“I actually admire her,” she huffed. As she climbed out of the pool and strolled into the house without bothering to dry off. Without any other option, he followed her and listened as she continued to talk. “She was openly distressed when I gossiped about you, defending you with such passion it made my head spin. In truth, I’m utterly surprised she actually pulled off the party. I even had a backup plan for when she failed. But she didn’t fail, did she? She planned the perfect party and she won the perfect man.”
Since she seemed so eager to tell him the why, he wanted to know the how. He shadowed her as she walked into the office and sat down behind the desk. With an exhalation, he sat down and asked softly, “How did you do it?”
Digging into the top drawer, she finally tossed a small microchip onto the desk, “Transmitter on your cell phone. All of your phone calls were sent to my computer and recorded, Winter. Every word you said.”
The blood drained from his head as he thought about some of the conversations he and Flynn had had. But that was nothing compared to the knowledge that she knew what had happened on his birthday. “And the limo?”
“Well, my distrust of people came in handy,” she chuckled, leaning back in the chair and looking infinitely tired, of the game, of life. At his questioning look, she shook her head and smiled to herself, “I have cameras in all of the cars to keep an eye on what’s mine. I didn’t expect such a performance from that little girl. However, you, on the other hand, weren’t a surprise.”
“Melissa.” The word was a warning she was determined not to heed. He had never questioned her generosity in providing the limo for his weekend with Flynn, accepting the gift because that was something friends did for one another. It was something he had done for Melissa in the past.
“Come on, Winter,” she chided mockingly. “You seduced a virgin and within four months you had her ass. That’s pretty damn impressive.”
At her words, he blinked his eyes, not quite believing the words coming out of her mouth. “Pardon?”
“Her sister has been telling the world, Winter,” she scoffed. “You really should be on top of things.”
“My lawyer has been keeping tabs on breaking news,” he offered lamely, his penis twitching at the news that he had been the only one to know Flynn, to fuck Flynn. That was it; he was definitely going to go all primal on her ass and drag her back to his damn lair. Covering his face, wondering how he had failed the woman he loved so completely, he managed to ask, “And the tape? Were you responsible for that as well?”
“No,” she sneered. “That was all you.”
“I would never have released it.”
“But you left your laptop open for me to find it.” She glared at him as she continued, “What did I just say about being discreet?”
Instead of trying to wrap his brain around Melissa’s reasons, he could be going after Flynn and winning back her heart, her trust. Standing abruptly, he said, “I have to go.”
“What?” Melissa smirked. “No words of condemnation? After the way you treated Flynn, the love of your life, I expected at least a few fireworks.”
“What can I say that will make any difference?” he asked, staring at her and seeing the lonely, bitter woman she had become and not the beautiful movie star that had the world fooled. “I feel sorry for you because someday your looks are going to fade and the scared little girl who hides behind that beautiful mask is going to be left to face the world on her own.”
Walking around the desk, he pressed a kiss on her smooth cheek and rasped, “I will always be grateful to you for Storm. And for Flynn. I wish you all the best but it’s over.”
“Winter!” she screeched as he reached the door. He heard her stand up and follow behind but he was done with the drama, the lies, the deceit. He was going to fly back to Chicago, get into a car, drive to Flynn’s house, tie her up if need be, and carry her home where she fucking belonged. He’d grovel, he’d beg, he’d do whatever it took to win her forgiveness because she was everything to him, his very heart. Without her, he’d become a plastic man. He’d become nothing.
He might fly out to Vegas as soon as she forgave him to make it official, or at the very least make up for the agony that had been her twenty-second birthday.
Chapter 24
“Flynn, I think you have more than enough stuff packed,” her mother panted as they hauled another bag of clothes down the stairs.
“But I’m taking the rest of Fallon’s stuff with me as well,” Flynn said as she stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the chaos. Butterflies were rejoicing and rebelling all at once because she was excited and terrified in fairly equal measure. Excited because she was going to suck up her pride and fly off to California to be with Winter and terrified because he might not want her anymore, though she didn’t think that was a possibility. In the horrifying chance it was, she was going to do as her sister suggested and start a party planning business for a more risqué cliental.
Hell, she might do that anyway.
If she was honest with herself, which she was wont to be to an almost painful extent, she had to admit the video of her and Winter had been hot, un-fucking-believably hot, and the ending had been everything a girl could hope for. She would have enjoyed watching it with him but that didn’t mean she was okay with it being made public, even though Winter hadn’t been the one who released it. Watching it, she had realized the video had been personal to him as well; it had been a declaration of love meant only for her.
How could she stay mad at him? How could she stay away from him? Her revenge against the bitch who released the video was going to be utterly cruel: Flynn was going to live a joyous life with the man she loved. Winter.
“Did you pack up all of Fallon’s makeup?” she asked absently, walking through the boxes that were going to be crammed into a moving truck the next morning.
“That box right over there,” Jeff piped up, pointing to a large, purple tote that was clearly marked ‘Fallon’s Makeup.’
“Oh, right,” Flynn murmured. Obviously her brain was miles ahead of her, eager to be back with Winter. At that moment, exhilaration bubbled up and she made a squealing sound and did a stupid little happy dance.
“Hey, stop messing around and help me with your bed,” her dad called out. He was standing at the top of the stairs with a screwdriver in one hand and a hammer in the other. Not sure what he was doing with the hammer, she quickly ran up the stairs. He went to his knees and started dismantling the bed and after a moment or two, he cleared his throat, “What are you going to do with all of this if things don’t work out?”
“Have a bonfire?” she suggested, holding up the post as it came free.
“Peanut,” he scolded, looking up at her with a frown. “I made this bed for you….”
She laughed, “Daddy, if things fall apart, I’ll figure it out. But I don’t plan on having things fall apart.”
“He hasn’t called….”
“He doesn’t have my number,” she explained for the thousandth time. Her old phone disappeared somewhere in California when she was making her escape. Okay, so she threw it away when Harry was driving her down the freeway but she wasn’t going to admit that out loud because littering came with a fine. Holding up the house key that had become a talisman, she grinned, “Besides, he gave me this. If all else fails, I’ll simply move in and see if he notices.”
Her dad looked around the room that still had too much stuff and shook his head, “I’m sure he’ll notice, even in that mansion he calls home.”
Her brother James came in and took over holding the footboard up as her dad went to work on the headboard. Giving the tall man a kiss on the cheek, she flounced out of there to see what else needed to be done in Fallon’s room since her sister's furniture had already been dismantled. She could hear the kids laughing and screaming in the backyard and she was filled with bittersweet joy because she was going to miss her family so very, very much even though she knew she was making the right decision.
The doorbell rang but she ignored it, figuring it was one of the neighbors hoping to get the inside scoop on the girl who apparently won Winter Mitchell’s heart. The smile that she wore almost hurt from being so wide but she couldn’t wipe the silly thing off, even if she tried.
“Flynn!” Murphy called out. “You have a visitor.”
“One moment!” she called back, setting a book down that she hadn’t even realized she’d picked up and hopping down the stairs. She frowned when she realized the front door was shut and Murphy was standing there with a wide grin on her face. Cautiously, she asked, “Where’s my visitor?”
“Outside,” Murphy sing-songed, giving Flynn an inkling of who was on the other side of the door.
“And why aren’t you letting him in?” she asked carefully, inching towards the door, prepared to yank if off the hinges if necessary.
“Because it will give the neighbors something to talk about if they see him standing out there,” Murphy teased. Flynn raced towards the door and grabbed the handle but Murphy stopped her, her smile gone and replaced with tender regard. She gave Flynn an impromptu hug, whispering, “I love you, Flynn.”
“I love you, too,” Flynn returned, suddenly choked up as the reality hit. She was moving to California and she wasn’t planning on coming back in a year. When she opened the door, she was a much more solemn Flynn.
“Flynn, please tell me I haven’t totally fucked this up,” Winter said without prelude. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him onto the porch where they could talk in relative peace. As long as the neighbors didn’t get too close.
“Of course not,” she murmured, drinking in the sight of him. The momentary sadness that had waylaid her vanished only to be replaced by nerves, which was ridiculous because this was Winter and she loved him wholly and absolutely and he loved her, something the entire world now knew. Indicating he should sit on the swing, she followed as he sat down. What the hell happened to her tongue? All of her shit was inside packed away and ready to make the move to be with him and she couldn’t think of a thing to say!
Closing her eyes, she breathed in his familiar scent, sighing in the pleasure of having him near once again.
“Flynn,” he began, clearing his throat before beginning again. Opening her eyes, she looked up at him and had to remind herself to breathe as she saw the fire burning so brightly in his eyes. Running a finger along the shell of her ear, he whispered, “I like the earrings.”
She had forgotten about those the moment she saw Winter standing on her front step. Offering a slight smile, she said, “Harry did them.”
His brows pulled together in a frown as he kept his eyes on the jewelry. “Can he do that?”
Laughing at him, at their stilted conversation, she said, “Apparently, because he did.”
“I, um, saw you on the television during Fallon’s impromptu press conference….”
She gaped at him, even though the black hair was long gone, as was the deathly makeup. “You recognized me?”
Running the tip of his finger along her nose, he offered a slight smile, “Sweetheart, I would recognize you anywhere. I dreamed you had died because of my stubborn idiocy.” At her gasp, he shook his head and continued with a sheen of tears in his beautiful eyes, his pain tangible and almost unbearable. “I… God, I had this whole speech planned out but right now I can’t remember a word. I just want to haul you into my arms and kiss you until you agree to fly back home with me.”
Thinking about the pile of stuff waiting to come with her, she shook her head and murmured, “I’m sorry, I can’t fly back with you.”
His lips parted and the light in his eyes flickered out and she just about died when she realized what she had inadvertently done. Wrapping her hands around his arm, she hurriedly dragged him inside to show him the mess, “I can’t fly back because I have too much crap to bring with me. But if you want, you can drive back with me and my dad?”
As he looked around the chaos, a slow smile spread across his face as his eyes heated in pleasure. “I’m going to take you over my knee and spank you, Flynn Rogers.”
“Promises, promises,” she sighed, turning her back on him to let her family know she was going to go talk with Winter for a few minutes. But his arms were around her waist and he was hoisting her up into his arms. Twisting around, she grinned down at the man who held her heart in the palm of his hands. Cupping his cheek, she spoke in a whisper, “I saw the video, Winter.”
His eyes widened and a look of such remorse crossed his face she knew he was truly repentant. “Flynn….”
Putting her finger over his mouth before he could offer any more apologies, she whispered, “At the end you said you loved me. Do you? Love me I mean?”
“More than you’ll ever know,” he rasped against her finger, his eyes shining with the powerful emotion she now realized was love. “I love you, Flynn Rogers. I think I’ve always loved you.”
“Oh, Winter,” she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him for the first time in an eternity. His tongue swept into her mouth and she was lost in the kiss, letting him consume her until there was nothing left untouched.
“Aaaaw,” a chorus of sighs sang out, interrupting their reunion and reminding her that they were far from alone. Peeking an eye open, she saw her entire family, minus Fallon, standing there with sappy expressions on their faces. Her mother’s and Murphy’s were genuine, her brothers’ were more of the make-me-gag variety.
Turning his head, Winter saw them, too, but he didn’t put her down, holding her with one arm around her waist as he walked over to her dad and shook his hand. “Mr. Rogers.”
“Winter,” her dad intoned formally. “Please put my daughter down for a moment.”
“I think I’d like to keep her as a shield,” he teased as he set her down, bracing himself for what he must know was coming. Squeezing his hands into tight fists, he steadily held her father’s gaze as Daniel's fist came out and clipped Winter in the jaw, sending the man flying backwards. She was by Winter’s side in a heartbeat, stroking the reddened flesh as she held his head in her lap.
“Next time, keep the fucking cameras off,” her dad snarled, surprising Flynn with the colorful language. Wiping his hands, he physically relaxed and said, “Now then, you had something to discuss?”
Glancing up at Flynn with love shining brightly in his blue eyes, he turned back to her dad, “I would officially like to request the hand of your daughter.”
“In marriage?” her dad asked, his eyes twinkling with suppressed laughter even as he tried to hold onto his anger, tried to keep the smile from his lips.
“No, so he can use it in some sort of voodoo ritual,” her brother Joseph smirked. James thwacked him on the back of the head, grumbling something along the lines of, ‘Grow up, dick weed.’
“Yes,” Winter answered, trying to keep from smiling as he ignored her brothers’ interruption. Pushing himself to his feet, gathering Flynn in his arms, he grinned, “In marriage.”
“Well, now,” her father hedged, stroking his non-existent beard as he looked Winter up and down, ignoring the fact that the man was holding his youngest daughter in his arms as if he never meant to let her go. “You don’t really need my permission but since you’re asking, we’re going to establish a few ground rules.”
“Fair enough,” Winter said, playing along with her dad’s absurdity, making her love him all that much more.
“First of all, if I agree to this, you won’t be having sex with my daughter before the wedding.”
“Dad!” Flynn squawked, her face turning scarlet that her dad would discuss her sex life, even after punching Winter in the face and alluding to the sex tape.
“That’s fine,” Winter easily agreed. Too easily agreed. How was she going to make it another however long before she had sex with him again? It had already been weeks and she missed the intimacy. She missed Winter. Squeezing her, he met her eyes, “We can swing by Vegas on the way back and get hitched there.”
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br /> “That’s not at all romantic,” Murphy frowned. No, but it was expedient and Flynn was surprisingly okay with a Vegas wedding.
“You’re right,” Winter agreed. “That’s why we’ll have another ceremony this summer for all of our family and friends. I have this amazing pirate ship that kids seem to enjoy and a house large enough to hold a lot of people.”
“Why don’t you just wait to get married?” her mom asked a bit naively, considering she had six children and a ton of grandchildren. Plus, she was fully aware of the video.
“I’m a weak man, Mrs. Rogers,” Winter said in mock sorrow, shaking his head. “I can hold off for a few days because I want Flynn to be Mrs. Mitchell but if I have to wait any longer I might forget myself and have my wicked way with her before we say our vows.”
Her mom blushed, her dad blushed, Flynn blushed, but her brothers looked like they were trying to figure out whether they should punch Winter in the face – again – or pound him on the back.
“Yes, well,” her mom tried again, tears filling her eyes as she looked at Flynn. “I kind of want to be there for her wedding.”
Setting Flynn down, Winter crossed the room to her mother’s side and took her hand in his, “Mrs. Rogers, I’ll fly you down to Vegas so you can be there. I wouldn’t have you miss it for the world.”
Her watery smile of gratitude hit Flynn in the solar plexus and she fell in love with the man all over. Again. She was going to be falling in love with him a million times a day if he wasn’t careful.
“And finally,” her dad said, the solemnity of moments before replaced with a wide grin. “We’re going to go out as a family and celebrate.”
♥~♥~♥
As it turned out, Winter flew her entire family, his parents and brother and sister and his son out to Vegas, putting them up in luxury suites at one of the hotels. Then he and Flynn drove the twenty-six hours in the moving van. Sure, he could have easily hired a moving company to take care of all of it but he wanted the time with Flynn.
Winter's Heart Page 34
