Breaking the Ice (Timberwolves #1)

by Lizzy Ripp

  Julia, who was lying on the bed, staring dully up at the ceiling could only guess. “Home, probably,” she said. “Sending her picture to anyone who’ll pay her.”

  “Yaro told me everything. I’m going to murder her,” Cassie vowed, her blue eyes crackling like flames.

  “No you’re not,” Julia said firmly. “You’re not getting involved. This is my mess.”

  “You did NOT do anything to deserve this,” Cassie said, taking her friend’s hand. “I am so sorry this happened to you. Especially tonight.”

  "Should I tell Jerry?" Julia asked, her voice small. “Get out in front of it? Give the team some time to craft a response?"

  "Wouldn't that technically be your job?" Cassie asked wryly. "And no, I don't think that's a good idea. What if she never releases them? What if she just wanted to freak you out?"

  "What if she wants something in return?" Julia asked, glumly.

  Cassie inclined her head, grudgingly. "It's possible," she admitted. "But not probable, I don't think. If she wanted something from you, you'd have heard from her already. Just go back to the office and pretend everything is normal. That's my advice."

  “Okay,” Julia said, filing that away. “What’s going on down there now?”

  “It’s still dinner,” Cassie said. “Yaro’s at the table with Jonathan. I don’t think he wanted to leave you.”

  Julia didn’t respond. “I’ll have to go back down,” she said at last.

  “Honey, are you sure? I can make something up.”

  “No, it’s important,” Julia said. “And I don't want her to think she can beat me,“ she added with steely determination, getting up out of the bed. “I want her to see pictures of me enjoying myself like nothing happened.”

  Cassie sat beside her on the bed and took her hand.

  “She’s not going to get away with this," she said. "We'll figure something out."

  "It doesn't matter," Julia said. "My interview is never going to happen now. I've screwed everything up royally at every opportunity. The best I can do is make it through this evening in one piece."

  Heaving herself to her feet, Julia looked in the mirror. She still looked beautiful, but she felt hollow and empty. She tried her best to put on a smile and nearly cried at the effort.

  "Okay. I’m ready.”

  Cassie took her hand and squeezed it. "You’ll be okay.”

  Julia smiled weakly. "Here's hoping."

  As the two of them made their way back downstairs in the long, glass-paned elevator, Julia did her best to clear her mind of all thoughts of what had happened. She took deep breaths and squared her shoulders and found her mind drifting to Yaro - the way her heart had leapt when she saw him and the way she'd realized that was all - absolutely all - she needed in that moment. He'd known how much she needed him and he'd come for her. The thought made her feel warm and strong. Like she could do anything. She opened her eyes as the elevator touched down on the bottom floor and set her jaw.

  "Let's do this," Julia said as the door dinged and smoothly slid open.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  JULIA AND CASSIE walked together, strong and confident, out of the elevator and back into the ballroom where dinner was just wrapping up and a band was beginning to play. Without looking around the room, Cassie guided them both to the table at the back where Jonathan and now Yaro were both tucking heartily into a plate of food and tall, chilled glasses of beer. Neither of them were speaking.

  "You two should probably stop looking so gloomy," Cassie said with a sweet smile as she sat down at the table. "You look like someone died. Remember there are press here."

  Jonathan made a small effort to look cheered, but Yaro's stormy expression remained. "I'll work on it," he said, stabbing his chicken viciously with a fork, perhaps imagining it was Daniel DeSoto and not an unfortunate bird on the other end.

  Julia laid a hand on his arm. "Hey. It's going to be okay. Don't worry."

  Yaro gave her a small smile. "You shouldn't be telling ME not to worry. It should be the other way around."

  Julia shrugged and picked a fry off his plate, suddenly realizing how ravenous she was. "What's done is done. All that's left to do now is figure out how to ride out the situation."

  "Any ideas on that front?" He asked. She shook her head, ruefully. "No. I'm honestly still trying to process all of this." She shook her head, then squeezed his arm gently. "Thank you for coming."

  He put his hand on top of hers and squeezed it back. "Wouldn't have missed it for the world. Also - don't get mad at Rhochelle. This was all my idea. She told me to tell you that she was radically opposed."

  "Radically, huh?"

  He nodded seriously and took a deep sip of his beer. "Absolutely."

  "Would you excuse me for a moment?" Cassie said, "I'm just going to go powder my nose." Without waiting for a response, she got up and made her way from the table.

  "Where do you think she's going?" Yaro asked, watching her scurry away.

  Jonathan shrugged, unconcerned as he continued to shovel food into his mouth. “When you gotta go, you gotta go.“

  "Let me get you some food," Yaro said. "You must be starving."

  "I am," Julia admitted, feeling suddenly wilted. "I haven't eaten since that bagel Rhochelle gave me this morning."

  Despite the fact that he'd been asleep when that happened, Yaro nodded and unfolded himself from the table, striding purposefully off to the kitchen, Julia watching him go with a small smile on her face.

  "He's worried about you," Jonathan said, in between bites of food.

  "It's nothing," Julia said. "I should be worried about him. He's not even supposed to be up and about, let alone flying across the country."

  "He'll be fine," Jonathan said dismissively, finally pushing his completely cleared plate away. "Hard head, you know?" He grinned.

  He had the kind of grin you couldn't help returning - Julia spared a sudden thought for his mother for having to resist such a charming smile from what was sure to have been a very mischievous boy and smiled back.

  "They haven't been back," Jonathan said. "So you can relax. I think they've taken off for the night."

  "You're probably right," Julia murmured. “She got what she came for."

  He nodded seriously. "Look, just so you know... We've got your back. And I don't just mean me and Yaro. The whole team will be behind you on this one," he said, and she could tell by his tone that he was prepared to rally them to make sure of it.

  "Thank you," she said, meaning it. "I appreciate that."

  "Anyway," he went on, his smile growing shy, his cheeks reddening slightly, "I have to thank you. You introduced me to Cassie and man," his eyes took on a dreamy quality. "Man. What a girl she is."

  His eyes had landed on Cassie returning from the bathroom, her long blonde hair streaming over her shoulders like she had a wind-machine on her at all times. Her expression was inscrutable - aside from the odd smile tossed like treats to well-wishers, fans, and the remaining photographers alike.

  "You don't have to tell me," Julia said with a smile.

  "Where did you go?" Jonathan asked her as she resumed her seat at the table, tucking her napkin neatly on top of her lap.

  "I told you," Cassie said. "Powder room."

  Jonathan and Julia locked eyes and Jonathan shrugged. "She's a sneaky one," he said.

  "I don't know what you're talking about," Cassie said lightly, giving him a flirtatious smile over her shoulder. For a moment Julia envisioned his jaw falling to the table like a cartoon wolf, his leg thumping under the table. She shook her head, amused.

  "Here we go!"

  Suddenly a plate was deposited in front of Julia, positively heaped with food.

  "I didn't know what you wanted," Yaro explained, his smile shy. "So I got you everything."

  Julia laughed. "So I see."

  "You seem to be doing better," Yaro said appraisingly as she began to eat, her appetite completely taking over.

  Julia shrugged mi
d-bite. "What can I do? If she sells it, she sells it. If my interview is off, it's off. She’s awful and I was stupid enough to trust her to not be awful for like... a single hour. My bad," she said, offering a weak laugh. "How's your head?" She asked suddenly, eager to change the subject before she became upset again in earnest.

  Yaro rubbed a hand over his goose egg carefully and smiled. "It's fine. Nothing to worry about."

  "Neither is this," Julia shrugged. "So let's skip it. And try to enjoy what's left of the evening."

  "You've got it."

  After the dinner plates were cleared away, there were some more speeches from members of the board during which their table collectively struggled to keep their eyes open, some first-hand testimonials from young people and retired players who'd found a helping hand at Beyond the Ice that nearly brought the whole room collectively to tears once more. Finally, at Malerie's behest, Cassie was called back up to the stage to pull the final raffle of the evening - a door prize won by an elderly man who, thankfully, didn't seem to know who Cassie was..

  "Alright then. That's just about our whole evening concluded, save for some boogie time with our fantastic band, the Swing Brothers!" Malerie said as she bustled back onto the stage, her round face animated, clearly thrilled with the way the evening had unfolded. Julia felt satisfied about that, at least. She'd managed to hold it together and the evening was still a success. It was only her career that wouldn't be. Oh well, she thought glumly. The dream was good while it lasted.

  "But before we do that!"

  Julia shook her head, snapping back to attention. Malerie was still talking, her voice rising in decibels as the audience began to restlessly shuffle and murmur.

  "Before we do that," Malerie said again, clearing her throat. "We've got a very exciting silent auction! You'll have the opportunity to bid on a range of fantastic products and experiences including some tickets and jerseys from one of our newest partners, the Timberwolves!”

  There was a thunderous applause at this, sports once again being, Julia noted wryly, the great unifier.

  "Will you please stand up and give a wave! Here are two of their top players, Jonathan Ouellet and Yaroslav Sharapova - better late than never! - and we're so very pleased to have them with us today. Thank you both for your generosity this evening."

  Struggling to get the room back under control, Malerie went on, her voice rising even higher. "We've also got a couple of autographs and a chance to have dinner with our wonderful raffle-girl for the evening - Cassie West!"

  Cassie smiled demurely and waved, while Jonathan seemed to be struggling not to look jealous.

  "So now," Malerie said, as if she were about to burst with excitement, "The bidding will only be open for fifteen minutes so if you see something be sure you get your name on it and check back often. We've got some absolutely fantastic prizes, like I said, and it would be a shame for you to miss out! Now scoot! Get a move on!"

  Music began to pipe back over the speakers and the general murmur of the guests rose back to a conversational pitch.

  "Should we go see if there's anything worth bidding on?" Jonathan asked Cassie.

  "You mean besides dinner with me?" Cassie asked, giving him a small, sexy smile. "I doubt it." But she got up and took him by the hand, leading him towards the auction tables. Jonathan looked back at the two of them and grinned.

  Yaro shook his head, smiling, before turning back to Julia, who was sitting back in her chair, suddenly exhausted.

  "What about you?" He asked. "Want to bid on anything?"

  She gave a little laugh. "I'm not sure how much longer I'll have a job for, so I probably shouldn't. Sorry," she added ruefully, meeting his gaze. "I don't mean to keep coming back to it."

  "It's okay," he said gently, cupping her chin gently in his hands - just as Daniel had tried to do earlier in the evening. But rather than leaning away from it, this time she leaned all the way in, the hugeness of his hand covering nearly the entire side of her face. It was rough but surprisingly gentle - as only the very biggest among us can seem to be, she noted with a smile.

  "I'm just so glad you're here," she said, without thinking about it.

  He looked at her, his blue eyes soft and vulnerable, shining with something she hadn't seen before.

  "You look beautiful," he said softly.

  She smiled at him for a moment, then gasped and smacked her forehead. "Oh my god, the dress! I didn't even thank you for the dress! I'm so sorry!"

  He laughed easily and shook his head. "Don't mention it."

  "No... Seriously. It's the nicest gift anyone has ever given me. I love it. I wish I could have worn it on a happier occasion, but I love it," she said, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek. Catching her, he gently turned her face and kissed her softly on the lips. God, he was an incredible kisser. She let herself get lost in the sensation for a moment, feeling all thoughts of Daniel and Sasha and her job and what tomorrow might bring fly out of her head, leaving only this moment - only the two of them discovering each other together.

  "Thank you," she whispered quietly when the two of them finally parted. He laughed, a low rumble.

  "For what?" He asked, "The kiss?" He dropped another gently on her smiling lips.

  "For the dress!" She said. "I was getting to the actual thank you. Before I was so rudely interrupted," she teased, smiling at him.

  "Well excuse me," he said. Then his voice grew quiet again. "You're welcome," he said at last, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "I wanted everything to go perfectly for you tonight. I'm sorry that it hasn't." His look of anger was returning and Julia had the distinct impression he was wishing fervently for Daniel DeSoto and Sasha Lux to manifest in front of him so he could give them the retribution they deserved. But she didn't want him to be angry. She wanted him to be as he had been a moment ago - vulnerable and tender and earnest.

  "I don't care about the draw," she said quietly, looking up at him with huge brown eyes. When she looked up at him like that, open and honest as a child, it made him want to scoop her up and protect her - and to throttle her asshole ex with his bare hands. He thought there was nothing he could refuse her when she looked up at him like that.

  “There is something you can do for me, though,” she said, laying her hand on his arm and smiling up at him softly.

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  She learned forward and whispered into his ear, her hair forming a cascade around the two of them.

  “Take me upstairs.”

  Yaro felt his throat go dry and realized in amazement that if he were not holding her hand, his own probably would have begun to shake, so much did he want her. Instead, he kept a firm grip on her hand and, taking a quick look around for Jonathan and Cassie who were, thankfully, still occupied with the silent auction, gently pulled her to her feet. Guiding her through the room, he kept his large hand on the small of her back as she moved through the crowd, pausing to say goodbye to her host for the evening and to briefly introduce Yaro.

  They crossed the lobby together, Julia gently pulling Yaro by the hand and then they were in the glass-cased elevator and it was just the two of them. Neither of them spoke a word as the elevator ascended. The air between them felt as if it were electrically charged, crackling with the anticipation of what was to come. Julia felt as if she could barely breathe and as the elevator pulled her up she caught sight of Daniel - evidently back from wherever he'd chased Sasha off to and judging by the expression on his face, having been unsuccessful in his endeavors with her. He spotted the two of them in the elevator and the expression on his face displayed a battle between pain, anger and desperation.

  Julia met his gaze resolutely, her face like a mask as she reached out to take Yaro's hand once more.

  When they reached Julia's floor, they continued to move in silence, as if speaking would spoil something they'd both been waiting for for far too long. They reached the door to her suite and went inside and suddenly it was just the two of them, with nothin
g in the world standing in their way.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  JULIA WAS MORE nervous than she had ever been in her life. The speech was nothing compared to this. She fought to keep her composure and suddenly broke the silence. It was beginning to feel oppressive.

  "Would you like something to drink? I've got some - I think there's wine here and maybe spirits and beer. And... oh," she added, crestfallen. "I don't suppose you're meant to be drinking anything at all, are you? With the uh..." She gestured to his head. "Medication."

  "I haven't taken any today," he said. "I didn't want to be groggy."

  "Oh my god!" She said. "Then you definitely need a drink, your head must be aching!"

  She bustled around busily, getting him a beer and then pulling out a bottle of Champagne. He watched her eye it for a moment, clearly evaluating whether or not she was being too presumptuous labelling this "an occasion", and then seemed to decide that it qualified. She reached for the provided bottle opener and popped the cork easily and efficiently. He raised his eyebrows, impressed, and she grinned in return.

  "I put myself through college as a waitress. Well. That was one of my jobs," she said as she poured her Champagne into a glass and handed him his beer. He nodded appreciatively and took a seat on the edge of the bed with it, relieved to let the subtle buzz he had going on mask the still-tender pain of his head. He took a deep swig and watched in amusement as she followed suit, nearly swallowing the entirety of her glass of sparkling in one go. She looked nervous - and he was surprised to realize that for the first time in a very long time, he was, too. Though he was more accustomed to playing through nerves - something it didn't seem Julia had mastered quite yet.

  For a moment, the two of them sat side by side, finishing their drinks in silence and then, each done, they looked at one another, almost in embarrassment. There was something between them, something so huge and wonderful that it seemed neither of them wanted to break its spell. But Yaro, transfixed by the sight of her looking like a goddess in her royal blue, billowing gown, with her hair tumbling past her shoulders and those huge brown eyes staring tremulously up at him, could no longer resist. Inch by inch, he moved in towards her and smiled as her small hand slipped into his. He let her slim fingers intertwine around his, stroking them gently. When their lips were so close he could feel her trembling breath against him, she suddenly snapped open her eyes and said: "Tell me what this is."