The Christmas Match: Castle Ridge Small Town Romance

by Burton, Allie

  “And?”

  “Just something I’ve thought about.” He stared straight ahead, unwilling to show her his real thoughts. “In the future. Way in the future. I’ve got lots of skiing left in me.”

  He shut his mouth. He couldn’t believe he’d almost told Dani about his desire to go to college. Most people thought he was a stupid jock and he wanted to prove to them he could get his degree. He wanted to prove it to himself. He couldn’t attend school while traveling the world. Still, he’d read and he’d learned. He’d invested his money wisely, planning to pay for college in the future. The idea had been in the back of his mind for years.

  His first agent had stopped him from pursuing the dream. She’d wanted him out on the circuit, meeting sponsors, getting mentioned in celebrity gossip pages. She’d said it wasn’t the right time for him to be in his hotel room taking college courses online. He’d thought he had plenty of time. A couple of years had turned into ten.

  Walking back to Dani’s house, Luke flexed his leg and pain shot from his knee. He’d wanted to have his degree before the end of his skiing career. Now, he didn’t know if that was possible, because his career might end sooner than expected.

  Queasiness swished in his stomach. What if Dani thought he was foolish? He should’ve never said anything about college. She’d always believed in him in high school. Believed he could do better in school, believed he’d go pro, believed he’d conquer the world. More importantly, she’d made him believe he could.

  They reached her front walkway in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. He liked that Dani appreciated and understood incessant talking didn’t always have to fill the void. A lot of the women he’d dated were non-stop talkers. He hated it.

  Walking beside Dani to the front porch, he felt as if they’d gone back in time, except he was more nervous being with her now then he’d been in high school.

  His queasiness morphed to jitters, spiking similar to before a race. Officially, this was the end of their date. The old Luke would’ve been confident in getting a kiss.

  This mature Dani was different, and yet the same. Same smile, same laugh, same need to be egged on to a challenge. But she was more composed, more sophisticated, more able to hide her thoughts and emotions.

  He liked this Dani even more. She resembled the teenager with the confident core of a woman. Mysterious.

  Desire pulled taut. She stood in front of the same front door where he’d kissed her every night. The only difference was he didn’t have to worry about her dad flicking the porch light on and off as a signal.

  Luke moved toward her.

  “Thank you for lunch.” Her stiff tone was unwelcoming. So mature and adult.

  “Sure. No prob.” He sounded like a teenager and he didn’t want her thinking of him in that way. He amped up the charm flashing his successful-with-women smile, angling his body toward her, and lowering his voice. “We’ll have to do it again. Just the two of us.”

  “Not necessary.” She tried to insert the key into the lock.

  His charm wasn’t working on Dani. She could read him like a children’s book. “It would be fun.”

  “No, thanks.” Before she could try again the door was thrown open by Bri.

  “Hey!” Bri had tied her hair up in a ponytail and wore a sweatshirt and leggings. “How was the rest of your date?”

  “Good.”

  “Fine.” Dani put her keys in her purse. “Thanks.”

  “You aren’t going to ask Luke in?” Bri’s surprised tone seemed contrived.

  “I’ve got to work later.” While her mother’s sounded nervous.

  Bri glanced between the two of them sizing them up. “You aren’t going to kiss her goodbye?” Her voice rose in a challenge.

  “What?” Dani’s mouth dropped open.

  A devilish desire sparked through him. Bri challenged him to kiss Dani and he really wanted to. Dani is the one who’d told him their daughter didn’t believe they were on a real date.

  A perfect opportunity.

  “Of course I am.” He grabbed her arm, whipped her around, bent her over his arm and kissed her.

  The second his lips touched hers he forgot about the challenge or the show. Fire lanced from her mouth to his. He pressed harder, wanting more and she responded. She whimpered and the whimper echoed in his chest. His pulse pumped harder and he moved her body closer.

  “I’ll just close the door.”

  Brianna.

  She was watching.

  Everything inside him froze. His head cleared. So this is what it was like to have a kid. Disappointment about the constant prying eyes and questions switched to amusement and pride.

  This was what it was like to have a kid.

  His chest swelled. His heart ticked in a happy beat.

  Dani stiffened in his arms. She pushed against him.

  The door snicked closed.

  He set Dani back on her feet. Her expression scolded, making him believe she thought he was better than the way he’d acted.

  Her cheeks flagged red. Her eyes sparkled, matching his desire, and then flashed. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  He calmed his breathing and spoke in a casual tone, as if kissing her had been his plan. “Proving we’re really dating.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sitting behind the hotel’s receptionist desk, Danielle touched her tingling lips. Except her mouth couldn’t still be tingling. Luke had kissed her hours ago. It was the thought of his kiss making her mouth vibrate with heat. Only because it had been so long since she’d kissed a man. After thirteen years, any kiss would make her mouth tremble and her knees melt.

  Not just Luke’s kiss.

  Except when he’d kissed her in high school she’d had this same reaction, this same draw.

  She swiped her mouth. Impossible.

  She was too old and too mature to react to his kiss like a crushing teenager. She was an adult. An adult with wants and needs. Needs she hadn’t satisfied. Maybe it was time.

  But with whom?

  Luke.

  He was the only man she was interested in. Playing with Luke would be similar to screaming during an avalanche warning, bringing down an entire mountain of snow. Dangerous, and emotionally scarring.

  She reviewed the reservation schedule, trying to take her mind off her fake date and the fake kiss. When the phone rang, she picked it up without glancing at the caller identification.

  “Danielle. I’d need to see you in my office.” Parker’s voice crawled across the line.

  “I’m the only one working the front desk. Would you mind coming out here?” She hated when he acted like the boss. He’d been a friend for too long, and he wasn’t her immediate supervisor.

  Parker had been acting stressed for the past few months, not acting his normal self. He’d been traveling a lot, working on some major deal. He no longer had time for their friendly chats or get-togethers.

  “I need to talk to you in private. Ask Stacy to sit there for a few minutes.”

  Danielle re-gripped the phone. “Let me see if I can find her.”

  After she found Stacy and explained what she should do if someone wanted to check in, Danielle went to Parker’s office around the corner from the spa entrance. She didn’t know what he needed to talk to her about, or why it couldn’t be done over the phone or at the front desk. She knocked and went inside.

  “How are you?” Parker was handsome. He had the debonair-businessman vibe. Slim, well-dressed, smart.

  Why didn’t he attract her? Why was she attracted to rugged risk-takers? Men, or one man, who wasn’t dependable and wouldn’t stick around.

  “Fine. What can I help you with?”

  To most people in town he was the loner millionaire. To Danielle he had always been a good friend. “I wanted to talk. Check everything with you and Brianna is okay.”

  Danielle watched his mouth move. His kisses had never made her lips tingle. If only they had. They would’ve gotten married and raised Briann
a together. “Oh?”

  Standing, he indicated the couch. “Take a seat.”

  She perched on the edge of the couch. “Bri and I are doing great. We’re both looking forward to the end of the semester and Christmas break so we can spend more time together.”

  Taking a seat next to her, his expression pursed into disapproval. “I heard you’ve been spending time with Luke Logan.”

  Danielle started, almost slipping off the couch. She repositioned herself farther back. “I heard you’ve been spending time with Shey Webber from Webber Resorts. Aren’t they your rival?” Rumors flew about everyone in town.

  “Purely business.”

  “And Luke is purely none of your business.” Danielle used a stern tone. Parker had no reason for keeping track of her movements.

  “You know I’m only concerned.” His sympathy showed on his face. He cared about her. Always had.

  Knowing she’d used him thirteen years ago and how he’d saved her from embarrassment, she confessed. “I told Luke the truth. About Brianna.”

  “What? Why?” Parker’s lips went from pursed to rounded, surprise evident. “I thought we were keeping the secret forever.”

  We? The pronoun bugged her. She knew Parker cared. Caring as a friend was different than caring as a father.

  “Luke’s her father. He has the right to know.” Doubts forced her voice louder. “I should’ve told him years ago.”

  “You tried and he rejected you.” Parker sounded so harsh and righteous because he was worried. He’d seen her at her lowest.

  She wasn’t a scared sixteen-year-old anymore. She wasn’t judging through heartbroken emotions or hormones.

  “He didn’t reject me.” She’d thought that at the time. “There might’ve been a miscommunication.”

  “Either way, you decided it was best for everyone he not find out.” Parker had helped her make the decision. Back then, he’d been motivated by loyalty and friendship. Now?

  “He’s back—”

  “For good?”

  She shook her head, a sadness swaying with the movement. “I can make my own decisions. I had to tell him before he guessed.”

  “He’s not that smart.”

  She dropped her chin wanting to argue and explain. Luke was smart. He’d gotten good grades in high school, it just hadn’t been his priority.

  “Isabel knows. You know. Coach figured it out.” Danielle steepled her hands together and twisted her fingers. “It’s best this way.”

  He leaned toward her on the couch. “Why are you spending time with him?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business.” She huffed inside. “Luke agreed not to say anything to Brianna, but he wants to get to know her.”

  “How does that affect you seeing him?” The accusation in Parker’s tone scraped down Danielle’s spine.

  Right. That’s what this inquisition was about.

  Her cheeks heated remembering their arrangement. Their fake date and their fake kiss. “I agreed to pretend to date Luke so he could spend time with Brianna. It was the only way for no one to get suspicious.”

  “Danielle.” Parker’s voice softened. “Are you doomed to make more mistakes because Luke is back in town?”

  Her defensive shield was already up against Luke. She might be attracted to him, but she could resist him.

  “There’ll be no mistakes.” No more kissing. “Luke knows where I stand.”

  Parker took her hand. His other arm went around the back of the couch and slipped onto her shoulders. A friendly hug.

  Except the hug didn’t seem friendly. It felt as if he was testing her.

  He slanted too close into her space. Both his hands were on her body. “Let me help. You know you’ve always meant something to me.”

  They’d hugged many times during their engagement, and recently after his return to town. She let his hug linger, trying to place her emotions. Where was the desire to give sex another try? Why didn’t she flare with Parker so close? Why couldn’t she be attracted to him instead of Luke?

  Yanking on her hand, Parker brought her flush against his chest. Her body stiffened. She couldn’t think to react. Maybe she’d let the hug last a little too long. They’d been friends since grade school. He’d helped her when she was desperate. He helped her with this job. And now, she was in his arms because she’d let the hug linger.

  He was practically lying on top of her. His mouth moved toward hers. He was going to kiss her. A kiss that didn’t feel right and could change their relationship forever.

  She twisted her head away. “Stop.” She shoved against him. “Stop it, Parker.”

  He tumbled off the couch and fell to the floor. “Danielle, we could help each other.”

  Standing, she straightened her skirt. Tears burned and her heart lay heavy in her chest. She didn’t want to lose his friendship. “I’ve said I’m sorry about our engagement a thousand times. You have to forget about me.”

  Parker jumped to his feet. “Danielle—”

  “There will never be anything between us except friendship. I’m sorry.” She didn’t want to hurt him.

  “I know.” He glared and his cheek ticked. “As one friend to another, I think you’re making a mistake with Logan.”

  * * *

  After downing new pain pills his doctor had prescribed, Luke came around the corner from the spa after an exhausting double workout. He was sweaty, tired, and wanted a shower and his bed.

  He passed an open office door and stopped cold.

  The pain medication must be messing with his vision. Williamson and Dani sat on the couch in the office. Williamson had his arms around her in a hug.

  Luke swayed. He squeezed his eyelids tight to correct the vision. He opened his eyes. The image didn’t change.

  Williamson whispered something in her ear. His mouth was close to Dani’s. They were about to kiss. Dani didn’t protest. She allowed the hug.

  Invisible arms wrapped around Luke’s neck and choked him. He couldn’t breathe. Dani had said she had to work. He didn’t realize work included a make-out session.

  He wanted to bust into the room and demand an answer. He wanted to break their tryst apart. He wanted to crack Williamson’s face. Clenching and unclenching his fists, Luke controlled his rage. He refused to show them his jealousy.

  It wasn’t real jealousy. He didn’t care who Dani slept with. After their kiss this afternoon, he’d had hopes maybe they could have a meaningful affair while he was in town. Something more than hot sex and an awkward goodbye in the morning. Dani obviously had other plans. How could she pretend to date Luke when she had something going on the side with Williamson?

  Or maybe Luke was the something on the side.

  Whirling away, he stormed into the hotel pub and requested a beer. And another. He shouldn’t be drinking with the new pain medication, but he needed to forget the vision of Dani in Parker Williamson’s arms.

  He slammed the glass down and signaled for a third.

  Luke had dated enough to know he wasn’t the type to take away another man’s woman. And she’d confessed to worrying about town gossip. Well, dating two guys at one time would stir up a lot of negative talk.

  His head pounded, unable to erase the image of Dani in someone else’s arms. Another drink was in order. He signaled the bartender, who appeared a little fuzzy. Setting the empty glass on the bar, it fell to the ground.

  Glass shattered. Good thing the glass was empty.

  “How many beers have you had tonight, buddy?” The bartender grabbed a wet rag to wipe the mess. His actions broke into fragments in his vision. “Those holiday parties can be brutal. Where else have you been drinking?”

  “Only drank what you served me.” He’d only had three beers. He could drink a lot more and not feel this wasted. This new pain medication could be impacting his sight and hand-eye coordination.

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Do you know who I am?” Luke didn’t often pull the minor celebrity card. Rarely. N
ever.

  “I know you can barely hold yourself upright, you broke a glass, and you’re slurring your words.”

  “It’s not because I’m drunk.” He tried to sound offended except the words mixed together and came out jumbled. “I’m on medication.”

  “An even better reason not to have any more.” The bartender set a coffee cup on the bar. “How about coffee?”

  Probably a good idea. “I don’t want coffee.”

  “Hey Danielle. This guy says he only had three beers.” The bartender nodded at Danielle and poured coffee in the cup.

  Luke smelled her lilac scent before he turned his dizzy head to see her. The bartender sure acted friendly to her.

  “Thanks, Austin. Everything okay, Luke?” The disappointment in her voice made him want to squirm and hide under the bar.

  Men didn’t hide. He didn’t hide. Not from her or Williamson. “Dandy.”

  So not dandy. Her beautiful face broke into pieces like crystals of snow in the sun. Luke couldn’t focus on her face. Her hair was messed, probably from Williamson’s hands. She leaned against the bar next to him. Similar to how she’d leaned against Williamson.

  “Coffee is a good idea.” Her hands wrapped around the cup. The same hand that had wrapped around Williamson.

  Jealousy zapped Luke’s spine to steel. “I don’t want coffee.”

  “What do you want?” She sounded so reasonable, so nice.

  You.

  He pressed his lips together to stop himself from speaking. He had no right to be jealous. They were pretend dating. Just because he thought her kiss had made promises, didn’t mean it was real. What kind of promises was she making to Williamson?

  Luke’s lust and his jealousy roared. In his veins and in his cock.

  She was a tease. A flirt. Maybe he should take advantage of the situation. He enjoyed not-nice girls.

  “Are you having sex with him?” He hated that he asked. The beers and the medication loosened his tongue.

  Her sexy eyes widened. “With Austin, the bartender? He’s a little young for me.”

  Luke glowered at the guy behind the bar. He appeared barely old enough to serve alcohol. “No. Will—”