Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Brynn
Y ou’ve got to be kidding me.
The entire flight, I told myself I was going to put my attitude aside and enjoy this trip. That Pierce and I could keep our distance, and I wouldn’t have to spend the entire time trying to resist his charms because fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me as they say.
I step closer to my parents. “You’re okay with me staying with a stranger?” I whisper, but it’s so damn quiet out here that I’m sure Pierce and Andrew can hear me. “He could be a serial killer.”
My dad scoffs, rolling his eyes as if it’s not a possibility.
“Brynn.” Mom sighs.
“There has to be somewhere else I can stay. What’s in there?” I motion toward the big building. “I’ll sleep on the couch. Better yet, he can sleep on the couch.”
My dad puts his hand on my shoulder. “No one is sleeping on a couch for the entire week. Plus, you wouldn’t be able to sleep in at all. That’s where the kitchen and big gathering area is. Everyone will be convening there.”
I look back at Pierce and see the small smirk on his face as if he’s content with the idea that we will be sharing a villa.
I inhale a deep breath.
“He’s a stranger,” I say in a low voice.
Pierce steps forward into my little bubble with my parents. “Actually, we’re not.”
I whip my head in his direction. Oh, he is not going to tell my parents about our one-weekend fling six years ago. My brothers would never let me hear the end of it.
“What do you mean?” My dad tilts his head.
Thank you, Dad.
“I was Brynn’s teacher’s assistant back at university when she studied in London.”
“Say what?” Carter stops right before he’s about to walk into the house, turns back around, and heads back our way.
“Leave, Carter,” Dad scolds, pointing at the house.
“Did you say teacher’s assistant?” My mom faces Pierce, giving him all her attention.
I glare at him and step between my mom and Pierce. “That doesn’t mean he isn’t a stranger. It’s been six years.”
“I can vouch for my cousin,” Andrew says from behind me. “He’s a good guy and would never?—”
“Dad, I’m your baby girl.” I give him my puppy dog eyes. Surely they’ll pull at his heartstrings, and he’ll see that there’s another way.
My mom shakes her head, places her hand on my shoulder, and nudges me out of the way. “So, you two know one another?”
Of course she’s not going to let this go. My mom loves to be in the know.
“Yes.” Pierce nods. “It’s quite funny really. We interviewed for the same job in New York. We reconnected, and this whole thing with the holiday is completely coincidental.”
Mom’s gaze floats to me, her eyes questioning whether he’s telling the truth. I nod. It’s all very weird and unusual, but here we are.
“Well, that’s something for sure. Sounds like a little Christmas magic, huh, Abe?”
I roll my eyes. “There’s nothing going on between us.” I wave my finger between Pierce and me, though he’s now standing a little too close.
“I just meant that I’m sure it’s nice for Pierce to know not only Andrew but you as well. It’s Christmas, and you should be around friends and family. Now he’s got both.” My mom holds her arms out as if we’re one big happy family.
And I know she’s probably listing all the questions in her head to slam me with when we’re alone. I’m fooling myself if I think the fact that Pierce and I had a fling is going to stay quiet this entire trip.
“Sure do. I’ve never forgotten Brynn. She really kept me on my toes that semester.”
Stop laying it on so thick, Pierce.
“That’s so sweet. We think she’s pretty great too.” Mom stares at me with pride in her eyes. Little does she know he’s referring to how good I was in bed. “Then it’s settled, let me show you to your villa. Abe can get you guys settled, Andrew.”
“Great,” Andrew says, and he and my dad head back to the SUV.
Mom bypasses me, linking arms with Pierce and following my dad and Andrew to the SUV. I trail behind them. We take our suitcases from the vehicle, and Andrew unstraps Pierce’s skis from the roof.
“Oh, you’re a skier?” Mom asks, pursing her lips while she looks at me.
Pierce doesn’t miss a beat, which doesn’t surprise me. “You’re a snowboarder?”
“I am.”
“Then I look forward to some friendly competition.”
I burst out laughing.
Mom pulls up the handles of the suitcases to wheel them to our villa. “Oh, Pierce, you just flipped the switch. Our Brynn is pretty biased on which is better.”
My dad walks the opposite way to head to Andrew and Kenzie’s villa. I assume they’re next to Tessa and Tre, which means I’m next to Carter and Faith. This week keeps on giving.
“I’m pretty passionate as well.” Pierce winks at me, and I scowl in return.
“Let’s go, guys. Wait until you see how your villa is decorated.” Mom follows the path before I can ask her what she means.
Pierce props his skis on his shoulder, and I try really hard not to find that appealing. I mean, it’s just skis. He wheels one of his suitcases while my mom has another one, and I have mine. My parents brought the rest of my stuff, so I assume it’s in the villa.
We’re the last small building on the left-hand side. It’s outlined in colorful holiday lights, and there are stickers on the windows with Christmas sayings.
“It’s a code to unlock, so I’ll text it to you both so you’ll have it if you forget it,” my mom says. “Pierce, I’ll need your number.”
“Sure,” he says from behind me.
She enters the code, and the door unlocks, so she walks in first and flicks on the lights. “Isn’t it just so cute?”
I follow my mom, and she’s right, it is cute. And small. I’m not sure how Pierce and I are going to navigate our way around here without bumping into one another constantly. There’s no door between the couch and bedroom area. But there’s a fireplace and a small counter with a pod coffee maker and a whole tray of hot cocoa fixings. Freshly baked Christmas cookies are on a tray with “Welcome” iced on the middle one.
“Very nice.” If I wasn’t staying with Pierce, I might say I love it and what a great decision it was to come here this year. But I fixate on the couch and how close it is to the bed.
“Marvelous.” Pierce rests his skis along the wall in the corner behind the door. “This place is something, that’s for sure. Good job, Gwen.” He smiles at my mom, and she beams at his compliment.
I can’t help but enjoy that he’s buttering her up. She does a lot for us and deserves the praise for always taking care of our needs.
“Well, I’m glad you like it. I’m going to head over to the main lodge.” She walks toward the door. “I’ll send the code to Brynn, and we can exchange numbers up at the main lodge.”
Pierce shakes his head. “Brynn has my number, so she can forward it to me. No problem there.”
“She does?” Mom does a terrible job of hiding her smile.
I see her mind spinning with possibilities. “He just got it at the airport. I haven’t been hiding him in London for the past six years. We’ll be up soon. Thanks, Mom.”
She smiles and looks at me for a moment as if she’s relieved. Knowing her, she probably is. All three of her children are now here. “Don’t take too long. The babies are all out of whack, so we were thinking about playing a game and calling it a night.”
“I have to take a raincheck. With the time difference…” Pierce says.
Thank goodness he’s not going to tag along to every event we have.
“Oh, I understand. Abe and I went to Europe once, and it took forever to get over my jet lag. But I do hope you’ll join us tomorrow after you get some rest.”
She leaves and shuts the door. I remain near the bed while he stays by the sofa.
“Want to flip for it?” I open my purse to grab a coin.
“Give me some credit. You take the bed, and I’ll take the sofa bed.”
“If you’re sure. We could swap halfway through the week.” It’s my halfhearted attempt to meet him halfway.
He sits on the arm of the couch and stares at me, clasping his hands in his lap. “I understand that this isn’t ideal, but I don’t want us tiptoeing around one another for the next week.”
“There isn’t anything wrong,” I say, lying through my teeth.
“Okay, I don’t want to constantly feel as though I’m spoiling your holiday.”
I nod. He has a point.
“Truth?” I sigh.
He nods. “Please.”
“It hurt. It sucked when I walked into that classroom, and my stomach filled with an exhibit of butterflies seeing you in that first row. And when you didn’t smile, but I witnessed your smile actually fall, it cut me. I think I knew then, but once it was confirmed by Professor Jorgensen about you being the TA, I thought we’d have a conversation about what it meant. It was only one semester.” It feels good to finally get my feelings out there.
He pushes a hand through his dark hair. “I wish I had handled it differently, but Professor Jorgensen had a lot of control over where students ended up. I was afraid that if he found out, he wouldn’t believe that things happened before I knew you were a student. So I distanced myself completely. I’m sorry.”
His green eyes that drew me in that first night shine like the North Star, and my defenses crumble. “Okay then.”
“But Brynn.” He stands. His height is one thing I loved about him. The way his body sheltered mine when he pressed me to the door. “I have nothing to fear now. I made the mistake of letting you slip out of my grasp once. I’m not making the same mistake twice.”
My pulse skyrockets. “We can’t.”
“Why not?”
I pick up my suitcase, put it on the luggage holder, and turn my back to him because if I have to look at him, I might not say it. “There is not a second chance for us.”
“Give me a reason.” I hear his footsteps walk closer to me.
“I don’t even know you.”
“We can change that.” His breath floats over my bare neck.
“I’m not looking for just sex. My vibrator gets the job done just fine.”
He chuckles, and I close my eyes to gain my bearings.
“Turn around, Brynn,” he says softly.
“What?” I circle around and straighten my back, crossing my arms.
“We both know you aren’t satisfied with your vibrator. The sex between us was something I’ve never experienced before or since. I bet it’s been the same for you. So, I’ll give you a little bit of space, but I have an entire week to prove to you that we belong together. Get ready.”
My chest tightens, and I let out a sarcastic laugh to play off how much his words affect me. “Ready for what?”
“For you to fall in love with me.”
“You’re crazy.” I laugh again and spin around, but he grabs my wrist, his thumb running over the skin on the inside. We stand in place, and he steps closer, his front to my back.
“There hasn’t been a day you haven’t crossed my mind.”
“Well, sorry, I’m not on the market.”
He frowns. “You’re not single?”
I smirk at him. “Maybe I should have been more specific. I’m not on the market for you .”
I shut my suitcase with my free hand, wind my wrist out of his grasp, and beeline it to the door.
Once I’m on the other side, I lean my back against the door, close my eyes, and inhale a few deep breaths of the cold air.
Seven days.
I can do anything for seven days. Even resist the only man who’s ever really had the power to hurt me.