Winter's Heart

by Warneke, A. C.

  “Surely I do,” Flynn countered, patting her stomach. “If I don’t eat, I become a royal bitch.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” the blond asked with dangerously narrowed eyes.

  It wasn’t that Flynn meant anything by her words other than what she said: she was a bear if she didn’t get food in her system. But that would explain so much. Maybe if Gwyn ate something she’d be a happier person. “Nothing. I’m just going to go now.”

  She escaped before she got into another fight with the deceptively strong Gwyn. As soon as she stepped outside, she heard the roar of an engine and her entire body stilled because she knew who was there. Lifting her head, she had to battle the urge to turn around and flee at the sight of Winter sitting on his massive motorcycle. He was wearing leather pants and a shit-eating grin while holding out a helmet.

  “I was hoping you were joking,” she grumbled, stepping forward and automatically taking the helmet from his outstretched hand. In return, she handed him her purse and tried to figure out how to put the helmet on without looking too foolish.

  “I never joke about my bike or about bets,” he said, stashing her belongings. Sliding off the intimidating beast of a machine, he took the helmet from her hands and pushed it onto her head. As she stood there, he buckled it up and then grabbed the sides, rocking it from side to side before rapping the top of it with his knuckles, “Perfect fit.”

  “It makes my head feel like it weighs a ton,” she grumbled, her stomach no longer growling in hunger but trying to crawl deeper into her body in fear. Why wasn’t she running as fast and as far away as possible? Why was she letting him help her onto the bike and sighing in pleasure as he put on his helmet and climbed on in front of her? Automatically, her arms wrapped around his waist and she had to bite back the groan of having her arms around him. “This good?”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, his voice echoing in her ear through the mike in the helmet. “But you don’t have to hold on so tight. I won’t fly away.”

  “I can’t hold on any less tight,” she admitted. “I think my body froze when it realized I actually meant to go through with this.”

  “It’s all right,” he assured her. “I’m sure the feeling will return to my legs eventually.”

  She tried to un-pry her arms but she couldn’t and in a voice that held too much fruitless hope, she said, “We can do this another day.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’ll never catch you this off guard again,” he returned with a chuckle. “Where do you want to go?”

  Her lips quirked up in a smile, “Half a block?”

  “Via the freeway?”

  “Or just half a block.”

  “I’m taking you for a ride, Flynn,” he laughed. “Where to?”

  Considering her options, she asked, “How much say do you have for the food for the party?”

  “Why?” Starting the engine, he turned his head but didn’t look at her as he asked, “Do you have something in mind?”

  So she told him about Harry and then squeezed her eyes shut as he took off. If she squeezed any tighter, she was fairly certain she would squeeze right through the layers of his clothes and the flesh of his body, until she was holding herself. The wind whipped past her and she felt as if she’d be thrown at any moment and when he went around the corner she felt as if they were falling.

  “Turn with me!” he called out. “Let your body move with mine!”

  Making her eyelids peel away from her eyes, she peeked at the road that flew beneath them and almost screamed. Her fingers fluttered as her hands found their way beneath his clothes to the warm skin beneath, which she found oddly comforting. Being able to feel him also helped her move with his body and the next time they turned the corner, she was able to flow with him. The feeling of falling was gone, to be replaced with one of flying.

  It was exhilarating and she hated to admit she was going to owe him a boon and she was going to have to think of another way to get Fallon a part in his next movie. Holding on, loving the rumble of the engine beneath her bottom, the feel of Winter between her thighs, and the feel of his skin beneath her palms, she let out a laugh of delight.

  “You love it!” he crowed, revving the engine as he sped up the on ramp to the freeway.

  “I don’t want this feeling to ever end!” she cried back, not too proud to admit when she was wrong. If it had been anyone other than Winter giving her the ride, she’d probably still be terrified, begging to be let off. It should bother her how comfortable she was with the man, especially since he was publically off limits, but it didn’t. She could spend the rest of the afternoon with him on his death machine.

  ♥~♥~♥

  Sitting in the booth in the small, out-of-the-way diner, Winter could still feel Flynn’s hands against his stomach. Her cheeks were still stained with heightened color and if she smiled any wider, her face was going to crack. She was the most beautiful thing he had seen in a long, long while. With his baseball hat pulled low over his face, he was still fairly conspicuous in the tiny diner but he figured that had more to do with the fact that there were only the two of them and the waitress. Fortunately, the waitress looked like she didn’t give a damn who came into the diner as long as they ate the food and didn’t complain.

  Reaching across the table and twining his fingers with hers, he asked, “So, what do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?”

  “I have to get back to work eventually,” she said, obviously as unhappy about it as he was. “But since this can be considered business, I have a little extra time before I have to return.”

  “Excellent,” he grinned, reluctant to have their time cut short for any reason. He knew he should be making her burn so she’d submit to his charms sooner rather than later but he found himself telling her all sorts of things that he probably shouldn’t be telling her. Hell, he should be keeping his distance and not pursuing her until this thing with Missy was officially over and done with but damned if he could leave her alone.

  “I should probably let Diane know,” she said, worry making her smile dim a little. Grabbing her cell phone, she punched in a quick text before setting it on the table and flashing him an impish grin. “If I call, she might make me come back to fill out some paperwork, or something. Anyway, since this is a ploy to get you to hire Harry, this’ll be my treat.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” It was odd that she was offering to buy lunch when he had enough money to buy the diner a thousand times over and he doubted she had enough to even pay for the meals.

  “Like I said,” she grinned, reaching across and putting her hand over his. “I really like the food here and if I can share this slice of paradise with the world, the pleasure will be all mine.”

  “But if this place becomes as popular as all that you’ll never get to eat here again.”

  “I’ll find a way,” she twinkled at him. “Nothing will keep me away from Harry’s food.”

  After eating perhaps the most delicious food this side of heaven, Winter knew that it was time to have The Talk with Flynn. Clearing his throat, he put his hands over hers, not knowing how to start the conversation they needed to have. Figuring he’d just jump right in, he said, “Which brings me to why I tracked you down this afternoon.” She looked at him with a completely open expression, making him feel like shit for having to have this talk to begin with. Rubbing his thumbs over her hands, he cleared his throat and began, “It’s about our relationship.”

  “Our fake relationship,” she teased though her eyes remained thoughtful.

  “Right.” He tried not to grimace but he was pretty sure his lips curled into a slight sneer. “Anyway, we can go out in public but we have to be careful.”

  “Of course,” she readily agreed. “We don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea….”

  “Which would be the right idea but one that would unravel everything,” he corrected, hating the idea of keeping Flynn like a dirty, little secret. “Anyway, when we go out and I’m not in disguise,
there’s a strong possibility that we will be photographed.”

  “What kind of disguise?” she asked with a little too much enthusiasm. Leaning forward, she lowered her voice, “Like a tacky beard? Or fake eyebrows and a handlebar mustache? No, you’re a traditionalist who prefers baseball caps and sunglasses, aren’t you?”

  He actually did prefer baseball caps and sunglasses, which were surprisingly effective when paired with old sweats and a grungy, loose-fitting t-shirt. “It’s irrelevant. I just wanted to warn you: if you see a photographer, don’t react because that’s the surest way to draw attention to us. Ignore them, act like they don’t exist, and they won’t give a damn that we’re walking down the street.”

  “But I won’t be able to hold your hand.” At his confirmation, she sighed dramatically even as her eyes danced. “That bites but I’m sure I can hold off, at least in public.”

  “I also have to warn you that you are going to read things, things about Melissa and me, in the magazines and online.” This part made him the most uncomfortable, knowing what was going to be said and not being able to do anything about it for six months. At her nod, he explained, “We have a certain image to maintain and that requires… certain performances. But they’re not real. None of it is real. And you can’t tell anyone.”

  “Like anyone would believe you’d choose me over Melissa Irish,” she huffed in awe, apparently having a difficult time believing it herself. He’d have to work on that with her. Lowering her voice, she leaned closer and whispered, “Don’t worry, Winter. Your secrets are safe with me.”

  Her eyes twinkled with laughter and he realized she was laughing at him, despite taking his warning seriously. Sitting back, she grinned at him, “Now that we have that settled, if you’ll excuse me, I have to wash my hands before we leave. I don’t want to stain your shirt when I’m holding on for dear life.”

  He choked back a laugh as she slid from the booth and floated to the back of the small restaurant. Spying the phone, a wicked idea flashed in his head so he slipped the phone into his pocket and headed to the men’s room. Smiling at the waitress who watched him with hard, wary eyes, he murmured, “If you could pack up our leftovers I’d greatly appreciate it. There will be a huge tip when we leave.”

  She rolled her eyes and grabbed a few Styrofoam containers as he disappeared into the bathroom.

  ♥~♥~♥

  After an utterly satisfying lunch that lasted two hours, Flynn sat down at her desk and booted up her computer to add a few notes to her plans. Of course, Winter loved the food and promised to talk Melissa into having an alternative menu for those with less discriminating tastes. He’d also promised to hire Harry, who had been floored by the amount of money Winter offered. Hell, she had been floored, too. For that sum, Harry would be able to open another, much larger restaurant and feed tons more people.

  Because she was the one who had brought him the business, Harry comped the lunch, which she appreciated since she really hadn’t had the money to pay. Her phone rang, reminding her she hadn’t turned it to vibrate in the office. Her cheeks went up in flames as she finally heard the words, ‘I wanna have sex with you, baby. I wanna do dirty things to you. I wanna make you scream, baby. I wanna make you cream, baby.’

  Fumbling with the phone, her cheeks flamed even higher as she saw Winter’s alter ego’s name and the image he chose. Answering, she put it up to her ear and growled in a hushed voice, “Why is there an image of a penis on my phone?”

  His warm laughter washed over her and she didn’t care why there was an image of a large, erect penis on her phone or how it got there. “Do you like what you saw?”

  “I didn’t look that closely,” she said. “My phone was playing an inappropriate song and I had to answer as quickly as possible.”

  He chuckled again and she could picture him sitting by the pool laughing at her. “I actually didn’t have anything to say, I just wanted to call so you could see my handiwork. Which reminds me, why did you break up with me?”

  “What?” she asked, confused.

  “Your status said you were single,” he told her. There was something weird about the way he said it, using past tense instead of present. “Of course, I switched it back because Mitch needs a nice, wholesome girl in his life.”

  A burble of laughter pushed past her lips and she slammed a hand over her mouth to contain the inappropriate response. “My sister didn’t think it was smart to be in a fake relationship with someone who doesn’t exist.”

  “It’s unfortunate that I know your password, then, isn’t it?” he taunted lightly. “Because every time she changes it to ‘single,’ I’ll simply change it back.”

  “That’s a waste of time,” she sighed, unable to wipe the silly grin from her face. Even though she had just ridden on the back of his motorcycle and spent two hours with the man, she was happy to be talking to him on the phone. “Don’t you have better things to do than stalk me online?”

  “Nope.” He sounded so pleased with himself. “You must know that actors have a lot of down time on the set. What else would I do but stalk my favorite party planner?”

  “Read a book? Improve your mind?” she offered, her cheeks hurting from grinning so widely for so long. “Learn a foreign language?”

  “All worthy pursuits but not nearly as much fun.”

  “Wait,” she said, frowning as she finally heard his words. “Are you on set?”

  “Nah,” he denied easily. “I’m at home. But I could be on set and stalking you online would be my favorite past time.”

  “You’re so strange,” she managed as she tried to choke back the laughter that was threatening to burst free. “I think I’m going to have to change my password.”

  “You can’t do that,” he growled. “What would I do for enjoyment if I can’t get onto your page and post scandalous stories and naughty jokes?”

  “So you’re just using me for my social network?” Even she could hear the laughter in her voice. “Just don’t post anything that will get me fired.”

  “You’re far too trusting, Flynn Rogers,” he chided. “Oh! You’re mom just IM'ed me. What do you want me to tell her?”

  “Nothing!” she squeaked, the thought of Winter having a fake conversation with her mom making her panic. Not that she thought he would say anything that would get her into too much trouble….

  His warm chuckle startled her, but not nearly as much as his words, “Your mom loved the joke about the cross dresser and the scientist. She says she’ll never look at a microscope the same way ever again.”

  “Please log off,” she begged, wishing she could log on at work but that was one thing Diane highly frowned down upon. Because of the nature of their clients, there was no social media at the work place and they weren’t allowed to gossip about anyone they worked with, under threat of immediate termination of employment.

  “Now she wants the recipe for the double orgasm chocolate mudslide,” he continued, ignoring her. “She says she wants to make it for your dad.”

  “Ew,” Flynn cringed. “Tell her you have to go.”

  “Not gonna happen, Flynn,” he taunted. “She’s giving me some advice for how to deal with men with inflated egos.”

  A snort of laughter snuck past her guard and she had to clear her throat to stifle the rest of her amusement. “Log off.”

  Feeling the hair at the nape of her neck rise, she raised her head and found Gwyn glaring at her. “Could you keep the flirting down to a minimum? I’m sure Diane doesn’t pay you to talk with your boyfriend at work.”

  “Uh oh,” he murmured, sympathy suddenly oozing from his voice. “It sounds like you’ve got to go.”

  “I’ve got to go,” she confirmed, holding Gwyn’s eyes.

  “Then I’ll see you tomorrow at the library,” he said, hanging up before she could ask him what the hell he was talking about. A moment later, her phone beeped, letting her know she got a text message. It was the location of the library and what time he wanted to meet. Wi
th a goofy smile, she put her phone back in her purse and went back to work, ignoring the death glares from Gwyn.

  Her phone rang again, this time it was her parents’ ringtone: Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, in all of its symphonic and vocal glory. Blushing, she quickly grabbed it and answered, reminding herself to put it on vibrate. “Hey, Mom.”

  “It’s your dad,” her dad rumbled.

  “Hey, Dad,” she corrected.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt you at work but I wanted to let you know that I’ll be coming out next week for the preliminary measurements,” he said, excitement lacing his voice. Clearing his throat, tamping down the enthusiasm, he continued, “I’ll bring Jeff so he can get some idea of what we’re working with. Is that okay with you?”

  “I’m sure it will be fine,” she assured him, knowing that he was way too excited to be told differently. Plus, it gave her an excuse to call Winter back. “Just email the flight information and I’ll pick you guys up at the airport.”

  “I look forward to seeing you and your sister.”

  “Same here, dad.” With a smile, she hung up and was about to call Winter when she thought better of it. With Gwyn breathing fire, it would be foolish to call Winter, no matter how legitimate the pretext. Her phone chimed and she saw a text from him. Her belly fluttered in excitement that he texted just when she was thinking about him.

  Winter: Hey. Your mom says your dad’s coming for a visit next week. Looking forward to meeting some of your family.

  With a grin, she typed, Does she know she’s not talking to me yet?

  Winter: Of course not. She wants to know if your dad is going to be meeting your fictitious boyfriend. I told her that it was a distinct possibility and if all else failed you’d hire an actor.

  Flynn: LOL. Even my dad knows who you are, you doofus.

  Winter: Did you just call me a doofus? Seriously?

  Flynn: No, I texted it. I really have to get back to work. TTYL?

  Winter: No doubt. Doofus.

  Smiling widely, she turned the phone to vibrate and slid it back into her purse. Her smile faltered as she thought about what she was doing. Getting involved with a famous actor, especially one who was supposedly engaged to America’s sweetheart, was idiotic. If only she could separate Winter the man from Winter the actor because she really, really liked him. When she was with him, it was easy to forget the extravagant world that he normally inhabited.