Love In Moments: An opposites attract hockey romance (Love Distilled Book 2)
Page 24
The icing on the cake was the trip to Sweden. They were to spend it travelling the length of the country, starting with Stockholm, and ending in Luleå at his parents’ home. Anders had warned her there would be less to do in the large shipping town, but she didn’t care.
She was in Europe.
A valet grabbed their cases and Anders reached for her hand. “You’re so freaking cute,” he said through a yawn.
“You’re so tired,” she said, placing her hand on his bicep. “I slept like a baby on those pullout bed things on the airplane.”
“I know. I heard you snore.”
Olivia huffed. “I did not snore. But you have to admit, it was cozy.”
“I’m twice your size, Liv. What’s cozy for you is a tight squeeze for me.”
“Fair,” Olivia agreed. “Oh my god, Anders, look at this place.” Long sofas in crushed turquoise velvet sat next to whiskey-colored leather wingback chairs draped in fur throws. Ginormous art pieces hung on the walls. It was regally plush.
“Enjoy it while you can, we’ll be in the tiny double in my old bedroom in a week. Karl and I have tried three times to persuade Mom and Dad to let us buy them a bigger home, but they’re too settled now to move.”
“And I’m sure it will be just as lovely as this.”
Anders laughed. “I love your optimism. The bed in my room squeaks like a motherfucker. If we want to make out, we’ll have to do it on the floor or wait until my parents have gone out.”
“Mr. Berg,” the concierge said as he hurried over to greet them. “Here is your key. Everything is arranged as you asked. Your suite number is inside the card, and let me show you where it is.”
One thing Olivia would never get used to was the way Anders’s status opened doors. They’d been fast tracked through the airport in Denver and had access to a private lounge. They’d been offered the same service in Stockholm. It still felt strange to see people ask for photographs with him, because to her he was simply Anders. Sometimes she felt like telling young girls who fangirled over him that he constantly missed the laundry basket with his dirty clothes and had an aversion to emptying the dishwasher.
But then, he always filled her car with gas on Sunday afternoons and cooked such healthy food for the two of them that it all balanced out.
“Would you like me to show you the amenities?” the concierge asked.
Anders shook his head. “We’ll be fine.”
The valet had followed them with their cases, and he placed them in the hallway. As soon as the door clicked, Anders backed her up against the wall and kissed her. “Welcome to Sweden,” he said before kissing her again.
Olivia slid her hands around his neck as Anders lifted her and carried her to the bed. “Do you want to take this to the shower first? I feel like I’ve been in these clothes for days.”
Anders shook his head. As he carried her through the living room with its deep velvet sofas and piles of plush cushions, she noticed a cart with what looked like a bottle of champagne on ice on it.
And as they entered the bedroom with a huge four-poster bed and windows that looked out over the water, she spotted a huge bouquet of flowers on the dresser.
“I want you now, Liv. In this bed. In Sweden. And I really don’t care when you last showered, or ate, or brushed your teeth. I just want to fuck you and then fall asleep with you in my arms for a couple of hours.”
“In that case,” she said, pulling her arms out of her denim jacket.
Twenty minutes later, they both lay sprawled and gasping on the plush white comforter. The pillows had been kicked off the bed, Anders’s hair was askew, and Olivia lay at such an angle that her feet were hanging off the edge.
Anders ran his fingers lazily up and down her spine, and Olivia could feel herself giving in to sleep. “I don’t want to move,” she muttered. “But if I fall asleep here, I’m going to lose feeling in my feet.”
Anders rolled to his side and grinned. “I’m never going to get tired of doing that with you, älskling.”
Olivia turned her face to look at him. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of you doing it with me.”
With a groan, Anders climbed off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom to deal with the condom, and then opened the suitcase. “Toiletry bag and PJs?”
“Please.” Olivia willed herself off the bed, taking her toiletry bag when Anders offered it. The toothpaste felt like heaven, as did the cold water on her face. She was just pulling on her pajamas when Anders walked in, wearing his gray shorts.
“The lucky shorts made the trip?” she asked.
“Of course. They are essential when I need luck on my side.”
His words didn’t make total sense, but they were both exhausted, and she knew Anders’s English wasn’t as strong when he was close to falling asleep.
She pulled the large curtains in the bedroom closed. Daylight still crept in around the edges, but the darkened room would be more conducive to a nap. “I think we should set an alarm so we don’t sleep too long,” she said, walking to the next window. “Like maybe a couple of hours, then get up and go explore for a little while before lunch.”
Olivia closed the final curtain, aware that Anders hadn’t answered.
When she turned, she found Anders on one knee, holding open a ring box, and her heart exploded in her chest. A sound so loud she could hear it. Oh, god.
“Liv. It’s been eight months since I met you. And I know it’s fast. But I’ve never met anyone like you. And I hope you think I’m as good for you as you sure as hell have been for me. I want to spend the rest of my life challenging you and being challenged by you. I want to spend the rest of my life being grounded in the here and now by you, and I’ll hold you in the here and now, so you don’t slip back into the past. And if those demons come back for you, I swear to god I’ll help you slay every last fucking one of them.
“You once made me promise that I wouldn’t propose on the ice of a big arena on a big day. Well, it’s a Tuesday in the middle of the off-season. It’s just you and me. And I’m wearing my lucky shorts because while I hope this is a sure thing, it might not be. I love you. Will you marry me, Liv?”
Olivia had heard that when you died, you saw all the past events of your life flash before your eyes. But nobody had told her that when Anders proposed, she’d see her entire future. Family, hockey, travel, and the distillery. It all blurred into one story, and at the center of it was the man before her.
Yes, people might think it was crazy or too soon. But those weren’t people she wanted or needed in her life.
She placed her hands on either side of Anders’s cheeks. His eyes were wide, and she could see the hint of nerves in his rounded shoulders. “Yes, Anders,” she spluttered. “Yes, to all of that. Of course I’ll marry you.”
They kissed. She cried. Anders picked her up and swung her around. It was minutes before she realized she hadn’t even looked at the ring. “The ring . . . I didn’t see it.”
Anders let go of her and pulled the ring out of the box. “If you don’t like it, we can change it.”
“Are you kidding me,” Olivia said, as he slid the cushion cut diamond with its diamond-encrusted band on her finger. “It’s stunning.”
“Apparently, cushion cut stones aren’t as obviously sparkly as round diamonds, but their fire is so much brighter. And once I heard that, it made me think of you.”
The ring fit perfectly, and Olivia rushed to the window to reopen the curtain so she could see it properly in the daylight. What did she know about diamonds? To her, the ring sparkled unlike anything she’d ever seen.
Anders slipped his hands around her middle, pulling her back to his chest.
“I asked Jake and Em. It seemed appropriate that I should ask them, seeing how close you guys are.”
Her heart was close to bursting at his thoughtfulness.
“Thank you, Anders.”
“You want champagne to celebrate?” Anders asked, trying to hide a yawn.
> Olivia shook her head. “Not really. I think I want a nap. With my fiancé. And then I’m going to let you take me out in this sunshine so I can watch my ring sparkle some more.”
Anders kissed her gently. “That we can do.”
Thank you
I hoped you loved Anders and Liv’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
But, I know you are wondering what happens to Jake, right? Well, let me tell you… When Jake Dyer falls, he falls hard.
Love in Secrets, Jake and Cassie’s story, is a steamy friends to lovers romance.
Good news! It’s available on June 8th, 2021.
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Read on to learn more:
Master distiller, Jake Dyer, is doing everything he can to keep his family-run gin distillery in business. Working seven days a week to maintain production volumes while overseeing a complex renovation of the distillery keeps him busy. There is no room for anything else in his life, especially not Cassie Cunnigham, his childhood friend, and daughter of the owner of the construction company completing the renovation.
Cassie Cunnigham hates leaving her project management job with a New York construction firm to return to Denver after a decade away. But when Jake Dyer calls to tell her about her father's accident, she has no choice but to go home for six weeks to run his small construction firm in his absence. With her New York boss threatening to fire her if she doesn't return, and her father pleading with her to stay, Cassie feels as though the men in her life are taking decisions out of her hands.
All except Jake, who is no longer the gangly-teen she left behind. And it doesn’t help that Jake can't keep his eyes, or hands, off her, either. When friendly reunions turn heated in secret, Jake and Cassie convince themselves that friends-with-benefits sounds like a whole lot of fun.
But as walls go up in the distillery and refuse to come down from around Cassie’s heart, Jake wonders if he and the woman he’s falling in love with will ever add up to anything more.
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About the Author
Scarlett Cole is a contemporary romance author that calls both Toronto, Canada and Manchester, England home. A born city dweller, she periodically quashes the urge to live in the country by hiking up a mountain to remind herself that living away from people would terrify the pants off her.
She believes everybody deserves their love story to be told and loves her heroes on the rough and rugged side…and usually tall (because she married one of those 6ft 6” men you read about in romance!). She’s an A-type personality and Scorpio star sign, so good luck getting her to do anything she doesn’t want to.
When she isn’t writing, she’s happy to talk hot men and expensive shoes while drinking a cold gin and tonic. Don’t bring up olives. As far as Scarlett is concerned, they are the devil’s food. As long as you don’t bring up olives, she’s happy to hear from any time.
Also by Scarlett Cole
Love Distilled Series
Love In Numbers
Love In Secrets
Preload Series
Jordan Reclaimed
Elliott Redeemed
Nikan Rebuilt
Lennon Reborn
Second Circle Tattoos Series
The Strongest Steel
The Fractured Heart
The Purest Hook
The Darkest Link
The Greatest Risk (Novella)
Love Over Duty Series
Under Fire
Final Seige
Deep Cover