I want her to know who she belongs to—at least for the winter.
I braced my hands on either side of her, caging her in, but I didn’t touch her. The tingles of her breath on my skin had me getting harder by the second. As her pulse jumped at the base of her throat, I imagined running my tongue along her skin, tasting every inch of her.
“You know why,” I said in a low voice. Her dark eyes turned even blacker and I raised a hand to—
The front door banged open, a blast of frigid air whipping through the house.
“I brought barbecue!” Cressida traipsed into the kitchen holding brown paper bags stuffed with takeout boxes. She kicked off her bootsand dropped the feast on the counter along with a bottle of wine. “Thought we could celebrate our new roommate.”
Val’s face paled with terror as she jumped away from me, staring at Cressida, who looked like she’d just stepped out of the pages ofVoguewith her intricately braided hair, black faux leather leggings, and fluffy red sweater.
Cressida beamed at her and said, “We don’t bite, Val.”
Val’s eyes shot to mine then back to Cressida, because she knew I most certainlydidbite. When Val smiled back, she only looked slightly uncomfortable as opposed to ready to bolt out the door.
I pulled out a barstool and sat at the counter, the picture of ease. But internally, my thoughts were a riot.How did I think this would be a good idea?But it was too late now. I wasn’t about to kick Val out. And knowing Cressida, she would do her damnedest to play matchmaker and push us together.
Yeah, that won’t create any complicated dynamics at all.
Shit.
VAL
I’d thought being around Cressida would make things extremely awkward, but as we dug into the food, I was grateful for her presence. Otherwise, it would have been me and Nolan dining alone. Again. My cheeks warmed as I took a sip of wine.
You know why.
His words rocketed around in my head, lighting up every instinct I had to run away. My fleeting attraction to Nolan was inconvenient but ignorable. And I’d never act on it no matter how many times heinsinuated that he wanted me too, even as he swore it would never happen again. He was right—I wouldn’t do that to Cressida or to anyone else.That’s not who I am.But Frankie kept insisting that the engagement was a ruse—her internet sleuthing and gossip column rabbit holes held whispers and conspiracy theories, but I didn’t put much stock in it. They were still engaged, and that was that.
My stomach churned.Hopefully they repair the dorms quickly.
“What are you two getting into tomorrow?” Cressida asked, popping a bite of cornbread in her mouth.
“Oh, uh, I’m not sure…” In all the commotion, I had forgotten I had a job to do. But now, my job had just gotten much easier. I turned a devious smile to Nolan, who looked at me suspiciously over his plate of pulled pork. “Now that you’ve given me access to your home, there are very few places you can hide from me and pretend to be working. Arthur is a smart man. I see why he suggested this arrangement.”
I still wasn’t convinced that Arthurhadsuggested it, and the feeling was solidified when Nolan ground his teeth together.
Cressida chuckled into her wineglass. “She’s got you there, Nolan.”
“I don’thide,” he murmured with a scowl, shoving a last forkful of food in his mouth.
“Of course not,” Cressida said in a tone heavy with sarcasm. “Why don’t you show Val to her room and I’ll take care of cleaning up the kitchen?” Shooing us away and declining my attempts to help, she gathered up the paper boxes and bags. A spark of surprise flitted through me. I’d assumed she’d call for the maid service as most of the cabin guests did.
Damn. I really liked Cressida.
Which made me feel all the more awful for what had happened between Nolan and me.
But when Nolan thumbed a bit of sauce off of his lower lip, he caught me staring, and a playful smile curved his mouth.Dios, it’s like he’s teasing me on purpose.To my horror, Cressida witnessed the exchange and—did she justsnort? What the heck is going on?
Interrupting my internal freak-out, Nolan said, “Your room is this way,” and ushered me down the hall.
When he pushed open the first door, I stepped inside the largest guest room I had ever seen. Massive windows overlooked the forest and the mountains. High wood-paneled ceilings and sage green walls gave the room a feeling of warmth. A queen bed with mounds of fluffy pillows in rich floral patterns and a cream-colored armchair finished off the cozy look.
Nolan watched me with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the doorjamb, his jaw carving a taut line. “Do you like it?” he asked.
“It’s wonderful,” I said, but felt the anxiety budding inside of me. “Sleeping in an unfamiliar place is always difficult for me at first.” I hadn’t meant to share that, but Nolan’s relief at knowing I liked the room hinted that maybe we were both apprehensive although for different reasons. I hadn’t had any nightmares in a while, but between my fears of Antonella showing up again and my nerves about Nolan…hopefully the wine I drank would help lull me to sleep. “But I know I will be comfortable here.”
His mouth lifted into a slight smile, then he gestured to a door behind me. “Your things are in there.”
