Winter Kisses (Harlequin Kimani Romance)

by A. C. Arthur

  “I ne— Can you come—” She sighed. “Something’s happened.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Karena said, hanging up the phone and heading to her closet to grab some clothes.

  Less than the normal hour it took for Karena to drive from her house in Connecticut to Monica’s apartment in Manhattan, she was entering the glass doors, waving at Miguel and heading straight toward the elevators.

  Monica definitely did not sound right on the phone and Karena was getting bad vibes the closer she came to her sister.

  Karena rang the doorbell, because Monica hated when people knocked on her door instead, and waited impatiently for her to answer. When she did, Karena’s heart sank.

  “What is it, Monica?” she asked as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

  Monica simply pointed and Karena followed her gaze toward the bedroom. She started back there, looking to see Monica following her as if in a trance. When she arrived in the bedroom she saw wrapping paper thrown over the bed, a tipped-over box and a stuffed rabbit.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, turning to Monica. “What happened? Did somebody call you and upset you? Was it Alex?”

  Monica shook her head and took a deep breath. “It’s Yates. He wants me back.”

  “Who the hell is Yates and what do you mean he wants you back? Let’s just sit down and talk about this,” Karena said, moving to the bed and pushing the rabbit aside so she could sit down.

  Monica sat on the floor right where she’d been standing. She used both hands to run fingers through her hair and reached for the sanity she knew she possessed somewhere.

  “Yates and I met when I was a sophomore in college. He was an English professor. Not mine,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “That would have been way too cliché.”

  “Go on,” Karena prodded.

  “He was handsome and worldly and everything I thought I wanted in a man. He had a great position and he was moving up to the board of directors and making a name for himself in the community. He had political aspirations but wanted to first make his mark in education. When he first approached me I was in awe. Maybe it was because he was twenty years older than me, a man compared to all the boys at school, or it could have been how tall and completely good-looking he was. Whatever the reason, I should have known better.

  “But I was only nineteen. Thinking about meeting a mature man while I was away at college wasn’t really tops on my agenda. But there he was and he wanted me.” Monica shrugged.

  Karena watched her closely. “What happened next?”

  “He took me to dinner. French restaurants, Italian ones. We had champagne and fine wine and foods I could barely pronounce the names of. That’s when Yates suggested I take all the foreign-language classes, especially since I was going for a business degree. He was very well educated so I didn’t hesitate to change my schedule. It was perfect. He was perfect. And so I gave him my virginity.”

  Karena sighed.

  When Monica looked up at her she had tears in her eyes and Karena slipped off the bed to sit beside her sister on the floor. She took one of her hands, held it and remained quiet, letting Monica tell the story.

  “I gave him everything I had, Karena. Everything. He was my entire world and then he…he let me down.”

  “How’d he do that?”

  Monica cleared her throat. “He was married to some woman from a rich family or something like that. When she found out about us she called me to their house. I’d never been there, not in the three years Yates and I were together. He always took me to a hotel, which, silly me, thought was so very classy. Anyway, his wife wasn’t real happy with me, but she wasn’t surprised, either, said Yates always picked them young and pretty.”

  “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Karena said, pulling Monica close for a hug. Deena had said something happened to Monica when she was away at school. She’d come home acting distant and had only grown more cynical and judgmental in the years that followed. “He was an ass.”

  Monica choked out a laugh as she pulled away. “That’s an understatement. Anyway, he wanted to continue the affair. I said no. He didn’t like that answer and things got ugly for a minute.”

  “By ‘ugly’ do you mean physical?”

  Monica read the alarm in Karena’s voice and knew without a doubt Karena would tell her parents and Deena everything she knew. So even though she was telling her this much there were some things, some parts of what turned Monica Lakefield from a young, naive girl into an independent, self-preserving woman, that would remain a secret.

  “I mean it wasn’t an amicable separation. At one point he made some foolish threat that he’d never see me alive with another man.” Monica was shaking her head. “I haven’t been with anyone so I don’t really know why he’s surfacing now. But I know it’s him. He used to call me his little bunny. Only Yates would send me that,” she said, pointing to the rabbit on the bed.

  “Wait a minute. Did you say his name is Yates? Yates Hinton?”

  Monica looked alarmed. “How do you know him?”

  “He’s been calling your office nonstop. Adonna gave me his number to see if I could help him with something. We thought it was gallery business.”

  Monica shook her head. “No. It’s personal. The singularly biggest mistake I’ve made in my life.”

  “No. The biggest mistake you made is not telling us about this when you came home. Monica, we’re family. You should have known you could trust us. If not Mom and Dad, at least me and Deena. We knew something had happened to you, but you were so closed off about it. I just wish you would have opened up sooner.”

  “I know. I apologize for that. Keeping the secret has been hard on me, too. Living the life I’ve had to live, protecting myself from ever getting mixed up like that again, it’s all been really tough.”

  “So you said his threat was if you ever saw another man, which you made sure not to do all these years. Why’s he back, then?”

  They both looked at each other.

  “I’m not ‘with’ Alex. This week was just a fluke. Yates couldn’t have known about that,” Monica started to say then remembered almost being run off the road and the break-in at the hotel. “Oh, my God,” she whispered, putting a hand to her chest.

  “What? He knew, didn’t he? He knew about you and Alex. But how?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s only been three days, three freakin’ days. How did he find out that quick?”

  “Actually, it may have been before that,” Karena said. “There were pictures all over the tabloids at Deena and Max’s wedding. You and I were in the wedding along with Alex. There must have been a shot of the two of you together.”

  “But that didn’t mean we were a couple. Damn, it was just a picture.”

  Karena looked skeptical. “Yeah, but I remember how the two of you looked that night. When I saw you talking alone I could tell there was something going on between you. We all could. That’s why we thought it would be a good idea to set you up in Aspen. It was clear that you were attracted to each other.”

  She wanted to deny it. Oh, how desperately did Monica want to deny there was something between her and Alex even back then. But it was futile and denial was fast becoming too big a part of her life.

  “Dammit!” she yelled and stood from the floor. “After all these years of being by myself, of not letting any man near me for whatever reason, he’s been watching all along. Waiting for me to move on, hating that I might actually get over him. Dammit!”

  “Don’t do this, Monica. Don’t let him win. You are entitled to a life without his lying, cheating ass. To hell with him! We’ll have him arrested for stalking and harassment and see how he likes sitting in a cell for a while.”

  Monica shook her head. “No. The news would get out—it would spread. We’re trying to expand the gallery, Karena. The last thing we need is bad press.”

  “Are you serious? You really think the gallery is more important than you standing up to t
his idiot? Monica, think about what you’re saying.”

  “I know exactly what I’m saying. I’ll contact him. We’ll talk and this will be put to rest, finally. But I don’t want this getting out. I don’t want Mom and Dad to know and I definitely don’t want it in the papers.”

  “How do you plan on doing this, then? Maybe we should ask Sam for help?”

  “No! The less people that know about this the better. I know you’ll tell Deena and that’s fine. But nobody else. Promise me, Karena, that you won’t tell anybody else about this.”

  Karena was more than reluctant. She wanted to run home and tell Sam so he could do his investigator thing and find this Yates Hinton. Then she wanted Sam to tell Bree’s brother so Cole could use his badge to have the bastard arrested. Then, and this was the best part, she wanted to see the guy herself so she could slug him just once for hurting her sister all these years.

  But looking at Monica, for once in her life a vulnerable and frightened woman, Karena couldn’t do it. She couldn’t contribute to her sister’s heartache. It just wasn’t going to happen.

  “Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut.” After Monica breathed a sigh of relief she added, “But if this gets out of hand, Monica, I’m telling Sam and Mom and Dad. I won’t let you be hurt again. Understand?”

  “Don’t worry. It won’t get out of hand. I’m going to deal with Yates Hinton once and for all.”

  Chapter 18

  “Bad news,” Sam said the moment Alex answered his phone. “Yates is in New York. His credit card was just used at a hotel in midtown Manhattan.” Karena had given Sam Yates’s name when they texted earlier.

  Alex cursed, slamming his palm on the steering wheel. “Has he tried to contact Monica?”

  “I think so. Karena got a call from Monica late last night. She hurried over to her apartment and spent the night. When Karena called me last night she only said Monica wanted some company, which we all know is not like Monica. I’ve talked to Karena a couple of times today but she hasn’t said anything about Monica except that she’s fine and in the office. Now, my thought is either Monica had a message from Yates when she got home or he called after you left. Either way it’s not good news.”

  “No, that’s not good news. Listen, I’ve got a meeting with the distribution guys in about twenty minutes. Do me a favor and keep that tail on Monica until I can get into the city.”

  “Done,” Sam said with a nod. “You know she’s going to bust your ass for interfering.”

  “She’s going to learn that I’m tougher than her words and chilly looks. I’ll call you as soon as my meeting’s over for an update.”

  “No problem.”

  Sam disconnected the line and rubbed a hand over his stubbly chin. There was a big problem, one Alex hadn’t mentioned either time Sam had spoken to him in the past two days.

  The matchmaking had proved effective, at least on one person’s behalf. He’d known the Bennetts for a while now and if there was one thing he was absolutely certain of, it was that Alex Bennett loved fiercely and he protected what he loved with everything he had. With that said, there was no doubt in Sam’s mind that Alex was in love with Monica. God only knew how Monica felt about that or if she even knew.

  The door to Monica’s office was closed. She sat at her desk staring at yet another prettily wrapped box. This is what she’d been doing for the past ten minutes.

  Her meeting with Karena had been taken in Karena’s office because Monica didn’t want to be bombarded with calls and interruptions until she was finished. When it looked as if everything on Karena’s end was under control Monica headed to her office.

  It was after two o’clock and she was feeling light-headed since she had yet to have lunch. She had stopped at Adonna’s desk, picked up messages and listened to her assistant give her the rundown of what had happened since she left.

  “And this guy, his name’s Yates Hinton, he called about a million times. He just kept asking for you over and over again, wanting to know when you’d be back, where you were. It was weird.”

  “Yes,” Monica said, keeping her eyes focused on the messages she flipped through even though she wasn’t reading one word that had been written. “Weird.”

  “He even came in one day and dropped off a package for you. That was beyond weird because he’d just called, like, two hours ago and then he shows up.”

  Monica lifted her head. “He was here?” she asked slowly. He’d been in her house and now he’d been to her office. She had to put a stop to this.

  Adonna nodded. “I told him I don’t know how many times that I didn’t know when you were returning or where you’d gone. Finally I had to call Karena. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No. Don’t worry about it, Adonna. I’ll handle him.”

  “So you do know him? I wasn’t sure since he’s not in your contacts. Karena didn’t seem to know him so I was almost positive he wasn’t some long-lost relative.”

  Adonna could talk for hours, this Monica already knew and didn’t appreciate on a normal day. Today, with her head throbbing, her eyes feeling scratchy from getting zero sleep last night and her stomach growling, Monica couldn’t stand it at all.

  “Adonna,” she said, trying valiantly not to yell and risk splitting her head right in two, “it’s all right. I’ll take care of Mr. Hinton. If he calls again, put him through.”

  “Oh, okay, Ms. Lakefield.”

  “I’ll take these messages and start making callbacks. Can you order me a tuna on wheat toast with lettuce and a diet soda?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  That was a lie, Monica thought as she moved to her office. Her life was full of problems. One of which she was getting ready to confront.

  Now, ten minutes later she was still sitting in the exact same spot she’d fallen into the moment she saw the box.

  She should just open it, see what it was then throw it out, just like she’d done with the rabbit. Or rather, like Karena did with the rabbit last night.

  “To hell with this,” she said, picking up the box and dropping it into the trash can beside her desk. It didn’t fit and the box and the trash can fell over.

  She cursed just as Adonna buzzed into her office.

  “Yes?” she answered tersely.

  “Yates Hinton on line two.”

  Monica froze. Bent over, arms extended, hands reaching for the trash can and the box. “Fine. I’ll take it,” she replied.

  As she sat up in her chair she took a deep, steadying breath and looked at the phone. One of her lines blinked red. On, off, on, off. It was Yates Hinton. The man she had thought she loved and knew now that she hated.

  She reached out, grabbed the receiver and punched the button next to the blinking light.

  “Monica Lakefield,” she said in her coolest businesslike voice.

  “It’s so nice to hear your voice again, Bunny.”

  She couldn’t say the same to him. It wasn’t nice to hear him again. It was eerie and inappropriate and just damned irritating.

  “What do you want, Yates?” she asked simply. There was no need for niceties.

  “I want what I’ve always wanted. You.”

  “That’s over and done with. Can I do something else for you?”

  “Did you like the gift I left at your house?”

  “Breaking and entering is so unlike you. I thought you Southerners were bred with better manners.”

  “I delivered one to your office, too. Have you opened it yet?”

  “No,” she said then felt a chill ripple down her spine.

  “I don’t want any gifts from you, Yates. And while we’re on the subject, you can stop calling my office. We have nothing to talk about.”

  “But you’re wrong. We have lots to talk about,” Yates said seriously.

  “Like what?”

  “Like that man you’re seeing.”

  Her heart thumped and Monica swallowed. She rested her elbows on the desk, held the phone with one hand and pinched the bridge
of her nose with the other. “I’m not seeing anyone.”

  “Oh, but you are. And I know who he is.”

  She didn’t say a word.

  “Do you remember what I told you before you left South Carolina, Bunny?”

  She was shaking her head but didn’t speak.

  “I told you I’d kill you before seeing you with anyone else.”

  “Yates,” she said, her voice an achy croak.

  “The thought of him putting his hands on you has made me sick these past couple of days. I can’t eat or sleep from wanting to rip his throat out.”

  His voice had changed, too. It was high-pitched and the Southern drawl was all but lost. He sounded almost frantic.

  “I don’t owe you any explanations. Why don’t you just go home to your wife?”

  “Don’t do that, Bunny. Don’t try to bring her into this. Roslyn has nothing to do with us.”

  “There is no us, Yates. Remember? Because there is a Roslyn. You were married the entire time we were together. You lied to me and you hurt me.”

  “It wasn’t intentional. I told you that.”

  “I don’t give a damn what you told me. You lied and you betrayed me. So I don’t have anything else to say to you. Ever!”

  Monica slammed the phone down and sat back in her chair. It rolled a little with the action and she let her arms fall to her lap. “Dammit. Dammit. Dammit!” she screamed then kicked the box until it skittered across the floor and slammed into the wall.

  Chapter 19

  Alex heard the noise as he lifted his hand to knock on Monica’s office door. So instead of knocking he opened the door and walked inside, only to stop just short of a rolling trash can coming his way. He dropped a foot down on the runaway trash can, stopping it in its trek.

  “Hello,” he said, looking at Monica with a half smile. “Having a bad day?”

  “Wondering why I was in such a rush to come back from Aspen,” she mumbled. “Sorry.”

  Alex closed the door, picked up the trash can and walked toward her desk. He put the trash can down beside it and continued to where Monica was sitting, turning the chair so that she could face him.