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

by Violet Vaughn

  “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

  Stumbling 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

  Things 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.”

  My body starts to heat up. “Okay, I can have a savings account. Is there a dollar amount that you find acceptable? Maybe a year’s worth of expenses?

  He nods, and I don’t think he has any idea how condescending he’s being. “Yeah, I have about that.”

  “What if I don’t agree with these rules of yours?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know, but I find it hard to respect someone who’s so excessive.”

  Anger bubbles on the surface, and my ears burn in shame. “Really? You don’t respect someone who appreciates nice things and spends money?”

  He takes another piece of my cake, and I’m tempted to slap his hand. He says, “No.”

  Yup, I’m good and pissed now. “Yet you teach snowboarding to people that have excess money. You own more than one snowboard, have a couple of pairs of boots, and I’ll bet you have more than one surfboard, right?”

  His face is red as he nods, but I don’t stop to let him respond.

  “Even though you don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars, relatively speaking, you live like I do. If you want something, you buy it. Sure you want for a lot less, but that comes easy for you. How often do you really want something you can’t have?”

  His jaw is clenched and I think I hit a nerve. I’m so mad I go for the jugular. “Why do you think I need to suffer when you don’t? Because I didn’t earn it? Because I was born lucky?”

  He snaps, “You are lucky. Think of the millions of people that barely feed themselves.”

  “Yes, I’m very fortunate. So are you.” I huff. “I just happen to be infinitely luckier because I lost my parents at the age of thirteen and inherited their money.” I shove the rest of my cake toward him, and the fork clatters against his mug.

  My voice is loud, and I’m shaking. “I’m so fucking lucky. You’re right. I should suffer for this good fortune of mine.”

  I stand up and grab my coffee cup. A little spills over onto my hand. Everyone in the shop is watching us, but I don’t care. “I’m going to start my suffering by giving up you.” I turn and stomp off. When I throw my mug into the bin of dirty dishes, the crash is satisfying.

  I wipe the milk from my hand by rubbing it on my jeans as I walk out the door. And that’s when the tears come. Hot moisture rolls down my cheeks, and a wavy version of Christian and Jess come walking toward me. I drop my gaze and don’t respond to their greeting. Instead I jog to my car to escape.

  The metal of my car door handle is cold, and the chill bites into my fingers as I open it to get in. When I slide over the slippery leather, I’m too distraught to even put the keys in the ignition and I let them fall to the floor. I sob uncontrollably, and I’m not sure why.

  Before I can give it much thought, the passenger door opens and Christian climbs in. He shuts it with a soft click. “Hey. C’mere.”

  I let him pull me against his body, and I cry into the softness of his cotton shirt. He rubs my back. “Shhhh, it’s okay.”

  When I’m done, I pull away and notice his shirt is wet. “Sorry, I got snot on you.”

  He looks down at it. “This old thing? I can just buy another.”

  That makes me chuckle before I start to cry again.

  When I’m done I search for a napkin, and Christian asks, “Want to tell me what happened?”

  “Oh, I just broke up with a guy that thinks I have too many clothes and am excessive.” Rough paper scrapes as I wipe my nose.

  “Kelly said that to you?”

  I nod. “He thinks I should give all my money away and suffer like normal people do.”

  “What a stupid guy. He doesn’t know a good thing when he’s got it. Want me to help you spend some and be excessive?”

  I smile and throw the used napki
n behind me. “That sounds like fun. Where should we go? Paris? Milan? Venice?” I remember he was walking with Jess. “Wait. Aren’t you on a date with Jess?”

  “Oh, yeah. It wasn’t really a date. We just ran into each other.” He combs his fingers through his hair, and I wonder if he’s feeling guilty for leaving her to see me.

  “You should probably get back to her.”

  Christian touches my arm, and I lean toward him, wanting to feel his arms around me again. But I pull back and wrap my arms around myself when I realize people are probably watching.

  He asks, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, but just so you know, I’m going to need a lot of dessert tonight.” It occurs to me I probably have mascara streaked on my face. Not my best look.

  “Got it.” He winks and lets himself out of the car. “I’ll be home in about an hour.”

  “Christian?”

  He leans back in. “Yeah?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Anytime, princess.”

  Chapter 19

  When I get home, I call Derrick.

  “Hey, can I ask you a question?” Cleo’s head is in my lap, and I’m stroking her soft hair.

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  “We donate a lot of money, right?” I know the answer, but need the reassurance.

  “We do. Every year there are four kids going to Phillips Exeter Academy because of us. We both have a scholarship for someone to get a full ride to our colleges. There’s the foundation Dad put in place. We—”

  “You can stop. Thanks. I just needed to know I’m not a total spoiled brat.”

  “Nope, only kind of. What’s going on?”

  I pour out the whole story to him, and my brother says all the right things with a few typical big brother threats that make me feel loved.

  After we hang up I wander to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of red wine. The berry-colored liquid splashes into my oversized goblet, and I walk over to the windows in the breakfast area. I take a sip and let the deep tannin flavor sit on my tongue.