Snowed In with Her Ex (10 page)

Ian looked at her with a pinched, irritated expression that quickly faded to a smile. “Or
that
. Dodged a bullet there.” At the end of a corridor, Ian opened a door and let her step in ahead of him. “This is the master suite,” he said, slipping out of his suit coat and tossing it across the back of a chair.

It was another beautiful space. After being at his rustic cabin for several days, it was interesting to see how modern his apartment was. Glass, chrome, polished stone and leather. The stark-white king-size bed was on a raised black marble platform. It had a tall white suede headboard and another chandelier hanging over the bed. There was a sitting room with a television and a fireplace, and beyond that, she could make out the master bath. It was larger than her living room and she had what she thought was a pretty spacious town house.

Bree stepped onto the raised platform and sat on the edge of the bed to sip her wine. “Pretty impressive,” she said. “A far cry from your dorm room and that lumpy twin bed.”

“Thank goodness.” Ian sat beside her as she sipped the last of her wine and placed the empty glass on the platform by her feet. Together, they looked out through the wall of windows to the skyline of downtown Nashville. The glowing twin spires of the Batman Building and the bright red L&C sign on the top of the Life and Causality Building made for quite a view.

She was lost in the twinkling lights of downtown when she felt Ian’s hand at her neck. He found the snap and the zipper and ran it down the long curve of her back. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel as his fingertips followed the same trail, caressing her skin down to the hollow at the base of her spine. She shivered, his touch sending a wave of goose bumps across her arms and legs. Those same goose bumps immediately vanished when Ian pushed her sleeves off her shoulders and placed a searing kiss on her bare skin.

Ian kept pushing until the dress was peeled down to her waist, exposing her breasts. She slipped her arms out of the sleeves and arched her back to lean against his chest. His hands immediately moved over her breasts. She gasped as his fingertips teased the hard pebbles of her nipples.

“You look amazing tonight,” he whispered, letting the tip of his tongue graze her earlobe. “I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want you right now.”

“Oh, yeah?” she purred, letting her hand slip in between his thighs to confirm it.

Ian groaned loudly, his hand moving quickly to her wrist to tug her away. “Not yet.” He stood up, looking down on her as she sat on the edge of the bed. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed until she was lying back on the bed. His hands quickly went to her hips, gripping the bunched fabric there to tug it down her legs.

He stood back up, looking at her completely nude body with a blazing heat of desire in his eyes. Slowly, he pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt.

Bree slid back on the bed until she reached the pillows. “Don’t make me wait any longer,” she said. She was immediately joined by a naked and sheathed Ian, his body covering every inch of hers. She didn’t hesitate to part her thighs and allow him to slip between them. He surged forward until he was buried deep inside her.

She closed her eyes and savored the feeling. Not just the distinctly feminine experience of sex, but the intimacy it built between them. It was something she had lacked with other partners but never with Ian. And especially not now. She had never felt closer to a man in her life than she felt to Ian at this moment.

They moved together like they were one. He tasted her mouth, her breasts, her throat, drawing soft cries from her lips. She clung to him, tensing her muscles around him as she felt her release build up inside her.

“Ian!” she gasped.

“Let go,” he whispered against the soft line of her jaw. “Just let go.”

Bree felt herself giving in. Not just to his request to let go, but to the thoughts that were racing through her own head. She’d resisted. She had good reason to. But in the moment, she didn’t want to hold back anymore.

Bree wanted her relationship with Ian to last beyond tonight, beyond her gallery showing this weekend. She wanted to give this a real try, and Ian’s actions had encouraged her to think it was a possibility. He really seemed to enjoy the time he spent with her away from work. She’d spied the guitar in his bedroom when she walked in, so perhaps he was getting some pleasure from embracing his music again. He seemed happier. His smile was enough to make her heart ache and her chest tighten.

She could really lose her heart to Ian. Just a little life balance for them both could make all the difference in the success of their second chance.

And she wanted this to be their second chance. Not just a fun fling. It meant too much to her for that. And if she was honest with herself, she had already lost the fight. Bree loved Ian and she had since she was eighteen years old. Seeing him again had brought everything back to the surface and she was tired of fighting her feelings.

As Bree unraveled the protective wrappings around her heart, she felt her body start to unravel also. The swell of emotion and pleasure built up inside of her so quickly, she could barely react before it was upon her.

“Yes, Ian,” she whispered, clinging to his shoulders as the spasms of her release rocked through her body. “Love me!” she cried again and again until it was over. A moment later, Ian found his own release, shouting her name into the delicate crystal fixture overhead.

He was too wrapped up to understand her pleas. Love me, she’d begged, but it had nothing to do with his physical touch and everything to do with his heart.

Love me.

* * *

Ian woke early the next morning, as usual. Any other morning, he would reach for his phone to check the time, read over his email and then hit the ground running. His routine rarely varied—shower, coffee then out the door by seven and in the office by seven-thirty.

But not today.

Today, when he opened his eyes, he wasn’t propelled out of bed by the cold sheets beside him and the peek of sunlight through the windows. All he could see was golden-blond hair. Bree was curled against him, comfortable and warm. Her soft, rhythmic breathing was soothing, tempting him to fall back asleep with her in his arms. And he wanted to. He had zero interest in getting up and starting his day. He wanted to stay right where he was for as long as possible.

Propped up on his elbow, he watched her sleep for a few moments. She had the same serene expression he’d tried to catch with her camera in the mountains. The soft, pouted lips...the rose-tinted cheeks...the dark blond lashes against her peach skin... Ian wanted to memorialize the moment so he could have it with him always.

Of course, there was another way.

Ian’s chest constricted when he thought about it. Having Bree here, waking up with him every morning, was exactly what he wanted. That was better than a picture any day. He wanted her right here when he woke up and in his arms when he fell asleep. Knowing she would be at his apartment each evening was a powerful driver for him to go home when the normal workday was at an end. He desperately needed balance in his life, but for years, he’d had no reason to go home.

She might drive him mad at times, but no one else challenged him like Bree did. No one understood him, cared for him and maybe even loved him the way Bree did. She had touched him in a way no other woman had before. They may have spent far longer apart than they’d spent together, but he wanted to change that.

He was overwhelmed with the sudden urge to shake her shoulder and wake her up. When her blue eyes opened and looked up at him, he knew exactly what he wanted to say. It might be crazy, but he wanted to tell her that he loved her and ask her to marry him. It wasn’t very romantic. He didn’t have a ring or flowers or, hell, pants on, but the words were on the tip of his tongue, begging to leap out of his mouth.

When he’d proposed to Missy, there had been an ache of worry in his gut. He hadn’t wanted to do it. Every nerve in his brain was screaming for him not to do it. But now, there was only excitement. He was at peace with his decision. All he had to do was wake her up and say the words.

Bree made a soft cooing sound in his arms and rolled onto her back. A moment later, her eyes fluttered open and slowly came to focus on his face. Her nose wrinkled in sleepy confusion. “Hi,” she said. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing is the matter.” His heart started racing in his chest as the adrenalin surged through his veins. “I just wanted to ask you a question.”

Bree rubbed her fists into her eyes and yawned. “What?”

“Bree, I...” he began, and then, in that moment, he lost his nerve. Ian hadn’t changed his mind, but he knew Bree deserved better. Thirty years from now when she told this story to their grandchildren, he didn’t want it to be embarrassing. He didn’t want Bree to have to leave out the details about how they were naked in bed and she was half-asleep. He needed to do this right. The ring, the flowers, the perfect moment...

Her show.

That would be perfect. She’d worked so hard on it. What better way to wrap up her big night than to propose in the middle of the gallery?

“Ian?” Bree roused him from his plans with a delicate hand to his cheek. “You
what
?”

He smiled, picking up her hand and placing a soft kiss against the palm. “I want pancakes for breakfast.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Pancakes, huh? You made it sound like you were about to propose marriage or something. So serious looking. Well, how about you and I climb into that gigantic shower of yours and, afterward, I will make you pancakes.”

“Sounds great,” Ian agreed. And it did. If he could start every day like this for the rest of his life, things would be just about perfect.

Ten

H
e was late. This was not how he needed to start off tonight.

Ian shut down his laptop and slipped his phone into the holster at his hip. He was putting his suit coat on when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

Missy.

She was standing in the doorway looking like she’d walked right out of a music video. She had on leather pants, a red-and-black corset top and five-inch heels. Her makeup and platinum-blond hair were camera-ready. It was a little much for a Monday night, but Missy lived by a policy of go big or go home.

Even then, with her fake breasts nearly spilling over the top of her corset and her pouty moist lips, Ian had a hard time imagining he’d ever slept with Missy, much less nearly married her. After spending time with Bree, a more natural beauty, Missy looked overdone. Forced. She was trying too hard.

He wasn’t sure why she’d gone to so much trouble. Judging by the strained, angry expression on her face, she wasn’t here to win him back. Ian knew this moment was coming, eventually, but why did it have to come right now?

Ian silently cursed and rounded his desk. He did not have time for this. He was already late for Bree’s gallery show. He couldn’t miss it. Not only was it superimportant to her, but he knew it meant more than that. Bree was waiting, just waiting, for the other shoe to drop. For him to blow off something for work. She had been holding her breath since they had gotten back together. He couldn’t screw this up.

“Ian,” Missy said, strolling leisurely into his office. “Now that you’re home, we need to talk.”

Ian sat on the edge of his desk, his arms crossed over his chest. “There’s nothing to talk about, Missy. I told you on the phone it was over.”

Missy laughed, a low sultry sound that was a trademark of her albums. It was extremely unnerving to Ian.

“Ian, do you really think I’m here to win you back?”

He swallowed. “I really don’t know why you’re here, Missy.”

“Well, you can stop worrying your little head about that. I’m not about to get on my knees and beg you to love me. Our relationship was nothing more than a fantasy I concocted to sell records. And it worked.”

She was right. Even despite the scandal, her sales numbers had climbed to near historic highs for her at SpinTrax. Ian would never understand the public. He didn’t know if her fans just didn’t care about the way Missy lived her life or if the train wreck was part of the appeal. A part of him had hoped she’d just check into rehab and fall off the radar for a while, but no such luck. She was soaking up the publicity, both good and bad.

“What’s your point, Missy?”

“My point is that I am still a valuable commodity. I’m not going to let you cast me aside, Ian.”

He frowned at her. He should’ve known this was about business. It always was with her. “If you’re so valuable, why don’t you go to another label? Certainly there’s someone else out there willing to put up with your antics for the money. Or—” he hesitated “—are you not worth the aggravation? Will no one else take you on, Missy?”

He could tell that he was right by the way her eyes narrowed angrily at him. She’d probably spent the past week with her manager trying to hunt down a new deal. If she’d been successful, she wouldn’t be here right now.

Missy’s face tightened, an unattractive red mottling her airbrushed face. Her bloodred fingernails were digging into her palms. He wouldn’t be surprised if she scratched him with those claws. He slipped his phone out and set it beside him on the desk. If he needed to dial security quickly, he could.

“You’re going to re-sign me, Ian.”

At that, he had to laugh. It wasn’t the smartest move, considering how close Missy was to the edge, but he couldn’t help it. She couldn’t make him do anything, and the last thing on Earth he was going to do was sign Missy to his label again.

“If you don’t, I’m going to get a lawyer and sue you.”

Ian’s brow furrowed into a frown. “Sue me for what?”

“Sexual harassment.”

Ian almost choked. It wasn’t true. Not even remotely, but once a charge like that was thrown out there, it was hard to overcome in the court of popular opinion. “Please tell me, Missy, how I sexually harassed you. As I recall, you’re the one who came to me, plying me with alcohol in your seduction plot. You’re the one who pretended to be pregnant so we would get married. How is that me harassing you?”

“Well, you see,” she said with a sly smile, “I didn’t really want anything to do with you. I brought you that dinner as a peace offering. I never expected you to demand sex in exchange for another record contract. I didn’t know what to do, so I gave into your insatiable sexual appetite.”

“That’s a lie.”

Missy shrugged. “Only you and I were there. Prove which version of events is fact.”

“How will you explain the fake pregnancy scandal?”

“You threatened me.” Missy’s dark eyes were wide and innocent, putting on a show for his benefit. “Even after I gave myself to you, it wasn’t enough. You were still going to drop me from the label. You even said you’d ruin my career so I’d never work anywhere again. So I did what I had to do.”

Ian shook his head. “Because marrying the guy who harasses you is always the best plan.”

“People make dumb choices under duress. My lawyer will produce specialist after specialist who will get on the stand and tell everyone how I was being terrorized.”

“Terrorized?” Ian could hardly believe this. Missy didn’t have a stitch of evidence to back up her outrageous story, but with enough lawyers and enough money, it wouldn’t matter. Either in court or out, she could destroy him. Destroy SpinTrax.

He took a deep breath to collect himself. He couldn’t let himself get emotional. This was business and he was first and foremost a businessman. He wasn’t going to let Missy manipulate him. She was threatening him because she expected him to lie down and take it. She figured she would get her way, just like she always did. But that would end here.

“Okay,” he said calmly.

“What do you mean ‘okay’? You’re going to sign me to a new deal?”

He shook his head. “Absolutely not. There’s no way in hell you’re getting another contract from SpinTrax, Missy. Go ahead. Take me to court. Drag my name through the mud. I don’t care. All you’ll do is destroy the record label and put a lot of hardworking people out of a job. Either way, you’ll end up without a record deal. You think you’re a hard sell now? Just wait until the president of every record label sees what you did to me. Their lawyers won’t let them touch you with a ten-foot pole. You might take me down, but you’ll destroy us both in the process. Is that what you want?”

Missy’s lips twisted as she tried to decide what to do. He’d called her bluff. He didn’t want to lose his record company. He didn’t want all of his employees to lose their jobs. But if it happened, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. He’d make sure every one of his employees got placed at another label. They were all talented, dedicated people and it wouldn’t be hard to find them another contract. The only person who would be out of work was Ian. And Missy. He was okay with that.

Two weeks ago, he wouldn’t have felt the same way, but today, he just didn’t care. Being with Bree had taught him that he wanted more from his life than just a successful business. He wanted a musical career of his own, even if he never achieved the level of success he dreamed of. Playing for others made him happy, be it for an audience of two or two thousand. He wanted a family and he wanted Bree to be a part of it. The engagement ring in his coat pocket was evidence of that.

That didn’t mean he wanted to lose everything he’d built, but it wouldn’t destroy him. He wouldn’t let it. He’d done this once, so he could do it again. This time, he would have Bree at his side. The idea of it made him feel invincible. Let Missy just try to ruin him.

As calmly as he could, he looked down at his watch and realized how late he was for Bree’s show. By the time he got there, it would nearly be over. He tried to maintain a bored countenance as he looked down. He didn’t want Missy to mistake his anxiety over being late for concern about her threat.

“So, I’m glad we talked, Missy. It’s been enlightening on several levels.” He slid his phone back into the holster, stood and made his way toward the door to usher her out. “Have your lawyer call my lawyer and we’ll move forward with this if that’s what you want to do. Either way, this discussion is now over. I have somewhere to go and I’m already late.”

“Meeting the wedding photographer?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.”

Missy flung her blond hair over her shoulder, lifting her defiant chin to look him in the eye. “I can’t believe you brought her to that party the other night. You can point fingers all you want, but sleeping with the woman there to take our engagement portraits is pretty low.”

“I’m not arguing with you about this, Missy. Our relationship is over. What I chose to do after that is none of your concern.”

“From an international pop star to a lowly wedding photographer,” she mocked. “Sounds pretty desperate to me.”

Ian snorted. Even with half the male population lusting after her, Missy was incredibly insecure. And she should be. She couldn’t hold a candle to Bree. “You’d know desperation when you saw it, wouldn’t you, Missy?”

Missy’s face scrunched up in anger. “You go to hell, Ian!” She spun on her expensive heels and marched out of his office.

“Good riddance,” he said, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him. He had to get across town to Bree’s show and now.

* * *

Bree was a fool. She’d suspected it for a while now, but standing in the middle of the Whitman Gallery with a half-empty glass of champagne and Ian nowhere in sight, she was certain.

She hadn’t noticed his absence at first. She’d figured he wouldn’t be there on the dot anyway, and she’d been busy when the event had first started. The gallery owner had introduced her to the waiting crowd and she had spoken for a few moments about her collection and its inspiration. Then she’d made her way through the room, meeting people and chatting about her work. Before she knew it, nearly two hours had passed and there was no sign of him.

She pulled her flip phone out of the pocket of her dress, but it was just as she expected. No calls. No texts. No surprises. The show was almost over and he had stood her up once again.

Bree slammed the phone shut and shoved it back in her pocket. She was trying not to let this ruin her night. She had worked long and hard to get to this point. A lot of important and influential people in the industry were here tonight to see her work. Big things could be on the horizon for her if she played her cards right. That meant she had to focus, smile and schmooze with the people strolling through the gallery. And she had. But as the night went on, it was getting harder to keep a smile on her face.

It helped that so many of her friends had come to support her. All her coworkers and even some of the couples who had appreciated the work she’d done for their weddings were in attendance. Both her parents had come, which was a miracle on its own. She’d figured her mother would show, but her dad’s arrival had caught her off guard. He’d torn himself away from his construction business for Bree’s big night. He knew how important it was to her. How could Ian not see that?

“Oh, Bree, this one is wonderful.”

Bree pulled herself out of her funk to see Amelia beside her. Her eyes were focused on the large black-and-white photo in front of them. No wonder her thoughts had gotten so dark. She didn’t realize she’d stopped in front of that particular portrait until that moment.

It was the photo she’d taken of Ian in the mountains. She hadn’t planned on adding additional pieces to her collection this late, but once she saw the shot of him playing his guitar, she knew she had to include it. It might very well be one of her best pieces in the gallery tonight. She’d been proud of that shot. Now she was looking at having her most well-received piece being a photo of her ex. Of course.

“I’ve never seen this photo before,” Amelia said. “I thought I’d seen all your work.”

“It’s a new one.” Her tone was noncommittal, trying to keep Amelia from pushing the subject. In addition to this portrait, she’d also printed out the picture Ian had taken of her in bed that morning in Gatlinburg. It was a beautiful shot with the morning sun giving a golden aura to her shape. Because she hadn’t taken it, it couldn’t be in her collection, but she was going to hang it in her apartment somewhere. He’d been right. There weren’t enough photos of her.

“I really love it. Is that Ian playing the guitar?
The
Ian?”

Bree took a deep breath. “Yes, that’s him. Soak it in. It might be all you ever see of him.”

Amelia turned to look at her with a frown. “Why? What’s going on? I thought he was supposed to be here tonight. I was looking forward to meeting him.”

“I was looking forward to introducing you to him.” Bree could feel unwanted tears start to form beneath her eyelids. She wasn’t going to cry at her showing. She wouldn’t. She could hold it together until she got home and could mope privately.

Amelia wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. The caterer and pastry chef of From This Moment was big on the power of love. She was a true believer, unlike Natalie, who thought the whole concept was bunk. Bree fell in the middle of the spectrum. She believed in love; she just didn’t think that love alone could solve all her problems.

Bree hadn’t mentioned how she felt about Ian to her, or anyone for that matter. If she had, Amelia would be telling Bree she had no doubt that Ian would charge in on his white steed and sweep her off her feet.

“He’ll be here,” Amelia reassured her. “I’m sure he got caught up in something, but he still has time.”

He had fifteen minutes. Even if he showed up, it wouldn’t matter. He would have missed the whole thing.

“I’ll be fine, Amelia. Don’t worry about me. Enjoy yourself. Drink more wine before the bar closes. I’ve got to go wrap up a few things with the gallery management before we’re done.”

Amelia departed reluctantly. The look on her face made it obvious that she knew Bree was just making excuses to be alone. The crowds were starting to dwindle and it was a cue for everyone to go home. Bree thanked the last folks as they made their way out, then sat down on the bench in the center of the room.