Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (6 page)

“But their code of conduct wasn’t honorable,” Avery protested.

“To them, it was.”

“Well, if you’re dead set on pirates, you should write a book about the legend that everyone talks about around here—you know, that ship that sank in Vineyard Sound?”

“You mean the legend of the
Siren Lorelei
. I remember the stories my dad used to tell me. I think the ship wrecked in the early 1700s. That would be the perfect time frame for my next book,” he mused, leaning forward in his seat and taking her hand. It was small, cool, and smooth, and he could feel her pulse ticking in her wrist. “I’ve thought about it, but until now, I hadn’t realized how ideal that particular story would be. Coming back to Star Harbor
has
been good for me.”

She blushed, a slow creep of red from her cheeks that bloomed outward. Her pulse rate sped up just enough for him to notice. Though he could sense her reluctance, the way she responded to him was intoxicating. The fact that she couldn’t help it made it all the sweeter. Though he knew he should step back, slow down, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “And now it’s your turn to tell me about yourself.”

Avery stiffened, and then lowered her eyes. She tugged her hand away from him. “You’ve caught me at a strange time in my life. What do you want to know?” she asked warily.

Sorry she’d shut down again, and even sorrier that she’d removed her hand from his, Theo leaned back in his seat. “What you’re doing in Star Harbor would be a nice start.”

She blinked and looked up, pausing for a few moments before speaking, as if weighing how much she wanted to tell him. “I’m trying to figure out what I want,” she said slowly.

Now
that
sure sounded familiar. “What is it that you’re looking for?”

Avery met his gaze, an unreadable expression on her lovely face. He stared back, trying to figure out what was going on in her mind.

“Hot chocolate,” Lexie said, interrupting them as she placed a steaming ceramic cup in front of Avery. “Food’s almost ready.”

Theo forced himself not to groan at Lexie’s untimely intrusion. Avery had been about to talk—he was sure of it—but the spell was broken. He let her take a sip of the chocolate, enjoying the way she sighed a little after swallowing the hot beverage, and patiently waited for her to continue.

Finally, after a long stretch of silence, she spoke. “I’m taking a break from work right now,” she said quietly. “Some stuff happened before I left. The timing worked out, so I came here to help out Kate and lend a hand at the Inn, and she and Emma encouraged me to stay.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“I misjudged a situation and things ended badly.” There was a little hitch in her voice.

“Was there a guy involved?” A tight knot formed in his chest.

She shook her head. “No guy. I’m a social worker. I deal—dealt—mostly with substance abuse cases. The situation I’m referring to happened with a client of mine. A client I thought I was helping.” The tightness in his chest abated somewhat. Though he was glad a man wasn’t the cause of her anguish, he was sorry for her pain. She couldn’t disguise it; her eyes had turned a deeper blue, filled with emotion.

“I’m sure you
were
helping.”

“I tried. I thought we’d developed a good relationship. Built up trust. She’d been honest with me, at least, at first. But as it turned out, she’d lied to me about the extent of her dependency. She relapsed—much faster and much worse than I ever suspected—and I didn’t catch it in time.”

“But isn’t that what addicts do? Lie?”

She inclined her head in acknowledgment. “Sometimes. Sometimes not. If confronted directly, many will lie outright. It’s just a defense mechanism. But if approached respectfully, most will tell the truth: that they love the high, but know there are plenty of good reasons to stop. And of course, there are those who sometimes lie, but don’t always. My job is to see through the lies to the truth. And in this case, I didn’t.”

“Surely you can only be expected to do your best with what you’re given. If someone lies to you and then perpetuates the lie, how can you get around that? What are you supposed to do?” Theo asked, opening his hands in a placating gesture.

“Work with them until they tell me what’s really going on,” Avery said firmly. “Gain their trust and understanding so that they know I’m there to help them, not hurt them.”

Theo shook his head. “Sometimes people just want to hurt themselves and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Maybe. Sometimes.” She looked away again. “But it’s hard to stomach. When it’s what you live and breathe, it’s not easy to let go of all the emotion that goes with it.”

“And you’re just supposed to detach from the problem?”

“That’s my boss’s mantra, but it’s not that simple for me. I try not to get too invested, especially with clients I really bond with, but sometimes I can’t help it.”

“In most professions, that would be considered a good thing.”

“Not in mine.” She shook her head. “Not everyone wants to be saved. Problem was, I saw a lot of myself in her and I wanted to help her. I
wanted
her to make it. And she didn’t.”

“What parts of yourself did you see in her?” he asked.

“Empathy. Love. Confusion. Determination. Most of my clients are devoted parents in addition to being addicts. When our dad was killed, our mother gave her life to me and Emma, to make sure we knew we were loved and cherished. We tried to do the same for her, especially when she became ill and then died …” Avery trailed off. “It was hard, but we pushed through
with Kate’s help. We were never victims. We just did the best we could with the hand we were dealt. Just like my clients.”

This was getting good. “So what’s the problem? Sounds like you’re good at your job and that you have things in hand.”

Avery gave a delicate snort, her prim façade slipping slightly before snapping back into place. “Hardly. That’s why I’m here.”

“Well, I’ll give you the advice that a wise man gave me.” His brother Val, of course, years ago, when he’d first set off for the West Coast. “Start thinking about what you want. What you need. And then go after it.” Theo leaned forward again. “What
do
you want?” He knew exactly what
he
wanted. To figure out this woman. Find out what she was made of.

Just then, Lexie appeared back at their table. “Food’s up. Here you go, Avery. Theo.”

Damn
. Interrupted again. Then the aroma of his freshly cooked burger wafted up to him, tempering his irritation. “This looks delicious.”

“Can I get you two anything else?” Lexie asked, a slight smile on her face.

“No, thanks.” He loved his future sister-in-law, but at the moment, he wanted to be alone with Avery.

“Thank you, no,” Avery said, shaking her head.

“Well, holler if you need anything,” she said, before turning and heading back to the kitchen.

“Please,” Theo said, gesturing that she should start eating.

Avery gave him a brief smile before tucking into her food. While he picked up his burger, he surreptitiously watched her eat. She ate slowly, one deliberate bite at a time, savoring the simple dish. Taking a bite of the accompanying hash browns, she made a little noise of pleasure in the back of her throat.

Behind his burger, Theo smiled to himself. However much she tried to suppress it, there was passion simmering just below the surface. Passion he’d do anything to be able to tap. He
imagined what it would be like to have her under him, that glorious hair spread out over a pillow, as she gave herself to him with every ounce of enthusiasm she’d undoubtedly bring to such an endeavor. He could just picture her now, her face flushed with desire, her mouth open on a gasp as …

He blinked and glanced around, embarrassed to realize that he’d been holding his burger in front of him for several moments, but he still hadn’t taken a bite.

Avery was glad that they’d finished dinner and were headed back home. She had come to Star Harbor to escape the stresses of her life, not add new ones. And Theodore Grayson was definitely a new one. At dinner, he’d stared at her as though he could see through to her very soul. His cool intensity had compelled her to open up to him—just as she encouraged her clients to do with her. It was unsettling, to say the least. How could she get her mind back on track if Theo kept throwing her out of her comfort zone?

She couldn’t wear her heart on her sleeve—that was just trouble waiting to happen. No, she needed to keep her emotions tamped down so that they couldn’t be set off by one little trigger. She’d kept part of her heart on lockdown since her mother’s death. And she’d survived in her job by doing her best to compartmentalize her emotions—trying her darndest not to get emotionally invested in her clients. And she’d failed even in that. Now, this man was trying to pry open Pandora’s box, things were spiraling out of control, and she wasn’t sure how to handle it. One crack in her carefully composed armor and it would all come pouring out again.

A snowflake landed on her cheek, and she impatiently wiped it away. Avery was nervous, there was no getting around it. Anytime he touched her—no, anytime he
looked
at her—her heart started racing. So much for keeping herself in check.

He had his hand in hers again. Thankfully, he’d put his gloves back on, but his calm demeanor made her anything but. A light dusting of snow already coated the cobblestone streets and sidewalks of Star Harbor’s downtown area. If this continued, it would be up to her ankles by morning. Theo expertly steered her through the snowy streets, and for that, she was grateful. She’d spent most of her childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, so her experience with serious winter weather was limited to the time she’d spent in Boston. This meant she could handle the season only if the roads were de-iced and the sidewalks were cleared. In Star Harbor, she could barely keep upright when walking outside after a snowfall.

And she was always cold, hence the huge puffer jacket. As if on cue, she shivered.

But the snow falling gently onto the boats docked in the harbor was as beautiful a sight as she’d ever seen. She loved the way it fluttered all around her without a sound. It was so peaceful—just perfect for nestling into her little room in Aunt Kate’s house with a good book and a warm cup of tea. For a moment, she imagined how warm it would be if Theo wrapped his arms around her body. It unnerved her.

“Let’s go back to the Inn,” Avery said quickly, trying to will the image away. “I have a few things I need to do before heading back to Kate’s this evening.”

“All right,” he agreed, guiding her up the path to the front door. They let themselves into the foyer. Avery took off her jacket and laid it across the reservation desk, shivering a little as a draft blew in. Theo took off his own coat, and she couldn’t help but stare. Up close, he looked downright enormous. Cold-blooded he wasn’t—he didn’t even have on a sweater beneath his jacket. Just a navy-blue long-sleeved crewneck shirt that showed off the definition of his powerful chest and arms. And why hadn’t she noticed the way a few locks of hair curled slightly down the back of his neck? It was just too long to be considered clean-cut, but she suspected that Theo could care less about that. As she wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through the curls, her fingers curved.

What was she doing? Imagining herself touching him was
not
wise. Quickly, she jerked her gaze away and pretended to search for something behind the desk.

“What do you have to do?” Theo asked, leaning on the desk. “Maybe I could help?”

Bad idea. The man was scorching hot, and Avery needed to stay away from him, not encourage him. “Check the voicemail messages, get things ready for tea tomorrow, that kind of thing.” She waved her hand around to indicate that it would be boring. “Though I guess I won’t have to do the setup if you’re going to be out for teatime.”

“Oh, I’ll be here all right. Where is it served again?”

“In the parlor.”

At his confused look, she realized she was going to have to show him. “Here.” She gestured for him to follow her, flicking on the light switch when she reached the room. She sighed contentedly as she stepped into the warm, welcoming space. Built-in bookshelves filled with old tomes flanked two of the walls. Centered against another wall was a fireplace topped by a huge mantel that showcased an old-fashioned clock with visible gears, and a model sailboat. Several comfortable chairs were arranged around a low table, and a pair of small sofas sat opposite each other across a Persian rug. Antique floor lamps provided the light. This was Avery’s favorite room in the Inn, and she’d often sit on the window seat and watch the harbor when things weren’t busy. “There are some parlor games, like Scrabble, underneath that bookshelf,” she said, pointing to a cabinet in the corner.

“Want to play?” His voice deepened suggestively.

Avery swallowed hard. “Not tonight,” she said, trying to sound firm even though the thought of battling wits and words with this man made her start heating up like an oven. Staying with him would be a disaster. Her cheeks—not to mention the rest of her—were already warm.