Snow and Seduction (A Holiday Romance)

by Evelyn Moreau

  Her lips parted in a perfect ‘O’ shape, “Wow.”

  Grinning, Luke sped up just a tad more than she liked, but compensated by clutching her waist tighter. “See? Not so bad, right? You’re doing great, babe. Killing it like I knew you would.”

  “Don’t you dare jinx it. No smugness until I’m off the ice in one piece.” Her attempt at seriousness fell flat. The muscles in her face twitched into a smile.

  “No smugness, only happiness,” he said, and she believed him.

  Together, they dashed along the ice. Happiness thrummed her veins too. So brilliantly intense and startlingly deep. At the end of their skate, he brought her in close and kissed the tip of her nose.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever top this moment,” she said, take a moment to catch her breath. “You’re spoiling me rotten, ya know?”

  “That was my plan. Spoil you rotten and spoil you for any other man. Can’t have you forgetting me.” He guided her over to the edge of the pond and helped her to a bench cluttered with their snow boots.

  She watched as Luke dropped to a crouch to unlace her skates. She couldn’t resist smoothing his hair. She traced his strong jaw, memorizing every curve and angle of his face. Stroking his cheek, she poured her love for him into each and every fingertip.

  “How could I ever forget you?” she whispered.

  He leaned into the warmth of her hand. “I’m trying like hell to make sure you don’t.”

  It was impossible.

  Not in this lifetime–or the next one, or the one after that–would Kennedy Notyce ever forget Luke Simon.

  Chapter 24

  It was early morning when Kennedy woke up to the sound of noisy slurps. It sounded like a starving man was eating a much-awaited gourmet meal. She took in her surroundings. How had she made it back to Luke’s bedroom? The last thing she remembered was her exemplary reverse-cow girl performance downstairs.

  After the midnight skate session, they holed up in the library. Luke couldn’t resist fucking her under the Christmas tree. And Kennedy couldn’t resist Luke.

  All her senses came alive as jolts of pure ecstasy quaked through her pussy and spread to her entire body. She squirmed and rolled her hips. Heat pulsed between her thighs as she fought back waves of euphoria.

  Holy hell.

  Wet lips wrapped around her pearl and the bundle of nerves exploded as the sharp wave of orgasm hit her. Moist heat trickled from her honey pot as Luke continued to lap at her folds, not letting her come down from her sexual high.

  Once wasn’t enough for him. It seemed his insatiability was becoming a pattern.

  She tried to tell him to slow down, to give her a chance to recover, but all that came out was a moan. Luke didn’t stop.

  “Luke, not again. Please,” she managed to choke out.

  Chuckling against her sopping flesh, he pressed a heavy palm against her belly to hold her in place. He speared her with his tongue, driving in and out of her until thighs squeezed around his head.

  Resistance was pointless. Not bothering to struggle anymore, she sunk her nails into his shoulders. The squishy noises of licks and suckles and slurps filling the room turned her on even more. Her pussy convulsed, surrendering to Luke’s expert tongue.

  “Luke!” Her scream ricocheted off the ceiling, sounding deafening to her own ears.

  Lungs locked and pussy clenching, Kennedy rode out her second surprise orgasm.

  He finally lifted his head. “You’re so fucking beautiful when you cum for me.”

  When he eased upwards, it was only to continue playing with her body. He toyed with a sensitive nipple, entranced as he watched it instantly pucker under his touch. “Can I have one more, bombon? I’ve been such a good boy. Don’t deprive me of this. Of you.” He eyed her from beneath his lashes.

  She blew out a breath and pushed away from him. “It’s too much. Give a girl a break, Lu. I’m begging you.”

  His face was deadly serious. “You don’t want me to touch you when you’re laying right next to me? Impossible, Kenn.”

  “That’s not what I said. I said no more sex. So, put on some boxers, put the one-eyed snake away, keep your hands off my goodies, and zip those immaculate lips of yours. You’ll live, I promise you.”

  “I really don’t think I will,” he whined. The man was a thirty-year-old brat.

  “Boxers. Now,” she barked at him. Anything to prevent him from tempting her.

  He picked up his boxers from the floor and hastily slid them on. “Fine. If we’re not fucking, then I want to talk. There’s some things I’ve been meaning to discuss.”

  “Shoot.” Her heartbeat was a noisy stampede. Same as it always was whenever Luke alluded to talking about them as a couple.

  “What the hell are we gonna do when this is over, Kenn?” he asked her as they laid face-to-face in his bed.

  She froze. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, when we leave this cabin, will we keep this going? Or do we pull the plug?”

  She bit her lip. This was tricky. She already identified her feelings for him but admitting them out loud was liable to induce an anxiety attack.

  “Well,” she fingered the smattering of blonde chest hair, “what does our future look like in your eyes?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “It’s the same future I’ve been dreaming of since law school, babe.”

  “Dios mio. We were so young then. Law school and my ten-year plan were my entire world.”

  He stroked her hair. “We may have been young, but I knew what I wanted. It was always you.”

  “I guess I didn’t know how serious you felt about me.”

  “You think I wanted to spend my afternoons making color-coded outlines and writing down statutes on index cards?” He chuckled, and his warm breath tickled her nose. “Hell no. But it got me more time with you. So, I did it.”

  “You were a damn good outliner though. Extremely talented with a highlighter,” she said, trying to make light of the topic.

  “You weren’t ready to be together then, I get that. But it fuckin’ killed me that you didn’t even give us a chance.”

  Shame filled her gut but she swallowed it down. The time had come to answer for her callous reaction all those years ago. There was no going back now. This conversation was happening whether she liked it or not.

  She cupped his cheek. “Everything felt so life-or-death for me back then. I was the only one in my family with more than a tenth-grade education. My mother and father were out of the picture and all I had was my grandmother. She hustled her ass off, working three jobs to save up for me to go to UVA. And once I graduated, abuelita encouraged me to apply to Yale. Every hope and dream she had for immigrating to this country rested on my shoulders. So, to make both our dreams come true, I created a plan with every detail mapped out until I turned thirty. I couldn’t deviate from that.”

  He clenched his jaw and waited a beat to respond. “So, you thought I would screw everything up for you?”

  She chewed the inside of her cheek, deciding how much to tell him. “Not intentionally, of course not. When it was just sex, you were a manageable distraction. But once you brought love into the equation, and a future together…I panicked.”

  “Why didn’t you just say that? There were other options besides completely cutting me off. I would’ve done anything you wanted. Anything.”

  “I know. And that’s exactly why I ran. It was too much. I didn’t think I deserved you.” Eyes closed she whispered, “I still don’t.”

  “You have to know how much I was in love with you, Kenn…I almost didn’t graduate when we ended things how we did.” His expression reminded her of a kicked puppy.

  That was news to her. She’d never even thought about the aftermath of her words back then. Her assumption was that he’d get over her, replace her and go on with his life. Why didn’t he tell her?

  Right. She’d already rejected him. That’s why.

  She traced the outline of his lips with her fingers. �
��I knew you were in love with me. I just didn’t know what to do about it. I never understood love. I mean, I thought I did. Once upon a time, when I was younger, before I realized almost everyone I cared about abandoned me.”

  He snatched her chin between his fingers and forced her to look at him. “Leaving you was never an option for me. Never. You ran away. You. Left. Me. Smashed my fucking heart.”

  Her vision was cloudy. And tear drops trickled down her face. Blasted emotions were back in full force. “I was an idiot. I was so afraid of jeopardizing my career for you. For a man.”

  “I would never stand in the way of your career. Ever. I only wanted you to succeed.”

  “I know that now but back then I swore that I would never turn my life upside down for a guy. Jesus, I’m so sorry I acted like bitch.”

  “Hey now, don’t you dare call my favorite lawyer a bitch. The past is the past, babe. Forgiven and forgotten.” He rubbed her lower back, drawing lazy circles on the space right above her ass.

  “How can you forgive me when I don’t even forgive myself?” she asked him, sinking into his touch.

  “Because I’m ready to move forward. Somehow fate chucked us back together. And my feelings haven’t changed. I’m hopelessly in love with you.”

  “Luke…” she started. The words were on the tip of her tongue. So close.

  Emotions weren’t her strong suit. Love certainly wasn’t an emotion she had much experience with. However, there was no mistaking the warmth in Luke’s eyes. It wasn’t familial. Was much too fierce to be simply platonic. No, this was exactly the way a man looked at a woman he adored and treasured as a future wife.

  He put his thumb on her cheeks and sopped up the remaining tears. “The question is, how do you feel about me?” he asked her so sweetly, like he knew the answer already but would only accept the three words from her lips if she was comfortable giving them to him. The sweetest of sweethearts.

  A hurried knock pounded on the bedroom door. These were different from Gretzky’s usual polite taps.

  “Fuck,” Luke growled.

  “Ms. Notyce?”

  She chuckled at Luke’s frustration. The man had no patience at all. Gretzky’s interruption would only take a minute and then she could answer his question properly.

  “What’s up, Gretz? It’s seven o’clock in the morning, way too early for any activities today,” she called out, hoping her voice would carry through the door.

  “Ms. Notyce, I’m terribly sorry but I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  Her ears perked up that. Immediately, her grandmother came to mind. But without any cell phones, how would CaringHands have gotten word to her that something was wrong?

  She sunk back down on the bed. It must be something else. Gretzky was probably out of bacon for this morning’s breakfast.

  “Oh? What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “It’s your grandmother.” Gretzky confirmed her suspicions. Why couldn’t she have been wrong? Just this one time. She sat up abruptly, not caring that she was naked. “She’s been moved to hospice care”

  “No. No. No.” Repeating the syllables was the only response she could offer. The only words she could muster up.

  “The medical staff advised that you return to the city immediately.”

  Her blood ran cold and breathing became an unfamiliar exercise. Sturdy arms wrapped around her. And she felt nothing. Only emptiness.

  Ah. So, this was heartbreak.

  It was a different kind than the one she doled out to Luke. Much more subtle. Tremendously unintentional.

  She presumed it was payback from the universe. She supposed karma had caught up with her. Turnabout was fair play and all that. Logically speaking, one might even say she deserved to be deserted all over again.

  Didn’t matter. She shattered all the same.

  Chapter 25

  The next few hours were a blur. It only took Kennedy a few minutes to throw her belongings in her duffel bag. Luke finished at about the same time. They said their goodbyes to Gretzky and collected their cell phones.

  Luke wanted to embrace her, but Kennedy shook him off. Her mind was somewhere else. With someone else.

  She was his whole heart. And when he saw her, looking so small and broken, his soul hurt. Everything hurt. So damn bad.

  Only quiet sobs disturbed the eerie silence as he drove to the private airplane hangar. The forty-five-minute private flight would get her quicker to the city than four or five hours of standstill traffic. He couldn’t offer much in the way of comfort but at least he could give her a shortened trip to the city.

  Knees and elbows bumped together on their flight. Dull sparks flickered to life wherever their bodies touched. But the usual warmth he got from her was missing. Kennedy’s glow in general had disappeared. Dark tresses were haphazardly thrown together in a messy bun. Smudged mascara highlighted the puffiness of her eyes.

  His little chocolate was in a bad place.

  During the taxi ride to the hospital, he was at his wits end. She hadn’t said more than a few words. He didn’t want to end their past few days together like this. Without any resolution or answers.

  His mind flashed back to when he’d asked her if she loved him. More importantly, to the lack of a response.

  Their budding relationship took a backseat to her ailing grandmother. He understood that. He really did. But the impatient part of him had to know if this situationship they started was going anywhere. He looked at his broken girl and hated himself for the conversation he was going to start up. Deep down, he knew the outcome of the conversation before it began.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to shake off his jitters. Then he channeled his nervous energy into holding Kennedy’s hand. He gave it a tug and started speaking when he had her attention.

  “So, I know this isn’t the right time. It’s downright shitty timing to be honest…but before Gretzky told you about your grandmother, you were about to tell me how you felt about me.”

  She glared at him.

  “The shittiest of timing, I know.” He paused briefly. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with emotion. “Everything at the cabin…I don’t know. I feel like if we don’t figure out a few things now, we never will.”

  The strained smile on her face just about crushed him. “The only reason I even came to the stupid cabin was for the money.”

  Luke blinked and slowly nodded. “Sure. I mean, the prize money was irresistible.”

  She shook her head. “I mean, I was only there for abuelita. I couldn’t cover her hospital bills and pay back my student loans and afford rent at the same time. That money was everything.”

  “So, your grandmother is sick,” he said slowly. She nodded in agreement. “And you needed the prize money to pay off her bills and straighten out some debts. That isn’t the end of the world. Tell me how much and I’ll square it with the hospital.”

  “You’d do that for me?” Her voice sounded hopeful but the icy way she was looked at him set him on edge.

  “I’d do anything to help.” He had to sound like a broken record by now, as many times as he’d told her.

  Almost reluctantly she asked, “You can’t help being decent, can you?

  “What do you mean?” He eyebrows shot up.

  “A hopeless romantic to the very end. It’s just your nature. Your one glorious flaw.” Her whispers were ear-shattering.

  His stomach lurched. Those were not the words he expected to hear. Hurtful words, though delivered angelically, would set them on a dangerous course.

  “All I want to do is help you. If it’s nothing but a matter of money, it’s an easy problem. I’ve got the fix.” He held on to her hand with both of his. Her beautiful skin didn’t feel the same. It was cold and clammy instead of warm and soothing.

  “That’s exactly the problem,” she hissed, taking her hand back.

  He grew weary of her veiled insults. “Explain.”

  He’d wanted her to come clean about her feelin
gs, but he didn’t think it’d be like pulling teeth.

  “I don’t want or need, your money. What I needed was to be with my dying grandmother. But instead I was fucking you like it was my job.”

  She was angry, and emotional. That wasn’t his Kennedy talking, he reassured himself. She couldn’t really feel that way. Try as he might, his rationalization didn’t soften the blow.

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Just let me help,” he repeated.

  “Didn’t you hear anything I just said? I don’t want your charity!”

  “It’s not charity, it’s helping the woman I love.”

  She snorted and narrowed her eyes. “Love? We spent few nights together boning and you think you’re in love with me?”

  Luke was an expert at reading her signals. Her poker-face was textbook, but Kennedy still hadn’t worked on her tell. He stared at her right hand tapping away on the cab’s armrest.

  He registered the hurtful words for what they were: a defense-mechanism. Luke had hoped by now that Kennedy would’ve become comfortable recognizing the feelings between them.

  Hell, the woman acted like being vulnerable came naturally for him too.

  “I’ve been in love with you since Yale.”

  Silence. So quiet that he could faintly make out the squeaky sound of the windshield wipers. He chanced a glance over at her. Kennedy was staring at him with her mouth hanging open like he’d grown two heads.

  He had to fix this.

  Maybe saying it again would clear the cobwebs and spark a response. “Kennedy Notyce, I love you. I want a future with you. And babies. I want to wear stupid Christmas sweaters and start our own traditions.” He stopped when he saw her eyes widen. If they got any bigger, they’d pop out of her head.

  He sighed. “I’m not trying to scare you. We don’t have to figure things out now. Just know that I’m not going anywhere, bombon. I love you too damn much. But if we’re going to have a future together, I need to hear the words from you.”

  Three little words were all that stood between him and his happily ever after. He waited. Then waited some more. Then finally, Kennedy kickstarted into action.