Winter's Heat (8 page)

“
Winter’s been holding out on me. She never told me how hot you are.” Cheri continued on seemingly not noticing Eric’s obvious snub.

Before things could get any more awkward and out of hand, Winter stepped between them to refocus Sheri’s attention back on her.

“
Cheri, what’s been going on since I’ve been gone? Didn’t you get my message?” She questioned not even really caring at this point what excuses Sheri came up with off the top of her head. With a sinking feeling, she felt her plans with Eric for later slipping through her fingers. There was no way she could leave with things falling apart here the way they were.

“
Cheri?” Winter sharply questioned when Cheri’s focus still remained fixated on Eric.

When Cheri finally looked at Winter again, her eyes quickly shifted fugitively to Randy. Even though Randy never said a word, she could still sense some sort of silent communication going on between him and Cheri that made her decidedly uncomfortable.

As Eric sensed her unease, he shifted his body protectively closer to her and placed his hand soothingly on the small of her back. Even though she appreciated the gesture, it was still embarrassing to have him witness this. She hoped that whatever Cheri said next wouldn’t be further embarrassing.

“
I’ve been sick while you’ve been gone.” Cheri whined theatrically and then did a dry cough while leaning into the stained wife-beater undershirt that covered Randy’s bony chest.

Winter ran her eyes over the both of them intently once again. She didn’t know what was going on here, but she’d bet her last dime that Randy was somehow to blame. In all the time they’d been roommates, Cheri had never behaved this way. It was if she’d undergone a total personality transplant.

“
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been sick Cheri.” She said deciding to go along with the story Cheri was selling for now to keep the peace. There would be plenty of time when Eric was gone to get to the bottom of things. Speaking of which, she had to get him out of here before things went further downhill. She didn’t want to make her bad living arrangements his problem too.

“
I’ll be right back Cheri. I’m gonna walk Eric back to his car.” When she turned to Eric, she saw the questions swirling in his eyes as he looked at the other two. Winter knew that she had to get him out of here fast if she was going to avoid the situation getting any more uncomfortable that it already was.

“
Baby, please…” When he turned his gaze to her, she silently pleaded with her eyes for him to follow her as she turn to make her way back out the front door. He looked like he wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so as he turned and followed her out of the apartment.

Once they were back into the clean fresh air of the late afternoon, Winter took a much needed cleansing breath. Whatever she’d had pictured when coming home had not prepared her for the drama taking place right now. Things had gone downhill in a hurry in a direction she never thought it would go in and she planned on getting to the bottom of it before she moved out for good. She owed Cheri at least that much. She had to make her see reason and if an intervention was the only way to do, then that’s what she’d do. She was only sorry she hadn’t done it sooner.

Turning to Eric she hoped that he would understand why she had to call tonight off. She was having a hard time herself doing it when she thought of how long they had been away from each other, but this was something that couldn’t wait any longer.

“
Thank you for bringing me home. I don’t know what’s going on with Cheri, but I’m sorry you were put in the middle of that.” She said embarrassed all over again when she thought about the scene they’d just left.

“
Don’t worry about it sweetheart. I’m a big boy; I can more than take care of myself. But you on the other hand shouldn’t have to put up with that.” He said pulling her into the solid shelter of his body.

Winter momentarily forgot the drama she had to sort out inside her apartment as she closed her eyes and just laid her head against his chest. For a moment it was nice to pretend that their plans weren’t going down the toilet as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Needing something more, she reached up and placed a lingering kiss against the sensual line of his lips. She gently dipped the tip of her tongue in between his lips to sample a taste of his masculine honey as she ran her short nails over the corded strength of his neck.

He instantly responded to her bold touch by pulling her tighter into his body. The now hardened points of her nipples pressed against the cups of her bra in response making her gasp in pleasure.

Just that quick Cheri and Randy were completely forgotten as they both burned up with the need to take their passion further. But it was not to be.

Squeezing her eyes tight and wishing she could give into her body’s demand, Winter slowly pulled back within the clasp of Eric’s embrace and looked longingly up at him.

“
Baby, I’m gonna have to take a rain check on tonight…” Staring into the heated blue blaze of his eyes and the promise of things yet to come she felt crazy for even saying it.

“
Are you sure?” He asked not liking the situation one bit.

“
I’m sorry, but it seems so. Unfortunately I think there are a few things I need to talk to Cheri and Randy about.” She said hoping he understood, but by the probing look he was pinning on her she knew he wasn’t letting it go easily.

“
I don’t exactly like the idea of leaving you here to deal with those two by yourself sweetheart. How long has this situation been going on?” Gone was the relaxed Eric and in his place was the man who was use to getting to the bottom of things quick and in a hurry.

“
Honestly baby it’s no big deal, everything’s fine. I can handle it.” She said trying to keep him calm. She didn’t want him thinking that he had to come to her rescue just because that’s what he did for a living. Besides, she was more than capable when it came to handling the situation. All she needed to do was get it over with and then she could be on her way to moving out.

“
I don’t like the look of those two. Let me go back in there and have a talk with them to straighten this thing out.” Eric pushed.

He knew Winter was a capable independent woman, but he also knew that her ‘tough as nails’ act was just a front for her soft heart. And right now his gut was telling him that this situation called for his brand of ‘kick ass and ask questions later’ way of doing things. His need to protect his woman demanded it.

“
Baby, don’t worry. I can handle it.” She pleaded with him once again nuzzling his strong stubbly jaw with kisses as she wrapped her arms tighter around his trim waist.

“
Fine.” He cautioned finally giving in. “But I’ll only go if you promise me one thing…be careful. And call me if you need me. Okay?” He tipped her chin up to stare deeply into her warm brown eyes. He wanted to make sure she knew that he was serious.

“
I will, I promise. I’m sorry this ruined our plans, but I will make it up to you.” She said trying to reassure him.

“
We’ll make it up to each other, sweetheart. Tomorrow’s another day.” With those parting words and one last kiss, he turned and reluctantly made his way back to his car.

Winter stood there as she watched him smoothly maneuver his car out of the parking lot and gave one last wave to his retreating headlights as he drove away.

Was she being too prideful by declining Eric’s offer of help? She stood there wondering. She silently conceded that maybe her pride had had too much of a voice in denying his help, but she’d had her reasons.

She’d noticed the slight lines of fatigue that had shadowed his mesmerizing eyes when she’d stared into his eyes just now. Winter knew without him telling her that he must have pushed himself nonstop in New York to finish up the Carlton case and make it back here in time to meet her flight.

Loading him down with her roommate drama was the last thing she wanted him to have to deal with. It just sucked that the night had been so royally ruined due to Cheri and Randy’s antics.

Some homecoming.

Turning to go back into her apartment, she mentally prepared herself to deal with the situation awaiting her there. If she hadn’t been done before with this crap, she was definitely done now.

The only question now was how fast could she pack her stuff and be gone for good?

****

Eric drove away from Winter with an uneasy feeling forming a huge weight in his gut. In his business as a security consultant, he was use to meeting people from all walks of life. Combine that with the rough neighborhood he grew up in, he knew shady characters when he saw them.

He mentally reassessed the roommate and her boyfriend and felt they fit the description to a tee. Eric had watched the boyfriend the whole time Winter and Cheri were talking. From his dirty clothes to the shifty look about his bloodshot eyes, Eric had been suspicious.

Thinking back, he remembered Winter briefly mentioning the man several months ago. He had felt her frustration at the time at her roommate’s choice in a boyfriend, but after a while she’d stopped saying much of anything about it. Maybe she did have everything under control. Besides, did he really have the right to go in there and take control of the situation?

The shift of the small ring box in his pants pocket said
hell yeah
. The farther he drove away from her, the more tensed up he became. Something was off with those two and he never ignored a gut feeling. It was the only thing that had kept him alive in sticky situations in the past.

Dammit!
He thought hitting the steering wheel.

He couldn’t believe that he’d let Winter talk him into leaving her in that situation. His love for her had obviously temporarily clouded his better judgment.

With another sharp curse, he braked sharply and executed a sharp maneuver across three lanes of traffic to make a u-turn and headed back in the direction he just came from. He silently vowed that the first chance he got, he was gonna spank the perfect round globes of her ass for asking that he compromise her safety this way.

With his hands tightening on the wheel, he pressed the pedal to the medal as his mind focused on getting back to Winter as quickly as he could without breaking the sound barrier.

He prayed that he was wrong. In his line of work, he saw the bad in everyone and it had made him jaded. That had all changed when he met Winter. Her unique brand of sweet-sexy-cool had drawn him from the start. And now that they had finally come so far, he’d be damned to have it taken away from him.

*****

As Winter opened the door to her bedroom, she didn’t know what to expect. Especially with the way the rest of the apartment looked. But as she stepped inside the small room she was pleasantly surprised. Everything seemed to be where she left it before she went away.

Sitting down on her bed, she contemplated how she was going to tell her roommate that she was moving out.

She hadn’t seen Cheri or Randy since she had reentered the apartment after seeing Eric off and she wondered at that. It was highly unusual in itself not to hear something coming from their room. Oh well. Maybe she could put off the conversation until sometime tomorrow if she were lucky. It was bad enough that she had to cancel with Eric. She didn’t feel like starting world war three in the small two bedroom apartment.

Sighing, she got back up and started putting away her things from her trip before she got too tired to do so. A few minutes later after that was done, she went into the kitchen to make herself some of her favorite tea. Just like old times. She thought thinking of how she’d spent her Friday nights in the past.

While she was waiting for the water to warm up on the stove she leaned back against the counter with her eyes closed and allowed her mind to wonder about what the night would have been like if she’d gone home with Eric instead.

Images of his handsome golden tanned face above her own and his thickly muscled arms sheltering her as he settled snugly between her welcoming parted thighs flashed behind her eyelids making her lips involuntary part in a need filled moan.

That’s what she’d given up?
Her Eric-starved body screamed. What the hell had she done?

Winter just prayed it wasn’t too late to call Eric and ask him to come back to pick her up. He’d probably think she was crazy as a loon, but she was past caring at this point. Sometimes a girl had to put her pride to the side and admit when she had made a poor choice.

The sound of the microwave going off broke into her rambling thoughts. Just as she reached up to open the door to retrieve her drink, she felt a strange sensation of a presence behind her. Whipping around, she came face to face with Randy’s smirking face as he stood there watching her.

“Winnie…Winnie, seems like you’ve been holding out on me.” He said in an annoying voice. Plus he was standing far too close to her crowding her personal space with his foul presence and body odor.

“What are you talking about Randy?” She said leaning away from him and the offensive smell coming off of him. It was a combination of sweat and some other body odor she didn’t want to identify.

Where was a stuffy nose when you needed it?
The stray thought entered her mind.