Be Mine This Christmas: A Lovers in London Book

by Mary Lynn Cooper

  Nick had always been so protective of her and she appreciated the gesture. He was there for her when she was heartbroken from Ollie but he had never acted weird towards any guy she dated.

  Nathan and I aren’t dating, she reminded herself as she hugged her pillow. Like an auto-corrected note in her brain, she dismissed the idea of dating Nathan. Holding hands was no doubt child’s play to him. Maybe pity drove the handsome, chic and wealthy Nathan to touch her at the football match. Despite her negative thoughts, she couldn’t help but think back to his touch in the stadium and feel a giddy emotion deep in her heart.

  Her phone rang that morning, disrupting any more thoughts. “Darcey. Hello.” She immediately recognized Nathan’s voice.

  “Hey, Nathan. What’s up?” She yawned and covered her mouth.

  “Did you have a good sleep?” There was concern in his voice.

  “Yes, I did thank you. And you?”

  “Yes. I don’t have to work today. I was wondering…” He hesitated for a few ticking moments. “I have these skating tickets for the Natural History and I wondered if you wanted to come with me before the holidays approach and we won’t have time to check it out. I bet the crowd would also be more forgiving today before Christmas season.”

  “Sure, I love ice skating!” Darcey didn’t feel so groggy right then and there.

  “Great,” came his reply.

  “When do you want to meet up? Oh, I’m going to Luis’ fireworks display later. His company is sponsoring one. The party will be on a boat decked by the Thames. Want to come with me afterwards?” She shut her eyes and lightly smacked her forehead with an open palm after she realized she promised Luis she would invite Dimitri.

  Oh crap, I hope Nathan says he can’t come or Luis will kill me. Luis hated flakes and never failed to give his friends a piece of his flamboyant mind when they switched up plans.

  As if he knew what was going through Darcey’s head, Nathan asked, “Sure. Is that fine with Luis though? If I’m not imposing, that sounds like a good plan after the ice-skating.”

  She assured him it would be fine, mentally reminding herself to send Luis a text message to explain. He’d understand.

  “And, Darcey?”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s not a date. I just wanted to remind you that.” He was teasing her and she couldn’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl.

  “Yes, of course, Nathan. It’s loud and clear with me. I’m not so sure for you,” she teased back.

  *****

  Nathan, who lived close to their meeting spot, got to South Kensington Station minutes before Darcey did. She wore her grey cashmere sweater and slim-fit jeans which she paired with knee-high boots, a leather jacket and her favourite Burberry scarf.

  She saw Nathan with two cups of coffee in his hands. She silently admired his look in a black Barbour winter jacket, jeans and a grey cashmere scarf.

  “Café mocha, half a shot of espresso and four pumps of mocha.” Nathan handed her a drink.

  “You are a star and my favourite barista,” Darcey said chuckling. She grabbed the cup of coffee and they gave each other a hug. Nathan leaned closer and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. A single peck was considered more intimate in Europe than quick kisses on both cheeks.

  She took a sip and couldn’t hide her happiness. “Coffee makes me happy.”

  He laughed and put an arm around her shoulder as they walked. “You know I worked as a barista when I was studying in Harvard?”

  “Really?” She was impressed.

  “Wow, you’re reaction is just like my mum’s. Her only son is capable of hard work. I didn’t even ask for allowance and used my money from the café.”

  “Impressive, I have to admit. How did that work out, poor student?”

  “I was always broke.” They laughed. Nathan went on, “College students are always too poor to tip. But I loved it, taught me independence. And I learned to make coffee that made girls smile. And…”

  Darcey looked up at him and gave him an encouraging smile before. “You don’t have to say things you aren’t comfortable saying, Nathan. No pressure just because I bared my life story at our first encounter.”

  He chuckled. “Actually, with you I get to say things I don’t normally say to people, but if you must know, that’s when I met Lena, my ex-fiancé.”

  They crossed the street to the Natural History. Nathan took the empty cup from Darcey’s hand and threw their cups at the closest rubbish. There weren’t a lot of people that day, everyone was busy celebrating Guy Fawkes Day.

  “I’m so glad you picked today to ask me to go ice skating. The rink is almost empty!”

  “Almost.”

  There were a handful of skaters, two couples and some children. Nathan handed tickets to a girl behind a counter in exchange for skates.

  They sat in silence as they put their skates on. Nathan tied his skates like a pro while Darcey struggled a bit.

  “Sorry, I think this string is a bit tight,” she muttered.

  Without warning, Nick knelt down in front of her, making an attempt to untangle the laces. Darcey put her foot down carefully. She found his gesture sweet.

  She had always been such a romantic. Gestures like that got her two thumbs up for Prince Charming. Except this was Nathan, she reminded herself sternly. He was like Nick, a friend. Just because he held her hand at the game, she reminded herself once more, didn’t mean he was interested in her romantically. She felt pretty sure he was used to taking girls out, girls more beautiful and sophisticated. Despite her warm feelings towards him, she knew she had to give herself a reality check. Expectations always led to pain and Darcey didn’t want to get hurt.

  He placed a hand on her cheek. “There, we’re all set.” She looked down and was surprised to see her laces were tied neatly. He had done it so quickly while she was lost in her thoughts.

  Nathan stood up and offered his hand to help her up and they headed for the rink. At first they skated slowly while they got used to their skates. Shortly afterwards, they were skating gracefully, marking the ice. Darcey showed off some tricks she learned in skating Academy.

  “So clumsy,” she shook head, laughing at her efforts.

  Nathan was about to skate towards her. She wagged a finger at him in jest and did another spin. He pretended to copy her but he ended up looking even clumsier than Darcey felt.

  “Toe pick. Hahaha.” Darcey found herself feeling happy again.

  He glided closer to her and placed a hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. “You’re prettier when you laugh.”

  Her nose and cheeks were already red from the cold and his compliment was making her face feel hot. She was worried her face would melt ice. She looked at him, sure she was blushing.

  “So, where did you learn to skate so well, Miss Vaughn?” He looked into her eyes, his expression was inscrutable and she couldn’t look away from his gaze. He released his gentle hold on her waist but kept his eyes on her face.

  “You know, when you’re an only child, you get to be Jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. I went to skating school because I wanted to be a pro. Then I decided I wanted to be an equestrian when I rode grandpa’s horses.”

  Nathan raised his hands and did a slow clap. “You are really interesting. Musical abilities, perhaps?”

  Darcey shook her head, pleased he was actually impressed by her in a few ways. “I started with a recorder and then the flute, soon after the piano and then the violin. Trust me, I tried all the instruments. Seems like the feeling between music and me isn’t mutual.”

  “Ah, just like yours and mine.” He gave her a wry smile.

  Darcey wasn’t sure if that was just a tad bit of sadness she saw in his eyes.

  His words surprised her. She tried to execute a manoeuvre she remembered from school but she fell backwards instead. Nathan tried to pull her up but he fell down with her. Luckily he caught her in his arms and he ended up falling as well. Darcey was dragged down despite his gentleman
ly efforts and she landed on top of him.

  “Ouch! Bloody hell!” Nathan exclaimed and their faces were so close to each other, she could feel his breath on her face. It had a hint of mint.

  “Nathan, I’m so sorry.” She felt fear mixed with guilt, surprised and annoyed at herself when a tear fell from her eye. Darcey had always hated being too sensitive. Now she was embarrassing herself even further.

  Nathan wiped the tear with his thumb. “Hush, it’s OK. I’m all right. My bum might have saved me from a trip to the A and E.” He let out a forced laugh but he winced in pain instead.

  She peeled herself off him and slowly stood up. As they both stood together, Nathan held her hands in his firmly, carefully trying not to repeat the same mistake again. “Easy, easy,” Nathan told her as they tried to regain their balance.

  The people around them were too busy skating to notice their mishap, save for a few kids who stared.

  “Sorry, I’m such a klutz!”

  “It was an accident, Darcey.” He tucked a strand of her own wavy her behind her ear.

  “Ugh, I’m such a cry baby. I really can’t help it when I get too scared or too anything negative. You must think I’m such a big baby.”

  “You don’t need to explain.” Nathan touched her cheek very softly with the back of his hand. “I’m glad you’re so concerned.”

  She shied away from him and skated freely. Darcey didn’t like being embarrassed but it seemed she always ended up looking like an idiot in front of Nathan. He followed her in silence and they enjoyed gliding across the ice.

  Darcey felt her mood slowly go back to the way it was earlier, glad to spend another nice evening with Nathan. Without warning, the memory of the last time she went skating appeared in her mind. It was with Ollie during their last Christmas together, right before work took him from her, right before his Russian Barbie doll stole him from her. She felt sadness in her core. Could it be?

  No, it can’t be. It really can’t be.

  Her sadness was probably evident to Nathan.

  “Hey, are you all right?” He skated next to her and tried to put an arm around her.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” She skated faster, further and further away from him. Darcey didn’t want him to see the fresh tears welling in her eyes once more, tears ready to spill at any moment.

  He was a decent skater himself and was able to skate next to her quickly. When she felt his presence approaching her closer and closer, she tried to brush him off politely.

  Mustering a friendly tone, she said, “I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”

  He held her hand and gently pulled her closer to face him. Her skates willingly obliged and they glided Darcey into position right in front of Nathan. He placed his right hand to her face.

  “The problem is, Darcey, I’m not.”

  She stared at him blankly. He pulled her to him and his mouth came down for a kiss that was anything but friendly.

  Chapter 16

  Darcey stepped away from Nathan. She never felt this awkward in her whole clumsy life.

  Nathan didn’t say a word. They looked into each other’s eyes in silence. He looked as dumbfounded as she felt. Her heart was racing, she could tell he was also affected.

  His beautiful eyes looked more soulful than Darcey could ever remember. Nathan was panting and she was pretty sure her breaths came out heavy in return. Their breaths were synchronized. Just like the kiss had been.

  It was no ordinary kiss. The kiss they shared under the mistletoe at her grandfather’s part felt gentle and sweet. The kiss on the skating rink, on the other hand, with the giggling children gliding next to them, was passionate. Definitely more passionate. Electricity surged all over her body. She thought she was going to melt along with the ice below their feet.

  Her phone rang, breaking the sensitive air surrounding her and Nathan.

  “Sorry, let me take this,” she finally mumbled, looking away from his intense gaze.

  Nathan took his phone out as well and seemed to study it like there was something important he had to check online.

  “Luis, yes, I’m going to your party. Yes, I’m bringing Nathan.”

  Nathan looked up when he heard his name. Darcey offered him a small smile before she went on speaking to her friend. “No. Yes. You’re crazy. No, of course not. Don’t be silly. Shush. I got to go, see you later.”

  Nathan didn’t seem to be eavesdropping, he was typing something on his phone. Darcey felt hot and uncomfortable nonetheless.

  “Everything alright?” he asked her when she put her phone in her purse.

  “Yea, it’s just Luis making sure we’re showing up. His party won’t be fun without us, or so he claims.”

  “Do you mind if we drop by my flat? I need to get something. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from here.” The intense stare was back on her face. This time she didn’t feel uncomfortable. There was tenderness combined with the intensity in Nathan’s eyes.

  “Sure, that’s fine.”

  They returned their skates and he led her to a street. They walked in cosy silence. In a few minutes, just like Nathan promised, Darcey found herself in a street occupied by stunning flats. One quick look told her this was a wealthy area.

  Nathan pulled a key out of his coat pocket and opened the door. Darcey was greeted with the smell of sandalwood and leather. It was gorgeous. He kept his place clean and beautifully arranged. Darcey felt like she walked right into a magazine shoot for some posh interior design publication.

  A massive sofa covered with dark leather was in the middle of the living room while a glass center table in front of it was adorned with travel books and a couple of biographies.

  “Would you like something to drink?” Nathan stood behind her and gently helped her out of her coat.

  “Water would be great, I’m a little parched.”

  “Let me grab what I need upstairs and I’ll go get your water.”

  He walked up a winding staircase built with glass and steel. Darcey took the time to enjoy the view of his space. The living room, dining area and kitchen weren’t separated by walls, giving the apartment an even more spacious feel.

  She sat down on the huge sofa. Darcey never experienced leather this soft. She felt like she was going to be swallowed up into a cloud of aromatic leather. She looked around the room. His place spelled out “bachelor” with hints of intelligence and culture everywhere. Every piece was obviously hand-picked with much consideration.

  Adorning the walls were paintings of what were probably emerging artists. Despite the lovely ambiance Darcey couldn’t help but think there was a sad air to Nathan’s home. There were no signs of a female occupant or family pictures. No credit card bills were left laying open, no clothes draping off the expensive furniture.

  Darcey grabbed one of the coffee table books. It was one of the Louvre Museum. Perhaps it was Nathan’s favourite museum, she mused. She opened it carefully. The front page had a picture of the Mona Lisa. Darcey turned the page and saw a dedication written in a beautiful and obviously feminine handwriting. It read:

  To the love of my life, you are one in a million. I’m such a lucky woman. You make me smile like Mona Lisa. But darling, you’re the real work of art. Your worth cannot be auctioned. I can stare at you forever.

  I love you,

  Lena

  The words touched Darcey’s heart and she choked, holding back a surprising surge of emotions that welled inside her. She figured this Lena must have been Nathan’s ex-fiancé. From the sound of the dedication, it must have been a very rough break-up. She thought of how he almost never talked about his ex. She never felt the need to ask him. She figured if he wanted to tell her, he would in his own time.

  Nathan came back with a glass of water in his hand. He immediately saw what she was holding.

  “Oh yeah, that’s my favourite book of Leonardo.”

  Darcey looked at him. She was trying to contain all the emotions she felt after reading the note. Damn PMS, she thought. She b
linked back unshed tears. “Oh, yes, despite my lack of knowledge of art, the Mona Lisa is one of my favourite paintings.”

  “Really?” He looked pleased. “May I ask why?”

  “Well, it makes you wonder if she was posing for her lover, or what was really behind that mystic smile. Was she waiting for someone to love her back? Seducing him, perhaps?”

  Darcey let out a soft laugh and continued. “You wonder if she was heartbroken while hiding all the pain under a smile. She must have been special. She must have been so important to someone. She must have been the reason he was happy. Lovestruck or lonely? And her smile is the most talked about smile in the world.“ Darcey stopped when she realized she was mumbling.