“No, there isn’t.” She looked out a window as they walked down the stairs and saw nothing but white. “But thanks to you, I’m fine.” She had to give credit where it was due. He was the one who had tried to warn them about the storm, and he was the one who had stolen that snowcat and driven it up the mountain. She still remembered hearing the engine, mere hours ago, followed by James worriedly shouting her name. Not Henry’s, not once, but hers.
The corners of his eyes crinkled and he shrugged. “Taking care of things is my job.”
She couldn’t meet that soft gaze of his very long without blushing and looking away. She had to watch it. She was with Henry now. There could be no room for confusion. “Well, I’m not very used to being taken care of.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame. Maybe someone should fix that,” he ventured softly.
She opened her mouth to tell him that was Henry’s job now...and it stuck strangely in her throat. She blinked at him, and swallowed, wondering what was going on. Come on, we already resolved this. Henry won. I should just tell James and let him go looking elsewhere. This isn’t fair to any of us. But the words wouldn’t come.
“I made you a little something for Christmas,” he said shyly. “It’s out in the Jeep. You mind getting a few more flakes in your hair?”
“Nah,” she said, wrinkling her nose with a little smile.
His eyes twinkled. “Good. C’mon. Best sip on that mocha before it turns into a milkshake on you when you go outside.”
Henry had gotten each of them a room a floor down from his. She had wondered at his choice, since clearly they had some new relationship energy to burn through yet, but figured that he didn’t want James to catch on quite yet. So, separate rooms as they waited out the storm. She went by her room to grab her overcoat and mittens, throwing the scarf on over her hair and shoulders. She then popped back out her door, nearly running into James in the process. “Oops! Sorry.”
“No harm.” He had caught the mocha before she could spill it, steadying her hand with his gloved one. She blinked up at him, and then looked down shyly. Oh come on. What is going on here? Embarrassed, she turned and walked down the hall toward the stairs, sipping more rapidly on her drink.
Outside, the temperature had plunged again, but the wind had died, leaving the snow dumping down on them in thick curtains that muffled sound and made everything seem strangely enclosed. They hurried together, down the sidewalk, toward his tall and slightly battered Jeep.
Anna was distracted thinking of Henry back in his suite, hoping he got his business done before anything happened to the cell tower. With everything else going on, she wanted him to be able to reconnect with his business and friends--that “civilized” world he had been cut off from for three days. She also hoped that he would call her to his suite tonight, for more beautiful, perfect--
Her feet slipped on the icy sidewalk and James darted forward to catch her, his feet firm under him. “Gotcha!” He held her until she got her feet under her, hands gentle on her shoulders. “You all right?”
“I…” She leaned on him a moment, catching her breath. He stood there, a warm, steady presence, though a tremor went through him now and again. “Thank you.”
He stayed there a moment longer than he had to. His touch calmed her and made her feel safe. It was so different from Henry’s, which made her feel giddy and nervous, almost a little drunk. She looked up at him, and there was that soft look in his eyes again. He drew a deep breath, and then said, “C’mon, it’s right over here.” But he kept his arm around her shoulders protectively as he led her to the Jeep.
He dug in the trunk and came out with a small flat box wrapped in a scrap of the Sunday comics page. “Here,” he puffed, snowflakes melting in the spikes of his hair as he stood with her under the temporary awning of the Jeep’s back hatch. He offered it, and she took it and unwrapped it quickly. Inside was a bracelet carved out from a cross section of tree branch, the ring divisions showing on its edges and where a filigree design was carved down its middle. “Toby taught me wood carving a year back, and I’ve been working on it off and on ever since.…” His growly voice hesitated a little.
“It’s beautiful.” She took off her glove and slipped it on immediately. It felt silky smooth against her skin, and she wondered what he had polished it with and how long it had taken. She had a sudden mental image of him sitting in his trailer by his woodstove, polishing the bracelet with chamois and wax, for hours maybe--and all the time thinking of her.
Her throat contracted and she hugged him suddenly, arms going around him and squeezing his big body as tightly as she could manage. He let out a little startled groan, as if she had punched him in the stomach. Then he wrapped his arms around her firmly.
She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, and felt her heart stretch in two different directions. And she swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. I think I’m in serious trouble.
Chapter 2: Betrayal
They got back as Henry was finishing up, bringing up takeaway cartons of breakfast from downstairs. The doors were thin, and as they approached, they heard him ending a phone call.
“How much for a half and half? No, that’s fine. I’m just glad you’re in town. Eleven o’clock okay? Great, great.” His voice was warm and easy, as if he was speaking to a friend. Anna knocked, smiling, her face still flushed from the embrace she had shared with the man walking behind her.
“Oops, gotta go. See you then.” He walked to the door and opened it.
“Hi!” she said, looking up at Henry adoringly. “We brought breakfast!”
Henry glanced from her face to the food to James, to the window again, to his phone. Then back to her. “Oh great, I’m starved. Come on in, guys, I’m done.”
They were all starved after their ordeal, and the brimming cartons of scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage patties and fruit salad all vanished in short order. “So did you get in touch with Toby?”
“Yeah,” Henry mumbled distractedly as he poked at the last of his eggs. “He caught a cold, poor guy. He’s trying not to give it to his Mom. But they’re happy they’re getting the house fixed.”
“Oh good.” She offered Henry a smile, but he had looked out the window again already. Anna blinked in confusion, a little hurt.
James went off to the bar around five to bend an elbow and socialize, and Anna took the opportunity to catch Henry alone. She closed the door behind her with a smile, and he looked up from his desk distractedly. He had been typing some long document on his laptop, but he saved and quit when she came in.
“Hey there,” she said warmly. She glanced at the laptop. “Hey, do you have work you need help with?”
“No, not this. It’s...it’s pretty private.” His smile looked strangely forced. He came over and brushed a hand through her hair, then hugged her lightly. She went up on her toes, hugging back, pressing against him affectionately. That thrill went through her again, as if what she was doing was slightly dangerous, and she nestled against him, practically purring.
“Well then.” She beamed up at him. “Got anything else you want to spend the afternoon doing?” Like me?
He kissed her intensely, pulling her hard against him. But after a moment, it was as if he tired physically and the intensity ebbed away. He hugged her, chin propped on her head. “I’d love to. But I got some news today I have to deal with. Medical stuff. Lots of paperwork.”
He had mentioned talking to his doctor, and she felt a jolt of alarm. “You didn’t get bad news, I hope?”
He hesitated but then he simply smiled and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing I wasn’t expecting. The timing just sucks, and it leaves me with lots of paper to deal with. I might need your help with some of it later. I’ll let you know.”
He shooed her out gently, leaving her standing, confused, in the hallway. Finally she sighed and went down to the cafe on the first floor to have dinner.
She loved Henry. He was wonderful, big-heart
ed, he did great things, and he made her laugh. He was exciting and sensual and so very amazing in bed. She knew he never dated seriously, and he had never once actually told her that he loved her. They just ended up making love and been affectionate with each other. That was it. And though it meant everything to her, she had no idea what it meant to him. Since they had come back from their interlude at the snowed-in farmhouse, he had seemed...distant. As if he might think the whole thing had been a mistake.
Then there was James. She thought of him and the light in his eyes when he looked at her, and his devotion and how he had proven already that he would do anything to protect her. The only thing that had ever been missing was that giddy feeling. But remembering those moments in his arms after receiving the bracelet that still hung from her wrist, she felt that slow, sweet warmth run through her, and knew that there was something there, too.
James. James would die before he hurt her.
Henry...she sometimes wasn’t so sure of.
She realized she was brooding over a cooling hamburger and got a to-go box, then went up to her room, suddenly exhausted. She hadn’t slept properly in days, aside from a truly awesome post-sex nap that morning. Now the afterglow was gone, and Henry was shut up in his room doing paperwork he didn’t want to talk about. She took a long shower, changed into the pale pink silk nightgown she’d bought before the shops started closing up, and curled up to sleep for a while.
She woke to the wind whistling and full dark outside, and looked at her phone for the time. 11:30. She had slept for over six hours. She felt better for it...but now that the exhaustion was at bay, her body made her aware of other cravings.
Henry. That glorious night and morning together came back in gorgeous detail, and she shivered, running her hand down her own side through the silk as she remembered. His smile...his hands...his mouth. The way he had gasped with pleasure as he had thrust into her. He had called out her name at climax, his voice transformed by ecstasy. He made her feel so good.
She got up, taking her key, and stole into the hallway, pausing briefly at James’s door. The light wasn’t on under it; he was probably still at the bar. She shrugged and hurried upstairs, her smile growing as she went. I bet he’s finished with his work by now. And I’m sure he’d love some company.
She practically ran down the hall toward his door. But as she got there, she heard something coming from behind the door that made her pause. His voice, low and deep and breathless.
“That’s good. Jesus, that’s good.”
Anna paused, a shock like ice water jolting through her veins. What?
Henry groaned, the sound lascivious and blatantly sexual. She heard a woman’s low, muffled chuckle. He went on, gasping out the words. “Just like that...yeah...yeah...oh God, you have the best tongue.” His voice shook.
Her heartbeat banging in her temples, Anna felt her whole body go cold and numb as she listened. Her mind protested but we just got together and her ears countered with that now familiar sound of Henry’s low, panting cries starting a slow spiral up toward climax.
“Ah...ahhhh...ahh, God, baby I’m so glad you were in town tonight! Ah...wait, wait...wait. Hold off,” he sighed. “Hold off.”
Anna stared at the door, something cold and barbed clawing away at her heart as she heard him talking quietly and sensually with a woman. A woman he knew, a woman who was not her. A woman she hadn’t known about, if that even mattered.
“There...no, take the whole thing off.”
“Okay. Like this? Here. Bet you’d like me bent over.”
“You bet your sweet ass. Speaking of which….”
Creak of bedsprings. Anna let out a soft sob.
Henry grunted and let out a low groan, and the woman gasped. Then the rhythmic slap of flesh on flesh started, going on and on and on.
Last night...was just fun to him. It meant nothing.
I mean nothing.
Blinded by tears, Anna turned and ran. No shoes, no coat, not even a robe over her gown. The bracelet rattled on her wrist as she bolted downstairs and into the deserted lobby, headed straight for the front door. Then out of it, into the snow.
The cold stung. The storm had abated for the moment, moon shining down through rags of cloud. She ran down the street, not knowing where she was going, only thinking that maybe the cold could numb the pain digging its way through her chest. The Christmas lights on the buildings gave the only color in the landscape; they blurred into bright streaks as she hurried past. Their cheeriness only made things seem worse, somehow.
She ran the first block; stumbled the second; finally fell to her knees on the deserted, snowy sidewalk and sat there, numb.
Henry...I love you...why? Why doesn’t it mean anything to you? She was good enough to sleep with, apparently, but not good enough to love. Not even enough to give her a few days before moving on to the next piece of ass.
She sobbed, wrecked inside, arms around herself. Her weeping cries bounced off the empty buildings, unheard by anyone. He used me. It was never special to him, not for a moment.
The cold pressed down on her, first hurting, then making her teeth chatter, and then slowly starting to make her sleepy. In the back of her head, she knew what that meant. In the back of her head, she knew that even if Henry didn't care at all, there were still people who would be very upset if she kept sitting out here instead of going back inside. But the rest of her felt locked in a silent scream of betrayal and anguish.
Her head lowered. Maybe it's better this way.
Chapter 3: Her Hero
Booted feet ran toward her through the snow. No, let me be she thought, but a man’s voice, harsh with anguish, called her name. Again. “Anna!”
James. She squeezed her eyes shut as he skidded to a crouch over her and scooped her up against his chest.
“Oh God, Baby, no, why are you out here like this?” She whimpered in response, and he simply stood and started plowing through the snow, carrying her back to the hotel.
She grayed out on the way up the stairs, her eyelids heavy, but he kept shaking her awake. “No, no, come on, stay with me. Don’t quit on me.” He held her one-armed as he opened his door, easily, shocking her a little. His chest was hot against her cheek, and she realized that he had taken off his jacket and outer shirt and wrapped them around her upon finding her.
When she came back to full consciousness she was naked and wrapped in a down comforter, the nightgown was drying by the radiator. James sat on the hotel couch next to her, propping her up while he held a mug of hot tea for her. She sipped at it, and felt it go down like lava before spreading out into a comforting warmth.
“Just drink,” he murmured. “Don’t try to talk.” He sounded relieved.
She obeyed, and eventually her hands were warm enough for her to grasp the mug and drink without help. He stayed there, running one big, calloused hand through her hair as he held her. His heart beat fast against her when she laid her head on his chest, and he didn’t budge until it was time to refill for her mug.
When he returned he sat at her feet, holding out the mug for her to take. His eyes held a mixture of tenderness, worry and anger. He took one of her feet in his hands and examined it, then started rubbing her vigorously from calf to toes, forcing sensation back into her feet and lower legs. It stung and burned, making her gasp, but he didn’t let up. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I have to get your circulation going.”
She drank the second mugful of tea to distract herself from the sensation in her feet, and then quietly set the mug aside on the coffee table. She rubbed her face, which stung a bit too, and sighed.
He finished rubbing her feet, and sat back, watching her. “What happened?” he asked softly. “If I hadn’t been coming home from the bar just then, chances are nobody would have found you until--” His voice caught. “After dawn.”
She looked up at him. I made a terrible mistake, she wanted to tell him. She had picked the wrong one of them, because her heart was a fickle, stupid, deluded thing and the
chance had been there. I made a mistake and then I paid for it. And then after that...I guess I went a little crazy.
“I’m so goddamn stupid,” she whispered, and started to sob.
“Hey, whoah...what the Hell, sweetheart?” He slid over and scooped the whole comforter-wrapped bundle of her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her. “Stop that. No you’re not.”
She buried her face in his shoulder and wept like her insides were thawing out through her eyes. Cold tears ran down her cheeks, and she clung to him, her fingers caught in the fabric of his shirt. He cradled her carefully, as if worried she might fall apart physically as well as emotionally.
BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: The Unforgettable Southern Billionaires: The Complete Collection Boxed Set (Young Adult Rich Alpha Male Billionaire Romance) Page 60
