The Swede

by Maureen Smith

  When they reached the railing and he let his hand fall away, she almost protested. Which was ridiculous.

  Turning away from him, she snuggled into his jacket. It was huge on her. The inside was lined with silk and still warm from his body heat. The subtle spice of his cologne permeated the expensive fabric. It smelled so good her mouth watered and her senses tingled.

  As much as she was enjoying the intoxicating delights of his jacket, she couldn’t help feeling guilty. “We shouldn’t stay out here too long,” she said.

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t want you freezing to death.”

  Viggo chuckled. “I’m a hockey player from Sweden. I’m never cold.”

  Scarlett grinned at him. “Spoken like a true badass.”

  He laughed. The deep, rough sound pebbled her nipples and curled her toes.

  He was standing so close to her that they were almost touching. She had on tall stilettos, but she still had to tip her head back to see his face. In the moonlight his eyes were more silver than gray. Totally mesmerizing.

  Trying to ignore the tingly awareness pulsing through her blood, she turned to stare out at the lights twinkling across the river in Windsor, Ontario.

  “What a view,” she said appreciatively.

  “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

  She turned to look at Viggo. He was staring at her. While she was admiring the view, he’d apparently been admiring her.

  She felt a ripple of pleasure run down her spine. And that was before he shook his head slowly and uttered, “You are so fucking gorgeous.”

  She blushed all over. “Thank you.”

  “Just being honest. You’re a heartbreaker, Scarlett.”

  A soft laugh escaped her. “I’ve never broken any hearts.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Believe it. It’s…” She lost her train of thought when he reached out and touched the star-shaped flower tucked into her hair. She stared up at him, willing her pulse to stabilize—which seemed impossible as long as he was around.

  “Pretty flower,” he murmured, fingering the creamy petal above her left ear.

  “It’s a Hawaiian gardenia.” Her voice was a little breathy. “It matches my outfit. See?”

  “Hmm.” He looked her over, taking in the wide-legged cream pantsuit that hugged her every curve. “So it does.”

  Her skin sizzled under the heat of his gaze. It was all she could do not to shiver as his eyes leisurely traveled back up to her face. He clearly liked what he saw. The feeling was mutual.

  “So,” he drawled conversationally, “based on your comments about tonight’s game, I assume you’re a hockey fan.”

  Scarlett grinned, her cheeks warming with renewed embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to be such a hardass about the penalty you took. I tend to get carried away when it comes to my favorite sport.”

  Viggo looked pleased. “Hockey’s your favorite sport?”

  “Yep. Always has been.”

  “Yeah?” He was grinning now. “You have excellent taste.”

  She laughed. “Of course you’d say that.”

  “Of course.” His grin softened to a smile as his eyes roamed across her face, seemingly taking in every detail of her features. “Are you seeing anyone?”

  She bit her lower lip and shrugged. “Off and on.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Before she could respond, a burst of laughter came from inside the restaurant. She and Viggo turned to look through the French doors, smiling when they spotted Reid and Nadia standing before a crowd of partygoers. As everyone looked on, Reid dipped Nadia backward and kissed her senseless. The crowd erupted with cheers and whistles.

  Scarlett’s smile widened. Nadia was her cousin and the sister she’d never had. Reid was Viggo’s best friend and teammate. After dating for only two months, the couple was now engaged.

  Scarlett watched the two lovebirds begin slow dancing to Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” The love and joy on their faces made her sigh with quiet satisfaction.

  “I’ve never seen Nadia so happy. They’re beautiful together, aren’t they?”

  “They are,” Viggo said warmly.

  Scarlett gave him an amused sidelong glance. “Did you know Reid was gonna pop the question tonight?”

  He smiled enigmatically. “Maybe.”

  She laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  He just grinned and shifted closer, surrounding her without even touching her. His immense shoulders and hard pecs stretched the fine fabric of his dress shirt. The stubble shadowing his jaw made him look even hotter. Rough and dangerous.

  Staring up at him, Scarlett wondered if it was possible to die from overexposure to testosterone. ’Cause the Swede was pumping out some lethal amounts of the stuff.

  “So what did you mean by ‘off and on’?” he asked, resting his arm on the railing.

  Scarlett blinked, feeling drugged. “Um…what?”

  “When I asked if you’re seeing anyone, you said ‘off and on.’ Is there a special guy in the picture?”

  Scarlett thought of the last few guys she’d dated—more off than on. None of them could be considered “special.” Not by any stretch.

  “I’m not seeing anyone right now,” she said.

  “Good.” The possessive note in Viggo’s voice surprised her. And turned her on more than it should have.

  Dammit. She was sinking deeper and deeper into trouble.

  “Are you leaving tomorrow?” he asked.

  She nodded, licking her lips.

  “So am I.” His eyes dropped to her mouth and lingered like a hot caress. “I’m taking you out to dinner when we get back to Denver.”

  Scarlett shivered even as one eyebrow went up. “I didn’t hear a request in there. Is that how you ask women out on dates? Or do you even have to ask, Mr. Hockey Stud?”

  His eyes glinted before he reached out and cupped the side of her neck with his big palm, stroking her jaw with his callused thumb. Her breathing became as ragged as her thumping heartbeat, and her breasts swelled against her bra with a painful awareness.

  Mesmerized, she could only stare up at Viggo, holding her breath as she waited for his response.

  He lowered his head, bringing his mouth right next to her ear. Her body tightened with anticipation, all the blood rushing straight to her clit.

  “Scarlett.”

  “Yes?” Her voice was barely more than a rasp. She was pretty sure he could feel her trembling, could feel her knees knocking together.

  He paused, inhaling the scent of her hair before murmuring, “Will you have dinner with me?”

  “I—” She swallowed hard, closed her eyes and whispered faintly, “Yes.”

  “I couldn’t hear you.” His breath raised goosebumps as it brushed the shell of her ear. “Did you say yes?”

  “Yes.” Hell yes! “I’ll have dinner with you.”

  “Good,” he whispered in her ear. “Because I wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

  Oh God. Her knees almost gave out.

  Slowly Viggo lifted his head and stared down at her in the moonlight.

  She returned his stare, her eyes tracing his hard cheekbones, his strong jaw and his amazing mouth. She’d never wanted to be kissed as badly as she wanted him to kiss her.

  She watched his eyes darken and lower to her lips, causing them to part on a shaky breath. Her heart was pounding harder than a drum, and every one of her nerve endings was tuned to a fever pitch.

  Staring at her mouth, Viggo cupped her cheek in his palm and leaned down. Their lips were just inches apart when a muffled buzzing sound intruded.

  It took Scarlett a dazed moment to realize it was Viggo’s phone, vibrating against her chest.

  He let out a low curse.

  “Um…” Feeling like she’d been doused with a bucket of ice water, Scarlett reached inside the breast pocket of his suit jacket and fumbled out the buzzing phone. She saw a woman’s name on
the screen before she handed the phone over to Viggo.

  He silenced it without looking at it, his eyes never leaving hers. They were hot and glowing, burning like molten silver. “Scarlett—”

  “We should probably go back inside,” she blurted.

  He frowned. “I’m not—”

  “It’s cool. Really.” Who the hell is Audrey? “Besides, it looks like they’re seating for dinner. Everyone will be wondering where we went.” Scarlett slipped off his jacket and passed it to him with an overly bright smile. “Thanks for keeping me warm.”

  He took the jacket reluctantly, still staring at her. The look in his eyes told her this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

  Swallowing hard, she stepped past him—careful not to let their bodies touch—and led the way back to the safety of the crowded party.

  Chapter 2

  Scarlett

  Forget Him Not

  * * *

  It shouldn’t have bothered her to see another woman’s name on Viggo’s phone.

  He was one of the hottest players in the NHL. Of course he had chicks calling him. She had no right to be jealous. It wasn’t like he was her boyfriend. Hell, she barely knew him.

  So why couldn’t she stop speculating about Audrey, wondering who she was and what she meant to Viggo?

  Why did she want to hunt her down, claw her eyes out and hock spit into the empty sockets?

  Scarlett shook her head, disgusted with herself as she poked disinterestedly at the braised salmon on her plate.

  “What’s wrong with your food?”

  Scarlett glanced up to meet her mother’s questioning gaze. “Nothing’s wrong with it,” she mumbled. “It’s delicious.”

  Her mother raised one elegant eyebrow. “Then why are you mutilating that piece of fish instead of eating it?”

  Scarlett dropped her gaze back to her plate. The salmon did look somewhat mangled. Smothering a deep sigh, she set her fork down and reached for her wineglass, hoping her mother would back off.

  As if.

  Sherise Warner leaned close and whispered loudly, “Would your state of distraction have anything to do with that scrumptious young man sitting at the next table?”

  Scarlett played dumb. “Who?”

  “Oh, please. You know very well who I’m talking about. What’s going on between you and Viggo Sandström?”

  Just the sound of his name was enough to get the butterflies in Scarlett’s stomach flapping like crazy.

  Stalling, she sipped her wine. “Nothing’s going on between us.”

  Her mother guffawed. “I may look marvelously young, but I wasn’t born yesterday. I have eyes, Scarlett. I saw you and Viggo sneak off together—”

  “We didn’t sneak—”

  “—and he hasn’t stopped staring at you since we sat down to dinner.”

  It took all of Scarlett’s willpower not to look in Viggo’s direction. He was sitting at the next table with some of his teammates and Reid’s childhood friends. The last time she risked a glance his way, she’d found him watching her with an intensity that heated her from the inside out. She hadn’t looked back since.

  There was a calculating gleam in her mother’s eyes. “The way he’s been staring at you, do you honestly expect me to believe nothing happened between you?”

  Scarlett sighed in exasperation. “Let it go, Ma.”

  “If you don’t tell me, I’ll pry it out of Nadia.”

  Scarlett glanced down the table at her cousin, who sat beside Reid. They were smiling and whispering to each other, their heads bent close together.

  Scarlett grinned, lifting her glass to her lips. “Good luck getting her away from Reid long enough to interrogate her.”

  Her mother pouted at the prospect of being kept out of the loop. She couldn’t stand it. “Why won’t you tell me what’s going on with you and Viggo?”

  “Because there’s nothing to tell,” Scarlett said with a totally straight face. “We stepped outside for some fresh air. No big deal.”

  Her mother looked over at Viggo. Her eyes were twinkling with pure feminine appreciation. “Lord, he’s handsome. That face is a work of art. And look at the size of those shoulders. Isn’t he from Sweden? I bet his ancestors were Vikings. Big, strong, strapping— Oh, hey now, he’s looking this way again.” She beamed with delight and gave Viggo a flirtatious little wave.

  Scarlett wanted to duck under the table and never come back out. “Dear God, woman,” she groaned. “Have you no shame?”

  Her mother laughed unabashedly and sipped her wine. Scarlett wished she could blame her embarrassing antics on too much alcohol. But Sherise Warner didn’t need to be drunk to behave inappropriately. The woman had no filter whatsoever. The only one who could rein her in was her husband. Unfortunately, he was deep in conversation with Reid’s father, leaving Scarlett at the complete mercy of her crazy mom.

  She wasn’t done meddling. “I think it would be wonderful if you and Viggo started dating. He’s Reid’s best friend, and you and Nadia have always been two peas in a pod. The four of you could go on double dates together. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

  Scarlett sighed. “Ma—”

  “Your brother says Viggo is one of the highest-paid players in the NHL.” She lowered her voice discreetly. “He makes even more than Reid. Not that that matters, of course. But there’s no denying what an amazing catch he is.”

  He is an amazing catch, Scarlett silently conceded. But it wouldn’t work between them. For starters, they were both on the road a lot. With Viggo traveling to away games and Scarlett touring with her indie rock band, when would they have time for a relationship? They would spend more time apart than together. And how would she deal with the constant barrage of puck bunnies throwing themselves at him? Could she trust him to keep his dick in his pants?

  Probably not.

  Without meaning to, she let her gaze stray to Viggo’s table. He was laughing, sharing a raucous joke with his teammates. Just looking at him did all sorts of crazy things to her insides. He was too damn fine for his own good.

  As if he sensed her watching him, he suddenly turned his head. The moment their gazes connected, her breath hitched and her pulse quickened. For the second time that night, she felt as if they were the only two people in the room.

  They stared at each other for a single endless heartbeat before Scarlett dragged her eyes away.

  But it was too late. Her mother had seen everything.

  She leaned close to Scarlett, her eyes twinkling with wicked mischief. “If nothing’s going on between you and Viggo, I can’t wait to see the way you look at each other after you’ve jumped each other’s bones!”

  * * *

  Following dinner there were more toasts and dancing.

  Everyone seemed to be having a blast, laughing and drinking champagne and grooving the night away. It was after midnight by the time the party wound down and the guests started leaving.

  Reid and Nadia made their rounds, receiving more congratulations and promising to mail out invitations once the wedding venue had been booked.

  If awards were given out for best boyfriends, Reid would win hands down. Not only was his proposal tear-jerkingly romantic, he’d also surprised Nadia by flying her family out to Detroit—his hometown—to attend tonight’s engagement party. He’d chartered a private plane for them, put them up in a swanky hotel and hired a limo to chauffeur them around.

  Boyfriend of the Year? Hell fucking yeah!

  While everyone was saying their goodbyes, Scarlett snuck off to the restroom. Her bladder was full and there was no telling when they’d make it back to the hotel.

  She was halfway to the bathroom when Nadia caught up to her. Linking arms with Scarlett, she let out a happy sigh. “What an amazing night this has been.”

  “No kidding,” Scarlett said with an affectionate grin. “You’ve been floating on cloud nine all night. Have your feet touched the ground yet?”

  Nadia laughed. “Not yet. I’m trying to savor
every moment before I get caught up in the madness of wedding planning.”

  Scarlett snickered. “Just don’t go all Bridezilla on me, or I’ll have to kick your ass.”

  They both laughed.

  Nadia Warner was the epitome of a low-maintenance woman. She was practical, down to earth, no frills. Scarlett couldn’t see her morphing into one of those obsessive brides from hell who drove everyone batshit crazy. Those chicks needed to be bitch-slapped. Seriously.

  Nadia was searching Scarlett’s face. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Scarlett shot her a puzzled look. “Why?”

  “You seemed kinda off tonight. Even when you were dancing, you just seemed…I don’t know. Not yourself.”

  “I’m fine,” Scarlett assured her. “The party was awesome, and I had a great time. I’m just ready to get back to the hotel and kick off these heels.”

  Nadia glanced down at her stilettoed feet. “You’ve done marathon concerts wearing heels much higher than those.”

  She had her there.

  “Anyway,” Nadia went on, a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes, “you know I’ve been dying to pull you aside to find out what happened when you apologized to Viggo. I was so proud when I saw you marching bravely across the room to talk to him. What did he say?”

  Scarlett shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “He accepted my apology.”

  Nadia grinned. “I kinda figured that when you guys went for a stroll outside.”

  Scarlett’s cheeks warmed.

  Fortunately, they’d reached the bathroom. There were two women at the sink washing their hands. They smiled at Nadia and started talking to her about the wedding.

  Grateful for the reprieve, Scarlett ducked into a stall to do her business.

  When she came out, the women were gone and Nadia was at the mirror retouching her lip gloss. Her face was framed by thick black hair that had been flat ironed until it lay sleek and smooth around her shoulders. She looked gorgeous in a metallic gold sleeveless dress with black piping. Reid’s sisters had helped her pick out the dress during a shopping excursion funded by Reid. Definitely Boyfriend of the Year.