by Shyla Colt
“Hunting is a more appropriate word.” Rosaleen sighed.
“At least now we outnumber them two to one.”
Rosaleen laughed. “Always the optimist, huh, hero?”
“I’ve never been one to let go of the things I want easily.”
“And that includes me?” she inquired softly.
“Do you really have to ask?” He stepped forward into her personal space.
Her voice lowered. “A girl likes to hear these things.”
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her frame against his. “I never got a chance to tell you how amazing you look in this dress.” Leaning over her, he grazed her ear when he whispered, “Did you choose it for me?”
She shivered. “Yes.”
“In case there’s doubt, you are a top priority in my life.” He cupped her neck. She leaned back to look up at him, and he lowered his mouth to hers, unable to resist her full lips. Sighing into his kiss, she parted her lips, and he slipped his tongue inside, tasting champagne and fruit. Her mouth was every bit as intoxicating as the bubbly alcohol. He squeezed her left hip and tilted his head, delving deeper into her slick heat. Her hands came up to tangle in his hair.
Her nails scraped against his scalp. He moaned, and their tongues dueled. She moved closer, creating friction between them that made him twitch in his pants. Pulling away, he breathed heavily. Her whimpered protest forced him to put his desire in a headlock.
“When I take you for the first time, it won’t be in an office where we’re rushed and looking over our shoulders.” He rested his forehead against hers and massaged her neck. “Understand?”
“God. Yes.”
“Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll follow you in a few minutes.”
Nodding her understanding, she stepped away from him and walked toward the door. Pausing, she glanced over her shoulder and smirked. “I like this look on you, hero.”
“What look is that, sugar?”
She gave him an appraising once over. “Barely contained and losing that tight grip you keep on control.”
Her words took him by surprise, and his jaw dropped. Smirking, she winked before she slipped out of the door. Sassy. He fell deeper in like as she walked away with gently swaying hips, and he closed his eyes, forcing his brain to go blank, so he didn’t embarrass himself. Rosaleen made him feel young and smitten. All the old rules and worries went out the window when they were together. Things were developing fast, but he didn’t want to slow it down. When you know, you just know. He’d heard the phrase tossed around over the years. Now he thought he might be truly understanding its meaning for the first time. Am I letting attraction blind me? No. The things he found himself most drawn to had nothing to do with looks.
Calm enough to be seen in public again, he left the room, wondering if she felt the same way.
Chapter Six
Rosaleen
The restaurant was a cozy space. From its white exterior with green shutters and a large window to the gray walls with white trim, and matching wooden tables and chairs, it made you feel as if you were just over to your grandparents for a meal. The large glass case boasted a tempting array of baked goods and pies. Her stomach rumbled. I wish I was here for a more enjoyable reason. Moving toward the back, she spotted a refrigerated section with a tempting selection that ranged from chicken apricot salad to kale salad and roasted beets.
Ryan waved from a table tucked into the corner. Here we go. Standing straight, she walked over to the table and sat on the chair across from him. She spent the morning hunting up an outfit that would make him regret the way he did her wrong without looking like she tried too much. Black skinny jeans ripped at the knees were paired with a dark green silk shirt that crisscrossed hinting at the cleavage below. I’m showing my Slytherin side today. I’m going to need that cunning to deal with him.
“Afternoon,” Ryan said with a cautious smile.
“Afternoon.”
“I ordered a water with lemon, just how you like it.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I’m not sure how to start this really.” He toyed with the condensation running down the sides of the glass of cola.
“This is your show. I’m just the audience member.”
A perky blonde with cupid’s bow lips, and a name tag that boasted Tanya, joined them.
“Afternoon, folks. Can I get an order started for you?” Tanya asked.
“Do you need more time?” Ryan asked Rosaleen. No way am I prolonging this any more than I need to.
“No, I’m ready. Can I get an apricot chicken salad, please?”
“You sure can. And you, sir?” Tanya turned her attention to Ryan.
“I’d like to try the turkey meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes.”
“Excellent choices. I’ll get these orders started.”
Tanya left, and the awkward silence returned.
“So, how are you settling in?” he asked.
She’d play nice if he did. “Really well. You saw how the opening looked.”
“I did. The shop is beautiful. Very you.”
“That’s what I was going for.”
“I’m proud of you for making the leap and opening your own place.”
She bit her tongue, holding back the bitterness that welled up inside of her. Hadn’t their ending happened partially because she had her own plans?
“I know it’s hard to hear this and believe it, but I changed. Before we were ever romantically involved, we supported one another as friends. I’m sorry that I lost sight of that.”
Unused to hearing the s-word cross his lips, she leaned back against her chair and eyed him cautiously.
“You’ll find I’ve changed a lot since we last saw one another. I can’t blame you for being skeptical, but it’s true.”
“Hmmm.” She took a sip of her water and waited.
Tanya returned with their food, saving them from themselves.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” Tanya asked.
Rosaleen glanced at Ryan and shook her head. “I think we’re good for now.”
“All right. Enjoy, guys.”
Picking at their food, they avoided the conversation as she counted down the minutes of the required hour she had to spend with him. Pushing aside his half-eaten plate, Ryan cleared his throat. She set down her fork, placed her hands in her lap, and waited.
“I can see now how self-centered and highhanded my expectations were post-nuptials. I knew how much your career has always meant to you.” He sighed. “I think I was overwhelmed by expectations.”
She shook her head. “Of what?”
“All the things that are supposed to follow marriage. A home, children, continued career success. I wasn’t sure how we’d manage to juggle them all.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me this? Those are the kinds of things we should’ve figured out together. No one gets to dictate how our life should look. We could’ve made things work, the way we always did.” Confused, she eyed him warily. “Why come tell me this after a year?”
“I’m not ashamed to admit it took me months of soul searching to get to the root of my actions. I’d become so used to dictating orders to others and having total control that the idea of walking into the unknown spooked me more than I was willing to admit. You came into my life and threw all my carefully laid plans out of the window.”
“How? You were able to do just as much as you had been before we started dating,” she protested.
“I wasn’t looking for a serious relationship. That was to come later, if at all. I didn’t want to choose between my ambition and keeping a relationship intact.”
“Then why did we work all those years prior, Ryan?” She wasn’t about to let him off the hook.
“You were just as dedicated to your career as I was. I never felt like I had to pick one or the other.”
“Then what happened?”
He shook his head. “It was easier to push you away and sabotage what we h
ad than to try and fail.” He glanced down, and she sighed sadly.
“Oh, Ryan. Your pride was always your worst enemy.”
“I know that now. But I couldn’t see it then. I placed all the blame on you.” He looked up. “I apologize for that and the poor way I handled things. You deserved far better.”
“Thank you for that acknowledgment and the explanation.” A weight lifted from her shoulders. Some part of her had needed this closure. Realistically, she knew she hadn’t pushed him away, but a little sliver of her worried maybe she’d done some self-sabotaging of her own.
“I owed you this. I spent the first few months in denial, and when it truly sank in that we wouldn’t be patching things up, and I was miserable without you, I had to take stock of the situation. I went into a deep depression.”
His words shocked her. “It never showed,” she whispered lightly. The hardest thing to accept had been the way he seemed to carry on as if nothing happened. It made her question if what they shared had been real.
“Functioning depression. You look great on the outside. But on the inside, you’re a mess.” He shook his head. “When it got so bad, I struggled to get out of bed in the morning, I sought help.” He cleared his throat and shifted his weight. “It wasn’t an overnight fix. These things take time to work through. Eventually, I accepted my part, faced down my demons, and reset my life. I had to do it for me first. You understand?” He sent her a pleading expression. “Before I could dream of approaching you, I needed to get myself right.”
She nodded her agreement as Ru Paul’s voice sounded in her head. If you can’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love anyone else? Can I get an amen?
“That’s part of why it took me so long. The rest was nerves. You might not hold active grudges, but you never forget, and once a certain line is crossed, there are no second chances.”
She shrugged and pushed the salad around on her plate. He wasn’t wrong. “Look, Ryan, if you want my forgiveness, you have it. Life’s too short to let negative emotions weigh you down.”
He exhaled. A beautiful smile chased away the somber expression he’d worn for the past half an hour. “I’m so relieved to hear you say that.”
The sincerity in his voice was impressive. She could see the changes a year had wrought in him.
“If your goal was absolution, you can leave in peace. I never wished you ill will. I just wanted to know why. It was a mystery I had no way of solving.” She shook her head. Sipping from her water with lemon, she sat up straighter.
“What we built together was amazing, Ros. I’m sorry I ruined it.”
The sound of his nickname for her made her flinch. Pain remained, despite their clearing of the air. He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. Not wanting to cause a scene, she gritted her teeth and allowed it. “Tell me it’s not too late for us to give this another shot.”
He’s lost his damn mind.
“I’m sorry, Ryan, that’s not possible. There’s too much hurt between us, and I’m already involved with someone new.”
He frowned, stiffening. “What are you talking about? I read the article, and I was there at the auction. You’re single.” His grip tightened.
She tugged, pulling her hand free. “We wanted to keep things to ourselves for a while.”
“Any man who isn’t shouting your relationship from the rooftops doesn’t deserve you.” He scowled.
Rolling her eyes at his dramatics, she kept her voice even. “It’s complicated.”
“It can’t be serious. You just relocated.” The whine in his voice struck a nerve. Was he always like this? Love truly makes a person blind.
“It takes more than time to determine the depth of emotions.”
“Who is it?”
“That’s none of your business.”
He studied her intensely. “It’s Captain America, isn’t it? The blue-eyed brunette who bid against me for this date.”
She shrugged, wondering what she saw in him before. How she’d failed to see the arrogance and his inability to accept things that didn’t go his way. What once seemed like determination and grit felt like entitlement and ignorance.
“I don’t want to go backward, Ryan. Maybe one day a long time from now we could make a go at being friends. Right now, it’s too soon.”
“If you’re over us, why the hesitation? I could win you over again if you let me.”
“You can’t treat a relationship like a business. My heart isn’t a corporation ready to be taken over and run with an iron first.” She shook her head. “Thank you for dinner and the overdue conversation.” Opening her black purse, she rummaged for her half of the bill. Being beholden to him in any way wouldn’t feel right.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Our hour is up. I think we’ve said all we need to.” She placed twenty dollars on the table.
“Ros—”
“There’s no point in dragging this out. If I didn’t make my position clear enough before, allow me to do so now. I’m not interested in rekindling anything. I moved here for a fresh start, and I’m going to have that come hell or high water.” Slipping her purse strap onto her shoulder she stood.
“It’s been ... real seeing you. Take care of yourself.” She left him behind with zero regrets and not one look back.
ALARIC
Smiling down at the cherry wood crib that had become his secret project, he wiped the sweat from his brow. It felt good to be back in the shop. His dad stayed home to look over his mother, and he had all but ran from their house with flour still clinging to his hands. A shouted promise over his shoulder to return the next day bright and early, and his dad’s expert distraction skills had kept his mother from protesting. The contest had three dishes. The final dish was always pumpkin pie, but the other two changed frequently.
One year they’d thrown in a twist and added pumpkin spice latte. You could practice as much as you wanted leading up until the contest date, but the dishes had to be prepared in the presence of the judges in a day-long bake off. He didn’t want to embarrass his mom, but she wouldn’t be there to coach him every step of the way. He tried to retain the information she fed him. The pressure didn’t make things easy. His mother had done so much for him growing up, he’d do just about anything to see her happy. This was one thing he wasn’t sure he could pull off. Sighing, he returned his attention to the piece coming to life beneath his sander. Once it was coated and sealed, it’d be the perfect gift for his friends expecting their newest addition to the family.
A knock on the door drew his attention.
“Hey, boss. You got a guy out here asking for you.”
He frowned. “Customer?”
“Potential one maybe?” Josh shook his head. “I don’t know. He looks big city to me. I almost wanted to ask him if he was lost.”
Alaric snickered. “Give me a second, and I’ll be out there.”
“All right.” Josh knocked on the wall and left the way he came.
Setting aside the rough sandpaper, he brushed himself off and washed his hands in the sink. This is as good as it’s going to get without a shower. Declaring himself ready, he walked out into the main store. The sight of the tall blond who broke Rosaleen’s heart made him see red. You’ve got to be kidding me.
“I don’t think we have what you’re looking for here,” Alaric drawled.
“There’s only one thing I’m interested in is in this town. I figured I’d come by and see my competition.” He glanced around and smirked. “Can’t say I’m impressed or concerned.”
“Funny. I feel the exact same way.” He crossed his arms over his chest to keep his hands from balling into fists. Fixing an unconcerned expression on his face, he studied the cocky bastard. Everything from his leather loafers to his supple leather jacket screamed money.
“You could save yourself a lot of embarrassment by stepping aside now.”
“You realize she’s not a prize to be won, right?” Alaric tilted his head and scow
led at his attitude.
“But she is. There’s no one else out there quite like her. She’s an exquisite gem. If you can’t see that, you’re a fool.”
“I know she’s a catch. But I’m not the one who let her slip through my fingers. I’m aware of what she’s said to you. There’s no interest on her part, so why are you still here?”
“Women like it when a man proves his affections.”
“You’re way off base with this. If you knew her half as well as you seem to believe you do, you’d known Rosaleen is not that type to play hard to get so you’ll chase her.”
“And you know her so well after a handful of weeks?”
“I don’t have anything to prove to you. I will tell you this ... if you continue to pursue her against her will, we’re going to have a problem.”
“Says the man who hides her because he’s ashamed.”
“You’re grasping at straws, city boy. I suggest you think about where you are.”
“Are you threatening me?” Ryan asked, jaw flapping open and closed like a fish out of water.
“No, I’m just letting you know things work differently in small towns. We protect our own.”
“Rosaleen doesn’t need to be protected from me,” Ryan spat.
“That’s a matter of personal opinion. You outstay your welcome, and you might find hospitality will run its course.” It wouldn’t take much to spread the news of a disgruntled ex-boyfriend.
“Now who’s threatening who?” Ryan asked.
“Oh, I’m just giving facts.”
“This isn’t over, Bulley.”
“Way I hear it, it never started seeing as how my girlfriend has no interest in you.”
Ryan stepped closer. “You’ll find I don’t scare easily.”
“And I do? You’re the one out of your depth, and not wanted to boot.”
His nostrils flared. Alaric tensed, waiting to see what he’d do next. He’d never been one to shy away from a fight once it was started, but he never initiated. Please give me a reason to put you on your ass.
“We got a problem here, boss?” Josh asked.
“No, I don’t think we do. Do we?” Alaric asked.
