Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Brynn

M y mom nudges Pierce into the villa and shuts the door.

“Hi,” I say. “Where did you go?”

He takes off his jacket and boots, leaving both by the door. “I went for a walk, but it’s really cold, so I didn’t last that long.”

“Hmm… that’s kind of weak,” I joke, and he raises his eyebrows. “Yeah, okay, bad timing.” I pat the spot next to me. “Can we talk?”

He walks over and sits on the couch.

“I’m sorry,” I say, unsure how to broach this subject. It seems very adult, and I’m not always good at serious matters.

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s my own issue, and I shouldn’t lay it all on you.” His eyes remain on the television.

“Can you look at me?”

He turns toward me. “It’s fine, Brynn. I’m sorry for storming out or making you feel bad for trying to comfort me. Yours was a natural response.”

“God, Pierce, want to think for me a little more?”

He rears his head back. “I’m telling you it’s my fault.”

“I was wrong.”

You’d think I’d just told him I was pregnant with his baby with how confused he looks. “No.”

“Yes, Pierce. When I saw you in that hotel, a huge part of me wanted to walk into your room, accept your invitation for a drink, but all the anger of being ignored those months rushed back and came out. I’ve been giving you the cold shoulder, but it was a protective seal, which I now realize because of my mom.”

His face softens, and he twists his body to face me fully. “What are you saying?”

I swallow, glance at my lap, and back up. “I want to see what’s between us.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I want to give us another chance. I know we live in two different countries, and we’re competing for the same job, but… oh, I don’t know. I just think if I let this week go by, I’ll regret that more than I would if it doesn’t work out. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, definitely.” He scoots closer, and I see his hand rising toward my face.

“I’d like nothing more than to take you to that bed and put all the shit behind us right now, but I’m just not ready yet.”

He draws back and nods. “Okay.”

“I hope you’re not disappointed.”

“Never. Don’t ever worry about disappointing me. I’ve waited six years, I’ll wait until you’re ready. Just tell me when.”

I nod. “Would you settle for cuddling while we watch the movie?”

“Settle? Fuck, I’ve wanted you in my arms since I saw you in that elevator.” He straightens and puts his feet on the table in front of him, placing his arm over the back of the couch, waiting for me.

I snuggle into his body, and damn, he smells so good. I lean in and inhale him. He chuckles, probably knowing exactly what I’m doing.

“I’m sorry for giving you a hard time about the hug. I’m an asshole when it comes to my past.”

I shake my head. “The only thing I want to tell you is to not feel weak because of people wanting to comfort you. I hugged you because I care for you and wanted to ease the pain I saw on your face. Not because I felt bad for you.”

He nods. “Thanks.” His hand runs down my arm and back up.

We watch the movie, and yeah, it’s my favorite, but there’s a weight lifted off me that makes me enjoy it more than the other two I watched with my family.

The next evening, Mom says that Tre and Tessa won the cookie decorating contest with their ugly sweater. Carter insists it’s because Tessa is a professional and Mom’s friends were actually judging the best-looking cookie, not the worst.

That makes Pierce and me tied with Tre and Tessa, but there are still a lot of events to go.

I look at Pierce across the room when my mom announces that it’s gingerbread house time.

Along the table, she sets down all different shapes and sizes of cooked gingerbread, saying we don’t need to stick to the classic house if we don’t want to. The problem is that if you’re not fast enough, you’re stuck making a structure that will be the ugliest house or unstable, like Tre and Tessa’s last year.

I crack my neck and roll my shoulders as if I’m getting ready to run a marathon or something. Pierce laughs.

“No fighting, and no one leaves here until every sprinkle is picked up. You’ve got three hours. Go!” Mom steps away from the table while we rush it, grabbing all the parts to a house.

Thankfully, Nolan and Ryah are asleep in their playpens, and they’ve proven that they can sleep through anything. Maybe because they’re so exhausted from being off their schedules and all the fresh air. I don’t know, but it works.

“Are we doing it like the sketch?” Pierce asks me.

“What sketch? Did you know we were doing this?” Carter points at me. “Cheaters!”

“Everyone knows Mom does the gingerbread house every year, so if you didn’t already think about what you wanted to build, that’s on you.”

“She has a point, Carter. And it doesn’t mean she can actually construct it.” Tre’s eyes lift in challenge, and I narrow mine.

I turn toward Pierce and nod. Our hands and arms are intertwined while we try to get the frosting to stick the gingerbread pieces together. I’ve never thought that decorating a gingerbread house could produce sexual tension, but we’re so close, and we keep touching. I’m starting to get turned on. The scent of his musky cologne isn’t helping. It makes me want to lean into his neck and inhale.

Hour by hour, I feel myself softening toward him. Maybe it’s me keeping my guard up, but I’m not that wide-eyed, na?ve girl he met six years ago. I want him to discover the woman I’ve become and make sure we’re still a good fit before bringing sex into it and complicating things. Things being feelings.

Pierce makes a swing with licorice and pretzels, somehow getting it to adhere to the roof of the porch that wraps around our house.

“Damn, Wainwright, are you a structural engineer in your spare time?” Carter asks.

“My partner is pretty badass, huh?” I grin across the table at my brother.

Everyone stops and stares at me, then each other.

“Did you just compliment Pierce?” Tre asks.

“I can see people’s good qualities,” I say, making the brick path to the front door with Sweet Tarts.

“You haven’t seen Pierce’s since he arrived,” Carter says. I kick him under the table. “Ouch. Seriously, I’m gonna have a bruise.”

“Stop saying stupid shit,” I say.

“Carter, can you do the roof?” Faith asks.

“Yeah, go be a productive partner to Faith and leave me alone.” I shoo him away with my hand.

He does, but I think it’s because he wants to get laid more than how much he actually wants to help. Whatever, it gets him out of my hair.

Three hours goes by in a blink, and we all hold up our sugar-coated fingers when Mom calls time.

I will say the couples with the kids kind of get the shaft. Andrew had to get Nolan once, and their house isn’t the best as a result. Tre constructed the house and left it to Tessa to do most of the decorations while he kept Ryah occupied after she woke up. He’s still so military despite having retired from it. Even in the way he assigns the tasks of the gingerbread house decorating.

Carter and Faith’s house looks as though Ryah and Nolan put it together. Clearly this is not their forte.

Mom left most of it to Dad mostly because although his is only half-finished after three hours because he’s a perfectionist, she knows it’s his favorite contest. Couple goals.

My eyes veer to Pierce. He’s watching me secretly judge everyone else’s house. His smirk is sexy, and I have to clear my throat and look away. Now that I’ve opened myself up to allowing him in, I think he’s grown more attractive overnight. I watched him come off the hill today and could barely contain myself while he shrugged off his jacket. I’m in a lot of trouble.

Mom takes pictures of each team’s gingerbread house, uploading them to Facebook for judging.

“And tonight’s movie is… The Holiday ,” Mom announces once everything is clean.

“I’m going to head to our villa to give Ryah a bath. Hopefully she’ll go down since she didn’t sleep very long earlier,” Tessa says. “You can stay here, Tre, I can handle it.”

“No, let’s go,” Tre says, waving goodbye.

“Us too unfortunately,” Kenzie says. “Nolan is so out of sorts. I need one good night of sleep from him if I’m going to make it to Christmas.”

We say good night.

Carter hovers by the door. “Faith and I were going to go into town. And The Holiday isn’t really my thing.”

“Because it’s more of a romance?” I ask.

“Yep.” He places his hand on the small of Faith’s back and urges her out the door.

“I guess it’s just us four,” Mom says.

“Yeah.” Awesome.

This won’t be uncomfortable at all.

My parents sit in chairs on either side of the couch, and I respectfully don’t cuddle up to Pierce. That would be weird. I reach for the blanket as the movie starts.

“Do you mind sharing?” Pierce asks.

“Course not.” I ignore my parents’ side-eyes and lift it over his lap, causing me to scoot closer to him.

My knee touches his thigh, and who am I kidding? I have no idea how long I’ll last before I grab him and smash my lips to his.

Halfway through the movie, my dad is snoring, and my mom’s eyes are closed.

I pick up the remote and pause the movie. “Mom. Dad.”

Both of them bolt up from their chairs.

“Sorry.” Dad runs a hand down his face.

“You two go to bed. We’ll close up the lodge,” I say.

They both stand.

“Thanks, guys.” My mom gives us a tired smile.

Dad puts his arm around my mom, and they make their way out the door.

Pierce lifts his arm, and I curl into his body, pressing Play on the movie. I run my hand along his muscled chest, slipping it under the hem of his sweatshirt. He doesn’t say anything, and other than his fingers running down my arm and back, he continues to watch the movie.

My body buzzes. I want to lift myself and straddle him, feel how hard I make him. Why am I fighting this? I lift my lips to his neck, and he groans.

“What are you doing?” he whispers as if other people are in the room.

“I can’t resist.” I press my lips to his skin again, this time on his strong jaw.

He turns his head, and through the flicker of light from the movie, our eyes meet. “What do you want, Brynn?”

“I want you to kiss me.”

He lowers his head and closes his eyes for a moment before looking back at me. His green eyes are filled with lust I want to quench. I lick my lips, ready and waiting as he grows closer, my entire body buzzing.

The door opens, and a cool breeze rushes between us.

“Shh… sweet girl, Mommy needs to sleep,” Tre says, holding Ryah, who is crying loudly.

Guess the moment is over.