by Cora Blu
It wasn’t hard to catch the love between Simone and Seth with their shared hooded eye glances filling the space between them. The woman obviously adored her husband, and he had lust on his mind if the quirk to his mouth was any indication of what he wanted to do with her later. Passion created those babies…pure passion.
“Your brother was there, Mikhail,” she said through a huge smile. “He nearly missed their birth, because we weren’t expecting them to come a month early just as he was getting on a plane for America.”
“The airport staff hunted me down just as I sat in my seat, leading me off the plane to a waiting phone at the reception desk,” Seth finished, eyes serious. “That would’ve broke my heart to miss the birth of my daughters…And not be there for Sim.”
The room got quiet under the weight of that confession.
Simone crossed the room, kissed her husband’s face, caressing it with the back of her hand. “I wasn’t alone. Seth’s mother Larissa and my mother Janice stayed with us for the last month. It gave us a chance to bond, something that hadn’t come easy for Larissa.”
Mikhail looked at her. Those cool blue eyes held pain.
It was bound to be somebody’s issue eventually, Bethany thought. “You and Larissa don’t get along?” she asked.
“My mother,” Seth started, delicately tracing a finger across Simone’s eyebrows. “Larissa is prejudice toward African Americans. Grew up that way and Simone’s been very patient with her.” He kissed his wife. “Simone’s been patient with a lot of bigotry from my side of the family. Even with me. Anybody that knows me knows I don’t care for Americans.”
Simone turned into his chest snuggled in his embrace. “But most people haven’t seen war up close and personal the way you have. All we can do is not label everyone under the actions of a few.”
“Still hoping to help me change my jaded war torn views wife?”
Simone gave him a look so full of love Bethany felt her heart rate kick up. “I didn’t see what you experienced and I would never undervalue the toll it took on your soul to walk out of that a whole man. I’m just glad you chose me to walk through the rest of your life with.”
“You’re always in my corner aren’t you, libeling?”
“I knew when we met, you had a prejudice for Americans, but you never disrespected me as a black woman. That spoke volumes to my heart.”
“You’re my black woman and I love you—period. I don’t care how the rest of the world sees us. You gave me something no other woman could…a reason to come home.”
Bethany found herself glued to Mikhail and one of the babies in her arms. When in the heck had she picked up the baby? She’d been bamboozled by the love feast going on between Simone and Seth.
“You want children Bethany?” Anya asked smiling brightly as Zoya weaved her fingers in her wavy hair cascading down over her shoulders.
“Children—” She stroked their light brown sugar faces. Their eyes held her until she couldn’t look away. “Doesn’t everyone want a family?” she asked feeling a warmth in the pit of her stomach. She did want a family someday. Missed hers terribly every day, she thought an ache in her heart made her eyes burn.
“Mikhail’s going to make a wonderful father one day,” Anya said, untangling Zoya’s little hand. “Zoya likes to twist your hair. She’s very sneaky this one. She’ll steal your heart before you know it’s gone.”
“She and her sister are gorgeous. I don’t mind her playing in my hair.”
“Mikhail…Bethany likes children. You love children…I want more grandchildren…”
Slow—down—Anya. This was too much. “I’m sure Mikhail will make some woman very happy one day. If you’ll excuse me, I see my friend pulling up out in the parking lot. Do you mind if I come back later and have that sandwich?” She handed the baby to Simone.
“I’ll leave it in the oven. Help yourself.”
“Thank you. It was nice to meet everyone.”
“Bethany,” Anya called a sneaky tenderness to her tone.
“Yes?” Here we go.
“How’s your mother’s knee healing since the surgery? Mikhail says you spent a week with her after she came home. That must have made her happy.”
“Uh, yes it did.” Mikhail stared at her with so much apology in his eyes she could hardly look at him. “I just spoke with her when we arrived, and she’s walking around and going to therapy. Thank you for asking. That was kind of you.” What all had he told them about their relationship?
Anya flipped the thick mass of red and grey hair off her shoulders to tumble down her back. “Well, that shows you’re a good person…and good people don’t send threats.”
“I appreciate that, Mrs. Shamochernyi…I would never hurt Mikhail…never.”
Chapter 7
Bethany
She didn’t bother to walk down the path, crossing the snow-covered lawn, shaking the jealousy from her mind of seeing Mikhail hold another woman. She needed the cold slap of the icy air to clear her head.
The Alps were picture perfect tonight. Snow glittered under the parking lot lights washing down over her. Mother Nature had a way of making everything okay, if only for a minute. This was her minute. Soft grunts to her right caught her attention. Horses. Oh, she couldn’t wait to get into the games now and ride a horse out into the forest.
Bethany crossed the picturesque grounds to join Glenda and Mark gathering their luggage and skis. Behind her, people were getting on and off the lifts, laughing in huddled circles and strapping on skis. Her shoulders relaxed. This was what she needed.
Glenda hefted her bag onto her shoulder. The red ski jacket set off her cool complexion and green eyes. “How was the drive up with Mikhail? Or should I even ask?”
The Green Mile, while watching the Exorcist and trying not to scream with a mug of hot coffee in her hands.
“It was okay. I just want a shower, sleep, and to put this day as far out of my mind as possible.”
Glenda slipped her arm in hers, and they meandered up the walk. “You two didn’t talk at all?”
“We talked.” If hard stares constitutes talking or communicating on a human level for angry ex’s trapped within the walls of an SUV “And it wasn’t that bad, I just don’t understand any of what’s going on,” she said giving her a second bright eyed glance. “Did you get my text?”
“About Yannik—yeah. Things happen,” she said apologetically. “Has your guard made it up yet?”
“No and I have no idea who it is.”
“Whoever it is, let them worry about your safety, and you enjoy the Alps.”
Right then a large pair of hands shot past her face to grab the door. Bethany reared back until she notice he held it open for them. Unsettled by his appearance, it took the wild butterflies slamming into her bladder a minute to relax.
He stepped back holding the door open. “After you ladies.”
The hulking man filled her vision, blocking the slopes at his back. “Thank you,” she offered pleasantly.
Inside he looked past her and Glenda then brought his attention back as if scanning her surroundings. He had to be one of Mikhail’s guards. “Have a good evening, miss,” was all he said angled forward winking. Before he took a step something flashed from outside.
Bethany jerked around.
He shoved them out of the way, ran out to the slopes his big body diving over a guest standing beside the lift, taking them down.
Another movement to her right and Mikhail came hustling past parked cars leaping over car trunks to run down the hill snow spewing out behind his manic strides. Heart pounding, Bethany shoved her body against the door. The thickening crowd slowed her attempts to get outside, but she felt someone tugging on her jacket.
Glenda. “Was that Mikhail?”
Her mouth felt dry. Of course it did, it was open, as she gawked at the scene unfolding.
“I think a photographer got up here. The same thing happened at the firm while the polizei and news crew were there. T
he media’s up here. I’m so sick of this.”
“You’re popular now,” Glenda’s words came out in a rush then she shook her head, messy curls bouncing around her shoulders. “Anyway, did you see the way Mikhail ran after that man? I had no idea he could run that fast.”
Neither could she. Bethany had to get closer and see if he was okay. She worked her way to the front of the crowd. Bethany couldn’t believe what she witnessed as the big guy came up from the slope stomping a camera into the ground, dragging a man by the scruff of his jacket over to Mikhail’s cabin. Approaching from her left, Mikhail stopped inches from her face raising a hand to her forearm in a supportive gesture.
“You okay?”
“Uh, yeah I’m fine.” Watching him go He-Man on someone trying to steal her picture only made her drool—everywhere, but sure, she was okay. “One minute I’m thanking your guest for holding the door open…then lights flashed and he,” pointing to the handsome giant striding toward her, “shoved Glenda and I inside the chalet and took off after the photographer.”
He stared at her mouth too long.
“They wanted to catch you cheating on me for the magazine.”
Did they have to give her a heart attack in the process?
“So talking to a guest implicates me as cheating on you, a man I’m not dating…and two hours ago wasn’t speaking to—great!” This is getting out of hand. “And you could’ve been hurt running after him like that. You didn’t know if they were carrying a gun or a knife…anything.”
Mikhail brushed his fingers under the soft curl of dark brown hair covering one eye. It’d fallen free of her cap when she bolted out the front door “Was I supposed to ask first?” His fingers swept across hers, by her side, a gentle acknowledgment that he was there. “You’re too polite, Bethany.”
“I’m learning that.” And he’d been her teacher. She let her attention move over his disheveled appearance and flushed ears. He cared. “You came out from around the chalet like a rocket going after him,” she complained touching her hand to his stern face; snow matted to his cap. She couldn’t stop touching him, rubbing the tips of his cold ears.
“I’m okay, Bethany. But it’s impossible to keep photographers off the mountains unless we close off the roads. That’s impossible with guests coming and going.”
She caught the gentle caress of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, making it hard to look away and not remember how good they felt pressed against hers.
“Were you worried about me, Bethany?”
How was she not?
“Mikhail this is bad for business. Are you sure about me being up here? What will your guests think?”
He gripped her sleeve tighter, tugging her a little closer. “You’re my guest too.”
Her boots bumped his under the soft glow of the walkway lights, and she steadied herself closing a hand over his arm. The surrounding murmurs quieted waiting to see them argue, makeup, or kill one another.
He stared too long, and she stood too close to do anything more than breathe in his scent.
When he released her coat, she took a step back, catching a glimpse of the real Mikhail in his eyes and her heart softened.
People milled around whispering and speculating about what just happened. Heart still pounding, Bethany stepped forward, when Mikhail turned around keeping her at his back protectively. A tall ski instructor came up the walk, with an outstretched hand holding a pile of crumpled metal—the camera lens.
“Mikhail, we confiscated his equipment, and we’re holding him around back away from the guests. He doesn’t have a reservation. We’ll escort him off the mountain down to one of the hiking shanties so he can’t bother Ms. Cansler.” He looked at her. “You okay ma’am?”
Responding without shaking took effort, and it had nothing to do with the man they had down on the ground. Mikhail had torn across the parking lot just to protect her. “I’m okay. Never been the object of paparazzi.”
The big guy walked up wiping snow from his jacket sleeve. His chest blocked her from the view of the others stretching their necks to get a look at her. “A newspaper photographer,” he said irritated. “We can’t keep everyone off the mountains. I apologize, Mikhail. I thought I had all entries covered.”
She eyed the crowd forming staring at her through the window. Why did this have to happen just as a slew of guests arrived?
“They think I’m Mikhail’s wife. I should be the one apologizing for disrupting the games. Hi, I’m Bethany Cansler, and this is my friend, Glenda Bauer. ”
“Edward Kingsley. Anyone give you trouble let me know,” he said then stalked off inside.
“He’s a friend of Seth’s.” Mikhail slid a hand beneath her elbow. “I’ll walk in with you.”
No more babysitting.
“Don’t, the guests will know who they were taking a picture of and I’ll be followed around every time I leave my room. Let me be a regular guest and check in with Glenda. No fanfare, please.”
Mikhail looked at the two men then her. “Okay. Your guard should be here soon. Don’t leave your room without him,” he ordered and for whatever reason she liked the tone of his voice. Commanding and protective.
The crowd dissolved, and Mikhail stayed until she and Glenda went inside. Glancing back, she couldn’t stop watching him stride across the walkway to a small cabin off by itself next to the chalet. That was the Mikhail she wanted in her life; the man from the airport she’d met a year ago.
Simone met them at the door, and she introduced Glenda. They got her checked in then walked down the carpeted hall to their suite.
“So you’ve been with Heinemann’s since college? Mikhail speaks to his brother often and your name comes up more times than you’d think.”
“You don’t need to sell me on Mikhail, Simone. I know what type of man he is and for some insane reason I still like him.” Their boots scuffed over the carpet down the long hallway. “I love my job and the diversity program’s been very successful, as far as I know, so I don’t know why someone chose me to pin the threat on. Business has been booming all summer, and I only deal with Mikhail when he has input on one of my clients.”
“You like working with him?”
“He’s a geek trapped in a playboy’s body. I’ve seen him turn client accounts around that were on the verge of losing everything in a matter of days.”
“Here I thought you didn’t see the real Mikhail.”
“There’s a good man under the charm.”
Simone nodded.
Saddened, Glenda said, “I think a relationship between you two is unhealthy. The people in the office will never see you as Bethany, but Mikhail’s Bethany. Your worth will be lost.”
“I can’t say I disagree or agree with Glenda,” Simone said. “I just met you, but you’ll need to decide which is more important for you. That might make it easier to deal with him if you don’t have the pressure of a public relationship to contend with.”
She let her attention focus on Simone. “Mikhail’s important to you isn’t he?” How could she not ask?
“We met under strange circumstances and one day if you haven’t run screaming into the night to get away from all of us, I’ll tell you about it. But for now,” she said as they came up on the suite at the end of the long hallway, “you have to try the massage setting on the showerhead. You’re wound up like a ball of rubber bands.” Simone rolled her eyes when she protested. “Set it on the third arrow and try not to moan too loud.”
“It’s that good?”
She raised one neatly trimmed brow. “It’s for tight muscles but I won’t be there to stop or judge.”
“I’ll start with my tense shoulders,” because admitting using it for any other reason would include a stiff drink first.
“Okay, but I saw the way Mikhail looked at you and you him,” Simone admitted with a wink. “Turn the music up good and loud so the other guests don’t hear you. I’m married to Mikhail’s brother remember. They’re intense if nothi
ng else and have a lasting effect on your mind as well as your body.”
She liked Simone…a lot.
“I wouldn’t know what Mikhail’s like in bed.”
Simone choked and grabbed her arm pulling her to a stop in front of the door. “Are you serious?”
“Mikhail cheated on Bethany,” Glenda prattled on spilling her information. “That’s why I think they should cool it and step back for a while. There’s so many men for you to fall in love with. I just think you’ve tied your heart to one man without seeing who else is out there.”
Angered, Bethany’s teeth clenched, but it was because Glenda spoke the truth, as if she wasn’t already in love with him.
“Bethany,” Glenda said shaking her head. “I can’t watch you get burned again. He’s still the same man.”
Simone shot her a pitying stare. “Mikhail hurt you, Bethany?”
How could she talk about him when the ache in her heart carried luggage with his nametag hanging from the handle? “What time is dinner?”
“I can’t say without knowing more about your relationship that she’s wrong, Bethany,” Simone said. “I wouldn’t say walk away, but stop fighting whatever it is between you and just go with what feels right. If being friends is the extent of the relationship, then that’s all it is, because you obviously have a thread holding you two together or you wouldn’t care.”
Bethany had too much to think about.
After a hot shower, she changed into some jeans and a purple sweater with black checks and a black turtleneck before pulling on thick socks. Unpacking her clothes, she set her empty luggage in the closet and pulled out an extra pillow tossing it on the bed.
Knock. Knock!
The sound brought her around. Glenda padded across the room wrapping a towel around her wet blond waves. She cinched her robe ties.
She opened the door.
A flash lit the room and two big bodies filled the doorway. The person taking the picture yelped, the camera snatched from their hands. Smashed and destroyed against the floor. The big guy from the outside pinned the man to the ground. Then a second man stepped forward after the photographer was hustled by the collar down the hall leaving her with her mouth hung slack.