by S. L. Scott
“I hope you’re right, but in the meantime?”
“Stop fucking around with girls that don’t matter and focus on the woman who does.”
We both take a minute to absorb the advice and ponder the possibility. My beer is emptied and when I go to get another, an extra is grabbed for Luke.
“Thanks,” he says. “And let me know when you’re ready to tell me why you’re here. I know it’s not about my shitty love life, so it must be about yours.”
Honesty. I can be myself, the real Danny Weston when I’m with my best friend. We’ve been through a hell of a lot—career highs and lows—women, and more over the last ten years. I can tell him anything and he’ll always have my back. Even if he acts like he won’t. That’s just part of the game we play. My palms press into the railing as I stare ahead. “I saw a ghost from my past today.”
“A ghost? Care to elaborate?”
“It’s the one I never mention.”
In my peripheral vision, I see the sudden jerk of his head in my direction. “Reese?”
My glare should say it all, but just in case, I remind him, “Don’t say her name.”
An exasperated sigh is his response. He stands and turns to face in the same direction as I am, mimicking my stance and staring at the trees in the distance. “Where’d you see her?”
“Work.”
“Shit. That’s not good. And stop making me ask for every fucking detail. Either tell me or don’t, but let’s skip all the leading questions.”
Like I said, honesty. “I had a meeting at the agency this morning. It was a stealth attack in the conference room by my agent, an Italian designer, and her.”
“You’re standing. You’re in one piece. It couldn’t have gone that badly.”
“I landed a big campaign today. The deal was closed.”
“Congrats. Why do you sound like you lost the job? What am I missing?”
“She’s the lead exec on the campaign.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, shit.”
“Can you work with her?”
“What do you think?”
Looking at the beer bottle in his hands, he turns to me. “I think we’re gonna need something stronger.”
CHAPTER 3
Eleven Years Earlier
~Reese~
THE GLASS SCREAMS when the pebble hits it, causing me to jump. I look over, making sure it didn’t shatter. Knowing who it is, I throw the covers from my body and peek over at my roommate who is sleeping soundly as I get out of bed. Tiptoeing to the window, I dread letting the cold in, but open it anyway. How can I not? My boyfriend of one year is standing beneath the window. Under his feet, a light layer of snow covers the grass, new since I returned to my apartment after my evening class had ended.
Snow is falling and the winter scent of pine fills the air. My favorite season always makes me happy, but nothing compares to his smile, which warms my soul every time I see it.
Danny Weston is the most handsome man I have ever seen. He’s popular with girls and guys, and never lacks attention on campus. But he only has eyes for me. He’s great about making me feel like the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. I lean out the window opening, already smiling. “Hey there, stranger.”
“Come down,” he whisper-yells. “It’s snowing. First snow this winter.”
One year has flown by, but we already have a tradition. One of them is being together during the first snow of the season. We met the night of the first snow our junior year at a party down on Frat Row. Then, we woke up together in his off-campus apartment and walked together to get coffee.
I nod. “Coming down.” I rush to close the window. When I turn, I freeze in place when my roommate rolls over, mumbling something about a test, but she doesn’t wake. I grab a Huskers sweatshirt and slip it over my head and pajamas. Then I pull my sleep pants off and put on a pair of my tightest jeans. Thick woolly socks and snow boots follow. A coat. A hat. Gloves complete the ensemble.
Running out the door and down one flight, I make my way around the corner to find Danny scraping together a very pathetic snowman. “I think you’re gonna need more snow for that little guy.”
Danny stands up, dusts the snow from his gloves, and comes to me. Excited to see him, I jump up on him. He catches me as I wrap my arms around his body. I kiss him, wanting him to know how much I love him—deep and hard. When our lips part, my legs come down and my feet touch the ground again. He smiles, still holding my hand, and says, “Maybe.”
“It’s a valiant effort though, I must say.” I look at the miniature snowman, then back into Danny’s eyes that remind me of melted chocolate that you dip sweet treats into.
I only just notice the snow that falls around us. It’s easy to get caught up in Danny—his magnetic personality, his caring side, and that face. Yep, super easy to get lost in him. I force my eyes to the sky and open my mouth wide, hoping to catch a snowflake on my tongue.
“I’ll show you a valiant effort.” He swoops me up into his arms and walks to his old Jeep Cherokee. The evergreen color shines under the nearby street lamp. He always keeps his car clean despite taking it off-road whenever he has a chance. He’s such an outdoorsy guy, but he treats me special and never wants me to get dirty—unless I want to—which is more than I ever thought I would.
I release one last squeal as he tickles me and then sets me down, my back pressed against the door and his arms caging me in. The light reflects in his eyes as he gazes down into mine. A gloved hand touches my cheek, and he says, “I love you, Reese. I’ll always love you.”
“I love you, too,” I reply readily, as if by habit though the feeling is felt deep within my soul. But the intensity of his expression makes me question what’s really happening. “What’s wrong?”
He kisses me instead of answering. I kiss him back, but my heart is flipping into panic mode as worry covers the lightness from seconds earlier. Pulling back, I push against his chest and repeat the question, “What’s wrong, Danny?”
“I got a contract.”
It dawns on me quickly. He’d been trying to get a modeling contract for months. “You got signed?”
His happiness is contagious, his eyes bright with hope, waiting for my reaction to match his own. Jumping up, I wrap my arms around him and hug him. “Oh my God. You got it! This is it, Danny. Everything you wanted.”
When his arms wrap around my waist, his hands move tenderly up and down a few times. The movement is slow as if he’s savoring every centimeter. Then he pulls me closer. He rests his head down on the top of mine, and replies, “Yeah.” His voice is somber, surprising me considering the great news. “Everything I wanted.”
Confused, I look back up at him and ask, “I thought this was what you wanted?”
“It was. I mean, it is.” The intimacy of his closeness leaves my body when he takes a step back and tucks his hands into his coat pockets. “I thought it was. But now that it’s real, I’m having doubts.”
“No,” I instantly reassure him, “don’t. This is good. This is amazing. You said modeling for catalogs and inserts was boring. Think of the new adventures ahead of you. You may end up flying all over the world and finally make decent money.” I can’t hide the excitement I feel for him. What an opportunity. “Paris. Madrid.” I shake my booty. “Exotic islands…”
I carry on as the snow continues to fall around us until he interrupts, “I leave tomorrow.”
The distraction of the snow surely caused me to mishear, so I ask, “What?”
“I leave tomorrow, Reese. I signed the contract with the agency and they booked me on a job.”
“Wow, that was fast.” My tone reflects my sudden concern, but I want to be positive for him, so I flip back to the awesomeness of this opportunity. “Where are you going?”
“The Maldives.” Every answer from him is presented as if he’s testing the waters. It feels like there’s more to the story than I’m privy to, and I don’t like this sinking feeling in my gut.
> Then it dawns on me, and I can’t hide beyond a fake smile. “You have finals in less than two weeks. You can’t miss them or you’ll fail. How long will you be gone?”
“Probably close to that, but I’ll study on the flights. The Maldives are a long way from Nebraska.”
This is all so fast, so much out of the blue, and it continues to plague me. It’s what he wants. I just need to support him, but we’ve always been honest with each other. Considering the bad feeling spinning in my stomach, now should be no exception. “What does this mean?”
“What does what mean?”
“For us?” He’s so unaware of the attention he gets without trying. Even with me on his arm, I see the stares, the glares, and hear the murmurs. Women are ruthless when it comes to a man they want. Will I lose him when I don’t even know how to hold on to him?
He grabs my hands and pulls me close. After a kiss on the forehead, he says, “You’re mine and I’ll always be yours. I love you, Reese. I’m in love with you. I’ll be back. It’s just eight days or so. I’ll be back for the tests, and for you. I’ll always come back to you.”
His words, his voice, the sincerity in his eyes make me feel better, easing my mind and worries. Embracing again, this time feels more like a goodbye than just a short parting. When I shiver in his arms, he suggests, “Let’s get in the car and warm up.”
A soft smile sneaks onto my cheeks. “I know how we can warm up.”
“Great minds think alike, pretty.” The door is opened and I’m ushered into the back seat. Danny quickly hops in after and the door is shut just as fast. “It’s freezing tonight.”
“But we got snow and I love when it snows.”
He smiles while reaching forward and starting the car. Danny turns on the heat and sits back. Our eyes meet in the darkened car, our breaths coming in puffs of white, quickening as seconds speed past. I touch his cheek and lean my head forward until his lips touch my forehead. When he looks at me, I feel helpless against the desires he draws out in me. I close my eyes and fist his coat just as our lips come together.
Within minutes, the windows are fogged. Coats, hats, gloves, and scarves have come off. Warm hands caress my body under the sweatshirt while our lips find comfort against each others. My fingers run along his neck and into his hair, keeping him close. He never feels close enough… not until our bodies are bonded again.
My shirt comes off as does his. Despite winter in full flurry outside, inside the car our skin is heated, warmed by each other as we press together, sliding farther down into the seat. My breathing gets rougher as our need for each other grows. He pops the top button and zips down my jeans. The confined space adds to the challenge of our striptease, but we laugh, enjoying the fun in the moment. My legs are in the air as he tugs the jeans from my ankles. Hovering over me, as we get more comfortable, his head hits the window to help him balance as he removes his own jeans.
He stays above me then lowers down, his mouth finding my shoulder while I scrape my nails lightly down his back. I love the feel of his body. I take his boxer shorts down lower while lifting for him so he can remove the remainder of what separates us. Bared to each other, the heat from our passion penetrates the cold air, warming us.
His desire for me is felt, his body hard to my body’s soft. “I love you,” he whispers before lowering his mouth to my neck and adorning me with kisses as his body settles between my legs. “I want you. Always.”
“I want you too. Always.” Squirming beneath him, I add, “Make love to me, Dann—” His lips capture my words and fill my body with small moans and whimpers when he pushes inside me, slowly, carefully, lovingly.
His body stills, his breath halts, seeming to get stuck in his chest. I know him well. He does this every time we make love. Opening my eyes, I touch his face, cradling his jaw in my hands until he opens his eyes and sees me. “Breathe,” I gently remind him.
A harsh breath is released along with the tension in his shoulders. He smiles, adjusts, then starts to move again, each roll of his hips hitting deep at this cramped angle, causing us both to moan. There’s not enough room to tilt back or forward, so I remain still, but spread my arms out to hold on to anything I can reach—the back of the driver’s seat and the back seat.
It never takes us long to peak and collapse, our love and lust for each other is both emotional and physical. Although I know he must be uncomfortable, Danny stays on top of me for minutes longer just because he knows I like it.
I stroke his back, not wanting to lose this, to lose him, and whisper, “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” We rearrange until we’re sitting upright again. He leans forward, resting his head against the seat. Though his hands are relaxed at his side, the position of his body reminds me of The Thinker, his muscles defined as if for only me in this moment.
I hold my sweatshirt against my chest until he turns and looks at me. Reaching over, he lowers it. With anyone else, I’d feel embarrassed with them looking at me so unabashedly. But not with him. His expressive eyes don’t ogle, they caress, making me feel beautiful, making me hope he always looks at me like this. “Are you cold?”
“No.”
His voice lowers, befitting the mood inside the car. “Don’t hide yourself from me, not yet.”
I gulp. “Okay.”
Angling his body toward mine, he leans back. “Come here.” I fit between his legs, leaning my back against his chest. When he wraps his arms around me, he says, “You’ll always be home to me. No matter where we are in life, we will always find our way back to each other.”
“Promise?”
“Your heart has the map. You just have to follow it. It will lead you right back to me.” He kisses the back of my head and his arms tighten around me.
Staring out the back of the window, even through the foggy glass, I see stars in the sky and smile. Despite the dark, I see the light. My heart will always belong to him. My faith is completely wrapped up in him. His faith in us is unwavering, his heart beating steadily like mine.
When I turn my head, I close my eyes because even though the space is confined, emotionally I’ve never felt closer to this man.
We rest, but then he rubs my arms. “We should go. It’s starting to snow harder.”
“I like it here with you.”
His chest rises and falls when he chuckles softly behind me. “I like it here with you, but I don’t want you to freeze.”
“Good point.” Working my clothes on, I move to the front seat to give him more room to get dressed.
Peeking back at him, I feel my love growing inside, my heart expanding for the man. Our love is the same in so many ways—passionate, loyal, honest. We’re also different in some ways. I’m a planner and ambitious where he’s more laid-back with a carpe diem attitude.
I’ve always had to work hard for everything despite my looks. Not many people, especially men, have taken my determination for success seriously because I’m considered “pretty.” I’ve never been comfortable with that word to describe me, not until Danny. He says I’m pretty, but I see something more meaningful in his eyes. The word so simple to say, but packed with so much more than what the six letters represent. He makes me feel beautiful.
While I sit in the front seat of the Jeep, the quiet of the outdoors—of the night between us—weighs me down. Things are happening. Changing. For him. For us. I told him they would sign him. I believed it. He’s gorgeous and personable. He’s the full package.
Danny had run out of patience with the modeling industry a year ago. He had been at this since he was seventeen. It had paid for his school, his rent, and all of his expenses, but it wasn’t going where he had hoped. That was before he did a local catalog campaign that led to a meeting with a big-time agent who loved to discover “fresh faces.” Danny doubted it was only about his face considering almost every shot he took for the agency had him in his underwear. He wouldn’t argue though. The agent said he could get him work and he’s done just
that. When I look back at him, I think about all the repercussions from the decision he’s made. I won’t voice them. This is his hard work paying off. He deserves all the success he finds. I just hope it’s as good as it sounds.
~Danny~
SHE THINKS I don’t see her. I do.
When Reese moves to the front of the Jeep, my eyes are on her until she catches me. A small smile appears, but she looks away shyly as if I’ve never seen her naked, as if I’ve never been inside her. As if she’s not inside me, consuming my soul. I love her. More than she knows. I need to show her. I want her to feel how much she means to me.
Her blue eyes pierce my heart when she glances back at me, her cheeks still flushed and heated though it’s freezing outside. Lowering my gaze to the jeans I’m fighting to get on in the cramped space, guilt takes over. I haven’t told her I’ll be spending the holiday break in Europe. Withholding information from her has made me feel like a liar. I’ll be on a plane headed for Asia tomorrow, and detouring to Europe on the way back to have fittings for Paris, London, and New York fashion week. I haven’t told her because I don’t want to break the promise I made her. She hasn’t said it but I know she wants a ring, a commitment I’m more than willing to give her because I want the same. But how can I? Christmas was going to be when I did it, but I won’t even be with her now.
Maybe I can pop the question on New Year’s Eve?
She asks, “You’re somewhere else. What are you thinking about?”
I smile for her. “Just thinking about tomorrow. I need to go home and pack.”
“Can I come over?” she asks, as if she doesn’t know the answer already.
“Of course. You’re always welcome over.” She has the basics at my place, so I hop into the front seat and drive to my apartment.
Thirty minutes later, she sits in the corner of my room at my desk, and sips coffee. A suitcase is open on the bed with a few items of clothing folded neatly inside. She’s much better at folding than I am. If it was up to me, I’d throw it in there and deal with it after I get to the final destination. I fold it, trying to follow the way she showed me. “You can stay here, you know.”