by Ostrow, Lexi
He smiled, watching as her face morphed from emotion to emotion as she desperately tried not to slam into walls. He might’ve been the one to have nearly killed them, but he made a mental note to check her driving skills before getting in a car with her. He chuckled at himself, but no one bothered to look at him. Jake and Tasha were too engrossed in their race and Anna was out somewhere with Leena, going over last minute seating arrangements. He’d assumed Tasha would do that stuff, but while he’d not had any sort of interest in holding back in bed with her, everyone else was being very careful with how they treated her.
“No! Damnit, I was so close. One more, Jake. Just one more,” Tasha pleaded.
“Nope, I have a business call to take. The very last one of 2015.” Jake tossed the controller next to Nick. “Maybe your boyfriend will be up for a game. I bet you can beat him,” Jake said with a wink as he got up and headed through the kitchen to the small office in the chalet.
Nick still couldn’t get over the changes in Jake. They were subtle, but they were certainly things Leena had changed in him. Much like how Tasha seemed to be causing slight shifts in his personality. Must be what happens when you care for someone. The thought was strange, given how he’d proposed to Leena and had never felt a need to behave any differently than he always had.
“So, what do you say?” Tasha dangled the second remote in front of him.
He grabbed it, annoyed that Jake had gotten it hotter than he enjoyed, warm remotes freked him out. “Don’t listen to my brother. I’m not in any danger of losing to you. Remember, I just saw you race.” He smirked playfully at her and pushed the buttons to trigger the car options to come up.
“I thought boyfriends were supposed to let their girlfriends win?” she asked, selecting a yellow Porsche.
“Not when your boyfriend is highly competitive and likes the finer things that come with a sense of control.” He didn’t take his eyes off the screen as he selected his own car, a Lamborghini Aventador.
Tasha muttered something under her breath that he couldn’t make out. “Fine then, let the best racer win.”
She peeled her car out the moment the clock stopped counting down and left him in a virtual cloud of dust as his own finger jammed down on the button, launching him off. It only took mere seconds before Tasha slammed into a building wall, spun out and allowed Nick to pass her.
“Not fair!”
“Umm, I’m not the one who crashed into a wall. That was all you.”
He narrowed his eyes, focusing on nothing but the winds and curves of the game track. He rarely beat Jake at these things. He didn’t have an addiction to video games, but he had a feeling he’d never hear the end of it if he lost to Tasha.
Nick’s thumb was beginning to numb the harder he jabbed it into the key. Racing with Tasha was exceedingly difficult because, every few seconds, she slammed into a wall and the bottom screen flipped shit, messing with his eyes. When he finally did cross the finish line, he purposefully looked at her section of the screen and saw she still needed to complete two full laps. Biting his lip to not laugh, he reached over and put his hand over hers on the controller.
“I think a lady should learn when to accept defeat.”
She snorted, but put the controller down. “Fine, but only if you agree to do something with me.”
Nick felt a stirring in his gut and wondered what she could possibly have up her sleeves this time. She turned to face him, and the look in her eyes was anything but sensual, it was serious and almost stormy.
“I want to tell everyone.” Her voice was a low whisper, and she only spoke after having looked to make certain they were alone.
Confused, he tilted his head to the side. “Tell everyone what?”
“How we started. I know we’re flying under the radar in some weird twist of fate where we really were a good match. But I don’t feel right lying to people. It’s not just your family or Leena, it would be my dad too. What if we work and have kids? Then we’d be lying to them and any kids they have.”
He felt a familiar ball of disquiet settling in his stomach. She wasn’t wrong, in fact, it made perfect sense. Except for the fact where it was likely to piss everyone off and he’d be right where he was the year before. Nick opened his mouth to tell her just that, but snapped it closed when he saw the sincerity in her eyes.
“We can’t make this work if we start on a lie, can we?”
She shook her head slowly, sadly almost. “I think if we do it right, if I tell Leena by myself and then tell everyone else, that it won’t be as bad as you’re thinking.”
“How can you tell what I’m thinking? I didn’t think we’d reached the point of finishing each other’s sentences.”
She smiled wryly and pointed to her own head. “Because I have the exact same fear.”
Neither of them spoke. She was right, but he wasn’t certain telling Leena alone was for the best. He knew her, likely better than Tasha did. She didn’t take to change well. While this wasn’t change, it was a wrench in the perfect beginning she thought she had created. Which, in a way, she had created.
“I think we should tell her together, from the pair of us, we can probably make her focus on the fact that we are together, not that we lied for a week before realizing there was something real there.”
Tasha scrunched her forehead as if she was really contemplating the idea, which seemed strange to him, since it seemed perfectly logical to him.
“I think you’re right.” She smiled at him and laughed. “You know, we’ve spent the majority of our relationship worrying about Leena?”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he did. Looking deeply into her brown eyes, he felt a contentment he’d never known before. He would make up to Tasha for everything. She might have been his client, but had they been thrown together the past week without pretense he had a feeling he might have never gravitated towards her. He’d been so damaged and moping he would have missed her entirely, so something good came out of his second dumb fake girlfriend move.
“Yes, and that is entirely my fault. But I promise, no more.” He pressed his lips to hers. What started as a kiss that was merely meant to comfort her, slowly blossomed and took on a much stronger heat.
“Excuse me, not that I don’t love seeing another of my kids happy…”
His mom’s voice filtered over to him on the couch, and he pulled back from kissing Tasha, though he wasn’t embarrassed at what his mom may have seen.
She smiled at them, and he noticed Tasha wasn’t blushing either. Good.
“I need everyone at the lodge. It’s time to set up for the party of the year!” Elaine’s excitement was barely contained.
“You know, I did have to leave early last year. I’m looking forward to seeing the DeMarcos throw the most refined holiday party out there,” Tasha said as she got up.
“You are too good for my son. You and Leena, you’re too good for them,” Elaine teased.
“Thanks, Mom, way to make my new girlfriend feel like she picked well.” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey Jake, has Mom told Leena you’re worthless yet?”
They all laughed, and for the first time in a year, he was looking forward to the party that had been his undoing just three hundred and sixty-five days before.
“I’m never going to get used to this,” Leena said from beside her, smoothing her hands over the silver beaded Oscar De La Renta dress. “It doesn’t matter how many times I put one on, I’m never going to feel like anything more than a child playing dress up.” Leena’s eyes were looking at her reflection in the mirror and shifting to Tasha’s.
Tasha laughed as she slipped the post of the diamond earring into her ear. “I think you’ll get there.” Tasha felt very comfortable in a gown and expensive things, but she had been going to galas and award shows for nearly a decade.
“Says the world famous actress, who I still can’t believe even wears clothes from Target anymore.”
Tasha couldn’t hold back her laughter if she wanted to. “Trust me, Leena, the Target clothes are far more comfortable.”
Leena did a small twirl, looking over her shoulder to ensure her ass looked okay in the cocktail dress. “Yes, I can see that. Especially those mermaid gowns you insist on wearing.”
Tasha had on a deep green dress that clung to her body as if it was sewn exclusively for her, and while some of her dresses actually were, this one was straight off the rack. Tonight meant far more to Leena than it did to Tasha, but she enjoyed knowing that she looked her best, especially for the first event she and Nick would attend together.
“Hey, Leena?”
Leena finished clasping a necklace on and turned to look at her. “Yea?”
“Thank you. I know for the past couple years I’ve done nothing but bitch about your ridiculous attempts to play matchmaker, but this time, well, I’m grateful.” She hadn’t thought about thanking Leena before, but it felt right. Especially with the news they were going to drop on her.
Leena beamed, grinning from ear to ear. “Had I not been so busy pining after him, I probably would have noticed how perfect you two were for each other years ago.”
A knock at the door prevented Tasha from telling Leena that it was perfectly okay, that she wouldn’t have been ready for how quickly the feelings for Nick had emerged a few years ago. Leena walked effortlessly in the short dress, and Tasha momentarily regretted her choice, but she did like how she looked in it.
Nick was on the other side of the door, and Tasha smiled as she felt her heart do the smallest flip-flop as it had done every time she’d seen him since they’d taken a step forward and admitted they had feelings for each other.
“Nick,” she said as calmly as she could and walked over to him, placing a quick kiss to his lips. “You look handsome.”
He did. He had on a three-piece suit, Armani she thought, a crisp white button down and a tie that was such a deep midnight blue, it matched his eyes. The most attractive thing though, was his smile as he looked at her. She’d grown used to his charming side smirk, and his forced business smile. The one he wore as he looked at her, the genuine smile, might be the feature that most caused her knees to go weak about him.
“And you look beautiful,” he breathed softly. “Leena, you of course, look stunning as well.”
“Don’t tell her that,” Tasha joked. “She’ll start to get comfy with all these beautiful clothes.” Tasha winked at Leena.
“Oh, I don’t think even a compliment from Nick could make me feel less like a kid. And to think, I was so excited for that Valentino last year, now I just feel foolish,” she said with a snort of annoyance. “I’ll let you two have a moment of privacy, its make-up time anyway.”
Leena walked into the lodge bathroom, and the door shut with a soft click behind her. Nick’s arms wrapped around Tasha the moment it did, and she felt herself melt into his embrace.
“I’d love to kiss you right now, but something tells me you’d kill me if I wrinkled that fabric.” He kissed the tip of her nose instead.
“Yes, I would rather not have the photo’s shaming me on our first outing.” She was joking, but when Nick only stared at her and tensed, she amended her statement. “This isn’t a public relations function, Nick. This is a party, relax.”
He shrugged his shoulders, “You’re forgetting that I’m fairly high-strung all the time.” He kissed the top of her head. “Are you ready for this?” His eyes shifted toward where Leena was.
“I don’t think there is ever going to be a good time to tell your best friend you were lying to her about a boyfriend to get her to leave you the hell alone.”
“Excuse me?” Leena’s voice cracked as she spoke.
Tasha whipped her head to the bathroom. She hadn’t even heard the door open. It obviously had, since Leena was standing there, a dumbfounded expression on her face and anger mixing distinctly with sadness in her eyes. Tasha didn’t speak, she didn’t even breathe as she looked at Leena. Awkwardly, she stepped out of Nick’s embrace and took a step toward Leena, who took one back.
“Was that true?” Leena was completely boxing out Nick, her attention entirely on Tasha. “Was it true?” her voice raised a little on the repetition.
“It’s not what it sounds like,” Tasha said softly, her eyes not leaving Leena’s.
Leena’s arms crossed over her chest. “By all means, do explain what it was like then.”
Tasha looked to Nick, who was looking at the ground. Annoyed at him, she spoke. “I realized what you were doing the minute I got the text that you and Jake would be late, but that Nick would be at the cabin. I told him. He concocted a plan that if we pretended like the setup worked, you wouldn’t try to set me up again and he would have a buffer…and likely a way to see if he could make you jealous.”
“I see.” Leena’s voice was cold. “So by trying to help two people I care about find happiness, I was lied to instead. Everyone was lied to.”
“That hadn’t been our intention. We were just trying to find a bearable way —” Nick finally spoke.
“A bearable way to deal with me.”
“Leena, it shouldn’t matter how it started. If you overheard us, then you saw how we were standing. We truly are an item now. I tried to not fall for him, simply because you had, but he is a wonderful guy.”
Leena whirled on Nick, ignoring everything Tasha had said, and Tasha felt her hands ball into fists at being dismissed that way.
“I know him, Tasha. I know the way he works, the way he thinks. I should’ve known he’d try that after asking me to do the same thing last year.”
Tasha had completely forgotten about that, and she felt the rumblings of concern begin to bubble up. Had Nick simply started to act his own lie to make it last longer because he enjoyed having a buffer. Did he only do it to have a way out of feeling alone and betrayed at the wedding?
“What would’ve happened, Nick, if I’d shown jealousy? Or if I’d come onto you?”
Tasha didn’t like the way the question made her feel, or the way Nick wasn’t responding quickly enough.
Nick swallowed hard. He didn’t want to lie to anyone again. He didn’t even think he could with the intensity of emotion swirling around the room. But Leena’s question upset him because she was essentially asking him to think about the week in an entirely different way, to think about it how he’d been feeling when he’d left to be up there.
His voice was scratchy, and so quiet, he hoped neither woman had heard. “I would have jumped on the opportunity to be with you again. Undoubtedly.”
Tasha gasped, and he could see the pain painted across her face. He hadn’t gotten to finish his sentence, and now he’d fucked up.
“Undoubtedly, because when I first arrived, I had no intentions toward doing anything but not strangling Jake. I don’t know if I’d come up here wanting you back, I just had come up here wanting you to want me. So if you had on the first day, yes, I probably would have jumped ship from the fake relationship because it was fake.”
“But not anymore? Because you settled?”
Tasha’s voice mimicked the cold anger in Leena’s so well, Nick wasn’t entirely certain she had spoken for a moment. His eyes hadn’t left Leena’s face as he spoke though, and Leena’s lips had not moved. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were pinched into a thin, unforgiving line.
“I never said that. Don’t twist things, Tasha.” He looked at her, trying to plead with her to understand. “She asked what would have happened that first day. That first day I would have killed for her to want me again because I thought I wasn’t over her. It took me a week to realize I had feelings for you, it only took me three days to come to the conclusion that I was over Leena.”
Leena and Tasha exchanged a look that made Nick’s blood run cold. Understanding passed between them, and he was completely off guard for what was about to happen.
Leena put her hand on his shoulder and slowly turned him away from facing Ta
sha. She drew very close to him, so close he could feel her breath on his face. His breathing hitched, not from any desire for Leena, but simply because he was a man and her hand had slid down his chest.
“So if I told you now, that knowing you want someone else I’ve changed my mind, what would you do?” she whispered into his ear.
Every part of him was screaming to say what he felt that he would still only want Tasha. But he was taken off guard by the sensuality she had turned on so quickly and was reeling from confusion. Leena didn’t play games, and he knew this was a game, and he knew he would pass — if he could just get his mouth to open. He could feel anger building in him as the blood rushing through his body became audible in his ears. His hands clenched, and he sucked in a deep breath through his nose. Trying to calm himself before he physically pushed Leena off him.
He turned away from Leena, to Tasha, hoping that emphasized what he couldn’t seem to say. Nothing about the situation was appealing to him, and he was so dumbfounded the women had even resorted to it. He was likely going to upset Tasha because he just couldn’t get the words out in his shock.
“Too long,” Tasha said before pushing her way past him, slipping slightly as her ankle rolled in the heel she wore.
She was out the door, with Leena behind her, before Nick had even had a moment to blink. He was alone in the room, and this year, the only person he had to blame was himself.
Tasha couldn’t feel anything. Her body burned, but she could hardly feel it. Nick hadn’t actually done anything wrong. Yet, the way he’d paused, the way he hadn’t been able to vocalize anything, it had seemingly undone all the positive emotions she’d built toward him. He had pushed Leena away, but he’d never actually said the words she’d needed him to say.
Leena hadn’t been trying to be cruel. God knew Leena was typically second to Tasha. Rather, she’d been trying to prove to all three of them, how Nick felt about her. For five-ish days, Nick had been saying next to nothing about Leena. It hadn’t seemed strange that he’d let it all go so quickly — she’d fallen for him quickly.
