and if he got back by four to meet me there. As I sip my latte, I eavesdrop on a conversation. The two girls must work retail, and they’re talking about a new shipment of cowboy boots. It makes me pick up my phone and find my favorite boot shop online.

As I’m scrolling through the various flowered ones, a warm hand lands on my shoulder just before a kiss lands on neck. My skin tingles when the salty scent that reminds me of the ocean tells me it’s Kelly.

“Hey. You’re so engrossed in whatever’s on your phone you didn’t see me come in and order a coffee, did you?”

I grin. “I guess not. But when one is shopping for cowboy boots, it’s easy to stay focused.”

The chair across from me scrapes against the wood floor, and Kelly sits down. “You’re buying more cowboy boots?”

“Yeah.” The frown on his face makes me click off my phone. “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t understand why you keep buying things. You have more than you need. It’s so wasteful.” He slurps his coffee.

“I like clothes. You do remember I was a model, right? Fashion is kind of my thing.” I sit up a little taller.

“You have too much money for your own good. You should donate it to people that need it and feel a little of their pain by worrying how to pay for things too.” He reaches over and breaks off a piece of my cake.

“You think I should give away my money and worry about how to pay for things?” Anger licks at me.

Kelly speaks around the food in his mouth, and it disgusts me a little to hear his muffled speech. “Yeah, just keep enough to live simply.”

While trying to hide my annoyance, I ask, “Do you give away all the money you have left over?”

“No. I have a savings account for when I might need it. But if I had a lot more, I would give to charity.”