Beyond the Mistletoe: A Christmas Romance (Beyond Love Book 7) (19 page)

“So when are you headed to Montana?” I asked.

 Derek’s gaze moved to the fireplace and he moistened his lips. His hesitancy in delivering the answer worried me.

“Tomorrow?” I joked.

Derek brought his gaze back to mine.

“Wednesday.”

“This Wednesday?” I asked, suddenly feeling all my well-intentioned plans of not allowing emotion into the equation crumble away. I didn’t want him to leave.

He nodded and took in a deep breath.

“I’m not as excited as I was about going to Montana.” His jaw twitched as he ran his hands over his wet hair. “But I should, at least, see it through.”

“Your family is expecting you. You can’t break their hearts.” As the words came out, I realized I was beginning to feel those fissures in mine no matter what I told myself. “That would be awful.”

“It’s not their hearts I’m concerned about.” I saw uncertainty behind his gaze as if he was waiting for me to tell him not to go, but I certainly wouldn’t do that.

“Don’t worry about me,” I said, circling my arms around his waist. It was extremely difficult to be this close to him without going the rest of the way. I could feel everything underneath the towel, but that would only make things that much more difficult. “I knew what I was getting into. We both did.”

“I don’t know that I did,” he said softly.

 My heart skipped a beat as he placed a tender kiss on my cheek.

“But I respect your wishes. Last night was it.”

“Is that why you’re barely wrapped in a towel, pressing up against me, and kissing me?”

“Exactly why.” His charming smile made my entire body fill with warmth. I was going to miss him.

“So are you driving or flying on Wednesday?” I needed to keep the distance.

“Driving.”

I nodded and ran my fingers up his bare chest, the sparks flying between us as if we’d just met.

“I’d love to see you again before I leave.” His eyes met mine.

“I would like that too.” The moment I said the words, I wished I hadn’t. Every second I stood next to Derek made the thought of him leaving even harder. Spending another night with him whether it was for dinner or to grab a cup of coffee would only reignite everything I felt for him.

“I’ve got this event I’m doing. We can go out for dinner right after. I’d love it if you could stop by the place to check it out. I think it would be right up your alley.” The familiar twinkle darted through his eyes, and I knew he was up to something.

“What do you mean right up my alley?”

“You’ll see.”

I glanced at the clock, feeling a huge pit in my stomach.

“Only thirty minutes until check out,” I sighed. “I should get into the shower.”

“Do you need any help?” he asked.

I chuckled and shook my head. “Probably more than I know.”

He kissed the top of my head, and I trundled into my hotel room through our secret door.

This was going to be a lot harder than I imagined. It was like he got me in ways no one ever had. He laughed at my jokes and made me feel like I was the most fascinating woman on the face of the planet, but maybe that was because we’d only known one another for such a short time. Or maybe that was how it was supposed to be.

The water warmed, and I climbed right in the shower.

Not that I wanted to keep comparing to the past, but it was all I had, and I was absolutely amazed at the difference. My first marriage and the relationship leading up to it was long and drawn out. We beat it to death from every direction before we even got down the aisle. This was the exact opposite of everything I’d already had.

This was quick, fun, and built solely on physical attraction, or at least, that’s how it was supposed to go. I rinsed out the conditioner and sighed as I toweled off.

Maybe this was all I needed to test the waters again, prove to myself I really was alive and maybe even a little desirable.

I’d just finished getting dressed when a light tap on the bathroom door startled me.

“The snow is still really coming down,” Derek said.

“That’s not what I wanted to hear.”

“I didn’t think it would be. Do you want to follow me to the highway when we get going? They should at least be keeping the main freeways clear.”

Seeing the concern in his eyes was yet another reason why I didn’t feel this was a typical wham-bam situation. Maybe that’ s why I felt better about it.

“I’d really appreciate it. Not that I plan on getting stuck again.”

“Great. I’ll get you to the interstate and then you should be good to go.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask.” I opened the door to see his smiling face.

“What’s that?”

“How did you go from child-slash-teen star to fighting and then training?”

“Ah, that’s not interesting,” he laughed dismissively.

“I bet it is,” I said, folding some of my clothes into my weekender bag.

“It’s just a typical case of a hobby turned into quick career detour.”

I stood up and crossed my arms across my chest. He was definitely leaving something juicy out. Narrowing my eyes, I watched him squirm. I’d never really seen Derek squirm.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I questioned.

“There is something about you that just zeroes in on my weaknesses,” he growled teasingly, as he took a seat on the bed.

“I doubt you have any weaknesses.” I took a seat next to him and waited somewhat impatiently. “Spit it out.”

“It’s really not that interesting.” He dragged his hands along the stubble on his cheeks.

“Even if it’s not, the buildup is certainly implying it will be. Not to mention you seem to be a big believer in chance, and something tells me that during your long hiatus from Hollywood you had to be doing something with your time.”

“I became really interested in boxing and stumbled into one of the best trainers out there.”

“Doesn’t seem so odd to me.” I nodded, prompting him to continue.

“After a few years of training, I actually became really good in my weight class, but it didn’t bring in much money. I also realized I was starting to get noticed again. I didn’t like seeing the paparazzi hanging outside the events waiting to snap my picture.”

“See, I think this is going to take a really interesting turn in about ten seconds.”

“Do you.” His brow arched and I nodded. “Anyway, I happened to be fighting in a match that was getting a lot of press because of who I was fighting. I won that match, but I knew I didn’t want to do it any longer. There was too much risk and not enough reward.”

“Makes sense,” I agreed.

“Told you it wasn’t very interesting.” He let out a deep breath, but his gaze told me there was more. He was definitely hiding something.

“I think that’s quite fascinating, and I think what you’re about to reveal will be even juicier.”

His brow arched, and he shook his head. “Incredible.”

“What? You know I’m right. There’s more to the story.”

“You know what? To save myself the humiliation of having to explain in great detail, I’m going to go get my phone and just show you what you’re after. I’ll be right back.”

I watched him walk through the door and reappear in under thirty seconds. He was typing into his smart phone and then scrolled through some images before handing me the phone.

“Thank you,” I said, taking it from him.

I stared at the screen in shock.

“What are you trying to tell me?” I asked, staring at a caped man wearing a mask, but his extremely muscular chest was exposed.

“There was someone in the audience at my last boxing match who thought I’d be a good character for their organization.” He sighed. “Scroll down a little,” he muttered, towering over me.

I did as he said and saw the caption,

Masked Marauder

“Masked Marauder?” I asked.

“Keep scrolling.” Derek looked extremely pained to be revealing whatever he was trying to get out there.

The next headline read,

World’s Most Destructive Rebel Wins Final Championship

I let the words sink in as I brought my gaze back to his.

“No one knows.”

“No one knows that you were a wrestler?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“Not even Ayden and Lily?”

“Nope, and I’d like to keep it that way. The only person who knows is my agent. All the contracts were set up so that during all the matches and at all public appearances, the mask stayed on.”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“It wasn’t my shining hour.”

“Huh.”

“Are you glad I didn’t tell you until now?”

“I’m not sure,” I teased.

“You won’t tell anyone?”

“You have my word. No one would believe I slept with Big D, and I can guarantee you if I attempted to reveal I slept with someone called Masked Marauder, I might get committed.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t use that as your profile name,” I laughed.

“Yeah, I’m sure I would have gotten all the ladies with that one.” He shoved his phone in his pocket and sat down.

“Well, you’re full of surprises,” I rested my head on him and sighed. “It has been fun.”

“Yes, it has.”

My eyes settled on the clock. It was checkout time, but I didn’t want to leave. The moment Derek and I walked out the doors of this place, nothing would ever be the same.

He’d go his way and I’d go mine. Exactly how we’d planned it.

Chapter Seventeen

I was closing up the bakery, and my nerves were at an all-time high. I was about to see Derek for the last time before he left for Montana. Rather than Derek and I leaving the lodge and everything that happened there behind us, we’d been texting nonstop. It started innocently with him sending over the information for when and where to meet him before he left. And then the texts kept rolling in, exactly like before. Our ease of communication was what worried me the first time I fell for the virtual Derek. Only this time, I couldn’t just shut down my profile.

One thing was certain. The more I got to know Derek, the more I felt myself slipping into an impossible reality. And now it was the night before he would be leaving, and I was about to say goodbye.

I pulled down the shades, turned on the alarm, and locked the front door. The weather had warmed up slightly, but some snow remained. I took in a deep breath and felt the crisp air fill my lungs as I walked over to my car.

Everything was going to be fine. Seeing Derek would be fine. It would be good to see him one last time and try to wipe the wrestling images out of my mind.

Derek might have gotten a little less perfect after the wrestling confession I drove out of him, but that was good. The revelation made Derek seem more human—a man capable of making mistakes.

Who was I kidding? It didn’t make him any less perfect just more adorable.

I was doomed.

The ride over to Seattle was quick, and I found a parking garage close to the address. The city was on fire with Christmas decorations. Each block twinkled with tiny, white lights, and large sweeping bows hung on all the street signs. It was nice to see a big city get into the spirit of the season.

I parked my car and flipped down the visor. My red hair was in braids from working at the bakery, and I’d managed to avoid getting any puffs of flour caked on my eyelashes. I dabbed a bit of lip gloss on, and my heart rate increased with every tick of the second hand.

I had no idea where I was meeting him or what he had planned that he thought was right up my alley, but I was definitely intrigued and somewhat worried.

Everything was going to be fine. We’d be two friends saying goodbye and making false promises to stay in touch.

I walked over to the garage stairwell and swung open the heavy metal doors. The stale air hit my nostrils, and I didn’t take another breath until I scurried down all the steps, and both feet hit the sidewalk outside.

The sidewalks bustled with a mix of people getting off work and families coming down for shopping. I was in an area that was known for its high-end stores and upscale eateries, which really had me baffled. As I walked down the sidewalk, I kept my eyes glued to the addresses on the buildings.

I was only one digit away from seeing Derek. I glanced at the building in front of me and saw the revolving glass doors leading into a lobby. This was it. I waited a few spins and hopped in for the short rotation.

Marble filled the entire lobby. The floors, walls, and furniture were all made from the stone. A bank of elevators sat behind a reception area where a man sat, looking at a computer. I tried to get a feel for what the building was, but there wasn’t a hint of any kind, and it certainly didn’t seem like the place Derek would hang out.

“May I help you?” the man asked. As I got closer, I realized he wasn’t a receptionist. He was an armed guard.

“I hope so. My friend told me to meet him here. His name is Derek Binter.”

The man broke into a friendly smile and nodded. “Yes, Mr. Binter told me he was expecting someone.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

“He’s on floor thirty-four in the Binter Community Lounge.”

My expression must have looked as confused as I felt.

“Does he live here?” I asked.