by Jessica Gray
Rowan’s breath caused white clouds to appear and the fingers of his hand stiffened around the phone. “Hey guys, nothing against you, but I really need to get inside if you don’t want me turned into an ice statue myself.”
“Wait, how long are you going to be in Harbin?” Roxie asked.
“A few more days. Why?”
“Well…it just so happens that a cousin of Drake’s, Patrick Armstrong, and his girlfriend Angela Halliwell are on their way to Harbin even as we speak.”
“Why do those names sound familiar?” Rowan asked.
“He’s a photojournalist…” Drake’s voice answered.
“…and she writes travel blogs. I remember them. What are they coming here for?”
“Well, it seems Patrick and Angela got permission from the Chinese authorities to make a one hour documentary that’ll be featured on National Geographic – both the magazine and their television channel. After this, they’ll travel to Beijing for another huge story about Chinese New Year.”
“That’s cool. When are they going to arrive?”
Roxie laughed and said, “I just sent her a text and she says they will be there tomorrow.”
“Okay. Hey, send her my number and I’ll do my best to meet up with them.” Rowan transferred his phone into the other hand and put his frozen fingers into his pant pockets.
“Sure thing.”
“Don’t celebrate too hard. You’re over there to work and learn, not play,” Roger said in his best older brother voice.
“Right! No play. Just work. Thanks for those words, bro. I’ll be sure to keep them in mind.” Everyone laughed, and said their goodbyes.
“I’ll call you guys again soon. Love you all.” Rowan pushed the phone into his pocket and breathed warm air onto his fingers. Then he hurried back inside. On the way through the restaurant he stopped for a moment to gaze at Joanna. With her head cast down slightly, the straight black hair shining in the lights, her beauty took his breath away.
His heart squeezed at the way she sat there all alone, looking so tiny in the crowd, but with the erect posture and all the grace of a queen.
“I’m sorry it took so long. My entire family was on FaceTime wanting to talk to me. Are you ready to go? The light show will start anytime now.” A deep smile appeared on his face and it wasn’t just the birthday wishes of his family that had made his day.
“Yes, I would love to go.”
Rowan paid the bill and then helped her into her coat. She put the smart bonnet over her chin-grazing bob and wrapped her long scarf around her shoulders and face. He stood there staring at her and was about to lead her to the exit, when she asked him with her sweet voice, “Won’t you put on your coat?”
He looked down, becoming aware of his lapse and chuckled. “Sorry. I was so enthralled by your beauty, I totally forgot.” Then he put on his coat, scarf and gloves, but not without stealing glances at the cute pinkish shade that settled on her cheeks at the compliment.
They took a taxi to the entrance of the festival and arrived just in time when a loudspeaker announced the beginning of the light show.
Rowan helped Joanna exit the vehicle and again his heart squeezed when she eloquently put her tiny hand into his big one.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him.
“Shall we?” he asked, gesturing towards the colorful sculptures rising before them. They walked in relative silence, until they reached the center of the festival grounds, where a crowd had gathered.
They raised their faces to the sky as they watched the performance in amazement Colorful laser beams crisscrossed the dark sky in time with the classical Chinese music. The rays of light formed fantastic shapes against the black background. Yellow-black tigers chased red balloons, dragon boats floated across the sky and candy-colored castles gave the perfect backdrop for a fairy princess and her knight in shining armor.
The fact that Joanna was by his side, near enough to touch her, added an unknown intensity to the spectacle. He stole another glance at her when he noticed she was blowing hot air into her cupped hands.
“Where are your mittens?” he asked, reaching for her bare fingers that were already bright red.
“I guess I must have left them on the seat of the taxi. I thought they were in my pockets,” Joanna whispered, trying to remove her hands from his grip.
“Look at you. You’re going to get frostbite,” he admonished her, while holding onto her fingers and gently rubbing them between his gloved hands.
“It’s no big deal. I’ll just keep my hands in my pockets…” She managed to snatch her hands from him and hid them in the pockets of her coat. But a bitter cold gust of wind hit them and she hunched her shoulders, shivering in the cold.
Rowan shook his head and then stripped off his own gloves, holding the warm fleece-lined material in front of her.
“No, Rowan, please, you need your gloves,” Joanna protested biting her lower lip.
“No way. While you’re with me, you won’t freeze.” When she showed no sign of accepting his offer, he bit back a grin. Stubborn, too? I like that. “My mother didn’t raise me to let a lady freeze in my presence. So you either take my gloves or I’m going to drag you back to the hotel.”
“You would, wouldn’t you?” she asked after locking eyes with him for almost a minute.
“Sure would. I’d throw you over my shoulder like a sack of flour and bring you somewhere warm.” He chuckled.
For a moment her dark eyes widened, but then she started giggling. “Okay, under those circumstances, I’ll take the gloves.” She put them on and then waved her hands at him. “Satisfied?” With gloves two sizes too big, she looked like some kind of cute monster with huge paws.
“Almost.” Rowan liked the way she looked with his oversized gloves so much that he couldn’t resist and stepped closer to wrap her scarf tighter around her neck, tucking the ends into the collar of her coat so that nothing but the tip of her nose and her eyes were visible. Fortunately, he had the good sense to take a step back before he kissed her incredibly sexy nose. “Now we can continue.”
“Rowan, you’re going to get cold…”
He shook his head and stuck his hands into his pockets, coming out with a second pair of very thin gloves. He held them aloft with a smile and then pulled them on.
“I’m from Chicago where it gets really cold, not as cold as here, but still. And I learned a long time ago to always have a backup set of gloves on me.”
“You were a scout boy?” Joanna giggled.
“The term is Boy Scout, and no, I wasn’t. I just had a mother that drilled common sense and preparedness into us three kids as often as possible.” He reached for her hand and then pulled her along beside him as the light show ended and they joined the other tourists walking around the festival. Several minutes later they came across some horse drawn carriages, lit up with colorful lights.
“Let’s go for a ride,” he offered, urging Joanna towards one of them.
Joanna’s eyes lit up and her unabashed joy told him he’d made the right decision. Rowan handed her up into the carriage and then gratefully accepted the heavy blanket the driver handed them. He draped it across their legs and tucked it in and then settled his arm around her shoulders. She still shivered from the cold, and he hugged her close. As the carriage set off through the sculptures, he didn’t understand himself anymore.
Never one for romantic gestures, now his entire body tingled at the slightest smile of happiness from Joanna’s face. He’d do anything to keep her smiling. Rowan had always thought he wasn’t good at relationships, but apparently he’d never met the right woman to inspire him.
So far he’d believed being a resident and then an emergency room doctor didn’t go hand in hand with building a stable relationship. Between his crazy schedule and working night or weekend shifts, finding time to devote to a girlfriend proved challenging.
Finding one that understood the stress and requirements of his job was even harder. He’d tried dating nur
ses and other hospital employees, but they had the same crazy schedules and it was often more work than it was worth. It hadn’t really bothered him up to this point because he’d never met a woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Non-committal and casual relationships had been the perfect solution for him. Until now. As he glanced down at Joanna, he realized, that while she evoked the same sexual attraction that other women had before her, so much more lingered just beneath the surface. He wanted to protect and shield her, to make her smile, to see her happy.
It wasn’t only his body that wanted her, no, mind, heart and soul were equally eager to make this woman his. For her, he could see making his schedule work. For her, he’d be willing to change his way of life.
Chapter 7
Joanna loved being around Rowan. When he made her laugh, she momentarily forgot about the inappropriate ways her body reacted to his nearness. With him everything was easy, and he even managed to tease her out of her usual shell of shyness.
As he handed her down from the carriage after the most romantic ride in her life, she just wished she’d opted for her ugly Ugg boots and padded pants instead of the inarguably chicer Qipao-dress, combined with tights and leather boots.
While Rowan paid the driver, she tried to stamp some feeling back into her toes behind his back. Rowan seemed all too perceptive where she was concerned and she didn’t want to ruin his evening just because she’d failed to prepare for the bitter cold.
“You need to get warmed up. Let’s head over to that ice bar and see if they have hot drinks,” he said, shattering her perception of being discreet. Without waiting for her acceptance, he took her elbow and steered her across the snowy terrain, pulling her inside the bar completely made of ice. More of the colorful LED lights the other sculptures boasted illuminated the interior.
The barman looked blank at Rowan’s request and Joanna stepped up to ask for hot drinks. Soon, two steaming mugs of hot tea, liberally laced with rum, were handed to them. Since she rarely ever drank alcohol, she took a cautious sip and then closed her eyes as the warmth seeped into her body.
Rowan wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his chest. The alcohol in the tea had been doing a fine job of warming her up, but Rowan’s arm took her past warm to hot in a second flat. Soon, searing heat coursed through her body and she was helpless to stop it.
Confusion overcame Joanna. She shouldn’t be having this sort of reaction to him. She’d only met him today and he was a foreigner. A million thoughts raced through her brain. She didn’t want to be like her roommate Mei and so many other students at her university. She wasn’t looking for a meal ticket, or a ticket out of the country, and yet, she’d never had such a strong reaction to a member of the opposite sex before.
He’ll think I’m an easy mark. The notion made her panic and she fled from his embrace with a hasty step, almost spilling the rest of her tea with rum. A moment later, she repented her rash decision. All of a sudden, a chilly sense of loneliness attacked her, compelling her to step back into the warmth of his strong embrace. It had felt so right. So perfect.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” Rowan said. He’d been so sweet and a perfect gentleman in every way this evening, that she felt like the biggest fraud.
“No… I…it…” she stammered, hazarding a glance into his expressive eyes. They had filled with a sadness she couldn’t explain. “You are sad.”
Rowan looked at her, considered her statement for a moment, and then nodded. “I guess I am a little nostalgic.” He gave her a lopsided grin and explained, “Today’s my birthday and it’s the first one I’ve spent without my family and friends around. I guess I’m a bit homesick.”
“Happy birthday, Rowan,” Joanna congratulated. “Is that why your family called earlier?”
Rowan nodded and they finished their drinks in silence. Joanna barely felt her feet anymore, despite the constant wiggling of her toes. Those damn leather boots weren’t made to stand on ice or snow for an extended period of time. Looking up into Rowan’s intense green eyes, she decided it didn’t make sense to pretend any longer.
“I enjoyed the hot drink, but my feet are getting numb,” she said to him.
“My God, Joanna, why didn’t you tell me earlier? We’ll get you to someplace warm.” For a moment she thought he’d sweep her up in his arms and carry her away.
“Do you want to return to the hotel?” Rowan asked after a glance at his watch. “It’s kind of early…”
And Mei and Nelson might still be occupied, Joanna thought. But it wasn’t only the wish to give them some more alone time that had her saying, “No, let’s get another drink. But in an actual building with central heat.”
Rowan’s eyes sparkled when he nodded and led her to the exit of the festival grounds, and towards one of the largest luxury hotels in Harbin.
“What about this one?” he asked her.
“I don’t know,” Joanna answered, while she calculated how much a cocktail would cost in the bar of one of the most prestigious hotel chains. More than she could afford. “…it’s quite expensive.”
“Don’t worry, it’s my treat.” Rowan stopped to look at her. She could gaze into those eyes for hours. But it wasn’t right. She wasn’t one of those girls. She didn’t need or want a man to provide for her.
“I can’t. You already paid for our dinner and the tea at the ice bar,” she protested weakly.
“That’s what a gentleman does,” Rowan assured her. But despite the honesty in his eyes she feared he’d think she was only after him for his wallet. Like Mei.
“It’s not...” Joanna started her sentence, but Rowan put a hand on her arm and every resistance faded away. Her only wish was to spend more time with him.
“It’s my birthday today. You can’t say no to being my only birthday guest.” He flashed a devastating grin and Joanna stopped fighting.
“Okay.”
As soon as they walked into the huge lobby with sparkling chandeliers and gold-framed mirrors, a welcome warmth enveloped her and her teeth stopped chattering. Joanna grimaced when her feet started to thaw resulting in nasty pins and needles.
They reached the bar to the left side of the lobby. Apart from a long counter with bar stools, it also boasted cozy booths with small tables and comfy looking armchairs. The entire room was decorated in the colors gold and red, giving it a royal look.
“Want to sit in one of those booths?” Rowan asked.
“Yes please,” she answered before she could reconsider.
As they reached their booth, she returned the gloves to Rowan and he helped her remove her coat. This little gesture sent roaring heat through her body and she wished she’d insisted to sit at the bar instead of the intimate booth.
Rowan handed a pile of bonnets, scarves, gloves, and coats to the waiting bellboy. Unsure where to sit, she stood in place until she felt his eyes roving up and down her body. The nasty pins and needles in her feet instantly gave way to very delightful pins and needles in her entire body.
“You look spectacular in this dress,” he said with darkened eyes.
“Thank you,” Joanna managed to answer and sat down as gracefully as she could master while his gaze lingered on her curves and heat swelled up in her body.
“Does the flower on your dress have a name?” he asked.
“Wintersweet,” she answered, slightly breathless. She hadn’t expected him to notice those details, much less to be interested in them.
“Wintersweet?” He raised an eyebrow, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “That fits you perfectly.”
The heat in her cheeks intensified and her body flooded with desire for him. She really needed to think about something other than him.
She cleared her throat. “The scientific name is Chimonanthus. It’s a flowering plant endemic to China. The flowers are produced in late winter, usually with white or yellow petals and they are strongly scented. Prunings are often dried and used to perfume closets
, much like lavender is used in Western countries. Although Wintersweet doesn’t have medical benefits, the flowers are edible and are often used to flavor tea.”
“Wow. And you’ve learned all this, where?”
“From my grandma who used plenty of herbal medicine,” Joanna answered, thankful for the appearance of the waitress bringing their cocktail orders. She took a sip of her fruity-sweet drink and absent-mindedly drew Chinese characters with her finger onto a napkin.
“What are you painting?” Rowan’s question sent blood rushing to her cheeks.
“Nothing.” She quickly folded the napkin and put her cocktail glass on top of it.
“Why don’t I believe you?” He grinned at her with those devastatingly green eyes. “It wasn’t something inappropriate, was it?”
The heat in her body intensified.
“No…it…was just…I was drawing your name,” she stuttered under his heated stare. “Okay, I’ll show you.” She sighed deeply and asked a passing waitress for pencil and paper. Then she wrote the Chinese characters for his name on the paper.若剑 and passed the paper to him. “That is your name, written in Chinese. It would be pronounced, ruò jiàn.”
“That looks nice,” Rowan traced his fingers across the piece of paper. “Does it have a meaning?”
“Sure.” Now it was Joanna’s turn to smile. “We place a lot of importance in the meaning of names and words. Parents chose the name of their child primarily by the meaning, not so much by the sound of it.”
“And what does ruò jiàn mean?” he asked, his gaze softening as he glanced at the characters she’d written for him.
“It is a good name. It means sharp as a sword. It stands for wisdom, compassion, intuition and a high idealism.” She didn’t add that it also implied he liked to have sex with mentally active, intelligent women.
“Wow! All of that in my name?”
“Yes. That’s just on the top of my mind. If I check up on the numerology of your name, I can give you a more thorough analysis.”