by Naomi Niles
“I’m gonna get Cynthia,” her mom said quickly, not asking all of the questions that I was expecting – it was almost as if they didn’t really care. “She will be desperate to meet you.”
I couldn’t stand the star-struck atmosphere hanging in the room; it was making me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I shifteduneasily on my feet, glancing over towards Danielle,who looked as weird as I felt. I could tell that she was totally regretting her choice, and I felt bad for her.
Cynthia slid into the room with a smirk playing on her lips, and I watched her send her sister a sly wink, which made me smile. At least she wasn’t focusing only on me and who I was, which was nice. She seemed to care more about Danielle, which I loved seeing.
“Hello there, Miles,” she came to me and shook my hand. “It’s nice to see you. How was the lesson?”
“It was…interesting,” I joked, relaxing again. Cynthia had a way of dispelling the strangeness from the room. “But a whole lot of fun too.”
“And now you have dinner plans, right?” She was very keen for us to continuing to spend time together, which had me curious all over again.
“We do,” I nodded happily. “So we probably should get going soon?” I glanced towards Danielle, who was nodding enthusiastically at that. She was clearly not enjoying being there, so I wanted to pull her out as soon as possible. Her family dynamic was a little strange, and I couldn’t figure it out.
“Okay, well it was lovely meeting you,” her mother gushed. “Feel free to come round at any time. You’re always welcome for dinner or whatever.”
“Thank you; it’s been lovely to meet you all.”
To be honest, all I really wanted was to get Danielle alone again, to spend more time with her, to get to know her. There were layers and layers of her that I hadn't even gotten under yet, and I couldn’t wait for that.
As we got back outside, and started the walk towards my home, I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I needed to know now. I had already pretty much guessed that her sister was a massive factor in this, and I decided to tackle it head on.
“So, now I think it’s time for you to tell me how we ‘know’ each other,” I joked, assuming now that all of that was a lie. I was pretty certain that something would have sparked my memory by now if that was the truth. “Because we’ve had the ice skating lesson that I ‘promised’ you.”
“Oh God,” she chucked, uncomfortably. “Okay, I’ll tell you the truth.” She took in a few deep breaths, steeling herself for what was about to come before speaking once more. “My sister put me up to giving you my number because she is hopelessly in lust with Marek.”
“Oh,” I was utterly speechless. So she didn’t want to get to know me at all? That hurt a whole lot.
“I said that we’d met before because I didn’t want you to think that I was an idiot,” she continued, completely oblivious to my feelings. “But I’m glad because I think it’s given me a chance to get to know you a little bit.”
“Mmm.” I felt cold and awkward. This whole evening meal thing had been a huge mistake; I could clearly see that. How the hell was I going to get through it?
“I mean, I did want to give you my number,” I glanced up at her as that remark fell past her lips. “I just wouldn’t have been brave enough if she hadn't forced me too.”
Phew.
Okay, I felt a little better hearing that. It seemed that she did want to spend time with me after all – there had to be a hope in that.
“I’ll arrange it one night if you like,” I replied casually. “I’ll sort out beers for us and your sister and Marek.”
“Yeah, thanks,” she grinned. “That would get her off my back and we can spend time together without her interfering!”
“Sounds great.” That warm, happy feeling had returned, and I was basking in the glow of it. “So we’re at the grocery store; do you need to buy anything?”
“I need to get everything – I’m going to make you fish tacos, so I’m sure you don’t have the ingredients to that.”
“I definitely don’t,” I told her. “But that sounds amazing; let’s go.”
With that, I followed her into the shop with a massive grin on my face. This chick really was something else, and I couldn’t wait to get to spend more time together. She seemed to be the light-hearted, fun-loving sort of girl that could really turn my life around. Even from the offset, Hailey was a drama queen and she carried a cloud of negativity around her.
I felt ready to open up my heart, to give Danielle a chance, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt like this might be the right move for me. A positive step in the right direction…finally.
Chapter 10
Danielle – Monday
As I walked through Miles’s apartment, I was completely blown away. He had the nicest place that I’d ever seen in my entire life, with all the latest gadgets at his disposal – televisions, music systems, consoles.It was amazing to see. He might have lived in an apartment rather than a house, but it had a freaking gym in it – that was how big it was! And he wasn’t much older than me.How was that even possible?
Maybe I’d chosen the wrong career path after all! As a teacher, I would never be able to afford anything so nice. It was insane. As my eyes drank it all in, I found myself wishing that I could have a little piece of it for me. I knew I never would, but that didn’t prevent me from hoping.
“Wow, you really do live the high life, huh?” I joked, feeling glad that we had an open enough relationship to joke around with one another already. I’d never experienced that kind of bond with a guy before, and it was nice – it was the total opposite of what I’d experienced with my ex, which always felt that much more serious. It made me feel closer to him than I ever had before, in a really comfortable way.
But what I was feeling for him wasn’t just a friendship, of that I was certain. He was absolutely gorgeous, and my attraction to him only increased the more time we spent together. Everything about him was stunning, and as his personality shone through, I felt more and more excited by him. His scar became sexier, his eyes became warmer and more inviting, and his body was so incredibly tempting that I could barely stand it.
I just didn’t know what to do about that. I wasn’t sure if following through with that attraction would be a good plan. Not even for a simple,winter fling! I just had that sensation that someone would end up getting hurt, and I really didn’t want that.
“Well, here’s the kitchen,” he finally took me through to a massive, gorgeous room that had my heart fluttering like crazy. Even in there he was levels above me, which was a bizarre thing to feel insecure about. His damn kitchen for crying out loud! “So, I’ll let you get cooking then!”
As I scurried around in the kitchen, Miles started to join in with me, helping me even if he didn’t have to. We slotted next to one another easily, as if we’d been together for a long time, and we had this routine down to a key, which was quite a nice sensation. He chopped, I boiled, and it felt like we were an old, married couple.
“So, tell me about your family?” he asked, tackling a very difficult subject first, delving right in there. “They seeminteresting.”
“You picked up on that huh?” I asked wryly. “Yeah, they are a little odd.” I usually didn’t open up about this early on, but there was no point in holding back now. He’d already been forced into a meeting with them, despite that being a mistake on my part, so I might as well get it out there. “They are doctors, and my sister is trained to be too. I guess they want the same for me, but that isn’t me at all. Obviously I’m training to be a teacher, and I guess they just don’t respect that.”
He mused thoughtfully for a second, as if he was trying to process that, so I busied myself with the vegetables, not wanting to get too lost into this. It wound me up all the time, and I didn’t want to allow that to ruin this lovely evening too.
“I only have my mom,” he told me, completely stealing focus which was exactly what I needed. “My dad died when I
was young, so it’s always just been the two of us.”
“Is she still here?” I asked, curious to get to know more about him. I wanted to find out more about his dad too, but it didn’t feel like the time or place for that. I hoped that I would be around for long enough to find out.
“Yeah, she doesn’t live too far from me. Buying her a house was the best thing that I’ve ever purchased.”
My heart melted at that – how sweet was this guy? It was almost unbelievable. To buy a house for his mom was the nicest thing, and it increased the feelings that I was having for him.
“She’s lucky to have you,” I told him, taking a beer from his hand. As I took a swing from the bottle, I started to feel myself loosen up ever so slightly. Miles had this presence that made me relax instantly, but I wanted to enjoy myself even more, and I knew that alcohol would help me to take the edge off.
*****
By the time we had finished eating, we had blown through the six pack of beer far too quickly, and were now drinking a really nice, expensive bottle of wine. The atmosphere had definitely heated up as a consequence of this, and I found myself growing hotter and more excited around him. I was at the nice stage of tipsy, where my mouth was running away with me just a little bit.
But I still didn’t know how he felt about things. I wasn’t even sure if my feelings were even appropriate.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” As those words fell unwittingly past my lips, I cringed with embarrassment. That was the alcohol talking, not me, and I couldn’t believe that I’d been so brave. I would never have normally asked something like that!
“No, I don’t,” Miles laughed, filling me with relief. He was single – this was possible! “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No,” I shook my head, giggling flirtily, finding myself leaning in towards him. “I definitely don’t.” And I’d never been more glad of that fact.
He stared at me, showing me a fire behind his eyes, and I felt crazy bolts of desire coursing through my body. He wanted me, I could see that, and I really wanted him too, but I wasn’t sure if that was a great idea. I gulped down, trying to control myself, but it was really hard. I felt like I was going a little crazy.
“Do you want to come out back and see my hot tub?” he asked me, with a huskiness to his tone, causing the butterflies inside of me to flap around violently.
“You have a freaking hot tub?!” I exclaimed excitedly. “Hell yes! Show me.”
As he took me through his home and out to the back, I found myself blown away all over again. He had a massive balcony with the most amazing view of the town that I’d ever seen. It made Minnesota look incredibly beautiful, and weirdly appealing to me too. I was such a sun-loving girl that it was amazing for me to even like this place, never mind actually consider it in a semiserious way.
“Woah,” I wandered across his balcony, drinking in the hot tub, the table and chairs outside, the overhead area with fairy lights twinkling from it. “This is beautiful.”
“Thank you,” he replied humbly, his eyes scanning out over the view too. “I like it out here; it’s a great way to relax after all the stress I go through at games and stuff.”
I shivered lightly, starting to feel the cold, which caused him to lift up a sheet, revealing a beautiful fire place to me. “Don’t worry, us Minnesotan’s feel the cold too!” He laughed, which filled me with relief. It was nice to have him able to read my needs without even having to vocalize them – it made me feel an intense connection with him, one that I never wanted to end.
As he set about to lighting the fire, I found my eyes travelling up and down his body in a very seductive way. He was so fucking hot, so gorgeous, and my desire for him was becoming something that I could barely control anymore.
I was starting to feel like if I didn’t have him, I would die.
“I’m just going to use the bathroom,” I excused myself, needing a moment alone. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Once I was alone, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, noticing that I looked a little wide eyed and crazy, but happy too. There was a smile that reached my eyes as well as my lips – Miles was having such a positive effect on me. I blew out a few breaths of air, trying to calm down my racing pulse rate, but somehow I kept making myself worse.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself, tugging my phone out of my pocket. I knew what I wanted to do, but I needed some impartial advice too. I needed my sister to give me the answers that I so desperately wanted.
“Hey there,” she answered the phone. “How are you?”
“I don’t know what to do, Cyn,” I hissed at her. “I’m going crazy here. We’re at Miles’samazing home, on the balcony where he has a hot tub.”
“Oh my God,” she exclaimed, sharing my sentiment. “That’s amazing.”
“I know,” I groaned. “And he’s amazing too. I like him so much.”
“And he’s a serious hottie,” she interjected, as if I needed reminding. God, it was all that I could damn well think about!
“And I’m really thinking about staying the night. I know that makes me crazy, and probably not the sort of girl I should be, but—”
“Why are you even thinking about it?” she demanded, completely speaking over me. “Just do it, have some fun. You aren’t exactly going to marry him, are you?”
Her words swirled around inside of me, making me feel a little more confident. She was right: I did deserve to have a good time! And I definitely wasn’t considering anything long-term. He could just be the enjoyment that I had while I was there. As I tried to picture Kim’s happy reaction to me acting totally out of character, Cynthia continued with her persuasion.
“You aren’t normally so adventurous, so you should go with it. Enjoy yourself – goodness, you need it!”
“You really think so?” I bit my lip nervously, trying to imagine it happening…and in my mind, it was a good choice. “Really?”
“Go in his hot tub, have a good time. I’ll see you tomorrow.Bye!”
With that, she hung up quickly, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Should I? Would I regret it? Would it be the best thing for me or the worst?
Urgh, God. I rolled my eyes.Let’s just have some damn fun, see where this leads! Stop making such a damn big deal of it all.
I stepped back outside, feeling far less nervous than I did before. I knew where my mind was now, but it made me a little anxious to even consider it. My eyes scanned across the balcony, and I found him relaxing with his wine in the hot tub, looking even more handsome than before. My heart went wild at the mere sight of him, convincing me even further. He was so stunning – I’d be an idiot to pass the opportunity up.
“Come in,” he called over, grinning at me. “This is gorgeous and warm!”
“I don’t have any swim wear,” I replied shyly. “I didn’t realize you were going to have a hot tub.”
“So? Wear your bra and panties,” he replied, as if it was totally obvious. “That’s no different to a bikini. Just get that ass in the water!”
I pondered on that for a second, really considering it, knowing where it would likely lead, before slowly and seductively sliding down my jeans.
Here goes nothing.
Chapter 11
Miles – Monday
Fuck.
As I watched Danielle strip down to her underwear, I was in awe. Her body was absolutely unbelievable – even better that I’d been expecting – and it was causing an uncomfortable tightness in my shorts. She was gorgeous, the most stunning woman that I’d ever seen in my life.
To be perfectly honest, she even put Hailey to shame.
I always thought that the one redeeming feature that my ex had was her looks, but now, it was like I couldn’t even remember her face. She was nothing compared to Danielle, absolutely nothing. I wasn’t even sure how I’d managed to get sucked in. I must have been certifiably insane.
Luckily, there was enough alcohol swilling around in my system to have me acting something like nor
mal, even if my thoughts were teetering into a very dangerous territory. I might have been imagining her taking even more of her clothes off, showing me what she had underneath her underwear too, but somehow I had my mouth talking as if I was mostly unaffected by her flashing so much flesh.
“Come in,” I grinned, trying to focus only on her eyes. “There’s plenty of room.”
As her body slipped in between the bubbles, the tightness became a rock-hard erection, and I had to shift around a little to try and disguise that. I didn’t want Danielle to think that just because we were drinking and half naked that I expected something from her. Of course I would want something to happen if the opportunity arose – which considering my past was a revelation in itself – but I would have been totally cool either way. I just felt glad that she was there with me, hanging out. Having her here as company was enough. She was much more fun than I’d been expecting when I came into the ice skating lesson.
“Here’s another wine.”
As I handed her the glass, I felt like I could spot a burning desire behind her eyes, one that had me gulping down a wide range of emotions. All I really wanted to do was wrap her up in my arms and kiss her, but I wasn’t fully confident enough to act upon that. Not yet; I needed a clearer sign first. I needed something to convince me that I wasn’t about to totally wreck everything.
“So,” I started, needing to say something to break the atmosphere, “what exactly sent you into teaching, rather than being a doctor?”
I instantly cringed as those words left my mouth. Anything to do with her parents was instantly a touchy subject – one that I should definitely stay away from for the time being – yet here I was, delving right into it.
Idiot!
“Yeah,” she sighed, closing her eyes for a few moments, losing herself in the heat of the hot tub. “I just don’t deal well with blood.”
I took a big swig of my drink and nodded, agreeing with her. “Yeah, I couldn’t deal with that either,” I told her honestly. “I’ve seen enough gnarly accidents on the ice to know the kind of bad shit doctors have to deal with.” A shudder inadvertently ran through me as I recalled the broken noses, the bones poking through skin, the endless disgusting blood…