One Winter's Night (16 page)

Alpha stood there staring at the DVD as a thousand questions flowed through her mind. Did Riley assume like LeBron had at first that it was her on the DVD and not Omega? Or did he figure like LeBron had later that if he couldn’t have his ideal porn star then her twin sister would do?

She angrily shoved the drawer closed as fury ripped through her. No wonder he had wanted an affair with her.

But then why was she getting angry anyway? She’d known it was nothing but sex with no commitment all along. Nothing more.

Not caring anymore if anyone saw her naked, she raced downstairs and saw Riley had picked up her clothes off the floor and placed them on the sofa. She quickly dressed, grabbed her purse from the table and left. For the first time since moving to Denver, she didn’t notice the cold.

What she noticed more than anything was how deep her heart was hurting.

Sixteen

R
iley walked into the ballroom of the Pavilion Hotel and stopped short. Wow! Alpha had miraculously transformed the room into one winter’s night, just as the theme declared.

The color scheme was silver, blue and white. Large white columns had been erected, connected by swathes of white netting. The ceiling looked like a midnight sky with the moon and dots of stars. Miniature mounds of snow lay in one area and props of snow-covered mountains were strategically placed around the room.

“Welcome.” A hostess dressed as a snow maiden greeted him. “And here’s your gift from Blue Ridge Management,” she said, handing him a snow globe with a replica of the Blue Ridge Management building inside.

“Thanks.” He couldn’t resist shaking it up and watching snow float all around. A huge smile touched his lips. His woman had definitely outdone herself.
Imagine
.

“Your girlfriend did a bang-up job, didn’t she?”

He turned and looked into Bailey’s smiling face. He could tell she was equally impressed. “Yes, she did.”

Bailey tilted her head. “So, she is your girlfriend?”

He paused, thinking that Bailey was the second person in two days who had referred to Alpha as his girlfriend. He hadn’t denied it then, and he wouldn’t deny it now. “Yes, she’s my girlfriend.”

She stared at him. “Of all the women you’ve been involved with, I’ve never known you to claim any of them as anything other than a sleeping partner.”

He grabbed a glass of wine from the tray of a passing waiter. Everything, including the outfits the waiters and waitresses wore, looked festive and right in keeping with the party’s theme. “She’s different.”

“In that case, I hope you intend to treat her differently.”

He already was, and would continue to do so. In fact, starting tonight, he intended for them to take their relationship to a whole new level, but first they needed to talk. He had left several messages, but she hadn’t found time to return them. He knew how hard she had worked and planned for the party tonight, often staying up late and getting up early. But tonight she had to be proud of her accomplishments. He was, and was certain the rest of his family would be, as well.

“You look good, by the way,” Bailey said, giving him a once-over. “You Westmoreland men clean up well.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “So do Westmoreland women.” He glanced around again. “Have you seen Alpha?”

“Yes. She’s around here someplace, making sure everything is running smoothly. At some point, I hope you make sure she slows down to enjoy herself. She’s worked hard for tonight and it shows.”

It was a half hour later before he got a chance to see Alpha, and it was from across the room. He had been standing in a group talking to Morris Caper, one of the oldest employees at Blue Ridge, along with the man’s wife, Canyon, Stern and two other couples, when Alpha came into his line of sight. His breath caught when he saw her. She was wearing blue, the same shade being used at the party.

He nodded a few times, trying to pretend to listen to the speaker, when in reality his attention was on Alpha. He began wondering why she wouldn’t look his way. Surely she knew he’d arrived. However, he had to remind himself that tonight wasn’t about him. She had a job to do. But he had a niggling discomfort that something wasn’t right.

He was about to look back at Mr. Caper when Alpha finally glanced his way. He was about to give her a smile and a thumbs-up when the look she gave him made him go still. What was that glare all about? He lifted his brow, and she quickly turned to head toward the room where food was being prepared.

“Excuse me for a minute,” he said to the group before walking off in the direction Alpha had gone. Something was going on, and he intended to find out what.

He walked through several rooms and was stopped by a number of people before he finally came within a few feet of her. She looked up, saw him and was about to walk away when he increased his pace and touched her arm. “Everything is above my expectations, Alpha, but I’d like to talk to you for a second.”

He was very much aware that with others around, she couldn’t deny his request. After all, his family was the one paying for this affair.

“All right.”

To anyone else it would appear she was acknowledging his request, because, unless you were standing as close to her as he was, you couldn’t see the sharp daggers in her eyes or the tightness of her lips.
What the hell?

“Privately, please,” he said, taking her arm and leading her to an empty room in the back, far away from her staff, his employees or his family members.

He closed the door behind them and then turned to her. She was looking at everything in the storage room but him. And he could feel her tension. Her anger. “Now. Would you like to tell me what’s going on?”

Her brows furrowed, and she lifted her chin. “There’s nothing going on, at least nothing you should be concerned about. This is our breakup night anyway, right? What did you say when we started out, that you didn’t stay with any woman past six weeks? Well, your six weeks ended today, no sweat.”

Riley gritted his teeth. “What’s this about, Alpha?”

“Nothing, and if you don’t mind, I have a party to run and—”

“Your assistant can handle things until you get back. And I intend to keep you here until you tell me what’s wrong, even if it takes all night.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t owe you any explanations.”

He crossed the room to where she stood in a furious stance with her gaze flaring, spine straight and head thrown back. “Yes, you do. When I left you in bed yesterday morning it was with a smile on your face, so what’s with the venom tonight? Are you mad because I left without waking you?”

“Is that what you think?”

He rubbed his hand down his face. “I don’t know what to think, so tell me.”

* * *

Alpha tried not to give in to the plea she heard in his voice and turned her back to him. For two solid days she had tried putting thoughts of him out of her mind. She had tried to concentrate on what had to be done for this party. It hadn’t been easy, but she had managed to get through it somehow, and every single Westmoreland here, including him, had complimented her on her work. Tonight should be a night of celebration and excitement for her. Instead it was one of heartbreak.

She heard him move and could feel his heat, breathe in his masculine scent and knew he was standing directly behind her with little space between them. The thought of what he’d done and what he’d thought of her hit low and hard, and he had the nerve to act like nothing happened. In essence he had no idea what she’d found in his drawer. Maybe it was time for her to tell him.

She turned around and met his inquisitive gaze. “Yesterday morning after you left, I needed a T-shirt to put on before going downstairs to get my clothes.”

“Go on.”

“I thought you wouldn’t mind if I looked in your drawer to get one.”

Something in his gaze let her know that he knew what would come next and he spoke before she did. “And you found that DVD Paula gave me.”

His words nearly sucked the breath from her lungs. “Paula?”

“Yes, Paula, from McKay’s.”

Her head began spinning. Now she understood the looks that had passed between him and Paula that night. “So that was the private joke between the two of you,” she said, barely getting the words out, forcing them beyond the tears she refused to let fall.

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. The main thing right now is that you had that video and you thought it was me, didn’t you? That’s why you initiated an affair with me, isn’t it? I played right into your hands—and into your bed.”

* * *

Riley felt a sting to his cheek, thinking her words were like a slap to his face. He struggled against the need to lash out at her the way she was lashing out at him. How could she assume something like that? “What are you accusing me of, Alpha?”

“That you and your ex-girlfriend thought you had things figured out. You both thought that I’m the woman on that porn DVD.”

At that moment he felt angrier than he’d ever felt in his life because the woman he loved didn’t trust him. She had a lot of nerve. He had been up-front with her about everything. She was the one keeping secrets yet he had fallen in love with her anyway, against his better judgment.

Risking the kind of pain he’d vowed never to feel.

“I knew you were not the woman on that jacket,” he said through gritted teeth.

She took a step closer to him, got in his face. “How could you have known that when Omega is my identical twin? You wouldn’t be the first man who thought I was her.”

“I don’t give a royal damn what other men thought. I knew it wasn’t you the minute I looked at that DVD jacket. You might be identical twins but a man who has made love to you as often as I have, who has touched you, tasted you, got up close and personal with you, could tell the difference. I know every mole, crevice, indention and mark on your body. I knew that wasn’t you and figured it had to be your twin...a twin you never told me you had.”

He paused a moment and added, “And if you recall, I did mention we needed to talk and intended to bring it up on Thursday night, the same day Paula brought that DVD over for me to see. I told her then it wasn’t you. So who’s the victim here, Alpha? It seems pretty clear to me that I trusted you a whole hell of a lot more than you trusted me.”

He then turned and walked out of the room.

Alpha drew in a deep breath the moment she heard the door close behind Riley. Was it really true? Had he known the woman on that DVD jacket wasn’t her? If so, then she had done him a grave injustice, especially when she hadn’t told him about Omega.

What had been lacking between them was trust and communication, more on her part than on his. He had told her about his family, introduced her to them, but she had told him hardly anything about hers. And he hadn’t been quick to believe the worst about her like she had about him.

And he
had
wanted to talk Thursday night, but she’d assumed he wanted to break things off with her. Had she let him have his say, none of this would have happened, and if she hadn’t jumped to conclusions and assumed the worst then she wouldn’t be standing here filled with so much remorse. But after dealing with the likes of LeBron and Eddie, she had been too afraid to trust another man.

There was a gentle knock on the door. “Yes?”

Lindsey stuck her head in with a concerned look on her face. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

She came into the room and shrugged. “I saw Mr. Westmoreland request to talk privately and wondered what could be wrong since everything seems to be going all right. Everyone I talked to thinks you outdid yourself. Everything is beautiful.”

Alpha swallowed deeply. “I had a lot of help, and no, Mr. Westmoreland wasn’t complaining about anything. He wanted to discuss another matter.”

“Oh.”

Deciding the best thing she could do now was to get back to work and stay busy, she said, “Come on. Let’s make sure everything continues to stay impressive for everyone.” She checked her watch. “It’s almost time for the snow to start falling.”

As part of the theme, she had decided to have fake snowflakes swirl from the ceiling, and with the special lightning she had installed, it would give the illusion that the entire ballroom had been transformed into a beautiful winter wonderland.

As Alpha left the room with Lindsey, she knew what she should do but had no idea how to go about it.

* * *

“You sure you don’t want to come to dinner, Riley? With that huge snowstorm headed this way it might be the last good home-cooked meal you get for a while,” Dillon said.

“Yes, it might be at that,” Riley replied as he stood at the window and looked out. It hadn’t started snowing yet but according to the forecasters a snowstorm was headed their way. “But I’ll still pass. I wouldn’t be much company anyway.”

Dillon didn’t say anything for a minute. “So Pam and Chloe were right. There’s trouble in paradise.”

Riley didn’t have to figure out how they knew. He had found out a long time ago that the women in his family were too observant for their own good. “I guess you can say that.”

“Then take it from someone who knows, people in love have spats sometimes.”

Riley lifted his brow and said in a defensive tone, “Who said I was in love?”

“I did. And don’t try denying it. I watched you and Alpha at the party trying to avoid each other. It’s been over a week. Don’t you think the two of you need to kiss and make up?”

Riley rolled his eyes. “Too complicated to kiss and make up, Dil.”

“Not if you really love her. If I can forgive Pam for coming within seconds of marrying another man, then I’m certain you can forgive Alpha for whatever the transgression.”

A short while later, after his conversation with his oldest brother had ended, Riley stood in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee, replaying in his mind what Dillon had said. He appreciated the pep talk but there were times when it was better just to count your losses, move on and not look back. Instead, he was going to take the same advice he’d given to Bane—advice Bane had refused to follow. Now, his brother was
still
hurting and, more than ever, Riley refused to be another Bane.

He was about to walk over to the refrigerator to pull out a microwave dinner when he heard his doorbell. He didn’t have to wonder who was probably at his door. Bailey. She’d called twice already and if Dillon had mentioned Riley planned on skipping a meal with the family, she wouldn’t hesitate to come and grill him about things he’d rather not talk about.

He thought about not answering but decided if Bailey had braved the blistering cold to come to his place then he would see what she wanted. But he would not let her stay long. Although the snowstorm hadn’t hit yet, it was cold as the dickens outside. He would send Bailey on her way, and he would eat his meal alone and get in bed early. The mayor had already predicted that most of Denver, including the airport, would be shut down tomorrow.