Read Fierce: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 4) Online
Authors: Violet Vaughn
Fierce: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 4)
Fierce
Not just another pretty face…
Ex-model Dannika Hamilton knows she’s spoiled and when her brother abandons her, she’s desperate for another man in her life. Flirting for keeps, she gets one. The wrong one. While the guy who challenges her in every way keeps her in the friend zone.
Financial whiz Christian Nickleson moved to Breckenridge, Colorado to escape the rat race and mend his broken heart. Intent on a year as a ski bum and casual dating, everything changes when he meets Dannika. Suddenly he’s back in business, with a girl that that tempts him to be more than a professional partner.
A family death makes Christian rethink his move and leave Colorado behind, along with Dannika. Forced to fend for herself with a prosperous business, but not the guy, Dannika learns to trust herself. When Christian returns can he convince her he’s worth trusting too?
Fierce
A Fire and Ice Novel
Violet Vaughn
Sugarloaf Press
Copyright © 2014 by Violet Vaughn
First E-book Edition 2014
Editing services by Jodi Henley, Kats Eye Editing and Victory Editing
Cover design by Kim Killion
Book Design/Layout by The Printed Page
This novel is a work of fiction. The town and ski area of Breckenridge, Colorado has been embellished to suit the story, and the references to people, events and locations are used fictitiously. Names, characters and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form including but not limited to printing, scanning, and photocopying without permission from Violet Vaughn. However, brief quotes in reviews are allowed.
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Other Books by Violet Vaughn
Fire and Ice Series
Pulse
(2015)
Contents
Thank you to Tamra Work for always being there
to celebrate the big and the small.
H
e enters the coffee shop like a dream. The sun is behind him, and his well-groomed hair glows auburn around his chiseled face. I say to my friends, “Don’t look, but wait till you see what just walked through the door.”
Megan is sitting next to me and says, “Nice. I do like a man in cuff links.”
Casey and Lori lean in as their eyes widen, waiting for further description. The guy is about to walk by our table and loosens his tie. I say, “He can bind me to the bedpost with that tie anytime. Hell, I’d even let him gag me with it.” I chuckle but stop when Casey’s green eyes glance above my head and she starts to laugh. Lori is doing a better job of protecting my feelings.
I cringe. “Shit. He’s right behind me, isn’t he?”
Casey tucks a red curl behind her ear. “Yup.”
The faint smell of a spicy musk drifts around me as hot breath tickles my ear, and a voice rumbles through my being. “I’d never gag a mouth like yours; I think I’d enjoy what you have to say.”
I slide down in my chair and hide my face in my hands while Casey says, “Nika, meet Christian Nickelson.”
Christian Nickelson? As in my brother’s girlfriend’s brother? The soon-to-be brother-in-law of my brother, making him my what? My brother-in-law once removed? Without turning around, I stick my hand up in the air to shake. “Nice to meet you.”
He shakes it quickly, and a chair scrapes across the wood floor as he pulls it up to sit next to Casey. I peek through my fingers at him. Damn, he’s gorgeous and staring at me.
I drop my hands. “Yeah, so I guess we’ll be walking down an aisle together soon, won’t we?”
Shit.
My stomach lurches. “Wait, I mean—” My face has to be fire-engine red at this point, and I should probably just shut up.
“I mean, we’re going to be something-in-laws and in a wedding together and…” His grin is huge, and a set of perfect teeth practically blinds me.
He reaches over and takes one of my errant hands, probably to keep me from knocking something over. “Yes, we’ll likely walk down an aisle together in the near future.” He winks at me.
The grasp of his warm hand has me speechless, which at this point is saying a lot. Megan saves me. “So, Gretchen’s brother Christian, what brings you to Breck?”
He nudges Casey with a shoulder and says, “Powder and the pleasures of a ski resort.” He glances at me quickly, and I experience a back draft as heat flushes my cheeks once again.
I pick up my latte for something to do and take a sip. It’s cold, and the bitter coffee flavor makes me long for more cake instead.
Casey asks, “So how did it go?”
Christian answers, “Good. Looks like I’m staying.”
“Sweet! It’ll be fun to have you around.” She bumps her body against him.
He says, “I’m going to go get a coffee. Will you ladies still be here when I get back? Can I get anyone anything?”
I should go home to my dogs, but no way am I leaving just yet. I shake my head, as Lori says, “No, we’ll be here when you get back.”
I take a quick look to make sure he’s out of earshot. I ask my three happily attached friends, “Seriously? Could I be any more of a dork?”
Megan smiles at me as she twists a dark blond lock around her finger. “Well, he seemed to find it cute. I wouldn’t dwell on it.”
Casey says, “Christian’s great. I wouldn’t worry about it either.”
I roll my eyes. “And this is why I don’t have a boyfriend.” I’ve been a ski instructor in Breckenridge, Colorado for almost a year. A dry year, without one date, while watching my twin brother fall in love with the woman he’ll marry.
Lori asks, “What ever happened with Kelly? I remember he spent a lot of time hanging around your locker and flirting last winter.”
“He did, but he never asked me out. I got tired of waiting and stopped flirting back.”
Casey asks, “Tired of waiting? I’ll bet he was too afraid to ask out a model. Why didn’t you make the first move?”
Being an ex-model isn’t as great as one would think. It works against you when it comes to dating because everyone assumes you get hit on all the time. I sure don’t. “What if he said no?”
Megan snorts. “Then you would have known for sure. I have to agree with Casey. You intimidate guys and give off an unavailable vibe.”
“Really?”
Lori looks at me with her warm brown eyes and says, “You kind of do. You’re beautiful, and they think you’ll say no. And the fact that you don’t really encourage them doesn’t help.”
“What do you mean? I flirt.” But I do wait for the guy to make the first move, it’s true. I wait for things to happen instead of taking a chance. I’m not sure I’ll ever get past feeling like the high school geek I was.
Casey says, “Yeah, but because they know you were famous, there’s a mystique that makes you seem unavailable. You’re going to have to try harder to let them know you’re interested.”
Megan says, “Give them a little model attitude.”
If only it were that easy. When doing a job, I take on the role. I’m fierce. But when I’m just me? I sigh and am about to say more, but Casey grabs my arm and nods her head to indicate Christian is within hearing distance.
Christian sits down to a table full of silence. He scans us. “So besides Casey, do any of you teach on Peak 8?”
Megan answers, “We all do.”
He smiles, and his gray-blue eyes, which are like Gretchen’s, twinkle. “Great, I will be too.”
I feel my brow furrow as I wonder why he would apply for an instructor job in a dress shirt and tie.
Casey says, “You’re welcome to live with me this winter if you want.” A twinge of jealousy runs though me. I wish I had thought to offer first. Now that Derrick and Gretchen are gone, my big house is lonely.
Christian says, “Thanks. I’m actually meeting with a real estate agent later, but I may take you up on the offer.” He takes a sip of his coffee and looks straight at me. “Gretchen tells me you have quite the house with a beautiful view.”
My instinct is to drop my eyes, but considering the conversation I just had, I don’t. I catch Lori’s raised eyebrows and tilted head encouraging me. My inner brave girl shoves the shy one out of the way. “Would you like to come see it?”
He smiles, and I do an inner cartwheel when he says, “Yes, that would be nice.”
Since I was so successful the first time, I plod on. “You could stop by when you’re done with your appointment if you want. Do you need the address?”
“I have it.”
My face heats up. Of course he does. His sister lived with me for most of last winter. I pick up my fork to play with my cake crumbs, and a hand lands on my mine, surprising me. I look up into Christian’s face and notice the same cheekbones Gretchen has. He says, “Give me your phone and I’ll enter my number. I’ll call before I stop by.”
Oh, boy.
His touch shouldn’t affect me so, but my insides are trembling. “Sure.” I reach for my fleece hanging on the back of my chair and manage to knock my fork onto the floor. It clatters, and I pretend it didn’t happen while I hand him my phone. “Here.”
Casey’s lips are twitching like she’s trying to hold back laughter, and I would kick her under the table, but the way things are going, I’ll end up kicking Christian instead. She bends down to retrieve my fork and I forgive her.