Wyne and Chocolate (Citizen Soldier Series Book 2) (6 page)

“I know,
too. Believe me.” Gwen nodded, pushing her empty plate aside. “But, being here
isn’t helping as much as I’d hoped. I’m…”

“Surrounded
by well-meaning relatives that don’t quite get it.”

The
blonde’s head snapped up and she nodded. “Yes. Exactly. I love my dad and my
sister and my brother Ryder, but this…thing…I need to deal with it on my own.
You know?”

She
nodded and cupped the woman’s shoulder. “Yeah, I do. I also know Lea is very
worried about you, so, when you are ready to talk, please seek her out.”

A warm
hand covered hers as a sheen of tears appeared in the pretty blue gaze locked
with hers. “I promise.” Then her friend released her and stood. “I should get
going so you can close up.”

She
glanced at the bonbon shaped clock on the wall above one of the candy displays.
It
was
just about time to close. “Okay. Enjoy your night. Drive
carefully.”

“You,
too. Thanks for the talk,” Gwen said, shrugging into her gorgeous fake fur.
“And don’t forget what I said about Mason. He’s a great guy. Promise me you’ll
consider him when you’re ready to consider a guy.”

Once her
mind caught up with the woman’s words, Jill smiled and nodded. “Okay. I promise.”
She carried their empty dishes to the sink near the Keurig, then grabbed a
cloth and started to wipe the counter. “As long as you promise to talk to Lea
when you’re ready to talk.”

“I
promise.”

With a
smile on her lips, Gwen disappeared through the front door, leaving Jill to her
cleaning. She was nearly done when a Pitbull song began to play.

“Oh,
yeah.” She cranked it up, grabbed the spray and paper towel and began to wipe
down the front of the display cases.

Completely
caught up in the beat, she had some serious
groovage
going on and was
singing as she re-wiped an already cleaned case.

“
I’m
taking it…I’m taking it,”
she sang, wiggling as she slowly squatted as low
as she could go, mood lighter than it had been all day. “
I’m bringing it…I’m
bringing it
,” she continued, reversing the dance move as she slowly rose,
all the while wiping the glass.

“
You’re
a fireball…”

She let
out a squeak at the sudden deep tone and twisted around to find Mason leaning
against the door, arms folded across his chest, big grin on his face. Why
hadn’t she heard the bell above the door?

“Don’t
let me stop you,” he said. “You’re on a roll.”

Hand
over her thudding heart, as if that would hold it in, she blinked at the guy.
“Jesus, Mason. How long were you standing there?”

Please,
God, let him say not long.

“Long
enough to know you’ve got some serious game.”

Heat
spread through her face as her mind provided her with an image of what she
must’ve looked like from behind. Damn. Her face heated further.

“Thanks.
I-I had a few lessons.” Shit, why’d she say that? Now he was going to ask what
kind.

“Yeah?
What kind?”

Swallowing
a few choice words reserved for her stupidity, she turned her back on the guy
and busied herself by wiping the rest of the spray from the glass case. “Hip-hop
and a few others.”

He left
the doorway and walked up behind her. She knew, because she could feel him like
fingers of heat reaching out from a blazing furnace.

“What
others?”

Concentrating
on cleaning, she did her best to ignore him as awareness skittering all the way
down to her feet. “Belly dancing. It’s supposed to be good for your core,” she
babbled. “And pole dancing because…” She was an idiot and wasn’t supposed to
tell him. Dammit. The guy was too potent. She could barely form a tangible
thought with him so near.

“Pole
dancing?” He twisted her around, grin tugging his lips. “Any chance I can
persuade you to come with me to the firehouse?”

She
laughed and hit his shoulder. “No, you goof.”

“Is pole
dancing good for your core, too?”

“I
suppose, but that’s not the reason I took the lessons.”

What was
with her lips? Those suckers were way too loose around the handsome guy. But
her reason really wasn’t a secret or anything to be ashamed of, just her own
reasons. Her attempts to try to help her marriage. She’d hoped spicing things
up would make a difference. It didn’t. Then she realized she wasn’t the only
one Donny had lost interest in. His friends. His family. Everyone seemed to
have faded from his view.

That had
been the beginning of the end of their relationship. There was no reason to try
anymore, because there was nothing left to save. Her husband was gone. In his
place was a cold, heartless, verbally abusive stranger who gambled and drank
away their savings. Their equity. Their life.

“He was
a lucky man,” Mason said, as if understanding her silence. He lifted a hand to
cup her face. “I’m sorry he didn’t realize it, Jill.”

She
fought the stinging behind her eyes to produce a smile. “Thanks.” She knew he
was right, but somewhere, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but feel
she should’ve tried harder. Done something sooner. She was still coming to
terms with accepting her inadequacies.

The lure
of the warm acceptance in Mason’s eyes was damn tempting. God, it would be so
easy to lose herself in that affirmation. Draw strength from his approval. But,
she’d gone most of it alone and saw no reason to allow weakness to intervene
now.

“So, I
was just getting ready to close,” she said, backing away from his touch,
placing a smile on her face as she turned from him to walk behind the counter
and put away her cleaning supplies. Already, she discovered the distance
between them made it easier to breathe. “I just had some cake and coffee with
Gwen, but if you wanted I cup, I’d be happy to make one for you.”

“No
thanks.”

“Then…um…I
don’t mean to be rude, but why are you here? Was there something you needed?”

“Yeah,”
he said, stepping behind the counter and coming closer, filling up the small
space with his mesmerizing presence. “I came here to return this to you.” He
pulled his hand out of his pocket and opened his fist to reveal…

“Nona’s
pin!”

Lest it
should disappear into thin air again, she snatched the heirloom her grandfather
had given to her on her tenth birthday, just before he’d died. Then because she
was so happy, she launched herself at him.

“Thank
you, Mason. Thank you so much. It means the world to me.” She squeezed him
tight, uncaring that only a few seconds ago she had practically tripped over
her feet to avoid touching the man. “Where was it? I looked everywhere, even my
car after it was towed to the garage.”

“Ethan
found it in the back of the Humvee,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.
“I’m just the messenger, but I’d be happy to collect the reward if there are
more hugs involved.”

She drew
back slightly and smiled. “Aren’t you generous.”

“Absolutely.”

He
returned her smile, and she soon realized she was wrapped in his arms,
practically sharing a breath. It felt good. Right.

Great,
actually.

Too
great.

She
untangled herself, or at least, she ordered her body to move back.

It
didn’t listen.

So,
there she stood, behind her counter, enveloped in Mason’s warm embrace, staring
at his darkening gaze as the smile slowly disappeared from his mouth. He had a
great mouth.

Jill’s
heart thudded hard in her chest, and once again her mind screamed for her to
move, but her limbs were quite happy with their present location.

Just as
he started to lower that great mouth of his, the phone in his pocket began to
ring.

Muttering
a curse, he released her, reluctance dimming his gaze as he answered his call.
“Yeah?”

She
stumbled back two feet before hitting the countertop on the sidewall, stacked
with boxes and gift wrap for customers. Great. She was trapped, caged in with
her unhealthy desire for a man just as relationship challenged.

“Hey,
Tyler.” His body relaxed and expression softened. “How’s the fort coming,
buddy? Ah. Okay. Sure. I’ll see if I can recruit more help.” He was smiling as
he shoved the phone back in his pocket. “Feel like freezing your fingers off
helping us build a fort for Tyler?”

Thrown
completely off guard by the question, she blinked up at him as he neared.
“Isn’t it too cold for power tools?”

His
smile widened as he lifted his hand to tug her ponytail. “Don’t need them to
build a snow fort.”

“Oh, a
snow fort,” she repeated.
Idjit
. Of course that’s what he’d meant.

It also
meant agreeing to spend time with him. And his family. The simple invitation
wasn’t so simple. There’d be expectations and obligations. She’d carried their
weight most of her life and was just starting to enjoy living without the
responsibility of worrying about pleasing someone other than herself. Or the
inevitability of abandonment.

“This
isn’t a big deal. And it’s not a date,” he said, releasing her hair, gaze still
warm and friendly. “We’re too busy for that, remember?”

She
nodded. “Yeah, I remember.” Then she pushed past him to get out from behind the
counter and into more open space where she could breathe and think.

 It was
nothing serious, just a simple invitation to help his nephew. But, this was
Mason, the handsome man with a smile on his face and shadows in his eyes.
Problem was, shadows tended to be her downfall.

“Thanks
for the offer, but I’m busy tonight,” she said, turning around to find him 
approaching, grin still on his face. She held up her pin and smiled. “Please
pass on my thanks to Ethan.”

“Okay,
but I’m keeping the hug to myself…unless you care to include another. I could
be persuaded to share one.”

She
laughed. “Sorry. It was just a one-time hug.”

“Can’t blame
a guy for trying.” He winked, then continued to the door where he turned to
face her. “If you change your mind about the fort, you know where to find us.”
His warm gaze was full of amusement, and knowledge that she was running scared.

Then he
was gone.

Her
heart had no business burning with disappointment. None at all. She was the one
who’d given up a fun evening of romping in the snow with the handsome, hot,
guardsman in order to go home and sort her sock drawer.

I
t was Friday evening, four days later when Mason walked into
Timbers after a busy week and an even busier day guiding a photographer and his
assistant up Chancellor’s Bluff to photograph the pristine scenery for a
brochure. Ten hours, hundreds of photos, and the right lighting had produced
enough money shots to call it a day.

He
headed for his usual table, hungry and tired, but kept his mouth shut when he
joined Keiffer and Ethan who were already there with burgers in front of them
and half a pitcher of beer. As the brochure had been
his
brainchild, any
mumblings about discomfort would fall on deaf ears. Thankfully, he’d had the
foresight to call down and have the cook drop his order while he’d showered and
changed.

His
sister Brandi had worked a two-bedroom apartment for him into the resort plans,
right next to Keiffer’s. Ben had only wanted an efficiency suite, since he
owned a cabin, and Ethan got the main rooms of the Wyne wing at the back of the
resort. Dad declined, opting to keep their childhood home, even though the five
bedroom two-story was much more house than the colonel needed. Still, no one
challenged their father’s logic.

Mason
used to own a house, a new contemporary where he and Renee had lived. When they
split, he walked away. She’d insisted on buying him out, and if his brothers
hadn’t decided to buy the resort, he wouldn’t have taken a penny. Didn’t matter
that he had a right to the money; he’d just wanted a clean break. As it turned
out, the split had been fairly clean anyway, and Brandi had stretched his contribution
into some killer renovations they were all enjoying.

She was
a genius. Everyone was happy. Business was good. Life was good.

He
was…bored.

Or maybe
he was just tired. Yeah, that was it. He was just tired from working nonstop
the past few weeks. His fatigue must’ve shown on his face though, because
Keiffer kicked out a chair for him while Ethan poured him a beer.

“Tyler
staying over at Dad’s tonight?” he asked his older brother as he dropped into
the chair.

“Yep,
they’re making tacos and watching a stooge-a-thon,” Ethan replied, shoving
Mason’s order of burger and seasoned fries at him, along with the beer. “So,
how’d it go today?”

“Good.
The photographer said he’d gotten so many great shots we’re going to be turning
people away. Of course, I didn’t have the heart to tell him all we needed was
fresh powder for that to happen.”

While
his brothers laughed, he dug into his food, grateful he was scheduled for
snowmobiling tomorrow, which afforded him ample time to fit in lunch.

“True,”
Keiffer said. “I can’t believe we’re sold out two weekends in a row. I was
supposed to help Greg with Stone’s car tomorrow, but instead, I’ll be spending
the day with a high school ski club from New Jersey.”

 “Get
used to it, Keif,” Ethan said, picking at his fries. “According to
reservations, our weekends, and most of our weeks, are booked solid for the
rest of the month.”

“Sweet!”
His younger brother held up his mug in a toast, and he and Ethan followed suit.

“Cheers,”
they said in unison.

Mason
returned his attention to his food, feeling somewhat better since he had a half
a belly full. It’d been a long day of a decent week, full of happy clients.
Most of them even knew how to ski. This saved him time and headaches, for which
he was grateful. All in all, the week had been successful, except for Jill’s
refusal on Monday. A puzzle he contemplated during down time.

When
he’d first walked into her store and caught her dancing, he’d been amused, but
her sexy moves soon turned his amusement into arousal—swift and strong.
Watching her sweet ass wiggle while she slowly squatted to crotch level sent
every ounce of blood rushing to his groin. He was stone cold stupid and rock
hard in seconds. The transition was almost painful. He’d never experienced
anything like it in his life. There was no way he could’ve even cleared his
throat to alert the woman of his presence. Need had paralyzed him to the spot
for a full two minutes, until he finally managed to blurt out,
You’re a
fireball
.

They
certainly were on fire.

 “Ben
just texted,” Ethan said, checking his phone. “Their bus just got in. They’ll
be here soon.”

He
nodded, and his mind returned to Jill and her rejection. She hadn’t been
baiting him, playing hard to get. Nor had she misread the invitation. On the
surface, it had been to help his nephew build a fort, but ultimately, the
request had been to spend time with him. She knew this…and turned him down
cold.

He had
no idea what to make of it, or why he even cared. She’d been truthful, and he
respected truth above all else.
Jesus.
He’d spent too much time thinking
about it this week. Time to put it to bed.

“I’m
guessing his mind is still thawing out from his day on the mountain,” Keiffer
was saying.

Mason
blinked, realizing too late both brothers were staring at him. “What?”

“I asked
if you’d heard back about that shipment of skis,” Ethan replied. “They were due
in yesterday.”

“Oh,
yeah.” He nodded, reaching for a fry. “I received an email. The weather caused
the delay in shipping. They’re arriving on Monday now, instead.”

With
their influx of clients this month, they were definitely in need of more skis,
even though most guests were die-hard skiers. Shit happened, and the past had
taught them to always be prepared. Just because clients showed up with skis,
didn’t meant they wouldn’t need another pair before their stay was over.

“I’ve
the feeling we won’t be recreational skiing for a while,” Ethan stated. “At
least, not on the weekends.”

“Lucky
me then, since I’ll be able to go tomorrow with those teenagers…and get paid.”
Keiffer grinned into his beer. “Besides, I can’t remember the last time we all
went out skiing together for fun.”

Ethan
nodded. “Me either. Might’ve been last February when Lea had challenged Ben and
the idiot was stupid enough to take her up on it.”

Keiffer
laughed. “Yeah, and had to do the dishes at Gabe’s the following night. Dummy
should’ve remembered she was a natural as a child, unlike poor Brandi. It had
taken her a lot longer to find her ski legs.”

“I
wonder if Jill skis. Do either of you know?” He didn’t think much about the
question until he caught his brothers exchanging a look. “What?”

They
shook their heads, but remained quiet. Keiffer was never quiet.

Mason
shrugged. “I was just curious if the woman knew how to ski. I can’t remember
her ever visiting during the winter. It’s no big deal.”

His
younger brother finally opened his mouth. “Hell yeah, it is! You haven’t
mentioned another woman since Renee, let alone showed the slightest interest.”

Too bad
Mason wasn’t thrilled with the words.

“He’s
right, Mase,” Ethan joined in. “You and I have already had this conversation.”

“True,
so you know this is where it ends,” he said, returning his attention to the
rest of his meal.
Christ
. It was getting so he couldn’t hold a normal
conversation with any of his brothers anymore. Not without them making a bid
deal out of something he said.

“Maybe
you should ask her.”

Jesus.
“Shut it, Keiffer.” He sent the guy a look.

The
idiot shrugged. “I’m just saying, maybe you can ask her if she skis.”

“It
doesn’t matter. Drop it,” he said through clenched teeth.

The jerk
leaned toward him from across the table. “Maybe if you asked her out on a
grownup date she wouldn’t turn you down.”

Cursing,
he shoved his empty plate away and stared his younger brother down. “Maybe you
should mind your own damn business before I mind it for you.”

“You
know what? Maybe
I
should ask her out.” Keiffer pointed to himself,
self-satisfying smile on his face. “That woman is smokin’ hot.”

“Yeah,
maybe you should…no, wait, scratch that. Leave her the hell alone. She deserves
better than your
wham, bam, thank you ma’am
.”

The
idiot was grinning at him. “You’re right, she does. She deserves you. So, what
are you gonna do about it?”

Why did
he feel as if he’d just fallen into a trap? He sat back and glanced from
brother to brother. “What’s the big deal about me and Jill all of a sudden?”

“The two
of you fogged up the windows, Mase,” Keiffer replied.

Mason
blinked at him, waiting for the goof to elaborate. He didn’t. “I’m getting
really tired of you insinuating I was necking with the woman while on state
activation.” He leaned toward the asshole, but his older brother placed a hand
on his chest to hold him back.

“We know
you weren’t,” Ethan said.

He sat
back and glanced from one brother to the other again. “Then what
are
you
both insinuating? We were in the middle of a snow storm with no heat in the
car. It was fucking cold out. Of course the windows were going to fog.”

“It’s
not about the windows fogging, man,” Keiffer said. “It’s about chemistry. You
have that with Jill. It’s great. For years now, women have been trying to catch
your attention—in some pretty creative ways, I might add—but you’ve always
ignored them. Until now. Until Jill.”

“We just
want you to admit there’s something different about her,” Ethan said, pouring
them more beer.

Mason
sighed. “If I do, will you let me the hell alone?”

“Yes,”
both answered in unison.

“Fine.
The woman intrigues me.” He blew out a breath. “There. Satisfied?”

Keiffer
shook his head. “We’ll be satisfied when you ask her out.”

Ah, hell
.
“You know I already did, and she turned me down.”

“That
would never have stopped the old Mason,” Keiffer said with a grin, lifting his
mug in a salute their older brother returned.

“True.”
Ethan nodded.

The
old Mason.

He held
back a sneer. That guy had disappeared along with his trust. He was no longer
the exuberant, fun-loving pursuer. Those days were long gone.

Keiffer
straightened in his seat, big smile splitting across his face as he glanced
past him. “Maybe he’ll make a reappearance tonight, Mason. Because Ben and Lea
are here…and they’re not alone.”

On
instant alert, his body stiffened as he turned toward the entrance. Sure as
shit, his brother was there, escorting two smiling women into the bar. Both
brunettes. Both beautiful. But only one kick-started Mason’s pulse.

Jill.