Winter's Heart

by Warneke, A. C.

  He towered over her, invading her senses and her space until she wasn’t sure if he meant to intimidate her or seduce her. With a tight smile and hard eyes, he rasped, “Wanna know a secret?”

  Not trusting his cool smile, she took a step back and asked, “Will it get me in trouble?”

  “Only if you tell anyone.” He took a step towards her and they were closer than they were before. His eyes zeroed in on her and it was as if he was peering into her soul, debating whether or not he was going to claim it for his own.

  “Maybe it would be better if you didn’t tell me anything,” she said in a pathetically breathless voice, trying to take another step back and finding the desk in her way. Her breath hitched in her throat as his eyes darkened and his aura seemed to swell until she was surrounded by him, basking in his heat. As desire and fear mixed together within her, her heart raced frantically in her chest. Rationally, she knew he wasn’t really flirting with her but her body didn’t get the message.

  “But you already know it,” he crooned, closing the non-existent distance between them and reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her face. His fingers lingered against her temple and she had to remind herself how to breathe. Bending his head until his lips were right next to her ear and his breath danced over her skin, he whispered, “Storm is my son.”

  “Uh huh,” she managed, his scent curling around her, drugging her, pulling her under and making her forget what they were talking about. Her eyes drifted shut as his warm breath moved over her neck and she wanted impossible things.

  His lips brushed over the shell of her ear as he continued whispering, “Missy wanted a child and chose me because of my,” he huffed out a harsh laugh as he rubbed his hewn jaw. “Pretty face.”

  “It is very pretty,” she murmured, tilting her head back and looking at him. “But surely there was more to it than that? I mean, once she spent five minutes with you she must have fallen madly in love.”

  He huffed out another laugh, this time less harsh and more unexpected. Taking a step back, giving her space to breathe, he smiled down at her, “The arrangement was handled by our agent. I filled a cup and her doctor impregnated her.”

  “But conception is the fun part,” she blurted, thinking about her naked body entwined with his, the heated kisses and glistening skin. Even though she had limited experience, translation: none, she had a vivid imagination and she couldn’t imagine leaving out the most pleasurable part of pregnancy.

  A startled laugh pushed past his lips as he turned around and dragged his fingers through his silky hair. “You never say what I expect you to say.”

  “Well, you just told me Melissa had sex with a turkey baster,” she said, resting her butt against the edge of the desk since her knees were now made of gelatin. “I think if I chose you to be the father of my child I would make sure I was on the pill for the first five years before I actually tried to get pregnant just so I would have that much more time to, um, get to know you.”

  “Yeah, well, appearances can be deceiving,” he said, his words faltering some as he stared at her with something close to confusion on his handsome face.

  “I do know that,” she returned, hoping he didn’t think she was a complete moron. Somewhere beneath the fog of lust, she actually had a brain and she even knew how to use it.

  His lips quirked upwards in a half-smile as he waved his arm and continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “The world sees a beautiful house belonging to two people who are madly in love but I know the truth.”

  Taking a breath that wasn’t completely infused with Winter’s scent, she grinned, “The house isn’t beautiful?”

  Another reluctant chuckle pushed past his lips before he shook his head, “No, the house is beautiful but Missy and I aren’t madly in love.”

  “Have you had sex with her since Storm was born?” she asked before her brain could catch up with her mouth and keep it shut.

  “I’ve never had sex with her.”

  “Of course not,” she snorted. “She chose a turkey baster over having sex with you. That’s just cr….”

  Suddenly, he turned around and cradled her head in his large hands, planting a hard, quick kiss on her lips and smiling down at her before she even realized he had kissed her. “I think Missy made the best decision in her life when she decided to hire you to plan our son’s birthday.”

  “I really can’t imagine choosing a turkey baster over you,” she muttered, still feeling his not-quite-a-kiss on her lips. She really needed to remember to use her brain to prevent her mouth from blurting out whatever the hell it felt like.

  “She’s complicated,” he said with an easy grin. Taking her hand in his, he tugged. “Now, come, let’s find Missy and Storm and see what they’ve decided to have for lunch.”

  Seriously, his mood swings were making her head spin as she followed him through the brightly lit mansion and wondered just what she got herself into. He lived in a different world, where entire relationships were manufactured for the public’s consumption. It sounded incredibly lonely and she wasn’t sure her sister would survive in such a twisted world. It also made her question everything she thought she knew about celebrities.

  How much of their lives were completely fabricated and to what purpose?

  Chapter 3

  “So, were you able to get me a part in Winter Mitchell’s latest blockbuster?” Fallon asked the moment Flynn walked through the door that evening.

  Startled, Flynn looked up and saw Fallon standing in the kitchen stirring a pot of boiling water. Mac and cheese again, the dinner of champions and poor actresses. Letting her oversized purse drop to the floor with a clunk, she made her way over to the bar stool and sat down. Grabbing a carrot, she chomped into it as she shook her head, “It never really came up.”

  Her sister tsked as her eyes danced, “You’re supposed to figure out a way to work it into the conversation.”

  Flynn grinned, “Yes, somewhere between discussing what type of cake Storm wants to figuring out how many children they plan on inviting I should have thought of something.”

  Fallon chuckled, taking the pot and dumping out the hot water before putting it back on the stove and adding the butter and fake cheese. “If anyone can do it you can, Flynn.”

  “As long as it involves talking, yes,” she agreed. “But if some escapade is involved, I would freeze.”

  “Come on,” Fallon cajoled. “Who’s the one who drove the car when she was underage?”

  “I did but the only reason I drove was because Murphy was too drunk and you would have taken every opportunity to break the laws of physics by racing through the streets.”

  “But you had a blast.”

  “I think you have me confused with you,” Flynn corrected. “I was a nervous wreck. Don’t you remember that I’m the sister who freaked out when we were out five minutes past curfew and you’re the one who convinced our parents that the reason we were late was for a noble cause… every single time.”

  “They were all noble causes,” Fallon said, her eyes sparkling. Setting two bowls of mac and cheese onto the counter, she leaned in and grinned, “You have to admit, life with me is very exciting.”

  “It’s terrifying,” Flynn laughed.

  “It’s not my fault I was born with all of the fun and you were born with all of the worry.”

  Flynn heaved a wildly exaggerated sigh, “A sense of gravity is what happens when you’re the younger sister of two drama queens.”

  “You’re so full of shit,” Fallon countered, taking a bite of her dinner before pushing it away from her and grabbing a few carrot sticks. “Besides, I’m not nearly as bad as Murphy. That girl is completely lacking any sort of caution or self-preservation when it comes to love.”

  “She just fell in love with the wrong man,” Flynn murmured in automatic defense of their oldest sister, a cautionary tale if ever there was one, and the primary reason why Flynn was so cautious growing up. Whereas Fallon was a whirlwind of spontaneity and fun, F
lynn was always prepared for the worse. She never slept with any of her boyfriends in high school or college because she knew if she did, she would have ended up pregnant or with an STD or both, even if she had used every form of birth control known to humankind.

  Glancing at her outgoing sister from beneath her lashes, she frowned. Nothing really horrible happened to Fallon once she started sleeping with her high school boyfriend. They went to the same college and were together until graduation, almost seven years of their lives. But then Fallon decided to pursue her dream of becoming a famous actress and Dylan decided to stay at home and join his father’s firm. Flynn didn’t think there were any hard feelings involved since the two of them were still friends, even talking on the phone on occasion.

  Maybe she should have relaxed a little in her younger days because then maybe she wouldn’t be so easily flustered by the infuriatingly gorgeous and flirty Winter Mitchell. After their discussion in the study, she watched his interaction with Melissa, whom he affectionately called Missy, and while she saw genuine love and affection, there was no sexual chemistry. In fact, their interactions more closely resembled the behavior of siblings rather than lovers.

  Their easy camaraderie reminded her of her relationship with her brothers, the teasing and laughter. It didn't match the stories in the tabloids or the images on T.V.

  “So, tell me what Winter Mitchell and Melissa Irish are like in real life,” Fallon said, interrupting her thoughts with her question that perfectly complemented her musings.

  “They are nothing like I expected,” she admitted without having to think about it. “I think Melissa has to be the nicest actress I have ever met, present company excluded, of course.”

  “Of course,” Fallon said solemnly, nodding her head regally. Rolling her hand, she murmured imperially, “Go on.”

  With a silly smile, she said, “Winter is… well, he’s….”

  Fallon’s grin grew wider, “Uh oh, does my sister have a little crush on a movie star?”

  “No,” she said with an easy grin. “I have a crush on a man.”

  “A man who happens to be unavailable.”

  “There is that,” Flynn said even as her heart raced in her chest at the words. He wasn’t as unavailable as the world seemed to think but it wasn’t her place to betray their secrets and if she did, she was pretty sure they could sue her for violating the NDA she signed. Maybe Winter was telling her what she wanted to hear for his own nefarious purposes, though she couldn't imagine why he would be interested in her. She kept sticking her foot into her mouth around him. “But you know me so there’s no need to worry.”

  Fallon snorted her agreement. Putting her mostly full bowl in the sink, she asked, “Can you run some lines with me tonight? I got a call back for that commercial and I want to be the best damn dandelion I can be.”

  “Sure but what does a dandelion say?”

  “Well, my line is, ‘There’s only so much a man can take,’” Fallon said. “It’s for a new allergy drug and I’m supposed to make some guy miserable.”

  “I’m pretty sure any guy that looks at you won’t be feeling misery.”

  Sucking in her already-flat stomach, Fallon asked, “What if the director wants me to lose a few pounds?”

  “Then walk away,” Flynn said with a scowl, wondering how anyone could look at her sister and think she needed to lose any weight. “Maybe I can ask Winter or Melissa if they have any pointers in getting started or any insight that can help.”

  “I’d love you forever,” Fallon said, distracted with pinching and pulling her taut skin to see if there was any spare flesh. There wasn’t.

  “When is the call back?”

  “Um, day after tomorrow.”

  Unlike her sister, Flynn ate her dinner and later she’d probably have some ice cream for dessert. She wondered if Winter would prefer her as is or if he might prefer the skinnier version that was Fallon. Not that it mattered because she wasn’t going to get involved with him beyond planning Storm’s birthday party. Which reminded her, “We’ll have to run lines after I talk business with dad.”

  “No problem. It’ll give me a chance to get some cardio in. After I check my email.”

  With a smile, Flynn finished up her dinner and then called home. Explaining the pirate ship idea to her dad, she listened as he grew more and more excited about the whole plan, from building the pirate ship to coming out to California for a couple of weeks to seeing his girls for a few days.

  “Hold on,” he said and she waited while listening to the muffled voices of her parents. After a moment, her dad got back on, “Your mom wants to talk to you.”

  “Uh oh,” Flynn said with a grin. “Sounds serious.”

  “Actually….” Her father’s voice trailed off as her mother’s voice said with a hint of accusation, “Flynn, who is Mitch Winters and how long have the two of you been dating?”

  Flynn’s mouth fell open as she tried to comprehend the meaning behind her mother’s words, since no one was supposed to know Winter’s alter ego. Her mind was starting to buzz with possibilities, all of which were too absurd to be possible. “What?”

  “Your latest status says you’re in a relationship with this Mitch person,” her mother shrieked. “How could you keep something like this from us?”

  “Because it’s not true,” she bit out, taking the phone over to the desk and pushing her sister out of the chair.

  “What the hell, Flynn?” Fallon cried out, glaring at Flynn.

  Holding up a finger as she logged onto her page, Flynn gasped as she saw the number of statuses she posted since that afternoon even though she hadn’t been anywhere near the computer since…. “Crap.”

  Apparently, Winter had accepted his friend request on her behalf as well as posting many, many other things, including the one that said she was in a relationship with his alter ego. She had forgotten to log off and he took the opportunity to post several photos, including the embarrassing one of her in a bikini, only he photo-shopped an image of himself into it as well. It was horribly done and made her look like a crazed fan girl, pretending Winter Mitchell was her boyfriend. Especially since the tag line said, Me and my boyfriend, Winter Mitchell.

  The first comment beneath the picture was from Mitch saying, I’m way hotter than fancy boy Winter.

  “How many years do you think I’ll get for killing a famous actor?” she asked as she scrolled through all of the things he posted, including some rather dirty jokes. A choked laugh came out as she read one about a penguin, a goat and a vat of bourbon. She wasn’t sure she wanted to give in to the laughter or scream.

  Fallon snorted, “You mean, Winter Mitchell hacked your account?”

  “Not so much hacked as took advantage of my stupidity,” Flynn muttered. To her mother, she said, “Mom, it’s a joke. If I were to get involved with someone I sure as hell wouldn’t announce it on some social media platform before I told you.”

  “Are you sure?” her mother asked doubtfully.

  “Absolutely,” Flynn assured her. “This is just one of my clients having a little fun at my expense.”

  “What do you mean, ‘your clients?’”

  Crap. “I’m planning a party for Diane.”

  There went the rest of her night as she dodged the questions she could and answered the ones that weren’t loaded and dangerous. Instead of doing her cardio, Fallon pushed Flynn out of the chair and read through the posts, laughing at the inappropriate jokes.

  ♥~♥~♥

  “I like her.”

  Winter looked up from the computer, unable to wipe the wicked grin from his lips even as Missy stood in the doorway smiling at him. He was particularly proud of his horrible photo-shopping skills and despite the awful result he had to admit that Flynn and he made a striking couple. He appreciated the fact that she was real. In his world, that was a rare trait.

  After their initial meeting, he had his people run a quick background check on her and everything indicated that she was exactly wh
o she seemed to be: hard-working, friendly, a little crazy and utterly sincere. Her family wasn’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination but they were comfortably well off and she had several brothers and two sisters. He’d get a better picture of her once the entire check was run but he had enough for now to know it was okay to let down his guard, at least a little bit, around her and that was something he hadn’t had in a long, long time. It didn’t hurt that her smile reached into his gut and twisted him up inside.

  “Yeah, she’s great,” he said, striving for nonchalance because he didn’t want Missy knowing the extent of his fascination for the party planner. When he saw her log on to her own computer, he straightened and was about to IM her but stopped himself when he saw Missy’s perceptive smile.

  “Storm adores her,” Missy continued, stepping into the room and crossing over to where he sat. Standing in front of him, she leaned her non-existent butt against the desk and grinned down at him, “Of course, that might have something to do with her insane pirate ship idea. She reminded me of a child with how excited she got. I can’t imagine living with that kind of passion.”

  He could and the thought of living with that passion stirred things below. Of course, he had been working with that sexy as hell image of her for the past hour so that might have had something to do with it. When he had first seen her, he thought she was attractive in a girl-next-door way. But after spending five minutes in her company and seeing how easily she blushed he was intrigued. Or maybe it had just been too long since he had fucked something other than his palm…. No, it was her because when she slid to the ground to discuss her ideas with Storm, something inside of him shifted. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time and she was extraordinary.

  The ease with which she talked to Storm did something strange to him, even as he appreciated the fact that she talked to his son as a human and not some sub-species because he was five. Winter could have handled a light and easy flirtation with her had he not seen the picture of her in that skimpy bikini. The scrap of material could barely contain her breasts, which were softly rounded and completely natural and he’d had the insane desire to peel the little scrap of material to the side and see her nipples. But that was ridiculous because it was a picture and his son was in the room. Luckily, he was able to adjust his unexpected erection without anyone being the wiser.