Wyne and Chocolate (Citizen Soldier Series Book 2) (8 page)

“I’m
sorry. I didn’t know. I thought your mother died,” she stammered, feeling more
foolish by the second. The gossip she’d picked up all those years ago at the
pizza shop hadn’t been correct.

Shocker.
That’s why it was called gossip.

“She
did, sort of. That was Brandi’s mom.”

She
frowned. “Wait, Brandi’s not your sister?”

Yeah,
she was beginning to wonder if she had any of his childhood correct.

“N
ot by blood,” Mason replied. “My dad adopted her when he
married her mother. Catherine was kind and a great step-mother.”

“She’s
the one who died of cancer,” Jill said, beginning to piece things together.

He
nodded.

“How old
were you?”

“Fifteen.”

“That
must’ve been hard. I was four when my dad died, but I don’t remember him much.
And Mom’s other husbands never adopted me. Just tolerated.” She laughed, but he
didn’t laugh back. In fact, he was frowning, and entwined their fingers
together.

“I wish
I had known.”

She
reeled back, freeing her hand. “Why? There wouldn’t have been anything you
could’ve done. But that’s sweet.” Her chest was hurting, having cracked open
enough for him to burrow inside, and for her to know she liked the guy.

Dammit.

That
took them out of the acquaintance category and dropped them into the friend
category.

Not
good.

“I
would’ve worried about your uncle less and you more,” he said, upping her
confusion factor one hundred percent.

She
twisted in her seat, as much as the belt would allow, and studied him. “Why
were you worried about Uncle Al?”

“I liked
him. Still do. But back then, out of respect for him, we all left you alone.”

She
sucked in a breath. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Jill,
you were a gorgeous chick from the big apple. We would’ve bent over backwards
to score a smile from you.”

“No
way!” She laughed. “Mason, I was a gangly, skinny, brace-face with acne.”

“No.” He
shook his head, smile barely visible from the dashboard lights. “You were
beautiful. Like now.”

That
shut her up. Sent the butterflies in her stomach a fluttering again. Hot
freakin’ Mason Wyne thought she was beautiful.

Holy
cocoa beans
.

She was
still trying to wrap her brain around that and was enjoying the warmth his
words had invoked when he pulled into her driveway.

She
blinked at him as he turned off the Jeep. “How did you know where I lived? I
didn’t tell you.”

“No.” He
smiled. “Ben texted your address when I went for my coat.”

“Ah.”
She nodded, digging her key out of her purse. “Thanks for the ride. Sorry you
were forced—”

“Hey.
What’d I tell you about that?”

“Sorry,
I’m not used to feeling like a burden. I’m used to helping.” She’d always been
the
helper
, not the
helpless
.

“It’s
okay to need help once in a while, Jill.”

“I
know.” She nodded, twisting the keys on her lap. “It’s new. I’m working on it.”

“Your ex
was pretty needy, huh?”

The
night sky was clear and full of stars, and a beautiful, bright full moon, which
illuminated the cab. Mason’s face was serious with just a touch of anger
sparking behind his dark eyes.

She
shrugged. “At times, but toward the end, he’d just been cruel.”

To the
point Donny hadn’t even blinked when one of the bookie’s goons tied her to a
chair and threatened…well, not nice things if he didn’t pay up. Thank God the
landlord had chosen then to knock on the door and try to collect the rent. An
hour later, she was sitting in a hotel room with one suitcase full of clothes
and her uncle on the phone.

“Why do
I get the impression I need to go to the city and beat the shit out of this
guy?” he asked, voice harsh, with a hint of lethal.

A smile
tugged her lips. “Thanks. I appreciate it. But, the visual is enough.”

Due to
the drugs, Donny had lost weight and lean muscle mass. She had no trouble
picturing Mason whipping her ex’s ass. Okay, the handsome, solid guard scowling
next to her could’ve probably taken her ex-husband even before the weight loss.

But,
none of that mattered now. She was done thinking about the past, and talking
about
her
.

Shifting
away from his touch, she lifted her chin and held his gaze. “What about your
ex? Was she needy?”

Blowing
out a long breath, he glanced out into the night. “Not really. Just the
opposite, in fact. We lived together and had a business together, so, I guess
I’d grown accustomed to Renee’s independence. Didn’t see the signs until it was
too late.”

She knew
about the
too late
. Lea had told Jill how Mason’s fiancée had left him
the morning of their wedding.

God…who
did that? Who did that to a person? Well, okay, it was better than waiting
until the day
after
the wedding, but still. The woman had obviously not
loved him for a while.

“I’m
sorry Renee strung you along, Mason,” she said, shaking her head, and then
because she couldn’t stand to see the shadows return to his eyes again, tried
to lighten the mood. “Sounds like I need to pay her a visit. Does she live near
a sidewalk? Because I can slip into a pair of skis...”

He
chuckled and amusement chased the darkness from his gaze. “Thanks. I appreciate
it. But, the visual is enough.”

“That’s
good because…I’d have to borrow a pair of skis.” She wrinkled her nose. “I
don’t like to keep weapons in the house.”

Still
chuckling, he shook his head. “What am I going to do with you?”

Several
suggestions sprang to mind, but because they were all naughty and involved
getting naked, she clamped her jaw shut.

“So,
about tomorrow,” he said, a little bit of serious creeping into his gaze. “I
can’t help but feel you were hoodwinked. Sorry, my family’s misguided idea of
helping. You can back out if you want.”

This was
it, her chance to get out of spending recreational time with Mason. But, since
she’d already come to terms with the fact there would be others, and he was
there in a job capacity, she chose to enjoy herself and not worry.

“Thanks,”
she said. “But, I already told Lea I’d go. I don’t want to let her down.” She
refused to acknowledge it had anything to do with spending the day in his
presence. It was Lea she wanted to spend the day with—sort of a girl’s day out.
“Besides, I’m kinda looking forward to it.” God, she hoped it wasn’t
complicated. “I can just ride on the back with someone, right? I don’t have to
drive.”

“Right,
but driving’s the fun part. Trust me,” he said with a wink. “It’ll be fun.”

Fun? The
last time she heard that, she’d donned a pair of skis, took out the instructor,
two students, three innocent bystanders and a dog.

She
stilled and held his warm stare. “There won’t be any dogs around, will there?”

“No.” He
chuckled. “Just a couple of resort guests, Lea, and me. But I’m more of a wolf
than a dog,” he said, swiping the keys from her hand before getting out of the
Jeep.

A wolf?
Oh Lordy, what did he mean by that? And why was he getting out of the Jeep? He
didn’t expect her to ask him in, did he? Because, yeah, she certainly wanted
to, with every beat of her thundering heart. But, that would be stupid.

And she
refused to be stupid where a guy was concerned, ever again.

Jill
quickly slipped out, before he had the chance to open her door, and met him in
front of the Jeep. “You don’t need to walk me to my door, Mason. I can manage.”

“I
know,” he said, grasping her elbow as she slid on a patch of ice. “Humor me.
I’m not about to let you walk into a dark house without checking it out first.”

She
glanced sideways at him as they stepped onto the porch of her quaint little
bungalow. His concern was unwarranted. Despite being located an hour from the
big city, this part of the Poconos was quiet. And she had some awesome
neighbors.

As she
watched him slip the key into the lock, she was still trying to decide whether
he was being sweet or looking to wrangle an invitation to stay. While she was
banking on the former, her body was begging,
Oh please, let him stay. We
promise we’ll be bad.

 “Stay
here,” he said, after opening the door and handing her the keychain.

He
patted around the inside wall and light instantly appeared on the porch and in
the hall. Dropping the keys back into her purse as he checked out her house,
Jill knew what he was seeing. A small but neat one bedroom home with so much
character in the arch doorways leading into the quaint living room and cute
kitchen, complimented by gorgeous woodwork, she’d signed the lease right on the
spot.

And
now…she was trying to remember if she’d put away her laundry.

“Everything’s
good,” he said, walking to her with a smile.

“Thanks.”
She nodded, and had to admit, she was a little surprised when he grabbed her by
the shoulders and gently twisted them around so she was in the house and he was
on the porch.

“You
have a nice place, Jill,” he said, reaching in to turn off the porch light.

“Thanks,”
she said again, inanely.

Then her
heart beats increased to near deafening tone when he leaned against the door
frame and removed his gloves, stuffing them in his coat pocket. She swallowed,
watching his ministrations, mind working overtime, trying to figure him out.

She had
nothing.

“Why are
you taking off your gloves?”

“So I
can do this,” he replied, then cupped her face with both hands.

And…oh,
God, covered her mouth with his and kissed her.

T
he instant his lips touched Jill’s, Mason felt a current
straight down his spine. Charged with some serious sexual energy, the voltage
nearly knocked him on his ass. He captured her startled breath, loving the feel
of her soft, sweet mouth.

So damn
sweet.

He
nibbled on her lower lip, tasting, sampling, taking his time to savor every
dip, every nuance, and give her a chance to push him away. Her hands gripped
his upper arms, and he waited to see if she was going to push or pull.

God, he
was rooting for
pull
.

After
the longest two seconds of his life, she sighed and slid her hands up his
shoulders and into his hair, knocking his hat clean off. He let out a low
growl, not unlike the wolf he’d teased her about, and tilted her head to suit
him.

Hot
damn, did she suit him. Big time.

Her lips
parted, and she was kissing him back, hungrily, desperately, like he was the
flavor of the day. Chocolate.

Then
things got a little crazy. Her tongue touched his lower lip, and his mind just
blanked, cut out, as all the blood rushed south to his throbbing groin. If it
weren’t for the fact they needed air, he wouldn’t have pulled back and ended
such a spectacular kiss.

“That
was…” she gasped, placing a finger over her mouth as she stared up at him,
looking as dazed as he felt.

“Amazing.
Fantastic. Please, I need another…?” His oxygen-starved voice was rough even to
his ears.

She
laughed. “Yeah. Those.”

He smiled
back and repeated, “Yeah. Those,” then slipped his gloves on. “Goodnight,
Jill,” he said, and his smile widened when he caught the relief and sorrow
mixing in her big, brown eyes.

“Good
night, Mason.”

Only
when she closed the door, did he turn and walk to his Jeep. She wanted him, but
didn’t want to want him. A feeling he understood one hundred percent.

He
understood something else, too.

She
wasn’t the type of woman to fall at his feet. No. There would be no exposing
her
tatas
to him in the hot tub. No phone numbers slipped into his
pocket. No going out of her way to gain his attention. No. Jill Bailey would be
a damn challenge.

Question
was, was he up for it?

After a
kiss like that?

Hell
yeah.

T
he next morning, Jill stood with Lea and the rest of the group
on the south side of the resort where Mason had four snowmobiles lined up. Even
though they’d already determined she was the only one without experience on the
back of a
Cat
, as he called it, he ran through instructions, safety
protocol, and trail etiquette with everyone.

“Stay on
the right side of the trail. Slow down and give the right of way to any skiers,
hikers…”

As her
body focused on his talented, moving lips, her mind fuzzed over. After a kiss
like the one she’d experienced last night, she’d thought about making an excuse
not to show up today, but her truthful nature wouldn’t allow it. So, she’d
joined her friend for breakfast and now this, pretending she hadn’t been kissed
to within an inch of her life by their guide.

The heat
and goosebumps spreading down her shoulders at the memory of the embrace wasn’t
on board with the faking part. They increased when he glanced her way.

“Good
morning, Jill,” he said when he was through with his speech. He drew near,
voice deliciously warm, like his gaze that said
, “I tasted you. I liked it.
I want more
.”

Her
heart dipped and raced at
out-of-control
speed. Good Lord, he wouldn’t
kiss her here, in front of everyone…would he?

But he
didn’t. Just stopped in front of her and smiled. “Sleep well?”

“Yep,” she
managed, fighting down unreasonable disappointment. “You?”

“Like I
was plowed over by someone on skis.”

Warmth
shot straight to her toes, and she chose to ignore the surprised look raising
Lea’s brows, but couldn’t disregard the fact Ben had joined them due to a
last-minute cancellation. The handsome soldier slipped an arm around his
smiling girlfriend.

Great.
Jill knew what this meant. Lea was no longer her riding buddy.

Having
donned the powder blue, bibbed snowsuit and jacket provided by the resort when
she had insisted on paying for the outing, Jill was suddenly hot and very
bothered. She tugged the zipper down on her collar, trying to let some of the
cold air in.

“All
right, grab your partners, then your ride,” Mason ordered, and everyone broke
off into pairs of two, except for her, a skinny guy with thinning hair, and a
cute, perky little blonde who had her gaze set on their guide all morning.

The
moment of truth.

Did she
let
Snow Barbie
claim him? Or did she head the chick off at the pass?

A second
later, the decision was made for her when Mason strode directly to Jill and
gently grabbed her elbow. “You’ll be riding with me. Since you’re a virgin.”

She
blushed straight to her roots as every single person in their eight person
group stared at them. “Novice,” she corrected with a smack to his shoulder.
“I’m a novice, not a virgin.”

“My
mistake.” He chuckled, then let go of her to climb onto one of the black beasts
gleaming in the winter sunshine.

The
snowmobile seemed bigger up close. And just a wee bit terrifying.

Oh
God…why am I doing this?

To
branch out. Try new things...

Parcheesi.

She
never played Parcheesi. Maybe she should've started with that instead.

“Come
on,
Fireball
. You can do this,” he said, and she caught the mischievous
grin lighting his eyes before he shoved his helmet on.

Her kick
of nerves took a back seat as she donned her helmet and climbed behind Mason.
Nerves of a different kind soon took over, fluttering her belly, warming her
limbs when she scooted up the seat to slip her arms around his waist and press
her body into his solid back.

He
started the snowmobile and revved the engine. “Ready?” he asked over his
shoulder.

No.
“Ready,” she replied, and saw him close the shield on his helmet, so she did
the same, then squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her hold.

He hit
the gas and they launched forward, and she couldn’t help it, she screamed like
a little girl. And also squeezed him tight. Real tight. But, figuring he needed
to breath, clamped her mouth shut and eased up just a little on the death grip.

He took
off down the trail and up a hill that seemed to go forever, which suited her
because, holy smokes, she didn’t want it to stop. Wind whipped at them as he
sped around trees, up another trail, and she only realized she was laughing
when it echoed through her helmet.

God, she
didn’t want it to stop. She felt light. Carefree. Just…free.

It’d
been a while since she’d done something for herself, took a chance, and
embraced the moment.

Mason
continued to give her the ride of her life, this time heading down a hill that
had her pitching forward, gripping him, tight. Then across an open field where
he hit the gas again, and her legs automatically squeezed around his, tight.

It was
exhilarating, and so damn freeing she hated to see it end.

But, ten
minutes later, he sped to a grove of trees where he stopped and shut off the
snowmobile. Then he removed his helmet and twisted to face her. “You okay?”

She
pulled her helmet off. “Yeah.” She smiled. “Why?”

“Because
we’ve stopped, and you’ve still got a killer grip on my legs.”

Feeling
heat rush to her face, she immediately released him and pushed back on the
seat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize—”

“Hey,
it’s okay, but, damn, I wish I was facing you,” he said, getting off the Cat as
the others began to pull up and park alongside them. 

Since
they were no longer alone, and she was still working on catching her breath,
Jill busied herself with stowing her head gear, and trying to contain the
visual of his words.

Filing
those images away, she let him help her off the snowmobile, but then leaned
into him when her legs decided to shake-rattle-‘n’-roll without warning.

“Whoops.
Sorry, Mason,” she stammered, holding him in a death grip again. “My stability
seems to have remained at the resort.”

“That’s
normal,” he said, helping her to rest against the seat. “It happens sometimes
after a long ride. Especially to…novices.”

The
hesitation of his last word, coupled with the mischief lighting his eyes,
tugged a laugh out of her. “Smart man.” She winked. He knew better than to use
the word virgin.

“I know
it.” He returned her grin and looked like he was about to say more when Lea and
Ben appeared.

“So? How
was your first ride, Jill?” her friend asked, big grin anchoring the knowing
look on her face.

“Amazing,”
she answered truthfully. “I can’t wait to do that again.”

Satisfaction
warmed Mason’s expression as he pulled out a thermos and poured a cup of
something hot. “Soon,
Fireball
, but first we need to recharge with some
trail mix and hot chocolate.”

Happy no
one asked about the
Fireball
nickname, mainly Lea, Jill sipped her hot
chocolate, her mind and taste buds instantly noting missing ingredients, as she
glanced around and watched the others pull out identical snack packs provided
by the resort.

“Wait.
Don’t drink that,” Lea said, stepping close as she withdrew something from her
coat pocket. “You need the secret ingredient. Namely,
your
secret
ingredient, Jill.” Grinning, her friend uncapped a bottle of Jill’s chocolate
syrup and added several drops to her cup, the opened thermos, then went around
and doctored everyone’s drink. “
Now
, it’s hot chocolate.”

Jill
took another sip and smiled. “Mmm…yep, better. Thanks, Lea.”

Soon
more ‘Mmm’s’ echoed around the group as they gushed over the drink.

“Where
can I get some of that stuff?” Snow Barbie asked, pointing to Lea’s bottle.

Her
friend quickly pocketed her stash as if afraid she was about to get jumped,
then pointed to her and smiled. “At Jill’s shop in town. Confection Connections
is on the corner by the traffic light. You can’t miss it. She sells it by the
pint.”

The
blonde squealed, and Jill thought maybe her eardrum had been ruptured from
standing too close to the blast, but thankfully, the ringing stopped after a
minute. Mason exchanged a look with Ben.

Unsure
what it all meant, she gave up trying to figure it out and decided to just
enjoy her trail mix and what was left of her drink. Sometimes, she over-thought
things. It was time to chill.

“You
should sell online,” Lea said.

Snow
Barbie nodded. “Yeah, you’d make a killing.”

“It’s on
my to-do list.” But it involved giving up control and hiring more people,
including an accountant and web guru.

“Mason
can help. He knows all about running a successful internet business,” Ben
volunteered, and judging by the dark look on his brother’s face, not something
he liked to talk about.

She had
to assume it was the business he’d shared with Renee. “Thanks, but I’m just
toying with the idea,” she said, hoping it came out as non-committal, because
she did not want to commit either of them at the moment.

“So, are
you going to drive this time, or let Mason?” Lea asked, nodding toward the
black beast.

Jill’s
initial thrill for the subject change soon turned to panic when the words sank
in. She stilled. Then swallowed. “I-I don’t know. I really like it on the
back.”

“Oh, go
on,” Ben urged. “I’ve the feeling you’ll give my brother a ride he won’t soon
forget.”

Nearly
swallowing her tongue along with the last of her hot chocolate, Jill coughed.
Then choked, taking solace in the fact Lea smacked the grinning guy upside the
head, and Mason’s expression hovered somewhere between annoyed and amused.

“What?”
Ben blinked. “I was talking about the snowmobile. You need to get your mind out
of the gutter, woman.”

This
afforded him another smack.

“Man,
you don’t know when to quit,” Mason said with a shake of his head, then stepped
to Jill and stared down at her. “So? What’s it to be? Drive or ride?”

The
thought of pretzel-hugging him again made her sweat. But the thought of her
butt to his crotch, back to his chest while he spooned her made her wet.
Darn
it
…she wished she’d had her helmet on and visor down because…

Oh
God
, he’d read her mind. She could tell by his intake of breath and the way
his brown eyes turned a deep, dark chocolate shade.

“
Jesus,
Jill, if you don’t stop looking at me like that I’m not going to be able to
remain professional,” he warned, and she wasn’t sure if it had been for her, or
for him.

But as
she opened her mouth to respond, her cell started to ring from the inside of
her coat pocket. Heartily surprised of cell service, she shoved the empty
thermos lid at him, then pulled out the phone and frowned.
Theresa.
She
took a few steps away. Shoot. Her heart dropped. “Hello?”

“Jill,
I’m so sorry to bother you on your day off, but my mother-in-law just called. I
need to go home because her sister is in ICU and I don’t have anyone else to
watch my son.”

“Oh, I’m
sorry, Theresa. It’s okay. You lock up and go home immediately. I’ll be there
as soon as I can.”

“Thank
you, Jill,” her employee said, relief evident in her tone.

“You’re
welcome. Go home,” she said again, then hung up and glanced at the time before
pocketing her phone. Barley after ten. Darn. It was too early. And she couldn’t
blow off the day. Saturdays were a good money day for the shop.