Enticing Winter

by Sherelle Green

  So he didn’t try. When he came, the growl he released into the cave was loud. Forceful. Powerful. He heard yelps from the people on the other side of the waterfall, but he didn’t give a damn. Not right now. Not in this moment.

  He was still banging his fists against the rock wall in satisfaction when Winter arose from the water looking like a vision plucked from every man’s hottest fantasy.

  He wanted to say something. Express how amazing it was for him. But he didn’t want to say anything cheesy like Thanks for rocking my world or You did a good job, kid. What Winter had just done wasn’t something he would ever forget. Could ever forget. Because she wasn’t the type of woman a man forgot about. Everything about her was branded in his soul, and although the notion should have scared the shit out of him, it didn’t. If anything, it made him want to hold her tight and never let go. Instead of saying anything, he kissed her. Hard. Passionately. Completely. Until he heard voices, though he couldn’t make out what type of language they were speaking.

  “What’s that?” Winter asked.

  “Um, while you were underwater, we got company.”

  Her eyes grew big and her hand flew to her mouth. “You’re kidding me.”

  “Wish I was.” He grabbed her arm. “Let’s get out of here.”

  The minute they crossed to the other side of the waterfall, Taheim realized they had caused a little more commotion than they’d thought. It seemed they’d really frightened a few tourists. Five pairs of eyes watched them walk ashore, each displaying a different emotion.

  The young guy who Taheim assumed worked on the island gave Winter an assessing look before shooting Taheim two thumbs-up. A mother grabbed her child to cover his eyes, even though they were both wearing swimwear, and gave them a disapproving look. The father eyed Taheim with envy, no doubt jealous that he hadn’t been on the receiving end of any of the pleasure that had occurred behind the waterfall. And the grandmother shocked Taheim the most of all. She was snapping pictures of them the entire time they walked out of the water, and when they passed her, she reached out her hand to give them each a high five.

  They grabbed their towels and hightailed it out of there, both of them laughing hysterically when they were in the clear.

  “Oh my God, I can’t believe they heard you.” She slapped him on the arm.

  “Ouch,” he yelled. “It’s your fault. You shouldn’t have been so good.”

  She shook her head, still laughing. “And what about that grandma? I hope we don’t show up on some random online family photo album.”

  “I’m not sure,” Taheim said, shaking his head. “Grandma seemed a little freaky, so I think we need to be more worried about showing up on some random porn site. Now that I remember, I did see lights flashing on the other side of the waterfall when we were in the cave. And that camera was waterproof.”

  They both briefly stopped laughing and looked at each other. At the sound of a clicking noise behind them, they both turned and saw the grandma waving as she continued to take pictures of them. Just like that, they were back to laughing hysterically.

  Chapter 17

  “Okay, people, that wraps up today’s practice. The fashion show is next Saturday. That’s only one week away. I will email each of you the information for the final practice before the show.”

  Winter began organizing the chairs in Inferno, unable to resist stealing a glance in Taheim’s direction as she did. Just as she’d hoped, he was already waiting for their eyes to meet. He looked her up and down, and just like that, her entire body went hot.

  When they’d arrived back in Chicago last week, they’d both been immediately thrust back into their lives. Decisions had to be made. Documents had to be signed. Practice for the fashion show had to be held. Designs had to be finalized.

  Despite the craziness of their everyday lives, at night it was all about them. It was all about trying to hold on to that cocoon they’d both been in while they were in Vegas and Hawaii.

  “Seriously, Winter?”

  She whipped her head at the sound of her sister’s voice. “What?”

  Autumn crossed her arms over her chest. “On a scale of one to ten, how close are we?”

  “Ten.”

  “Do I have the highest IQ out of everyone you know?”

  “Unfortunately, yes,” she said with a laugh.

  “And I trust you with my secrets.”

  “I know,” Winter said with a shrug.

  “And you trust me with yours?”

  “Of course!”

  Autumn walked a little closer so that the people around them couldn’t hear. “So how in the world can you lie to me about you and Taheim having sex?”

  Winter blinked a couple times. “Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  When they were on the flight back to Chicago, they’d agreed not to tell their friends about what had happened while they were away. To be honest, it had been her decision. Her sisters weren’t used to her being in a relationship, but even worse, she wasn’t used to being in a relationship. Taheim had alluded to the fact that he didn’t want to date any other women but her, and she had told him that she felt the same way. But at the end of the day, she was nervous and wasn’t quite sure why she was so scared.

  Actually, she was pretty sure she was scared because of how much she liked him and how quickly their relationship had turned from enemies to sort-of friends to lovers to a couple. She couldn’t process it all, so she’d asked him if they could keep it a secret until after the fashion show. She’d blamed it on the fact that doing so would help them maintain a professional relationship in the public’s eye, when in reality, she needed more time to get used to the idea of being in a relationship with Taheim.

  Taheim. She still couldn’t believe how much their relationship had changed in seven days. Or how much they’d learned about one another. He’d even pulled two all-nighters designing pieces for the fashion show since he’d finally found enough inspiration to finish his debut collection. He’d also added a few holiday pieces into the mix. All in all, the trip had been a success and she was so glad they’d shared some of those experiences together.

  Even looking at him now, she could tell that he was exhausted, but the fire in his eyes held a promise. An assurance that no matter how tired he was, there was no way he was letting her go home tonight alone. She could have looked at him forever, but an irritating sound caused her to avert her eyes.

  “Three fifty-eight, 359, 360. Oh, hi, Winter,” Autumn said with a small wave. “My name is Autumn and I am your very perceptive, definitely not gullible, Irish-twin mind-reading, went-to-your-house-two-nights-in-a-row-just-to-prove-my-point sister. It’s nice to see that you can stare at Taheim like you’re ready to rip his clothes off for six minutes straight and still think that everyone in this room is oblivious to the fact that you guys hooked up in Vegas. Or Hawaii. But probably both places.”

  Whoops! Busted. “A little in Vegas, but mainly Hawaii,” she finally confessed. “I told you about Mom, right?”

  “Don’t change the subject. You told me about Mom twice already and I know you hate talking about her, as do I. You brought her up because my asking about Taheim forces you to own up to your relationship with him.”

  “We haven’t put labels on anything.”

  Autumn glanced at Taheim, then back to Winter. “News flash, sis. That man has been staking his claim on you since you both got back. Word is, he has his eye on you and has no plans of letting another man get within a few feet of you unless necessary.”

  Winter shook her head and went back to organizing the chairs. “Who in the world told you that?”

  “Truth?” Autumn asked.

  “Yes.”

  Autumn averted her eyes to the ceiling. “I may have followed him around for a little bit while you were practicing wit
h the models and overheard him telling the bar manager who likes you to keep his distance. Then he told that one model who asked you out that you would never date a guy who wore pink. He also turned down several requests from women who asked him out, saying that he was already in a relationship with someone. Oh, and I heard him tell the guy who’s doing the lighting for the fashion show—who apparently has issues with feet—that you caught some type of incurable foot fungus thing that you picked up in Hawaii.”

  Winter shot upright. “Say what! He said that? There’s nothing wrong with my feet.” Before she knew it, her heels were crossing the room so she could give Taheim a piece of her mind about spreading unnecessary rumors.

  “Yes, but that’s not the point.” Autumn caught her by the arm and turned her in the opposite direction. “The point is, Taheim likes you. I mean really likes you. And I can only assume that you’re the one trying to keep your relationship under wraps. Clearly, he would probably tell every guy involved in the Inferno grand opening that you are his girlfriend and every woman who’s interested in him to take a hike. What gives?”

  Winter glanced away, trying to figure out how to explain how she felt to her sister when she was still trying to work out how she felt herself. Just when she was about to speak, commotion by the bar got their attention.

  “Who’s that woman talking to Taheim?” Autumn asked. “She’s pretty.”

  “I don’t know.” She observed the woman with long brown hair, a tiny waist and smooth caramel skin talking with Taheim. “By his body language, I take it he doesn’t want to talk to her.”

  “Ohh,” Autumn said when the woman tried to touch Taheim’s arm and he yanked it from her. “Whoever she is, she’s really making him upset.”

  “She is...” Her words trailed off as she caught Taheim’s gaze. The frustrated look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

  “I know who she is.”

  “Who?”

  She felt a huge knot in her stomach that grew larger the longer she watched the interaction. “That’s Andrea, Taheim’s ex-fiancée.”

  “Do you know what she wants?”

  Winter sighed. Guess the honeymoon’s over. “If I had to guess, I’d say she’s here to tell Taheim that her eight-year-old son may be his and to try and win him back.”

  “Goodness,” Autumn hissed before looking over at Winter. “You know what this means?”

  “What?” Winter asked, unable to tear her eyes away from Taheim and Andrea.

  “This means time’s up. You’ve got to tell Taheim how you feel about him.”

  “Easier said than done.”

  * * *

  Taheim squeezed his forehead to try to ease his growing headache. He was going off three hours of sleep and the last way he wanted to spend his night was cooped up in a coffee shop talking to Andrea. However, when she had popped up at Inferno, all he could think about was dragging her out of there before she caused a scene. The coffee shop down the street was the best option.

  What in the world did I ever see in her? She was nothing like Winter. Everything about Andrea screamed fake. Sure, looks-wise, she was attractive, and to some men, it wouldn’t even matter that the personality didn’t match her looks. Even her makeup seemed caked on. As though if he scrubbed her face clean, he’d find Made in China stamped across her forehead.

  “If you want to see your son, you have to come to Florida.”

  “Stop calling him my son. You have no idea if he’s mine.”

  “News flash. If he wasn’t my ex-husband’s, then he’s yours.”

  It wasn’t that Taheim didn’t think it was a possibility her son was his. In fact, he knew it was a very strong possibility. But all he could think about when she referred to her son as his was spending the next ten years of his life dealing with her.

  “I don’t want to meet him until after a DNA test to confirm he’s my child.”

  “He’s getting an award in school for his science project. I want you there for that.”

  “Andrea, I’m not entering his life without confirmation first. And I don’t have to be in Florida to get a test.”

  She rolled her eyes in irritation. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “Me? You’re the one acting crazy.”

  “Just because I want my son to know his father, doesn’t make me crazy.”

  “If you wanted him to know his father, you would have told me about him eight years ago and you wouldn’t have kept him a secret from your ex-husband.”

  She crossed her hands over her chest. “Look at you, in Chicago acting like you’re somebody. You must have forgot who made you the man you are today.”

  “I refuse to have this argument with you, Andrea.”

  “Don’t act like you can’t tolerate me.” She gave him a smile that he assumed was supposed to be sexy. “Because from what I remember, you can handle me just fine.”

  “If you really felt that way, you wouldn’t have cheated on me.” He immediately shook his head, thinking he definitely didn’t want to go there. It didn’t matter anymore.

  “I made a mistake,” she said. “Haven’t you ever made a mistake or regretted a situation that you couldn’t take back?”

  An image of his first date with Winter flashed in his head. “Of course I have. It’s called being human. But there’s a difference between making a one-time mistake and having an affair for years.”

  She dropped her head to the table before lifting it back up. “Will you ever forgive me?”

  “You’re forgiven.”

  “You said it too fast for me to believe you,” she whined as she poked her lips out. “We were together for ten years. There has to be a part of you that still loves me.”

  For a couple years after their breakup, Taheim had tried to convince himself that he wasn’t in love with Andrea. He wanted to prove to himself that he could move on. Then somewhere along the line, he’d realized that he was over her. He’d realized that he was better off without her.

  The heart was a funny thing. Looking back on his years with Andrea, he wondered if he’d spent so many years with her because he was comfortable with her. Being with Andrea had been easy at the time, and not because she was an easy person to deal with. It was because dealing with her was something he’d done for so long he didn’t know any different. He didn’t see past the drama, the constant lying. It was those rare moments when she’d curl up in his arms and they’d sit in silence that kept him with her. Those moments when he felt as if she needed someone to lean on and talk to. Her own hero.

  “You’re right. It wasn’t all bad.”

  She smiled. “Do you remember when we pulled that prank in Mr. Picklers’s class?”

  “How could I forget? He was so upset at us for convincing the entire class to participate in the Y2K the-world-is-coming-to-an-end fiasco.”

  “Watching him duck under his desk while we had those fireworks go off outside the window was priceless.”

  “I don’t think he ever forgave us for that. I ran into him a few years ago and he could barely look me in the eye.”

  They shared a laugh. He meant what he said. It hadn’t all been bad. However, until he met Winter, he hadn’t known that he was still letting Andrea control his life. He was still letting her betrayal consume him. Winter was right. He’d allowed her to take too much of him.

  “We had some good times, but there’s no part of me that still loves you.”

  Her face went from happy to insulted in a matter of seconds. “That’s what you think.”

  “That’s what I know. We were friends at some point in our lives and I think it’s best if we try to be cordial during this process. Until I figure out if your child is my son.”

  “How can you do that?” she said in frustration. “How can you think about the good times and still
blow me off like you can’t still feel something between us? This shit is really starting to piss me off.”

  “You’ve wasted enough of my time.” He glanced at his watch. “You know what I really remember when I think of you? I remember ignoring the snide remarks you’d make about the clothes I used to design for myself in college. You recall those comments, right? The ones about me never making it as a designer. Then I think about how many warnings I ignored in our relationship. Like that time I caught you leaving Mr. French’s class during study hall adjusting your dress. Then I remember how you told me nothing was going on and I believed you. Not because I didn’t think something was going on. It was because he was a teacher and you were an underage student and I didn’t want to be the type of guy to ruin a man’s career and a girl’s reputation. And you know what I remember the most of all?”

  He watched the rage slowly build in her eyes and continued talking. “What I remember most of all was the way you looked at me when I found you in our home...our home that I’d worked my ass off to afford...with another man. And not just any man. A man I trusted. A man I knew. With the woman I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. I was a popular guy and there were so many times I could have cheated on you with someone else. But I didn’t, because commitment, even at a young age, was important to me.”

  She rolled her eyes as she called the waiter over to refill her coffee. “You always were way too sensitive for me.” Her words should have cut. They should have made him feel something. Anything. Even anger. But he didn’t feel a thing. She was so selfish. Self-centered. Mean-spirited.

  “I don’t expect you to understand. Hell, I really don’t give a shit what you take from this conversation. But I was never a sensitive man, and trust me, being around you made my skin thicker than ten layers of concrete. What’s really sad is that in that warped mind of yours, you don’t realize that the emotion you believed made me weak, the quality that you couldn’t figure out...was me loving you. Because unlike you, I’ve always wanted that. I’ve always wanted a woman who’d uplift me when I needed it. Soothe me when I hurt. Make love to me in that moment when we both had such a bad day that the only thing we could think of was coming home and ripping each other’s clothes off. I believe in romance. And you...” He leaned closer to be clear she heard him. “Well, you’ll spend the rest of your life still trying to figure out exactly what our conversation was about tonight.”