Rekindled: A Holiday Romance

by Victoria J. Best

  Our lips crashed together at her words and a loud whooping cheer rang out in the diner. We ignored them as we kissed. There was no one else in that crowded diner but Bianca and me.

  “Does this mean you’re going to stay?” I whispered to her as we broke the kiss.

  Bianca’s eyes shone with tears and joy. “Yes.”

  Epilogue

  Bianca

  “3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!” Everyone cheered as we watched the ball drop on the large screen at the front of the room.

  Garrett grabbed me around the waist, twirling me around before planting a sensual kiss on my lips that made me wish we weren’t at a New Year’s party with hundreds of other people.

  “I love you, Bianca Townsend, and I’m happy we get to start a new year together,” he said, leaning in for another kiss.

  “I love you too, Garrett. I’m happy I finally came to my senses and stuck around in Gandy’s Ridge.”

  “Bianca!” Shay called me from across the room and I turned. Her smile was radiant as she rushed towards me, my mother close behind. “You heard about the scans, right?”

  I nodded. “I did. Dad called me this morning.”

  Shay and my mom wrapped me in a group hug and we stood that way for a long time. The cancer was gone, for now, but Mom would still have to be on chemo pill therapy for another six months.

  “A new year and cancer free,” my mom said as we untangled from the hug. “And both of my girls are home for good.”

  We smiled at each other. These past two weeks felt like a blur of emotions and activity, but I was finally able to relax in relief that my family was whole again. After Christmas, Garrett and I decided to live apart for a few weeks and “date”, but I was quickly growing tired of living in my parents’ house. I spent almost every night in Garrett’s bed anyway, though we had yet to discuss moving in together again.

  “I think there are a lot of new and exciting things to come this year!” Shay squealed in excitement, clapping her hands, her eyes wide as she looked behind me.

  I spun around quickly, wondering what she was talking about. As I did, Garrett caught my eye where he was crouched on the ground. No, he wasn’t crouched, he was kneeling.

  “What’s going on?” I asked as clarity began to dawn.

  “I know it seems too soon, but technically it’s been ten years coming. I don’t want to waste any more time away from you, Bianca. Will you marry me?”

  My eyes filled with tears, the room blurring as I reached for him. “Yes!”

  The whole room erupted in cheers again. Garrett grabbed me and spun me for a second time. My heart was full of love and emotions as he slipped the beautiful vintage diamond on my finger. I was finally back where I was meant to be, even though it took a long time to get here.

  Stay Tuned for a Sneak Peak of One Night

  Book 1 in the One Series

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  One Night-Prologue

  As I walked up to the crowded club, the music was so loud, I could feel the vibration from the bass on the sidewalk. The line snaked almost around the corner and I cursed under my breath for not getting there sooner. I looked around but didn’t see Nicolette anywhere and I cursed again, hoping she didn’t stand me up for some random guy she met in the parking lot. Rubbing my hands over my bare arms to ward off the October chill, I reached into the pocket of my skinny jeans and withdrew my ID. The line began to move faster, and I wanted to be ready to enter and get this whole charade over with. It wasn’t like me to be in a club on a Saturday night. I preferred to be at home, in something more comfortable than the stilettos and shiny tank top I wore, sitting in front of the TV with a book and a glass of wine. I wasn’t a loner, but I didn’t like crowds either.

  Once it was my turn, I handed the bouncer my ID. He glanced at it before looking me up and down and wagging his eyebrows at me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes because he made me uncomfortable. He handed me back my ID and I quickly pocketed it before walking with purpose into the building. The temperature was significantly warmer, and it became apparent why as soon as I looked around. Bodies were everywhere—on the dance floor, crowded by the bar, and even standing in the middle of the walkways and stairs.

  Resisting the urge to turn and walk back out the door, I scanned the crowd for Nicolette, but her blonde hair and petite build would be hard to spot in the throng. After several minutes of scanning without success, I sighed heavily and began to walk to an area where there were couches, chairs, and tables. I glanced around again, to no avail; it didn’t seem as if Nicolette was in the club at all.

  Before I let myself get pissed at her for pulling one of her typical Nicolette disappearing acts, I decided to sit and order a drink, to see if she would find me. A waitress in a tiny crop top and equally tiny skirt approached with a pad and pen to take my order.

  “What can I get ya?” she asked, popping a piece of gum between her teeth.

  I hid my cringe at the sound and ordered a cranberry and vodka, despite my distaste for vodka. She disappeared back into the crowd towards the bar, and I sat back and took a deep breath. If Nicolette didn’t show by the time I finished my drink, I’d leave.

  Twenty minutes and another vodka cranberry later, Nicolette was still a no-show. I pulled my phone from my pocket, irritated and a bit tipsy, and began to fire off an angry text to her.

  Me: Where the hell are you? I’ve been waiting for an hour in this God forsaken place. I can’t believe you ditched me again?!

  I slapped my phone down on the table a little harder than I meant to and tossed back the remainder of my drink. Anger floated at the edge of my buzz, along with awareness of how dangerous it was to be drunk in a club by myself. Growling under my breath with irritation, I stood, before promptly sitting back down. I wasn’t just tipsy, I was drunk. Annoyed with Nicolette all over again, even though it wasn’t her fault I drank too much, I cussed her out under my breath. I knew better than to let her con me into going out, and I knew even more how much of a lightweight I was when it came to drinking.

  “Fuck it,” I mumbled before standing again, and headed towards the dance floor. If I was going to be drunk in a club, the least I could do was enjoy it.

  I watched her as she made her way towards the dance floor, her deep, auburn curls bouncing as she walked. Actually, I think I felt her presence before I saw her walk in, her aura pulling my gaze to the doors the second she sauntered through them. She looked around for a while but then finally moved towards the seating area and ordered a drink. Not wanting to lose her, and I wasn’t sure why, I stood and moved to the area of the dance floor where she once stood. She had disappeared into the crowd, and for a moment, panic seized me. I shook my head, unsure why I suddenly cared so much for a redhead in a nightclub.

  My need to find her aggravated me and even though I told myself I should head home, I found myself pushing through the crowd, searching for her. She wasn’t like my usual conquests. She was curvy and a redhead, while I typically went for the petite, blonde type. But there was something I didn’t understand, that drew me to her in a way I had never been drawn to another woman.

  I stopped short, ending my search as I found her gyrating in the middle of the crowd. She looked like a goddess, her mass of brick-colored curls streaming behind her, her hips moving with the music, and her eyes closed. I had the sudden urge to touch her, to pull her back against me and meet her rhythm. Before thinking it through, which I’d normally do, I moved other dancers out of the way until I was directly behind her.

  My hands planted on her hips, I pulled her back against me. She didn’t protest, but she turned and flashed me a seductive look before continuing to dance. My body heated with that one look and my dick hardened as she pushed her ass into my crotch. This was reckless, stupid even. If someone saw me… I cut off my train of thought and instead focused on the woman in front
of me. After all, it was only for one night.

  I sensed him before I saw him, the heat of his body against my back making me shiver despite its warmth. He seemed like a presence, or maybe a mirage, but when I felt his hands on me, I realized he was indeed real. His hands gripped my hips and pulled me back against his front, the hard length of him digging into my ass. I groaned silently at the feel of his hard body pressed against mine, the heat spreading between my legs. This was unlike me, but everything about this night was unusual so I didn’t fight it and instead reveled in being someone else for once. Turning, I looked up at him. I was taken aback by the beauty of his angular face, deep brown eyes and the deliberately messy curls that hung over his forehead. I almost gasped when he looked at me but instead, I looked at him with lust in my eyes; the vodka was making me bold.

  He pressed against me firmly, taking control of my movements and my hips. I’d never experienced anything like this and within minutes we were moving, dancing, towards a dark corner. The man spun me around, his dark eyes boring into mine; the heat and lust in them made me feel as if I could melt into the wood floor. He began to thrust his hips again, his dance moves more sexual than rhythmic, and he pushed me backward until my back was flush with the wall.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and he grasped my wrist, bringing them up above my head and pinning them there as I met his rhythm this time, thrust for thrust, gyrating my hips to the beat of the music. My body felt like it was on fire; the heat of him against me, the crowd of people and my own lust beginning to boil over in a crescendo that made me feel as if I were on the verge of orgasm. This didn’t stop me and I didn’t take any time to think about it. For the moment, I was happy the vodka was clouding my thoughts. I needed a night for myself—to relax, unwind, and not be myself. If this guy, in this club, on this night, was the answer to what was plaguing me, even temporarily, I was going to take it.

  His grip on my hips moved back and he cupped my ass, kneading his fingers against it as he pulled me tighter to him. My body was an inferno of sensation and I needed more, wanted more of him. Letting the vodka make me even more courageous, I pulled his head down to my level so I could whisper in his ear.

  “Let’s get out of here, somewhere more private,” I cooed. I didn’t recognize my own voice.

  His eyes widened for a moment and he seemed to consider my proposal. A hint of doubt crept into my alcohol-infused bravery but I didn’t let on. Finally, he nodded, slightly and almost imperceptibly. That was all the invitation I needed. Taking his hand, I weaved my way back through the crowd and to the door. All thoughts of Nicolette and my anger had faded to be replaced with lust for a stranger, and I didn’t dwell on the ramifications of that. In lieu of thinking, I pushed my way through the crowd to get outside, my only thought was where I should take him.

  I tried to ignore Monroe, my security detail, and the look he flashed me as he tried to keep up with me in the crowd. I was acting out of character and it was a big red flag for him. But I was a grown man who could leave a bar with a woman if I preferred and didn’t need the reminders from my security team about how risky it was. I gripped the woman’s hand; it felt small yet sure inside of mine, as we walked out into the October night. A shiver made her small shoulders tremble, and I let go for a moment to shrug out of my jacket and pass it to her.

  “Thanks,” she muttered. A little of the bravado from inside seemed to have seeped out of her because her voice sounded small.

  She reached for my hand again and I almost pulled back, not used to touching another so intimately, but since tonight was a night of firsts for me, I let her grab my hand again and lead me down the sidewalk.

  “Where are we going?” I asked her.

  She stopped and looked at me, her eyes really searching. It made me uncomfortable.

  “My car is this way, in the parking lot.” She pointed down the street.

  She began walking again, her sky-high stilettos clicking on the sidewalk. I didn’t walk with her and she was forced to either stop again or release my hand. Her eyebrows rose questioningly and a hint of nervousness showed in their greenish depths.

  “I have a car waiting up there at the curb,” I said, and pointed in the opposite direction. “It will take us wherever you want to go.”

  She considered it for a moment before nodding and I led her back up the sidewalk and towards my waiting car, relishing being back in control of the situation, even if just a little. When we reached the car, Monroe jumped out of the driver’s seat and opened the door. The woman looked at me with surprise but scooted into the car.

  It struck me I didn’t know her name, but it didn’t make a difference to me at that point. We weren’t starting a relationship, we were going to fuck, and I felt a pang at the realization I wasn’t entirely okay with that. But I pushed it aside and followed her into the car, sliding across the soft, leather seat until my leg was resting against hers. She looked up at me, and the lust that shone in her eyes inside of the club returned to replace the uncertainty that was present on the sidewalk. I knew exactly where to take her.

  “Monroe, take us to the hotel,” he barked at the driver as the car pulled away from the curb.

  “Of course, sir,” Monroe answered.

  The man reached forward, hitting a switch on the back of the seat that closed a partition between us and the driver, and I almost felt trapped in the small space. I looked up at him again. The lust that had cooled a bit on the sidewalk was back, my body heating all over at the contact between his large thigh and mine. He met my eyes and I swallowed with trepidation and anticipation. He was taking me to a hotel. I knew I should be alarmed or worried but so far, he hadn’t made any attempts to touch me minus our legs and holding my hand since we left the club. I felt strangely comfortable with him and it didn’t make sense. The urge to ask him questions had my mouth twitching but I kept it shut. This wasn’t a date. We were going to the hotel to sleep together, and I’d likely never see him again so there was no use in pretending this meant anything else.

  A twinge of regret gripped my chest for a moment but I let it go. I wasn’t this type of woman, and I’d never had a one-night stand before, but I didn’t care and I didn’t want to think about it anymore. Tonight, I wasn’t going to be Liza, the kindergarten teacher and Goody Two-shoes. I was going to be someone else, someone who wasn’t twenty-two and single without anyone waiting for her when she got home. Maybe instead of cursing Nicolette, I should thank her for standing me up.

  We rode in silence for a time, and for some reason, the anticipation and quiet made me shift uncomfortably as heat pooled between my legs. I wanted to touch him, to begin again where we left off in the club, but I was coming down from my buzz and without the liquid courage of alcohol coursing through my veins, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

  Cursing myself silently, I ventured a look at him again. He was staring at me; his intense brown eyes seemed to see straight into my soul. I tried to look away but he grabbed my chin and held my gaze. An embarrassing flush crept up my cheeks but I didn’t pull away from him. This was what I needed to do to get myself out of the rut of boring my life had sunk into and I wasn’t going to run from it. At that moment, I wanted him to kiss me, and my mouth tingled with the possibility. Instead, he let me go, and something in his eyes changed. It almost seemed like regret but that didn’t make sense, so I ignored it as just my imagination.

  The car slowed and stopped at the curb and the driver exited, opening the door on the opposite side of where I sat. My mystery man slid out first and after a moment of hesitation, reached in for my hand. Shyly, I held it out for him, because even though it wasn’t a date, this seemed more intimate than something you’d do on a one-night stand. He was too polite but also very detached, and I wasn’t sure how to act. The dichotomy of his behavior played with my mind and I wasn’t sure where we stood.

  Without releasing my hand, we walked up to the front doors of a hotel, where there was a doorman, but it wasn’t a name I’d ever heard
before: The Lorelei. The hotel was upscale, which made me feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t the type of place you’d take a one-night stand, more like the place you’d hold a business meeting or banquet, and the whole thing almost made me feel like some sort of high-class escort. It was even odder when we went straight to the elevators and bypassed the check-in desk. Rich people didn’t need a reservation. He probably owned the place.

  We stepped into the elevator and he punched the button for the penthouse. My eyes widened with surprise but he didn’t seem to notice. I looked up at him again, searching his face for any indication of what was going to happen next. When our eyes met, a shiver of desire slid through my belly and it clenched deep inside. Something about the way he looked at me made my insides quake. I’d never felt that way before, and it was unnerving and exciting, all at the same time. He stepped closer to me, turning his body so we were facing each other. My heart sped up with expectation and this time I knew he wasn’t going to turn away.

  He grabbed me around the waist, pulling me flush against him, before tilting his head down and capturing my mouth with his. A moan of desire was stifled against his mouth as he pushed his tongue between the seam of my lips, delving deeper in a move that mimicked another act, which made me tremble to think about. We traveled backward until my spine was pushed against the wall of the elevator. His tongue didn’t stop its exploration and the intensity and heat with which he kissed me made me feel weak with need. I wound my arms around his neck as he nipped and sucked at my lips. Heat flamed deep in my belly and it clenched with longing as moisture soaked my panties. I wanted him and if we didn’t get into the room soon, it was going to happen right here in this elevator.