Snow Kissed

by Jessica Clare

  “Joshie!” Lana’s cry of greeting had me leaping from my chair in the sunroom where I’d been reading those books that contained a fount of ideas for Noah and me.

  “Josh!” I ran to kitchen where Josh had dropped his bag and was hugging Lana. I jumped on top of them both, and we shared a Sullivan family embrace. Josh kissed the top of my head.

  “How’s it going, baby sis?”

  “Better that you’re here.”

  “Everything’s better when I’m around,” Josh jokingly bragged. “What’s this?” He picked up my hand. “I wasn’t even asked about this!” Josh looked a bit put out, but I think he was joking. I hoped he was joking.

  “Just happened this morning,” I replied. My face was aching from the nonstop smile on my face.

  Josh took in my smile and gave me another hug. “You happy then?”

  “I am so happy,” I whispered and squeezed him back. With a final hug, Josh let me go.

  “Daniel, you’re looking spry. How’s your family?” Josh gave Daniel a hug too, picking him up off the ground by half an inch. Daniel softened slightly and allowed himself one pat of Josh’s back.

  “Very well, thank you for asking, Joshua,” Daniel responded, tugging a little on the bottom of his suit jacket, which had gotten slightly rumpled from Josh’s vigorous welcome.

  Josh grabbed his bag and headed for his room with Lana and me trailing behind. We met Noah coming down the stairs. He must’ve heard the commotion. This was Noah and Josh’s first meeting. My breath caught as the two alpha males eyed each other, but my brother was one for making friends and not enemies. He charged up the rest of the stairs and grabbed Noah’s hand, pulling it close to him, and then thumped him on the back.

  “So you joining the circus here?” Josh asked. He let Noah go and proceeded down the hall to his bedroom. We followed him like baby ducklings, Noah in the lead.

  “As long as Grace is willing to suffer my presence, I’m here,” Noah replied.

  I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Josh’s big grin broke out, and he patted Noah again on the back. “Good man. Grace’s got a good head on her shoulders, but you know, you hurt her, and I’m gonna have to take you down. Doesn’t matter that you fight professionally.” Josh threw his gear onto two of the gaming chairs that sat in front of a plasma television with several consoles attached to it.

  “Oh God, Josh,” I groaned and covered my hand.

  Unoffended, Josh just shrugged and Lana said, “You better make the same threats when I bring someone home.”

  “No worries, cuz, I’ll beat down anyone that hurts my girls.” Josh gestured to the second chair. “Sit, Noah, and let’s see how good you are at running over people in Grand Theft Auto.”

  Noah sat down. “I completely agree. You should end me if I hurt Grace.”

  Not taking his eyes off the screen, Josh replied, “Sounds like you bagged a stand-up guy, Grace.”

  “I lured him to shore with promises of steak and Xbox games,” I responded dryly.

  “Works for me,” Josh said. He rubbed his belly. “You got some of that steak left over?”

  Lana slid off Josh’s bed. “Come on, Grace. Let the boys have their bonding time.” We were heading out when Lana called back, “Don’t forget about the Stinson party.”

  “Not going,” Josh yelled back.

  “I heard that Bethany and Elizabeth Walsh will be there,” Lana said.

  “We’ll be ready,” called Josh. As we were leaving, I heard Josh explain to Noah. “Twins. Dumb, busty twins.”

  “Gotcha,” Noah said.

  After closing the door behind us, I said, “I wasn’t going to go to the Stinson party. Noah needs his sleep.”

  “You guys can’t fuck all the time,” Lana replied.

  My cheeks felt hot. “Th-that’s not why I thought we should stay home.” I stammered. I mean, of course I wanted to have sex again. Just imagining Noah’s low voice commanding me to do things made me wet between my legs.

  “That good, huh?” Lana eyed me speculatively. I had the urge to cover myself so that I could hide any visible signs of arousal.

  “Yes,” I admitted. “So good.”

  Lana made a face. “I’m pretty jealous, so don’t rub it in, okay? I need you to hang with me at the Stinson party. I think some of those biddies know that Peter cheated on me.”

  “Okay, honey, I’m there for you.” I hugged Lana, feeling the frailness of her body against my plusher one. All my attention had been focused on Noah of late, and I’d neglected my friendship with Lana. One party wasn't going to hurt.

  FOUR

  Noah

  I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE. I should have been sleeping, training, looking at tape. I should’ve been anywhere but at the house of some rich kid where the guys were wearing thousand-dollar shoes and the women were wearing cocktail dresses with sequins, and I felt like I was in an episode of Mad Men. Of course, I’d be serving.

  This was a holiday party, and I guess people who weren’t me liked to dress up. I tended to avoid all formal events if possible, like the Marine Corps ball. I'd rather put my nuts in a freezer.

  I hadn't even realized that real people held parties like this. There were people snorting cocaine in the living room and there was no keg. I’d never been to a party with no keg. Instead, I had a glass tumbler filled with scotch that some yahoo had boasted was fifteen years old.

  I was afraid to leave Grace alone for even a minute, not because I didn't think she could handle herself. Obviously she grew up in this and managed to come out unscathed, but because I was afraid for my own well-being. At least three women had propositioned me, in front of Grace no less. Like she wasn't even there. I was upset on her behalf, but she didn't say anything, and I didn't know what to do.

  The party was in full swing when we arrived. I almost turned tail and fled when I stepped through the door. I’d rather face the current mixed martial art champion than the crowd inside this party. But these were Grace's friends from high school, and since she had no problem getting to know my friends, I shouldn't be sulking in the corner. I shouldn't—but I was.

  “Come on, Grace,” Lana tugged on her hand. “I need you.”

  Grace gave me a rueful half smile and allowed herself to be led off. I stood there with my fifteen-year-old scotch, wearing a pair of slacks and a white button-down shirt like I was a half-dressed businessman. Josh, who’d come in jeans and a t-shirt, had promised to get me a refill and be right back. That was five eternal minutes ago.

  When I had been the poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks, I stood in the corner and I felt the same exact way right now. Like everyone was looking at me and seeing what a fraud I was. It made me want to come out swinging. Instead, I folded my arms and stood with my feet apart, glowering at everyone who came within two feet of me.

  It didn't deter a five-foot-nothing chick who couldn't weigh even one hundred pounds. Her skinny legs looked like they were nothing but bones and skin. I wish girls would eat more these days. I loved Grace's curves. Her hips, her juicy ass, her rounded belly. Unfortunately, she thought she needed to lose weight. Her cousin, who had an eating disorder, lived with her, and it was a miracle when those two ate three solids a day. I felt like I was constantly encouraging one or both of them to eat.

  The girl eying me reminded me of a praying mantis. Thin arms and thin legs stuck on a body. She smiled at me and the hint of sexual predation made me uncomfortable. I looked around for Grace to save me but she was nowhere to be seen.

  "You're the fighter, right?" she asked. For a moment, I wanted to deny it, to tell her that I was security for the function even though there was none.

  "Yeah," I gave her a short nod and hoped my brusque response would deter any more questions.

  "I saw you fight."

  This surprised me. "Really?"

  "Yep, my boyfriend was a big fan. He was thrilled when they started showing them on national television instead of just through pay per view. But we watc
hed your Thanksgiving fight. It was pretty awesome."

  I knew that there was a contingent of MMA fans that were women, but most of them seemed more interested in sleeping with a fighter in hopes that we could drag them with us as we climbed to the top. This rich girl, however, wouldn't need someone like me. She'd have bankers, lawyers, and surgeons to choose from. I started to relax. "Thanks. It was a great opportunity for me."

  "How long have you been fighting?"

  "Only for a few years, although we had some mock matches when I was enlisted."

  "A soldier?" she asked.

  "No, Marine."

  "That's right. I think I remembered that from the bio they ran on you before the fight." She was closer now, and I could smell her floral perfume. It wasn't as offensive as I first thought it was. I let my arms drop to my side and leaned against the wall a little.

  "Most folks don't watch undercards." I had fought on the bottom of a three card match. My New Year's fight would be the second fight on the card. I was working my way up.

  She gave a tiny shrug but even that movement caused the strap on her shoulder to slide over the side to dangle on her arm.

  "What can I say? My ex-boyfriend was crazy like that." She gave me a small smile as if remembering her boyfriend was slightly painful. Another movement of her shoulder, and the strap slid lower. I stared at it, worried that it would drop lower still. Should I mention anything? Would Grace want to be told if her dress was slipping? I decided yes.

  "Your dress." I gestured toward the strap that was now hanging loosely under her bicep.

  "Um what?" She looked down and gave me a crooked smile. "Oops." Then she took her hand and it seemed like she pulled down the top of her dress. She wasn't wearing a bra and for a moment I saw a bare breast, the tip of a nipple before her hand covered it all and swept the errant strap back onto her shoulder. Was it an accident? I couldn't tell. Suddenly I was acutely aware of my surroundings. I was standing in a dark corner of a room of strangers. My girlfriend was elsewhere, and a girl I didn't know had bared her breast to me.

  Panicked, I looked for Grace and then noticed Josh eyeing me from about five feet away.

  “Josh.” I lifted my glass to him. If Bo was here, he’d have swept away the woman in a heartbeat, but even from this distance I could see Josh measuring me. He wasn’t weighing my worth based on what was in my pocket but how I was acting. I could tell that I wasn’t coming in on the high end of the scale. “Sorry,” I told the girl curtly. “I see someone I know.” I brushed by her, pretending not to notice that her hand reached out to stay my departure.

  “Took you a minute. Thought we were going to get blood on that white shirt of yours.” Josh took a healthy swallow of his own drink but didn’t hand over the refill he’d retrieved for me.

  “I don’t think Grace would like that.”

  “Grace wouldn’t like a lot of things, including you enjoying a boob show from some twit who dissed her when they were juniors.”

  I grimaced. “I was just making conversation. She mentioned that her boyfriend was a fan.”

  “Doubtful.” Josh finally handed over the second glass, and I tucked the empty underneath it. “Come on.” Josh headed out the back toward a stone patio with heaters. Standing outside in the dead of winter without a coat on because there were enough heaters to keep us warm was some kind of luxury.

  “You know, when Grace first started writing to you when she was fourteen, I thought it was cute. When she kept writing to you when she was sixteen, seventeen, and then eighteen, I figured it kept her away from the douchebags in school. But then you broke her heart.” Josh looked ready to swing at me, and I was prepared to take it. My actions toward Grace after four years of devoted letter writing while I was deployed deserved at least one good throat punch.

  “You’re right,” I said.

  “Damn straight I’m right. But here’s the thing. You came back and glued back the pieces, and I’m a happy camper so long as Grace is a happy camper. But if your attention is going to be distracted by every sweet piece that kisses up to you, then you should leave right now.”

  “I’m not interested in anyone but Grace, and I never will be,” I said.

  “What was that about in there?”

  I looked back at the crowd. “That was me being unsure about how to act around here.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “I feel about as comfortable here as knife-wielding assailant surrounded by armed gunman. I was making conversation with the only person who seemed willing to talk to me.”

  “You were in a dark corner. The only person willing to talk to you was someone who wanted to do something in the dark corner.”

  “I get that now.”

  “What if it had been Grace that had seen you and not me?” Josh challenged. “You gotta stop thinking about what all these people have that you don’t have, because the only person who cares about that shit is you. Grace is always going to have money, and someday you might have more than her, but maybe not. If you’re going to be measuring dick size based on the fat of your wallet, then you’re always going to come up short. Is that how you want Grace to feel? Like you’re measuring everyone’s value based upon their net worth?”

  “No!” I exclaimed. “That’s not how I view Grace at all.”

  “But that’s how you think Grace views you.”

  “I…” I started to make excuses for myself, but that’s exactly how I’d been acting. I’d been feeling sorry for myself, thinking that Grace was going to leave me because I couldn’t afford everything I thought she wanted.

  My mind flashed a picture of her kneeling on the floor, her hands on her legs just waiting for me. When I was deployed, Grace had sent me a copy of The Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus was a warrior who got separated from his wife Penelope for years and years. He was distracted by sirens and set upon by monsters, but he eventually found his way back.

  When he arrived at his home, he found the place overrun by suitors begging for Penelope’s hand. But she’d refused them all, choosing to believe that her Odysseus would someday return. And he did.

  Grace had waited for me, for years, and she was still waiting for me. She needed me to get my head out of my ass and stop whining like a little baby about everything she had that I didn’t. Over and over she’d told me that I was all she wanted and that I was enough.

  “Thanks, man,” I squeezed Josh’s shoulder tightly in appreciation. “You know we’re going to be brothers-in-law, right?”

  Josh snorted and downed the rest of his glass. “Figured. So you popped the question?”

  “Should I have asked you first?” I didn’t want to make an enemy out of Josh.

  “Nope. Just make her happy. So not throwing the fight?” He wasn’t looking at me when he dropped that bomb.

  “Grace tells you everything?”

  “Nope, this was all Lana. She wanted to know what we could do to help you out of the mess. Didn’t know you wanted help.”

  “I won’t lie and say I wasn’t tempted,” I admitted. “But Grace deserves better than someone who lies and cheats their way to the top. I want to be able to look her in the eye every morning, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I took Billings up on the offer.”

  “So what’s your plan of attack for Billings?”

  “Report him.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’ll make it public and hope that others will come forward.”

  “And if they don’t?”

  “Then I guess I’ll have to ask my wife to float me a loan for the extra tuition.” I grimaced and hoped to hell it wouldn’t come to that.

  “It won’t,” Josh declared confidently.

  “And you know this how?” I asked.

  “Because Dr. Billings is a coward. You would know this if you weren’t so close to the situation. You come forward, and he’ll fold like a bad poker hand.”

  I thought of all that I knew of Billings. His poser status as a former military man. His seedy advances toward Lana. His inability to hold on to e
nough money to buy into the opportunity of a lifetime.

  Josh was probably right. If I’d pressed harder in our initial meeting, Billings would have dropped it. No question.

  “Hey you guys, what you doing out here?” Grace walked out onto the patio, the fullness of her black shimmery skirt swaying with each step.

  “Shooting the shit, lil sis.” Ruffling her hair, Josh bent down and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “See ya.” He disappeared inside.

  Grace wrapped her arms around my waist and I hugged her close. “I love you, baby,” I whispered.

  “Love you back,” she echoed.

  “I’m going to win that fight for us.”

  My declaration was rewarded with a blinding smile. “Oh Noah, yay!”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that I was wrong for even thinking twice about Billings offer?”

  Grace smoothed her hands across the planes of my chest muscles. “It was a decision only you could make, but I knew you’d make the right one.”

  “Did you?” I asked skeptically. “Because I wasn’t even sure until a moment ago what direction I was going.”

  “No,” Grace interrupted. “You knew. It just took some time for you to come to terms with it.”

  Tipping her chin with my finger, I stared into her eyes. “Your endless faith in me is overwhelming. I’m going to live each day so you don’t regret even an ounce of that faith.”

  Grace smiled, and rose on her tiptoes to kiss me. “I believe you.”

  FIVE

  Noah

  THE FIGHT THAT BILLINGS WANTED me to throw never happened. Instead, on December 20th, just eleven days before the fight, Fred Flintstone’s team had admitted that he wasn’t going to make the cut. He had to lose the equivalent weight of a first grader in eleven days, and while he could starve himself to make weight, he’d be about as weak as the first grader.

  “They got Abilene to take the fight if you agree to a catch weight of 210.” Paulie sounded defeated. Eddie “The Mauler” Abilene was an experienced fighter with only a couple of losses. He weighed more than I did if he was asking for a catch weight agreement of 210. I fought at the light heavyweight level, which topped out at 205. Abilene’s request to fight at a higher weight meant he probably weighed on the heavier side of 210. Abilene had more experience, weighed more, and would be the favorite.