Draw Me Close (7 page)

How she managed to look sexy in that damn puffy coat he couldn't say, but she did. Maybe it was because he'd seen enough of her in the past to know what was concealed beneath. Lindsey's body had always been breathtaking, but the years had been good to her. Full hips and thighs, round ass. Her breasts used to fit perfectly in his hand but he could tell that even those were fuller. He imagined the weight of them, the satiny feel of her nipples against his lips.

Derek clamped his teeth together, lifted his stocking cap to scratch at his hair and then pulled it back down on his head. He really had to stop having thoughts about her like that. Starting things back up with Lindsey was not only slim to none in the chances department, but also a bad idea. He wasn't in a place to have a serious relationship and the last thing he could ever allow himself to do was hurt Lindsey again.

As they ascended the summit Derek and Tanner headed toward the ever-growing line. All the while he watched as Claire, Lindsey, and what appeared to be Mike's niece Bailey spoke a little farther down the hill. He hadn't yet seen Mike's sister here, but obviously she'd brought her daughter. Derek knew the two little girls were best friends from school. In fact, it was that friendship that had brought Mike and Anne together in the first place.

Derek continued to watch them as Lindsey pulled something out of her pocket. It was blue and egg shaped. She twisted it apart and rubbed it on her lips. He angled his body away—concealed by a group of kids—but continued to watch her through his dark sunglasses, her lips rubbing against one another as she shoved what had to have been lip gloss back into her coat pocket. Her head turned in his direction then, and he looked away.

After a few minutes it was nearly their turn to go down when Tanner patted Derek's arm.

“Look, they're going to the big drop.”

“Damn,” Derek muttered under his breath. For just a moment he considered how interesting it was that his son had apparently caught on that the girls were to be watched, but he didn't have time to analyze whether he was being too obvious in his interest. He motioned for Tanner to step out of line and follow him.

“Dad. What are you doing? Are we almost done?”

With a quick hush, Derek led them over to where the girls had gone. The big drop was the tallest, steepest section of the Hill. It was frequented by teenage boys and snowboarders looking for a little more of a thrill. Kids were known to use it too occasionally, but it certainly wasn't as popular with them. Derek suspected many parents prohibited their kids from going down it, although there wasn't anything truly unsafe about it. He and Tanner usually saved it for last, since you always wiped out at the end and left with snow shoved into every available crevice.

He wasn't really certain why Lindsey was taking the girls over there. Didn't really seem like their kind of gig considering she and Claire had both started out a little fearful.

Derek and Tanner followed them and came up behind where they stood watching a few boys do tricks on their snowboards.

“You gonna try it?” he asked.

Lindsey jumped and jerked her head around. “I need to put a bell around your neck.”

Derek couldn't help chuckling. He stepped around to face her. “That would take all the fun out of things.”

Lindsey gave him a sidelong glance before finally dropping her shoulders. “Claire and Bailey want to go down this hill. Claire on her own sled. Is it safe?”

“I go all the time. Uncle Mike took me when I was three.” Bailey put a hand on her hip. Lindsey and Derek looked at each other, and for just a moment he thought they might almost laugh together. But she collected herself.

“I don't doubt Mike did that,” Derek said. He knew his friend well.

“He did!” Bailey continued. “Claire and me can go by ourselves. It will be so fun.”

“Please, Lindsey,” Claire whined before turning to look up at Derek. “Will you record it again and send it to Mike? I want him to see me do it, too.”

The girls nearly bounced in their boots with anticipation. Not for the first tim, Derek was a little grateful he didn't have girls. They were a handful, and he was certain that Claire was a little jealous because Bailey had gone down the steep hill with her soon-to-be-stepdad and she hadn't.

“I'm gonna have to leave this one up to Lindsey,” he said in response to Claire.

Lindsey eyed him for a moment and then glanced around him to look at the drop.

“I just don't know…” she said, her voice hesitant.

“Please, Lindsey?” Claire begged.

“I'm gonna call your mom and ask her.” Lindsey quickly pulled her phone from a zipped pocket inside her coat, stepped to the side and briefly spoke to Anne. After a second she came back, her face twisted in uncertainty.

“Okay, she said yes, but you have to wait till she can get to the bottom on this end before you go,” Lindsey said. She put up a finger and wagged it as she spoke. “And you have to stop yourself at the end otherwise you'll coast toward the creek.”

“I will,” Claire said.

“No worries there,” Derek couldn't help interjecting. “They probably won't even make it that far. Not heavy enough. Even Tanner and I usually wipe out after that bottom run.”

Lindsey's head tilted to the side as she looked at him wide-eyed. “Are you trying to make me change my mind?”

Derek grinned. “Just giving you all the facts. They'll be fine.”

They all watched in silence as Anne—along with Mike's sister Erin—made their way across the field below and stood toward the bottom of the hill in front of them. Anne gave a wave and then Lindsey looked down at Claire.

“All right, please be careful.” Lindsey dropped the sled onto the snow. While she got the girls situated, Derek quietly motioned for his son to go ahead and descend also. Tanner nodded and sat down on his disc sled. If he and Lindsey were here together he was going to use this situation to his advantage. There was no way he was going to walk away from her today without some kind of conversation taking place between them.

“Why don't you watch Tanner go first?” Derek suggested. At his words, Tanner took off down the hill. They all watched as he disappeared over the steep slope, reappeared and then bumped a few times, and finally wiped out about eight feet from Anne and Erin. Tanner waved as soon as he got up.

“That doesn't look too bad, does it?” Lindsey asked aloud, although Derek had a feeling she was trying to convince herself. “Okay, on three.”

She began to count and on her mark, Lindsey pushed the sled over the crest and the girls instantly began to scream. The sound of Lindsey's laughter sent an ache through Derek's body. God, she had the most beautiful laugh. He hadn't heard that sound in years, but it felt like yesterday.

Derek stepped beside Lindsey. She was focused intently on Claire and Anne at the bottom of the hill, a faint smile teasing her lips. Her face was reddened from the cold wind, highlighting her cheekbones and drawing his attention to her eyes. She had the longest eyelashes. When she caught him staring her expression fell. Clearly she would be happier anywhere else but standing at the top of the hill alone with him.

“You look pretty today,” he said. Instantly he regretted opening with such a line. It was ridiculous considering their current state of affairs, but he definitely meant it. She always looked beautiful and he wanted her to know he thought so.

She gave him a quick look of surprise that blurred into annoyance, but she said nothing.

“Okay, no compliments. Noted.” Derek shook his head. “So, we going to talk? I think we both know it's necessary.”

“Absolutely not.” She didn't even bother looking at him.

Derek's shoulders dropped. “Lindse—”

“Stop.” She turned hard, pointing a finger into his chest. He could barely feel it through the bulk of his coat, but the fury in her eyes entranced him. “Don't do it. I'm telling you now, you better stop talking.”

He sucked in a breath, a little shocked at her outburst. “Okay. Fine.” Her hand dropped and Derek angled his head toward the woods at their back. “So you gonna grab a log to slide down on?”

“I'll just wait for Claire to come back up.”

“Oh please, that'll take ten minutes,” he said.

Just then her phone rang. As she looked down and then answered it, he happened to notice Anne at the base of the hill, her phone to her ear.

“Hey,” Lindsey said, her voice turning friendly as she stepped toward the trees. “No, everything's fine.” A pause. “He what? Oh crap. Okay, bye.”

“What's wrong?” Derek asked.

“Apparently your son informed Anne that we were probably up here fighting.”

“Damn.” Derek put his hands on his hips and glanced back down the hill. Anne had led the kids away and was filling cups out of a thermos. He caught Tanner glancing up at him and Lindsey before he turned back to the group. His kid was obviously a lot more intuitive than he ever suspected.

“How old is he?” Her question sliced through Derek's thoughts like a knife. He'd known the conversation was coming. Had wanted it. But the reality of facing her, telling her the truth, was going to kill him.

Here we go.

Derek blew out a breath and stood straight. He looked directly into Lindsey's eyes. She deserved that. “Tanner will be eight in June.”

Her lips twisted to the side and she began to shake her head. As if she were still working through the information.

Or trying not to cry. She turned away once more but he ducked in front of her, effectively cutting her off.

“Lindsey, talk to me. Don't pull away. I want to make things right.”

She choked out a bitter laugh. “Make things right? Are you serious? There is no making anything right. There is only moving on, which I keep trying to do but you're making it very difficult.” Her voice broke on the last few words and he was certain he could feel her pain in his chest.

He took a tentative step closer. So close that he had to tilt his head down to look at her face. She stared right at his chest, lips pursed. “There are so many things I want to say to you. Obviously … I wasn't honest with you. Not always, but that day. That day I lied to you and I owe you an explanation.”

She scoffed and then met his eyes, her expression indignant. Her teeth clamped down, her emotions turned to fury as she spoke. “God, you're an ass.
An explanation?
You have an eight-year-old son, Derek. With that knowledge I'm pretty sure I don't give a damn what you have to say to me.”

Anger churned in his chest, but there really was no arguing with her. She was right. He was an ass and she didn't owe him a damn thing.

“This is humiliating, us fighting up here and your son witnessing it.” Lindsey's gloves formed fat fists, her body nearly vibrating with her anger. “And he knew. Your son knew we weren't getting along and called it. How do you think that makes me feel?”

“Linds, he's just a very perceptive kid,” he said. And it was true, much to Derek's chagrin. Tanner had years of experience picking up on the subtle nuances that were exchanged between adults. He hated to think of what ran through his son's innocent young mind when it came to him and Lisa. He'd tried so hard to protect him from all of it.

“Perceptive? Is that supposed to make me feel better? I'm a nice person, Derek. A good person, but you make me bitter and ugly.”

Derek swallowed hard. The glistening of her beautiful eyes made him want to howl in frustration. “You could never be ugly, Lindsey. No part of you. My son was sensing something from me. Not you. So let's prove him wrong. I'll tell him we were just discussing something. Better yet, go down the hill with me.”

Her eyes went wide. “You must be crazy.”

Derek forced out a tight grin. “Something like that.”

“You have a one-person sled.”

He tilted his head to the side, watching her shiny lips. “I'm sure we could work it out.”

Lindsey stepped around him and headed back toward the trail. Derek blew out a breath, defeated and irritated. “You going to run, then? Is that it, you're just going to keep hating me forever?”

She suddenly stopped in her tracks. Before he could respond she trudged back over to the edge of the embankment. “Put the damn sled down.”

Surprised, Derek immediately followed and dropped the sled down at her feet. Then he waited for her instructions because clearly she was in charge. No problem. He'd give her whatever she wanted.

“Sit down,” she ordered.

He sat down on the disc and let his legs hang off the front.

“Cross your legs.”

Without a sound he followed instructions. Matter of fact, he kind of liked this bossy side of her. If she needed to be nasty to him he would take it. Deserved it. This was sticky-note Lindsey in the flesh.

With an annoyed sigh she began to ease down into his lap. He grasped her hips with his hands to guide her but she slapped them away. “Don't touch.”

“Linds, come on. We're two adults cramming our bodies onto a sled made for one. I have to hold on to you.”

“No you don't.”

Derek shook his head but sat still as her body pressed down against his.

And then he was officially in hell. Pleasure hell. And it was torture. Even through the many bulky layers, she felt amazing in his lap. Surely if she hated him as much as she acted like, she wouldn't have just sat down. Lindsey shifted her ass in an attempt to lock herself into place and Derek squeezed his eyes shut.

“You comfortable yet?” he inquired. Because he was in blissful agony.

“No, I'm not comfortable. I'm afraid I'll fall off.” The sound of their coats scratching together muffled her voice.

“I hate to bring it up again, but I could hold on to you. Or maybe you should straddle me. Both options sound good,” he said with a laugh.