by Chloe Blake
Leonardo no longer wanted to leave the chalet. Maybe they should order in, because he suddenly became selfish about sharing this amazing woman with anyone else. Not tonight, or ever. For the first time, he could see himself settling down with a woman and it felt right. The fact that he’d found it with Kamilla shook him to the core.
“A smart-assed, hardheaded woman,” he said.
The chuckle came from her throat as she stood. “Exactly. I’ll be right out.”
He’d heard those words before. Women tended to take forever to get dressed. “So it’ll be an hour before we head down to eat?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Huh.” He reached for the television remote and changed the channel. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Funny. Those are the exact same words I said about you acting like a human being who belongs in polite society. I’m still waiting, Astacio,” she sang the last part while sauntering to her room.
The smile spread across his face. Yes, she’d be good for him. She’d pushed him professionally over the past two years. The more he learned about her, the more he liked. If he could convince her that they had a strong potential for being right for each other, his life would never be boring, and he had a feeling he’d smile a whole lot more.
* * *
Kamilla held back a gasp of surprise as Leonardo pulled out her chair at the table. “Where have these manners been over the past two years? I don’t recall you ever holding the door for me.”
He picked up the menu. “They’ve been there—you just didn’t deserve them.”
Why did he have to start? Hadn’t they had a peaceful walk from their chalet all the way to the resort’s restaurant without bickering? “May I remind you of who laid down the gauntlet when we first met?”
The waiter came over. “Good evening. May I take your drink order while you peruse the menu?”
She smiled up at the young man dressed in the same black bow tie and white shirt as the others. “Diet cola.”
“Whiskey. Neat,” Leonardo said while still looking at his menu.
The waiter nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
Kamilla tapped a nail against the food list. “Why were you rude to him? Waiting tables is a difficult job.”
“I wasn’t rude. Or do you want me to gush all over him?”
She rolled her eyes. “You could’ve at least looked up at him when you gave your drink order.”
“Why?” he challenged. “Would it have changed how he’d heard it?”
“No, but it would’ve made him know you acknowledged his presence. That’s the worst part about the job. The snotty, arrogant, rude people.”
He pierced her with an assessing stare. “How would you know?”
She straightened her shoulders, proud of the work she’d done to put herself through school. “I worked a summer as a waitress back in in college.”
“I see.”
“What? No condescending comment? I’ve worked a lot of jobs to pay for my education. I wouldn’t have made it through otherwise.” Why did she feel the need to explain?
His sweet smile and cocked head indicated his thoughts had tumbled him back in time. “I worked in the mailroom one summer. My parents thought it would help me get to know all the offices in their main building and become accustomed to the system.”
Which shocked her more? Him having to work during his school break or the fact that he’d shared personal information? She gave a self-righteous sniff. “I worked out of necessity.”
His head jerked back. “Me, too. My parents wouldn’t have it any other way. They’ve never been about spoiling us. Working at the Astacio headquarters helped us learn the business from the inside out.”
One-upping him now became a necessity. “I’m sure you still would’ve been able to afford personal items for the semester if you hadn’t worked.”
“You’re right. Working for my parents was never about the money, but the experience.”
Ha! She’d won. And yet she would’ve given away everything she’d accomplished in life to have been able to trade places with him. She picked up her menu and sought the fish section.
The waiter returned with their drinks and placed them on the table. “Are you ready to order?”
She was about to speak when Leonardo looked up at him and said, “Please give us a few minutes.”
When the man was out of earshot, Kamilla smiled. “Are you breaking out in a cold sweat because you were polite?”
His laughter pleased her. “If you don’t choose what you’re going to eat, I’ll do it for you when he returns.”
She grimaced and looked down at the menu. “Knowing you, you’ll probably order frog legs or snails.”
“I was thinking tripe.”
The thought of eating the lining of a cow’s stomach had her focusing on the words rather than the man.
By the time the waiter returned, she’d made up her mind. “Shrimp scampi.”
Leonardo handed over his menu. “Chicken alfredo. For an appetizer, we’ll have the Italian sampler platter, but please make sure there are absolutely no nuts in any of the food.”
Kamilla omitted the reprimand about him ordering their appetizer plate. “You don’t eat nuts?”
“I eat everything. But I know you have an allergy.”
Her mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to get her muscles under control. “How do you know?”
“Contrary to what people around the office think about me, I pay attention. Especially when an ambulance has to be called because someone gave you a gourmet cookie with nuts in it. You played a dangerous game by not making the time to buy a new EpiPen after your previous episode.”
She agreed, but she’d never admit it to him. “Glad to see you using your keen observational skills,” she said in the driest tone she could manage in order to hide her pleasure at him having remembered and caring enough to protect her from it happening again.
The more she learned about him, the more she liked. Not good.
Chapter 13
Leonardo had never enjoyed a meal more. The food wasn’t as spectacular as the company. Why had he been so pigheaded when it came to Kamilla? They could’ve been friends, or maybe even more, this whole time. And now that he’d come to his senses, winning her over may not be a possibility.
He’d made her life difficult, or had at least tried. He grinned to himself. Unlike others, she’d been too resilient to break.
Kamilla looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Why are you smiling?”
Resting against his seat, he enjoyed the intrigue of her dark eyes. “Is it a crime?”
“It means you’re plotting.”
He laughed. “Or like most other people in the world, I could be happy.”
She swiped her gaze up and down what she could see of him. “You’re not typical, but you already knew that.” She finished off the last of the salted-caramel-and-dark-chocolate mousse on her plate and sighed. “What will we be doing tomorrow?”
Knowing her, she already had their day mapped out. She had to be the most thorough planner he’d ever met. A trait he didn’t find adorable, because she could take things overboard. Or maybe she’d done it to annoy him. He wouldn’t put it past her. “How about you tell me.”
Her eyes glimmered. He’d only seen the look directed at him just before she gave him a piece of her mind. “I have to do a little more research, but I’ll let you know at breakfast tomorrow.”
Of course she had to be exhaustive. “How about we play it by ear.”
She gasped with her hand on her chest as if offended and then laughed. “We may not get along, but I know you know me better than that.”
He finished the last of his coffee to help settle his nerves. The time had come to start off on a new footing. One that would help get her to trust him. “Yo
u mentioned earlier that the harsh dynamic between us is my fault. I’m sorry.”
When she sat with her eyes wide and her palm over her mouth for an uncomfortably long time, he continued. “When I first came to the Cleveland office, of all the associates, I knew you’d be the biggest threat to me becoming partner. I’d heard about your reputation as one of the most ambitious workers at the firm.”
She reached for her water glass and brought it to her lips, only to find it empty. Leaning forward, she grabbed his and drank it down while glaring at him. Then slammed it onto the table. “What the hell are you playing at, Astacio?”
Of course it wouldn’t be easy to get into her good graces. How could he explain he wanted to at least see if they could explore their reactive chemistry without scaring her onto a plane? “I haven’t done well by you and I wanted to apologize.”
“You never apologize, so I’m not buying it. Tell me the truth. Where is this coming from?” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Is it because we had sex? Do you think I’m going to charge you with sexual harassment or something?”
Her reaction snatched him off-balance and he mirrored her position. “First of all, that was consensual. All I heard was yes in various pitches from you. So no, I don’t fear you going to HR. Remember, I could do the same. I just want to start over.”
“Why?”
He scrubbed his hands over his face. Because you’re amazing and I’ve finally opened my eyes to see that we might belong together. He’d never met a woman like her and knew without a doubt he never would. “Because I like you.” I’m in love with you and I need you in my life. When the realization had initially hit him a few hours ago, he’d raged against it. Of all the people he could’ve fallen for, his formerly perceived enemy had to be the worst. He still hadn’t fully accepted it, but the more time he spent with her, the more real it became.
She studied him for a moment and then her shoulders started to shake. With laughter. It went on for a while. Not seeing the humor in the situation, he waved his hand and got the waiter’s attention. He raised their glasses to order and the observant young man nodded.
The laughter finally abated. “Stop playing, Astacio. If you want to get into my bed, just ask. No need to be all dramatic.”
He’d expected as much. If she’d admitted something similar to him a few months ago, he would’ve called her a liar and walked out of the room. He’d made sure their relationship hadn’t been a cordial one over the years, so he didn’t blame her.
The waiter set their drinks in front of them. “Is there anything else you’d like?”
A reversal of time to change my behavior toward her from the first moment we met. He made sure to look at the waiter. “No, thank you.”
The whiskey burned on the way down. He’d have to take a different tactic. Prove his legitimacy with actions rather than words. In the meantime they could have some fun. “Would you be amicable to having me in your bed?”
“No.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Maybe.”
He stopped breathing at the unexpected answer and waited for her to explain.
Playing with the condensation on her glass, she avoided looking at him. “I mean, if we weren’t fighting for the same promotion, then...”
Excitement like he’d never known before rushed through his body. “Right now we’re fighting for our jobs, and we have to do it together, not as rivals.”
She looked into his eyes. “True.”
As he held her gaze, his mind raced with the possibilities of the week ahead. “And you have to admit we’re sexually compatible.”
Her perfect dark brown irises glazed over as if recalling their one night together. “We were.”
“So why not go for it?” Was that all he had to convince her with?
She picked up her glass and took a drink. “I’ll think about it.”
The woman didn’t have an impulsive bone in her body. She analyzed everything ad nauseam. “Of course.” His offer of friendship had been shot down, but the possibility of making love again sat on the table. He could live with that. For now.
* * *
Kamilla looked at her phone screen. Midnight in Colorado, but two in the morning Cleveland time, and she was still tossing and turning on her queen-size bed. Had she really told Leonardo that sleeping together might be a possibility?
Of course sex had been his aim in telling her he liked her. She punched her pillow. He’d been manipulating her. She’d rather have had him ask straight out.
Having sex again would definitely stop the memory of them entwined together from lurking in her thoughts. She’d make new ones to salivate over once they reached Cleveland and their affair ended. After all, they were still up for the same position. No matter who got it, things would change.
Even if they weren’t both vying for partner, she couldn’t have a relationship with him. He was too arrogant and overbearing. She couldn’t forget spoiled, in a way that bordered on royalty. Recently she’d experienced a different side of him. One she liked way too much, even though she behaved as if she still didn’t care for him.
Who was she kidding? Her heart had tripped over to team Leonardo once she’d learned about his pro bono work. The man helped others when he didn’t have to. That said a lot.
Stretching out her arm to the side table, she attempted to grab the Singletons’ file, but the television remote jumped into her palm. She switched on the flat-screen television and scrolled through the stations, something she rarely made time to do, so she lived with the basic channels at home.
At least she’d come up with a fun itinerary for the next few days. Leonardo would hate it, but she couldn’t be bothered. She’d get to do all the winter-wonderland things she’d never experienced and that alone would be worth this trip.
Sex with Leonardo would merely be the sumptuous icing on the cake. She just had to be careful not to want more from him.
Chapter 14
Kamilla’s snow pants spoke with every step as she grabbed the matching jacket and went into the living room. Leonardo hadn’t liked the itinerary she’d given him at breakfast and had told her. Surprisingly, his brutal honesty had eased the tension that had wedged itself between them last night.
No one had ever proposed a sexual relationship to her before. She just wasn’t the type. Even in her few relationships, it’d taken a lot of getting to know the guy before she’d slept with him. How was she supposed to act? She had no idea, so she’d been quieter than normal. Until he attempted to cross things from her list. She’d snatched it away and responded to each of his protests as she ate.
The swooshing of the waterproof polyester stopped when she saw him. Dressed in a hunter-green ski jacket with white-and-yellow trimming, along with matching snow pants, she couldn’t help staring. This luscious man wanted to sleep with her? Again? She went to the kitchen for some water to wet her now parched mouth.
He dragged his gaze from her black-capped head to her sturdy dark boots and then back up again as she rustled past him. She didn’t miss his snarl.
“What the hell are you wearing?”
Ignoring his harsh tone, she filled her glass with tap water and drank before placing the empty glass in the sink. She looked down at her padded black snow pants with the matching black coat draped across her arm, seeing nothing wrong. It wasn’t fashionable, but it would keep her warm. “It’s my snow gear. Let’s go.”
She couldn’t get past the new door he’d made of himself. “I’m not going anywhere with you dressed like that. You look like the grim reaper of snowboarders.”
Taking offense, she plunked a hand on her hip, but it slid off. “It kept me warm enough in Alaska.”
He blinked a few times. As he tilted his head a groove appeared between his brows. “What were you doing in Alaska?”
“During one of the summer breaks in college, I went deep-sea fishing. All that’
s missing is the yellow waterproof slicker to wear over this and I’d be set.” An icy chill slid down her back, making her shoulders shimmy. It was a wonder she hadn’t moved to Florida when she’d returned from the work experience in the tundra.
“Are you telling me you worked as a fisherman in college?”
She gave him a crisp nod and once again attempted to bypass him. “The best money I ever made in two months. I would’ve done it again, but the minor case of frostbite on my toes and never feeling warm the whole time deterred me. When I returned to school, I slept under three comforters.”
Kamilla watched his eyes glaze over. Not an unusual reaction for most people after hearing about this particular job.
“The salmon run was crazy,” she explained. “We’d be up for forty-eight hours at a time on the boat. And those suckers were heavy. Only my previous gym time with free weights saved me from crying every night. Can we go now? Time is ticking and I’d like to get the fun started.”
Recovering, Leonardo held her by the shoulders. “You are not going anywhere with me dressed like that. You need a new suit.”
Stepping out of his grip, she glared up at him. “Then I’ll go alone. Why would I spend all that money for a new one when this is fine? How many times in my life will I play in the snow again?”
“I bet you said the same thing when you bought that ugly monstrosity.”
She pointed a finger his way. “For your information, my employers were very concerned about things like hypothermia and losing body parts to extreme temperatures, so they provided us with this. Boots and all.”
Leonardo pinched the bridge of his nose. The low baritone of his voice counted backward from five. “You’re going out there as my girlfriend, not as a fisherman.” Each of his words came out distinctly. “You’re buying a new one.”
Once the thrill of the word girlfriend wore off, anger settled in. How dare he give her orders? “No, I’m not. I don’t need to waste the money.” Not that she wouldn’t like to look sporty and a lot less bulky, but it wasn’t in her budget. They were in Aspen for goodness sake. She couldn’t even imagine how much a snowsuit would cost. Paying off her student loans came first. If she found she liked winter sports, then she’d buy a new suit during the summer sales.