'Tis the Season for Romance

by Kristen Proby

  But so far, all she’s done is lighten my mood, which is unexpected, to say the least. I was ready to throw her out on her ass yesterday.

  And today, I want to throw her out for completely different reasons.

  Because keeping my hands to myself is going to be a test of wills that I’m not sure I can win.

  Maybe it’s been too long since I last got laid.

  I think back over the previous year, trying to remember when it was. If I’m not mistaken, it wasn’t in the last year at all.

  That’s fucking pathetic.

  “Nick?”

  “What?”

  “Corn or flour?” Jordan holds up some taco shells. “Which one do you prefer?”

  “Corn.”

  She throws both packages of shells into the cart.

  “If you were going to buy both, why did you ask?”

  “Because if you’d said flour, I would have only bought one.”

  She tosses her scarf over her shoulder with a sassy flip and turns out of the aisle, running straight into another cart.

  “Oh, crap!” she exclaims. Then, to my amazement, she squeals and runs to the other woman to hug her tightly. “Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you!”

  “I didn’t know you were back,” the brunette says as she pulls away. “Are you here with Jeremy?”

  “No,” Jordan says immediately, shaking her head. “Fresh start.”

  “Ah, gotcha.” The other woman turns to me with a curious smile. “Hi. I’m Sidney.”

  “Sorry,” Jordan says and gestures to me. “This is Nick. He’s a…friend. Nick, this is my cousin, Sidney.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I reply with a nod.

  “Let’s get together before Christmas,” Sidney says to Jordan. “You can fill me in on things.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll text you.”

  They hug once more, and then we’re off again, Jordan filling the basket with more food than I’ll likely eat in a month.

  “So, do you have a lot of family here?” I ask her as she chooses a box of oatmeal and tosses it into the basket.

  “Yeah. My family goes back a long ways. I’m related to a lot of people. Lots of cousins. And I know almost everyone.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her I’m your patient?”

  “Because, technically, you’re not my patient. And because your medical situation is your business. It’s not my place to say anything. Besides, you are my friend. I mean, not like a close one, but we’re friendly.”

  She leads me down a seasonal aisle, and her face lights up. “Oh, this is fun. We’ll pick up some Christmas stuff today, but I’ll get the majority of my things later. I’ll hit the thrift shop, too, because people change their décor all the time, and you can find some really great stuff there.”

  “Why are you buying holiday rubbish?”

  She turns to me with a frown, her lips plump and glossy from that stuff she constantly spreads over them. Fucking hell, I want to kiss her.

  “Because it’s December. Which means it’s almost Christmas. Don’t you like having holiday things in the house?”

  “It’s not on my radar, no.”

  “You’re telling me the royal family doesn’t decorate for the holidays?”

  “Of course, they do. Or their staff does, at least. It’s my job to protect them, not hang stockings.”

  She tosses red and green baking sprinkles into the cart, making me frown.

  “But don’t you see your family?”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “I just don’t.” I exhale and push my hand through my hair. I’m not getting into this. Especially in the Christmas aisle of the grocery store. “There’s no need to go to all that trouble.”

  “Oh, it’s no trouble.”

  “It’s not my house to decorate,” I remind her, but she just shrugs one shoulder.

  “I already talked to Nina about it. She’s fine with me making the place look a little festive. Don’t worry, I won’t go overboard. Gosh, speaking of Nina, I sure do like her. She’s so nice.”

  “How do you know her?” I ask. I know of everyone the princess has contact with, but Jordan’s name has never been on that list.

  “Oh, I don’t. Not really. I met her through my other cousin, Willa. Well, she’s not technically my cousin, but our families are close, so we’ve always said cousin. Willa told me that Nina needed someone for this job and put me in touch with her. I’m so glad she did.”

  There’s that sweet smile again as we leave that aisle and turn down the coffee one. “We’re going to need more coffee. And creamer. Sometimes, I like whipped cream in my coffee, so I’ll grab that, too. I’m going to make strawberry pie over the weekend. That’ll go well with the whipped cream, too.”

  “I thought we were going to be eating healthy.”

  She just laughs at my snide comment and leads me through the store. She stops to chat with those she knows, which seems to be almost everyone.

  Once we’re at the checkout, and the cashier gives us the amount due, I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

  “We went a little crazy,” I say as I reach for my wallet.

  “There is literally nothing in that house,” Jordan says, waving me off and pulling a card out of her wallet. “And this is taken care of.”

  I don’t question her here, but the urge is strong. Who the hell is taking care of it? I don’t want Nina and Sebastian to pay for my bloody groceries.

  That’s above and beyond.

  When we get to the car, I start to unload the groceries, but Jordan puts up a hand. Her face has gone from happy-go-lucky to all-business.

  “No. These bags are heavy, and you will not lift them. I’m perfectly capable.”

  I don’t say a word, just push her aside and resume grabbing the bags. Suddenly, she’s in my way, all five-foot-nothing of her in my face.

  “Nick, don’t make me get mean.”

  Her voice is stern. Her face is hard.

  Buggering hell, if I thought I was turned on by her earlier, that was nothing compared to this.

  “Fine.”

  I get into the car and seethe as she handles all of the bags, then rolls the cart to the return slot behind us.

  “It’s gonna snow tonight,” she says when she gets into the vehicle. She pulls her seatbelt on and starts the engine. “I’m so excited. I love the snow. Maybe I’ll sit outside in it later. It’s not too cold.”

  I don’t answer. I don’t like feeling incapable. Inadequate.

  For fuck’s sake, I should be working, not fetching groceries.

  “I’m making the tacos for dinner. With margaritas.”

  “Whatever’s your cup of tea.”

  She glances my way. “What crawled up your butt?”

  I’m silent as she drives through town.

  “Are you pissed because I didn’t let you help with the bags? Nick, this is the whole reason I’m here. To make sure you don’t do things like that. It’s the whole point.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t have to like it.”

  “The less you do now, the faster you can get back to normal,” she says. She sounds perfectly reasonable.

  I still don’t like it.

  “Who’s Jeremy?”

  She doesn’t miss a beat as she flips on her turn signal and then heads toward the lake house.

  She also doesn’t answer me.

  “Jordan.”

  She clears her throat.

  “You can tell me to mind my own business.”

  “It’s not that. I’m trying to find a diplomatic way to answer that question. Jeremy is my ex-boyfriend.”

  “What’s the non-diplomatic answer?”

  “He’s the piece of shit I stayed with for way too long.”

  I nod thoughtfully. “I like the second answer better.”

  “Me, too.” She laughs and pulls into the driveway. “We dated through high school. I followed him to Arizona because that’s where he wanted to go to college. And now, I’m
home.”

  There is clearly a massive amount of information that she glossed over, but I figure I’ll let it be for now.

  Later, I’ll run a search on this Jeremy. Shouldn’t be difficult.

  “I have a meeting at HQ this afternoon,” I inform her. “I’ll be gone for a couple of hours.”

  “Great, I’ll go to the gym and get some miles in,” she replies. I’d almost rather go to the gym with her and watch her run.

  Of course, I know she wouldn’t allow it.

  “We’re staying through the first of the year,” Sebastian says. We’re in HQ, holding our weekly briefing with both me and Randall Hunt, Sebastian’s new head of security for both him and the Montana property. Sebastian has another security point man whenever he’s in London.

  I’m always assigned to Nina, no matter where she is in the world.

  We also have other property detail men here.

  “Why are you staying so long?” I ask, surprising His Highness.

  “Nina would like to spend the holiday with her brother, and I have no objection to that.”

  I suspect that she wants to stay and supervise my recovery, but I keep that observation to myself. Things have been quiet here at the Montana property since the incident just a month ago, making life much easier for the security detail. But being on high alert, no matter the circumstances, is part of the job.

  We finish going through some information, and just when Sebastian starts putting his coat on, he nods at me. “Nick, walk to the house with me?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  We step out into the cold, calm air and climb the recently shoveled walk up to the main house.

  “How are things going?” he asks.

  I know he’s asking about Jordan.

  “It would be great if you could get me out of this.”

  He laughs and opens the door for me.

  “My wife has her mind made up, I’m afraid. Is the nurse incompetent? Do you want us to find someone else?”

  “That’s not it.” I shake my head in frustration. Maintaining my professionalism has never been a problem for me. And I’ll be damned if I’ll let it be an issue now. “I’m not used to having a babysitter.”

  We climb the stairs and find Nina sitting in the living room with her sister-in-law, Jenna.

  “Your Highness.” I bow my head.

  “Hello, Nick. How nice to see you. How are things with Jordan?”

  Sebastian laughs as he fetches himself a drink from the kitchen.

  “What does that mean?” Nina demands, standing.

  “She’s fine,” I reply, shaking my head.

  “It means something,” she insists, narrowing her eyes at me. “Do you hate her?”

  “No.” No, I like her too much. “She’s fine, like I said.”

  “I’ve met Jordan before,” Jenna says. “She’s super sweet. A little young, but the nicest girl. I can’t imagine she’ll give you any trouble.”

  “She’s a ray of sunshine,” I mutter, remembering my assessment from earlier. “Just delightful.”

  “Are you being grumpy with her?”

  Sebastian laughs again, making me scowl. “I’m always a little grumpy.”

  “Well, don’t chase her off. Be nice.”

  “I’m perfectly nice.”

  “What does she look like?” Sebastian asks, earning a glare from me. “That bad?”

  “No,” Jenna says thoughtfully as a smile spreads over her face. “I think it’s that good.”

  “I’m leaving.”

  I march to the front door and fling it open to the sound of the three of them laughing behind me.

  “Have a good evening,” Nina calls out to me. I don’t answer as I slam the door shut.

  Chapter 3

  ~Jordan~

  Shawn Mendes sings in my ear as my feet pound the treadmill belt. I jog at my normal pace, watching Nick in the weight area below. We haven’t been here for long, but I’m a mile into my run. He’s been working out long enough to shed his sweatshirt, exposing the impressive muscles I’ve suspected all along were there.

  I love winter, but it means more clothes, and Nick is impressive. I know he’s lost some muscle mass since his injury just over a month ago, but he’s still something to write home about.

  Lord have mercy.

  Now that the wound is fully healed, he’s been cleared to start training with a professional. He’s working with a trainer today, which put my mind at ease. So far, they’ve focused mostly on the lower body, but I can see the trainer—Todd, I believe his name is—point at the free weights and tell Nick something. They nod and talk some more before Todd runs Nick through some exercises using very light weights.

  I can see the strain and the frustration on Nick’s handsome face, and my heart goes out to him. I don’t know him well, but after a couple of days with him, I know he’s not the type of person to remain idle. And I don’t blame him, because I’m the same way.

  But he has to go about healing the correct way, or this injury could follow him for the rest of his life.

  Just as I cross the four-mile mark, Nick and Todd begin wrapping up their session. I slow to a walk and watch as Nick shakes Todd’s hand, then glances up at me and nods before walking into the locker room.

  I think that means he’s done. Which is great timing.

  I clean off my machine and walk down to the women’s locker room to change. I’ll shower at the house later. I don’t like using public facilities.

  It’s a quirk. I have a few of those.

  I do, however, quickly change into my street clothes and carry my duffle bag out of the locker room. I don’t see Nick. I must have beat him out.

  I take a seat on the bench between the two locker rooms and check my phone. I have a text from Sidney.

  Sidney: Let’s have drinks on Friday! I need the 411 on what happened with J.

  I chuckle to myself as I type my reply.

  Me: I would love to, but I have a 24/7 job right now. Raincheck?

  “Hey.”

  I glance up and feel my eyes go wide at the sight of Jeremy standing in front of me. I stand and tuck my phone into my pocket.

  “What’s up?” I ask. I don’t want to sound too welcoming, but I’m not a jerk, either.

  “It’s good to see you,” he says and reaches for my hand, but I duck out of his way. “Listen, I’ve been meaning to talk to you…”

  “Are you ready?”

  Nick slides up next to me and, to my utter surprise, wraps his arm around my waist and smiles down at me.

  He’s smiling.

  That doesn’t happen often.

  “Yes,” I reply with a nod. “We’d better go.”

  “I was talking to you,” Jeremy says, but Nick leads me away.

  “And now you’re not,” he says over his shoulder as he escorts me out of the gym to my car. I fasten my seat belt and pull out of the parking lot, headed toward the lake house. Nick doesn’t ask me about Jeremy at all.

  “How was your workout?” I ask him.

  “Tough,” he replies and stares out the passenger window. “I knew I could lose a lot of strength in a month, but this is ridiculous.”

  “You didn’t just stop working out,” I remind him. “You were injured. But you’ll be back to where you were in no time.”

  He nods. Before long, we’re back at the house.

  We both go our separate ways. I immediately jump in the shower to wash away the sweat from my run. Rather than blow-dry my hair, I twist it into a knot on my head, and with fresh lounge clothes on, head down to make dinner.

  Tonight is going to be grilled salmon and asparagus with a Caesar salad.

  I’ve just pulled the fish out of the fridge when Nick walks into the kitchen, also fresh from a shower. His dark hair is still wet, and a single droplet of water sits on his neck.

  It’s like it’s begging me to lick it off.

  I take a deep breath and open the fridge again, looking for the wine. I need a glass if Nick’
s going to be this close to me. Because holy hell in a handbasket, the man does things to me.

  Sexy things.

  And he’s a patient—even though I told him he wasn’t—so that’s a no-go.

  I pour the white wine into a glass, take a sip, and then smile at him.

  “We’re having salmon tonight. If that’s okay.”

  “It’s okay with me. I’m starving,” he says.

  “Working out will do that to you.” I pull real butter out of the fridge, along with fresh herbs, and then go hunting for a cutting board.

  “So, was that bloke Jeremy?” he asks and sits on the same stool I took the first day I was here.

  “Yeah.” I sigh and dump the butter into a bowl, getting it ready to mix with the garlic and herbs. “I didn’t realize he was in Cunningham Falls. Not that I care.”

  I cut some chives and rosemary and keep chatting away.

  “You know, it’s interesting. You can be with someone for years, and when it’s over, and you see them again, you can have absolutely no emotions about it.” I look up at Nick with a frown. “Does that make me weird?”

  Before he can answer, I shake my head and go back to chopping.

  “Anyway, I told you that I followed him to Arizona. We went to college and lived together. Over time, things just got…different. You know? Like, he didn’t like it when I spent time with my nursing school friends. And he thought I should quit college and go to work, and then after he was done with university, he’d work, and I could finish.

  “But I was like, no way. I’m finishing my nursing degree. And I’m glad I did. He just wasn’t meant for me. And, finally, a few months ago, I sat him down and told him it was over. Said I wanted to break up.”

  I mix the butter and herbs and then reach for the salmon and coat it with the mixture.

  “He didn’t take it well. Ended up hitting me.”

  “What the fuck?”

  I glance up in surprise and feel my eyes widen at the look of absolute horror and the promise of violence on Nick’s face.

  “Don’t freak out,” I say and turn my attention to the asparagus. “I called the cops, and he was arrested. I’m not the kind of girl to drop charges. I put up with a lot of crap from Jeremy over the years, but that was the end for me. So, while he sat in jail and figured that out, I packed my stuff and moved home.”