“How so?” he asked, perplexed.
“Let’s just say the idea of dribbling syrup on something other than the French toast sounds like a great idea.”
His gaze fastened on mine at my admission before breaking into a grin. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “I’d love to see you at one of these events, if that’s okay?”
“I have one coming up when I get back in Seattle. I actually had a fight that Monday when I was in Portland breaking the news to you.”
“I don’t understand how you don’t look all beat up…” A lump surfaced in the back of my throat as I spoke. The reaction completely took me off guard.
“I told you. I’m good. Although, I’m getting a bit long-in-the-tooth, I suppose. But it hasn’t slowed me down yet.”
“Does Mason know?” I asked.
“It’s hard to keep things from Mason. It’s the twin thing. But he doesn’t know how often I fight.”
“How often do you fight?” I asked.
The server placed a giant serving of cinnamon French toast in front of both of us, and the strong aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg wafted through the air.
“About every six weeks. Any longer and I lose my edge, but between this fight and the last it’ll only be about three weeks.”
“Why the rush between fights this time?” I asked, feeling uneasy.
“The winnings are pretty incredible. It’s the first fight of the year and it was too hard to resist.”
“But you’re not doing it for the winnings…”
He shook his head. “No, but that doesn’t hurt.” A smirk appeared and my worries slipped away.
“You’re sure you’d be okay if I came?”
“I’d love it. No one has ever come to one of my fights.”
“What about Mason?”
“I mean no female. Other than Sammie when she was a model.”
A sinking feeling appeared as my mind drifted to the conversation from the other night. “So who’s the organizer of these things?”
Ayden’s expression fell and his gaze locked on mine and I knew.
It was Mason.
“Your brother?”
He nodded. “It also helps him out.”
“What do you mean, helps him out?”
“This can’t go anywhere, Lily. You promise me that, right?”
I nodded, his gaze not leaving mine.
“He got into some gambling trouble. Sorry, that’s not being completely honest. He’s in some financial trouble still. He stopped gambling, but on his salary working with my father, he still owes a lot to some very unfriendly people. I tried to offer to pay it off, but he won’t take my money.”
“Wait, he won’t take your money, but he’ll take your blood in exchange.”
“It’s not like that. I don’t lose and he always wins. This is the last fight he’ll need to be free and clear.”
“And then after?” I questioned. “Will you still fight?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t think less of him. I know it looks like our family’s got it all together, but my dad was pretty hard on both of us. I guess ‘cause we’re guys. Brandy always got off pretty easy. But Mason and I have both used the fighting circuit to our advantage. He just kind of got into trouble recently and…”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to make excuses for him. We’ve all done things we wished we hadn’t. It’s just the thought of you getting hurt makes things…”
“I won’t get hurt. I promise.”
I hated hearing promises that weren’t a sure thing, and I knew this was one of those, but I also knew Ayden confided something that he hadn’t shared with anyone, and it made me feel even closer to him.
“I’ll support you however you need.”
Ayden shook his head in disbelief. “You’re an incredible woman, Lily. I feel so lucky to have you in my life.”
“I feel the same way about you,” I whispered, feeling my heart rate increase as he continued looking at me in such an intense way. “Our toast is probably getting cold.”
“Do you think they’d let us take any syrup to go?” he teased.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I quipped, slicing into the delicious breakfast. “So are you going to tell me where you’re whisking me off to after this?”
“Tubing.”
“No way! I haven’t done that since I was a kid.”
“I’m sure it’s like riding a bike. Once you know how…”
“That will be so much fun.” My phone buzzed and I glanced down, surprised to see a text from Austin, asking if I was free tonight.
Shit! I wasn’t expecting to hear from him today.
“What’s up?” Ayden asked.
“Awkward, but uh…”
“Austin?” he asked bemused.
“Yup. He wanted to know about dinner tonight. Think I should invite him out?” I teased.
“Probably not. Unless he doesn’t mind being a third-wheel.”
“Wouldn’t he be like a ninth wheel or something since we’re all doing dinner together?”
“Actually, I fibbed. I thought it would be nice just you and me.”
My stomach fluttered with a parade of butterflies as his request settled over me.
“Unless you…”
“I’d love it,” I interrupted, already texting Austin that tonight wouldn’t work but maybe lunch on another day might be nice. I got no immediate reply so I tucked the phone away and enjoyed the rest of my breakfast with Ayden.
After Ayden collided into me on the latest run, I was determined to show him some payback.
“You certainly don’t take it easy just because I’m a girl, do you?” I laughed, dusting myself off.
“Would you want me to?” His brow arched.
“No, but I don’t think it’s called bumper tubes,” I replied, eyeing my surroundings.
“Fair enough.” He grabbed his tube and mine, as we walked over to the rope tow.
“Let’s do doubles. That looks like fun,” I offered, watching a mother-daughter duo slide down the hill.
“Let’s do it,” he said, tossing our tubes on the ground.
I sat my butt in the hole and held onto the rope as I sailed up the mountain. I let go of the rope but didn’t get out of the way until the last second so Ayden crashed into my empty tube and it went flying. It didn’t quite have the effect I was hoping so I grabbed my tube and trudged to the top of the hill, pushing the black rubber tube to the side.
Ayden walked over and threw the tube toward me, and I jumped out of the way as it slid by and hit my tube.
“Whose tube are we using?” Ayden asked.
“Yours.” I crinkled my nose to make sure it still moved as the numbness from the cold began to spread to my cheeks.
“What was that for?”
“I think my nose might fall off.”
“That wouldn’t be the best look. Wanna call it quits after this run?”
I nodded as he took a seat in the big donut and motioned for me to come over. My stomach flip-flopped when I realized exactly how I would be positioned on top of him.
“What’s that big grin for?” he teased, adjusting his knit cap.
“Nothin’,” I laughed as I looked down at him. “Maybe we’ll do more than one run.”
He started laughing, and I sat on the edge of the tube in between his legs as I adjusted my earmuffs and hat.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded as he snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me onto him. My legs stuck out in front of me, but my body coiled into his perfectly. I felt his body tense underneath mine as I wriggled into place. Sensing a smile on his lips, my body relaxed into his, and I knew it didn’t matter how cold my nose got, I never wanted to leave his arms.
“Ready?” he murmured next to my earmuffs.
“Go for it,” I squeaked, as his legs began to work us over to the peak of the hill. E
very movement of his body made it impossible for me to sit still as I imagined his muscles working and flexing to get us to the top of the hill.
“On three…One. Two. Three,” he yelled, pushing us down the hill.
The added weight made us sail down the hill even faster. The freezing air pelted my cheeks as our tube began to spin down the hill. It felt like we were on the teacup ride at top speed. Ayden’s arms wrapped around me even tighter as we hit the midway point, and I couldn’t contain my screams as we headed down the last bit of hill.
“I gotcha, babe” he yelled, half-laughing, as I shut my eyes and gripped his arms so hard I thought he was going to bleed out.
My breathing was so erratic, I didn’t even notice that our tube had started to slow down until Ayden congratulated me, and our tube hit a soft snow bank. Instead of jumping out of the tube, I just leaned the back of my head against his chest.
“Damn. Apparently you weigh too much to make that safe,” I laughed. “But I’d totally do it again.”
“Anything that puts you in my lap is worth the risk,” he said, giving me a long squeeze.
An announcement about the park’s closure over the loudspeaker interrupted our rest, and all I could do was groan.
“I had no idea we were here for so long,” Ayden said.
“Me neither. I guess I should get up.”
“Unless you want snow patrol to yell at us again,” Ayden laughed.
“That was kind of fun. I felt like such a rebel.” I slowly made my way off his lap and stood up. I decided my payback could wait until he really wasn’t expecting it. Instead, I offered him my hand, and he jumped out of the tube.
“You can ride up and turn in the tubes. I’ll walk up.”
“Nah. I bet this thing can haul us back up. We’ll just both hold on tight.”
We walked over to the rope tow, and he sat in the tube once more, motioning for me to get comfortable. I collapsed onto him, hearing a tiny groan as my weight hit his body with a thud.
“Maybe I should lay off the French toast.”
“No way.”
We both grabbed the rope and the tube bumped and slid back up the hill, hitting the bank with a thud. I jumped off, allowing Ayden to hurry out of the way from the incoming tube traffic, and watched as he nervously glanced behind him to dodge the mother-daughter unit flying in behind us.
“Ready for dinner?” he asked, grabbing my hand and placing the tube in the large bin.
“Do I need to change?”
His smile deepened, and he shook his head as we walked down the hill. “I’ve got a nice private dinner planned for just the two of us.”
“Really? Where at?”
“It’s a surprise.”
We walked down the rest of the hill in silence, hearing laughter from kids and adults as they relived the day’s snow experiences, and things just felt right—more than right. I couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the night held. Not realizing how hot the tubing had made me, I unzipped my jacket as we made it to the base of the hill, and Ayden did the same. Slowly taking in the scenery, we stopped on a small bridge and looked over the village.
“Beautiful,” I replied.
Ayden slid his hands around my waist, and my body immediately reacted to his touch. It felt as if I were on fire wherever his hands went. I slid off my jacket and let it fall to the ground as he brought me into him.
I ran my hands through his hair as he held me close. Looking into his eyes, I felt his fingers press through my sweater as he gripped me securely.
“I’m the luckiest man in the world,” Ayden murmured, his lips touching softly down to mine. My world began to rock as his tongue softly graced mine, and my body begged for more than I could have standing on a bridge. I felt his heartbeat quicken as our kisses deepened and the surrounding world fell away.
Until I heard his voice.
“Wow, Lily. This definitely wasn’t something I ever imagined stumbling across,” Austin’s voice jolted through me as Ayden’s embrace broke from mine. “You must just love to mind fu—”
“I wouldn’t finish that statement,” Ayden warned, taking a step back from me, his eyes darting to Austin’s.
“What? You think I’m worried about you?” Austin laughed, glaring at Ayden.
“Please don’t pay attention to him,” I whispered to Ayden.
“Yeah. Don’t worry about me. Take her advice. She certainly has,” Austin’s eyes shot to mine as my breath caught.
“That’s not…not…what I meant,” I began, stumbling over my words.
“I don’t know why I expected better of you with your track record…” Austin’s voice trailed off as his words cut through me, and he shook his head. His eyes looked like he’d been drinking and his balance didn’t look so great either.
“Let’s get going,” Ayden said, grabbing my hand.
“Yeah, run away like you always do,” Austin sneered.
“It’s not like that,” I said, taking a step toward Austin.
“Really…” Austin replied. “I would’ve thought you’d show some sort of decency, flying down here and all, but I guess your reputation...”
Ayden’s gaze darkened as his eyes darted from mine to Austin’s. “Don’t,” Ayden’s voice cautioned, cutting off Austin’s statement.
“Whatever,” Austin mumbled, throwing his hands at us. “She’s not worth my time.”
A muscle throbbed in Ayden’s jaw, and I knew something bad was about to go down. Ayden took a step away from Austin and a faint whisper of “whore” floated through the air. I let out a gasp as Ayden released my hand and lunged toward Austin.
“Stop,” I hollered, but it was too late.
Ayden landed an uppercut, sending Austin against the bridge railing, his body completely sinking as he slid down the concrete. Ayden stood over a dazed Austin and leaned in closely, only inches from Austin’s face.
“Don’t ever call a woman that. Ever. Piece of shit.”
Ayden took a step back and shook his head before turning to face me. My eyes fell to Austin who was already on his way to standing back up, rubbing where Ayden’s fist made contact, but I wasn’t worried he’d come for Ayden. There was no comparison. He’d be foolish to try.
I couldn’t come up with anything to say. Instead, I dropped my gaze and felt tears begin to prick my lids, embarrassed about how my past had ruined a perfect day.
“Come on, babe,” Ayden whispered, touching my chin softly. “Let’s get out of here.”
I nodded slowly, throwing Austin one more glance before we walked off the bridge, leaving my history behind.
“That’s not quite how I thought tonight was gonna go,” Ayden said, pulling me closer as we walked slowly. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah... I’m just so sorry for—”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Ayden interrupted, stopping us in our tracks. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I shouldn’t have—”
“Shouldn’t have what?” His brow arched. “Kissed me?”
“No.” I shook my head. “You’re right. I would never take that back.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips as Ayden tugged on my arm slightly, and I worked myself into his arms. “Can you promise me something?”
“I’ll try,” I murmured.
“Quit trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You’re not responsible for all the bad things that happen in this wonderful world we live in,” he replied. “You think you can work on that?”
“I think I can.” I nodded as he let go of me.
“I didn’t freak you out back there, did I?” he asked.
“Not even. It was actually pretty...” I stopped myself and started laughing.
“Pretty what?” His eyes mischievous.
“Nothing.”
“Pretty nothing, huh?” he teased, as he led us toward a large building that looked similar to the lodge near our condo. “That’s too bad.”
“Pretty hot,�
�� I mumbled.
“Hot, did you say?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. I said it.”
“Right this way,” he said, opening the door into a grand lobby filled with oversized log furnishings, and a stone fireplace warming the place up. There was a restaurant to the left, which was where I thought we were going until he pulled me across the way to the check-in desk. My heart did a somersault with this sudden turn of events.
“Checking in under Rhodes,” Ayden told the friendly woman behind the counter. She gave me a quick smile, and her gaze lingered on Ayden a beat too long.
“Everything has been taken care of. Your room is on the top floor. Just call down when you’re ready.”
Ready for what?
“Thanks,” he replied, tapping the key cards on the desk. “All set?”
I looked up into his dazzling blue eyes and smiled, trying to keep the butterflies at bay.
I nodded as an overwhelming amount of curiosity began pulsing through me with each step closer to the elevator. He held my hand tightly as we waited for the elevator to arrive. There was no one else around, and I swear if he listened hard enough, he would’ve been able to hear my heartbeat.
The elevator chimed and opened right up. He led me into the elevator and pressed the top floor as the doors shut. I glanced at him through the corner of my eye, wondering if he was going to try anything.
He didn’t.
I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and turned back toward the closed doors. I caught a smirk trace along his lips as he stood still. Two could play this game. The doors opened wide, leading to a long hallway with only one door at the far end. I turned toward him, furrowing my brow and waiting for an explanation.
He gave none.
I followed him down the long hall and became increasingly impatient as he slowly slipped the key card into the door. Finally hearing the click of acceptance, my pulse quickened at what might be on the other side.
Before opening the door, he gently touched my chin and his eyes traveled down to my mouth. His lingering gaze returned to mine as he smiled, pushing the door open.
The penthouse was stunning. Outside the large windows, the ink blue of the night provided the perfect backdrop against the streetlamps, illuminating the white specks of snow as it fluttered magically through the air. The large great room was modern with a rustic flair. In the middle of the room, a table, set for two, was covered in rose petals and candles.
Beyond Reason (Beyond Love Series #3) Page 19