Breaking the Ice (St. James Family #0.5) (7 page)

“
No.” He ran a hand over his closely cropped scalp. “Vivica doesn't have any friends.”

“
She has to have friends, people to turn to?”

“
She has me,” he said, looking off again. “And she has you, whoever you are.”

“
I'm her cousin,” Annata said. “Are you her boyfriend?” He scoffed, as if the thought were ridiculous.

“
No.”

“
If you hear from her again, I want you to call me.” Annata dug around in her bag, looking for her business card. Finding two, she held one out for him. “Take it.” He did, finally. She bent and slid the other under Cassandra's door. “You ever met her mother?” Annata asked, straightening up.

“
She's never around.”

“
Yeah.” Shaking her head in frustration, Annata stomped toward the stairs. Then she stopped, looking back. “Hey, what's your name?” He looked around, as if debating whether or not he was going to answer.

“
Niko. Hernandez.”

“
Well, Niko Hernandez, two months ago Vivica had a black eye. Do you know how she got that?” She saw him stiffen, his jaw clenched. “Did you give it to her?”

“
No,” he said, his eyes hard. Annata nodded, letting him off the hook. Then she continued down the stairs, in a hurry to get as far away as possible from the dark and depressing building and never look back. She suddenly understood Vivica more than she ever had before, and it scared her. If this was what her cousin had to come back to, why wouldn't she get as far away as possible? She could be anywhere by now, and most likely, she was completely and totally alone.

***

Two days. That was how long Christophe had gone without seeing or speaking to Annata. It felt like an eternity. He would wake up and go about his day, but he kept finding himself stopping by the International offices, for no reason at all. His father would be happy to see him and make time to talk, and Christophe felt guilty about watching the door. But he couldn't help it. He wanted Annata to walk through the door so badly it hurt. He didn't see her in the hallways. When he casually passed her office, it would be empty. He wondered what she was doing. What she was wearing. Was she in a bad mood or a good mood? Was she avoiding him?

For two days, he'd been going crazy. Now, she was here, in front of him, walking down the hallway and reading a report. She wasn't looking where she was going, so he could sneak up on her. He followed behind her, keeping his distance. She was almost to her office when he finally spoke.

“Annata St. James.” She jumped and gave a small gasp. “I was just coming to see you,” he said, smiling, so close he could smell her perfume. She looked so damn good. Better than he remembered, if that was possible.

“
Make it quick. I was on my way to... see your father,” she said vaguely, not looking at him. He followed to her office and closed the door behind them. She gave him a sharp look, as if suddenly realizing that they were alone together. Alone in her office, where two days ago he had fucked her like a man possessed. He was getting hard just thinking about it.

“
Have you been avoiding me?” Christophe asked, smiling a bit.

“
Some of us work around here. If I didn't see you, it's because I'm busy,” she said, but he wasn't buying it.

“
Whatever you say.” He jammed his hands in his pockets, moving toward her. She turned from him, busying herself with papers on her desk. He watched a braid fall over her shoulder, and caught it, rolling it between his fingers.“It's my last day,” he said, wanting her to look at him. Tell him that she was going to miss him. Tell him not to go. She sighed.

“
I know.” She said. “William told me.”

“
I'm going to London
,”
Christophe said, his finger tips trailing down her back, to the waistband of her skirt. He closed his hands around her waist. She said something, but he missed it. He hooked his finger in her waistband, pulling her back against him. He loved the feel of her ass against him, and the smell of her hair. This woman was driving him crazy.

“
What do you think you're doing, Van der Kind?” she said, her voice close to his ear.

“
Sorry. I can't seem to keep my hands off you.” He nuzzled her neck. “Your body is impossible to resist.”

“
Sounds like a personal problem,” she said, tilting her chin slightly, so he could get better access to the sensitive skin of her neck. He took full advantage, running his tongue against her throat, tasting her. His hands snaked around her waist, locking her to him. He didn't want to let go. Something was happening to him, he couldn't explain it. He wanted her, like he hadn't wanted anyone ever.

“
Come with me,” he whispered, before he even knew what he was saying.

“
What?”

“
To London. Come with me.” The more he thought about it, the more he wanted it. He wanted her in London, sleeping in his bed, and waking up next to him. He wanted to take her away. And yes, he wanted to fuck her. Fuck her until he got tired of fucking her. He brought one hand up to cup her breast through her shirt. He swept his thumb across the padding of her bra, her nipple responding instantly. She jerked against him and moaned.
Say yes. I can give you anything you want,
he pleaded silently.
I'll even put up with your shit.

“
I can't,” she said, squirming against him. But he didn't let go.

“
Come with me. I'll take care of you.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he'd fucked up.

“
You'll
take care of me
?” Annata could feel her voice rising. “Don't make me laugh.”

“
You don't have to work, if you don't want. That's what I meant. Screw this job,” he said, trying to fix it but failing miserably.

“
I happen to like my job,” she said, pushing him away again. This time, he let her go, his mind working overtime, trying to figure out how to backtrack. “But I guess you wouldn't understand that.”

“
I wouldn't understand because I've never worked a day in my life, right?” he said, feeling unwanted anger flaring up.

“
You said it, not me.” She plopped her hands on her shapely hips.

“
Ah. You know if you ever get that stick out of your ass, you might learn to appreciate the finer things in life,” he said, feeling the situation spiraling out of his control.

“
Really?” She raised her eyebrows. “That's clever.”

“
Thank you.”

“
You're a pampered child.” She leaned in, slamming her hands on the desk. “The only thing you're good for is spending money and fucking your way across multiple continents.”

“
You liked it when I fucked you. I must be doing something right.” He leaned in, his face inches from hers. They were both angry, but they didn't know each other well enough to navigate their way out of the situation. And neither of them would hold their tongues or back down. It was a recipe for disaster.

“
Don't flatter yourself. Anybody can get lucky once, it doesn't take skill,” she was saying, her eyes flashing, lying through her teeth.

“
I think we should test that theory. I'll fuck you so good you won't remember your name.” Christophe knew it was all over. Now, it was only a question of getting out of the room with his pride intact. “Since that's all I'm good for.”

“
Have a great time in London spending William's money. Meanwhile, I'll make sure to help keep your meal ticket afloat.”

“
Do you enjoy being a bitch? I think you might like it a little too much.”

“
I think I'm fine, thanks.” She swept around the desk, pressing her ass into him as she passed. He clenched his fists at his sides. “Don't worry your pretty little head. You'll forget me before you're even on the plane. I'm sure you'll find another girl to drop her panties for you like that.” She snapped her fingers as she sat in her chair. “Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.” She turned to her computer, completely ignoring him. He stood there for a minute more, wondering if this was really happening. Had he really asked Annata St. James to go to London with him? Was he an idiot? Then he shook his head and went for the door.

“
By all means, don't let me interrupt,” he tossed back, over his shoulder.

“
Have a nice life,” she replied, her back still to him. He slammed the door behind him and stopped and took a deep breath. The arousal had completely faded, and now all he felt was anger. She'd rejected him, completely and absolutely. There was no room for doubt now. She didn't want him, and there was nothing he could do about it. He would just have to get over his schoolboy crush on Annata. Because that's all it was. That's all it would ever be.

Chapter 7

Annata stared at the ceiling in her room, the fan blowing down her on her face. She still didn't know where Vivica was. Her grandmother was heartbroken. Christophe was gone. And so was one of her credit cards. Vivica had stolen it. Annata hadn't had the heart to close the account, but she'd lowered the credit limit to a thousand dollars. She didn't like the idea of Vivica being out there all alone with no money. But she wasn't a fool. Giving Vivica her credit card was the last thing she was going to do for her cousin. Vivica was on her own now.

Annata sighed deeply, rolling over onto her side. The last week had been a roller coaster ride, but she'd come out on the other side. Life could get back to normal now. She should have been relieved, but instead, she just felt numb. She was tired but she couldn't sleep. Standing, she wandered out into the dark living room. The night was still and quiet as she crawled out onto the fire escape. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she looked up at the dark, cloudless sky. She didn't know it then, but years later, she would remember this night. She would wonder what would have happened if she had done things differently. If she'd let her guard down and let people in, what would have been different? And the not knowing would haunt her, especially on the lonely nights she lay awake, thinking of Christophe Van der Kind.

***

Christophe stared blankly out the window of the plane. They were somewhere over the Atlantic now, and all he could see was darkness. He glanced over to the seat across the way. The pretty woman he'd been chatting up earlier was asleep. He slumped lower in his seat. The loneliness was not unexpected, but it was still uncomfortable. He was alone, on his way to a foreign country. But this was how it had to be, he supposed. Closing his eyes, he willed himself to sleep. But instead, he saw Annata St. James sitting on the rock in Central Park. In her white skirt, with her feet bare, and her hair piled on top of her head, she was the epitome of raw, natural beauty. Then she smiled and held her hand out for him. And he took it.

7 Years Later

Christophe rolled over, his eyes closed, his hand searching for the ringing cellphone. Who the fuck was calling him this early? But he already knew the answer. Only The Old Man would be so inconsiderate.

“Yeah? What?” he growled into the phone.

“
Good morning to you, too,” his father's annoyingly cheerful voice sounded in his ear. Christophe blew out a ragged breath and sat up. His room was lit up by the bright sun and he rubbed his eyes. The Brazilian morning was beautiful, as always. Achingly beautiful.

“
What do you want?” Christophe stood and walked out on the balcony, leaning against the railing, completely nude.

“
I wanted to say congratulations. The buyout went through this morning. Just signed the papers.”

“
I don't know why you're congratulating me. It's your win,” Christophe said, even as a warm feeling washed over him. His father was proud of him and he had to admit that it felt good.

“
It's our win. Ours,” The Old Man said.

“
Okay,” Christophe said slowly.

“
And I want you to come home for the Christmas party to celebrate.”

“
What?”

“
The Christmas party is this Saturday. Come home.” His father's voice left no room for discussion. But Christophe still resisted. He wanted to say no. He didn't want to deal with it. But one name was echoing in his mind, making it difficult for him to think. He knew she would be there. How long was it since he'd last seen her? At least a year.

“
Okay,” he said.

“
Great. Glad to hear it.” The Old Man was saying, but Christophe had stopped listening. He could only hear her name, over and over again.
Annata St. James. Annata St. James.
Annata St. James...