Fierce: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 4) (19 page)

“I’m great. It’s so good to see you.”

He releases me and steps back. Looking me up and down he says, “Still well fed. It looks good on you.”

Christian is hugging Gretchen, and she begins to laugh. She says, “Only a brother can get away with calling an ex-model fat.”

“Hey! That better not mean fat.” I swat Derrick on the arm.

Gretchen hugs me, and a tropical scent that must be her shampoo floats to my nose. She used to have bleached-blond hair, but now she’s light brown with highlights. “Your hair looks great. This house has been quiet without you.”

When we release each other, she asks, “Hasn’t my brother been keeping you company?”

“Oh, he has, but he doesn’t quite have the presence you do.” I’m teasing because Christian definitely has presence in my world.

The guys have the bags and are making their way to the stairs. I whisper to Gretchen. “So? When’s that brother of mine going to finally propose?”

She huffs. “That seems to be the first thing anyone asks us. I think he’s just waiting for the right moment. We kind of ruined the surprise by talking about it like it was the next logical step.”

“Yeah. Well, he needs to put a ring on it. You better believe I’ll be speaking to him this week.”

That makes her grin. “What would I do without you?”

I shake my head. “I have no earthly idea.”

“So last I heard, things with Kelly are no more. Any new men in your life?”

A flush is rising to my cheeks because my first thought is the memory of Christian’s thigh between my legs. “Not really.”

She narrows her eyes. “Yeah? Then why are you blushing?”

The mad scramble of dogs coming down the stairs precedes Derrick saying, “Dannika? Is there a new guy?”

“No!” But now my face must be bright red.

Christian is behind Derrick, and he looks like the cat that ate the canary.
Oh, you’re no help.
I’m tempted to blurt out “Christian is hot for me, and we kissed, but no. No man in my life.”

Gretchen says, “Fine. Casey will tell me.” She winks at Derrick. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Shit.
She probably will.

I raise my eyebrows at Christian, and he clears his throat and says, “Who wants coffee?”

Gretchen is too smart for us because her eyes widen. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” She points back and forth between Christian and me. She sputters. “You. You two. Derrick! Did you see that?” She shakes her head. “Oh, my God.”

Christian takes her by the shoulders. “Calm down, little sister. Nothing is going on between us.”

Derrick stares at me without a word. He’s doing the twin-speak thing we’ve perfected. After what feels like forever, he tilts his head slightly at Christian and I give him the tiniest of nods. Gretchen squints and crosses her arms. “So why don’t I believe you, Christian, huh?”

Because he’s the only person who refuses to see it, that’s why.

Chapter 30

The
odor of my sweat wafts up to my nose as I bend down to unpack another box. My sharp knife slices through the tape easily. It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and Rebecca sublet her last week of November to us so we could get to work on redesigning the shop space.

A band saw is buzzing as Jason creates my ranch-inspired counter. Using repurposed wood, it will resemble a barn. Christian and Derrick have drills zinging as they attach worn saddles, bridles, and other horse-riding equipment to the walls.

Casey, Gretchen, and I are unpacking the parts to the clothing racks to be put together. Because Gretchen stayed back this morning to exercise the dogs, we’ve avoided the topic of Christian. But now that she’s here, she takes advantage of him being out of earshot. “Okay, Case, tell me what’s going on with my brother and Nika because they’re pretending it’s nothing.”

Casey looks at me, and I shrug. “Go ahead. Give her the cliff notes.”

She says, “Your brother’s in love with Nika and won’t admit it.”

I snort. “Ah, that’s not quite right. We’re attracted to each other, and he says he doesn’t want to start anything because it would be awkward if we don’t work.”

“What? That’s stupid.”

Casey says, “See? That’s what I think. Oh, my God, Gretch. You should have seen him the night Nika kicked ass in pool.” She fans herself. “Whew.”

“What? Tell me!” Metal clangs on the floor as she drops a support rail. “Sorry.”

Casey tells her everything about that night from Christian’s date with Jess to his bet. My body begins to heat up with embarrassment and desire. When she’s done, Gretchen asks, “So what do you think is going on with him? He’s your brother.”

“I think he might be scared. He was in a pretty serious relationship a while back, and she decided one day to move to Maine and start over.” Paper crinkles as she unwraps a long, shiny cylinder. “She sold off her business, dumped my brother, and left town. He said she’d been distant for a couple of weeks, but he was completely surprised.”

I ask, “What was she like?”

“Really nice. She ran an auto repair shop. Christian helped her get the business up and running, and she was doing well before she decided to sell it all.”

They were in business together?
Is that what scares him? That once things take off, I’ll just do a one-eighty and leave him heartbroken? No, because he was attracted to me before we came up with the business idea. Heck, he even gave it to me. It’s got to be something more.

Gretchen says, “So let me get this straight. You two have been living in a house together for a month, creating a business while totally crushing on each other, and haven’t even kissed?”

I rub my neck and avoid her gaze. “Sort of.”

Casey leans in close to me to hiss, “You’ve kissed him, haven’t you?”

I reply, “Maybe?” The shocked look on their faces makes me say, “Hey, I won him fair and square in a bet.” I stand up to break down the boxes we’ve unpacked.

They both chuckle, and Gretchen asks me, “So was it steamy?”

This makes me grin because when she first started dating Derrick my first question to her was similar. I answer, “Oh, yeah.”

Gretchen’s smiling and she says, “Okay. Imagining my brother with you is weird, but I can’t think of a better person for him. You get me that ring, and I’ll get you that guy.” She winks at me.

If only it were that easy.

***

Lori and Kaleb show up with pizza and beer after they get out of teaching on the mountain, but Megan and Nick both had to work at their other jobs. We all take a break and sit to eat on whatever we can find. Most of us end up on the floor, but nobody seems to mind.

I watch our group as people grab slices and beers. The couples all have a way of touching each other naturally, and my heart aches, wanting the same with Christian. The pouty child in me thinks it’s not fair that I still haven’t been in that kind of love, and I begin to wonder what’s wrong with me.

I’m not participating in the conversation, and when Christian gets up to get a beer he comes to sit next to me. The cold metal of a clothing rack is hard against my back, and I think my body is going to be sore tomorrow.

Laughter erupts as Jason makes some witty comment. Christian leans in close. “It’s really starting to look like your sketches, isn’t it? Do you like how it’s turned out?”

“I do.” My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to answer the call. It’s the sign shop, and I hope they’re telling me it’s ready to be picked up. I flutter my fingers and grin when I hear it’s ready. “Thank you, I’ll be right over.”

I stand and ignore my screaming back. Holding a hand out to Christian, I help him up. “The sign’s ready. Let’s go see it. They’ll put it up Friday if we give it the okay.”

He says to the group. “We’re going to go approve the sign. We’ll be back soon.”

Gretchen gives us an exaggerated wink. “Take your time.”

That gets a laugh and lets me approach the subject of us when we’re out the door. Christian tugs his coat around his body instead of zipping it up as I pull up my faux-fur-lined hood. Flurries are falling in the twilight, and they’ll turn to a storm later. “Just a warning, your sister is going to do what she can to get us together.”

“That I don’t doubt.”

I sigh. “Don’t you think it’s time to tell me what’s really holding you back?”

He stops in the middle of the sidewalk, and I turn to face him. Wind is blowing his hair gently forward, and I notice it’s gotten long. He has a day’s worth of stubble because we rushed out early this morning, and his musky scent is assaulting my senses in a way that has me inches from throwing myself at him.

After staring at me for a moment, he takes my face in his hands. His jacket opens, and I wonder if he’s cold. He brushes his lips to mine which part in response. I want to be forceful and drink him in, but his kiss remains tender. He breaks away and says, “Not a thing.”

I blink as snow lands in my eyes. “What?” After all this time, it can’t be that easy. I’m tempted to hit him for the torture of the past weeks.

He grins and takes my arm to start us walking again. “Let me tell you a story about a guy I know. Seems he moved here with a broken heart. Oh, sure, he pretended he was healed, but he met this girl.” Our feet are tapping in rhythm, and I notice his cowboy boots are no longer shiny and new.

“She was hot, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how soft her lips looked. He wanted her bad. When they touched it was as if she could reach right in and repair the cracks of his heart. But he knew that if he was wrong, two people would end up ruined.”

Oh, my God.
We turn the corner toward the parking lot, and a light dusting of snow drapes the cars like a layer of silk.

“To complicate matters, this woman was going to be in his life no matter what. He was scared because he had to get it right.”

He stops talking, and I ask, “So what changed things for him?”

“Every day for the past month he’s woken up needing her a little bit more. He’s gone from thinking she’s hot and sweet to knowing she’s beautiful and smart. She’s more than that; she’s fierce. And you know what?”

We’ve reached his car and are standing at the passenger side. He tugs me against his body by my waist. “What?”

“He’s fallen in love with her.”

Before I can say anything, he crushes me with a kiss that devours me. His tongue plunges deep and claims me as he presses me against the car. His body is hot, and it seeps through my jacket, making me want to strip to get more.

Every cell of my being is alive, and I’m afraid to let him go. We break apart with a gasp, and both our bodies are heaving. I reach out and touch his lips. “Christian.”

His voice lowers, and it crawls inside me when he speaks. “Tell me you feel it too. Tell me, Dannika.”

“I do. Oh, God, I do. I love you too.”

He kisses me again, but it’s controlled and tender. He whispers into my ear. “We need to go see that sign, but I’m wondering if I could sneak into your room later tonight.”

I grin. “Really? We’ve been alone in that house for a month, and the moment we have guests you want to sneak into my room?”

He raises his eyebrows. “Do you really think they’ll even notice? I think they’re too busy reliving the memories of their room.”

I close my eyes. “Don’t put that vision in my head.”

His voice is deep as he chortles. “Picture us instead.”

A flush rises to my cheeks as Christian says, “Nice, princess. I can’t wait to find out what you’re imagining.”

Now the flush must be everywhere because my entire being is tingling with an ache I’m dying to relieve.

Chapter 31

C
hristian holds my hand almost the entire drive to the sign shop. I want to kick my feet and squeal at his admission. I’m dying to text the girls and scream it out the window. Snowfall is heavy now, and when we get out of the car it covers Christian’s hair within seconds.

We stomp off powder and shake our heads when we enter the shop. A man in a flannel shirt and loose jeans that need a washing—or better yet, to be thrown away—greets us. “Christian, Nika, I think you’re going to like how the sign turned out. Follow me.”

Ralph leads us across a concrete floor to a work area. The familiar sound of a band saw carries to us, and I see a red-faced guy in safety glasses working it. He’s windblown from skiing or boarding all day, and I imagine this shop runs late into the night to accommodate the available workforce.