Love on Ice (Manhattan Mavericks #1)

20. Felix

20

FELIX

“ D id you set me up the other day?” I ask Sam as we take a run around Central Park this afternoon.

“You’re going to have to be more specific?” he says.

“With your sister. She wasn’t very happy to see me at The Rose when she was having lunch with your mother. You told me to meet you there.”

“Did I? I’ve been so busy,” he says, which I call bullshit on.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” I say, pushing him off the running track.

“Hey, come on. It worked, didn’t it? She’s talking to me again.”

“She thought I was a stalker,” I tell him. Sam thinks this is hilarious. “It’s not funny.” Sam slows his steps and I have to double back to where he is.

“You like her, don’t you?” he questions me.

“What? No, I don’t.” Sam’s eyes narrow on me. “We’re just friends.” He continues to stare at me. “Okay, fine, I think she’s hot,” I answer in a panic under his scrutiny.

“And that’s all it is, that you think she’s hot?” he keeps questioning me. “Did something happen between the two of you on the island?”

“No.” But I answer way too quickly, giving me away. “I could ask the same thing about you and that cute blonde.” I distract him by changing the subject.

“Who, Kimberly?”

“So, you think she’s cute?” I tease him.

“What? How did this get turned around on me?” he asks.

“You’re the one talking about Kimberly?”

Sam shakes his head. “Asshole. You’re changing the subject. Do you like my sister?”

“My ex fucked me over.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Sam says. I rub the back of my neck, what the hell do I say? Yes. “Just so you know, I wouldn’t care if you did. I’ve never liked any of the guys she’s dated. But I like you.”

“We’re not dating.”

“Shh,” he says, looking around, “the rest of the world thinks you are.”

“Shouldn’t we say something?”

“No. I honestly think the only reason Josh has stayed away from her is because he thinks she’s dating you. So, you need to keep dating her,” he says.

“But I’m not, your sister isn’t interested,” I argue with him.

“Her girls will talk her into the plan, trust me.”

“Shouldn’t Harper have a say, it’s her life?” I ask him.

“My sister is stubborn. This is a brilliant plan, she just needs to come around to it. Just don’t cheat on her. I know people,” he warns.

“Fucking hell, Sam.” He shrugs as he starts running again. “I can’t cheat on her if we aren’t dating.”

“Are you hooking up with other girls?” he asks.

“No.”

“Plan on it?”

“No.”

“Just going to The Paradise Clubs?” he continues to push.

“I guess. Honestly, I haven’t thought about it.” Because most nights my hand is wrapped around my cock, jerking off to images of his sister.

“Are you telling me women aren’t hitting you up all the time?”

“Puck bunnies don’t count,” I tell him.

“Really?”

“You know they are either after you as a notch on their belt, to get knocked up, or try to move from bunny to WAG,” I explain.

“That takes the fun out of it.” He chuckles. “Hey, do you have any plans next week?”

“Nothing, other than trying to find a place to live. Issy likes her space.”

“I have a million rooms in my home, you can crash there for a bit if Issy is getting sick of you,” Sam says as we continue running.

“Thanks, but I need to find somewhere permanent.”

“Fair enough. Well, in the meantime, did you wanna come with Nate and me to check out an island he’s thinking of buying?”

“Where?”

“South Pacific.”

“Is Harper going?” I ask.

“Will that change your mind?”

“No. I just don’t want to ambush her again.”

“Don’t worry. She’s not coming. Boys’ trip,” he yells.

“Sounds good.”

“You could get a bit more excited,” he teases. “Race ya to the end,” he says, punching me in the gut before running off.

“Hey, sweetie, how are things going? I haven’t heard from you in a while. I’ve been worried,” My mom says, I can feel the guilt trip a mile away.

“I know, Mom, and I’m sorry, just been busy.”

“With a new girlfriend?”

“Kind of, I guess.” I hate lying to her.

“And of all the people Harper Rose. Doesn’t her father sponsor your new team?” she asks.

“Yes.”

“And your brother told me she’s Issy’s best friend, too,” she adds. Oh, did he now?

“Yeah, she is.”

“And he said something about ex-boyfriend drama. You were involved in an altercation, and it made the news,” she asks, sounding worried.

“It sounds worse than it was. I was dropping Harper home, and her ex came out of nowhere yelling at her. I wasn’t going to let her take that kind of abuse from him.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, but I just worry about this on the back of you know all your other things,” she says delicately.

“Yeah. I regret how I handled my breakup with Cynthia. But I’m thankful for Harper for healing my broken heart,” I confess to her.

“Aw. So, you like this girl? When will I get to meet her,” she asks.

“Things are still new.”

“I know, but I just want my baby boy to be happy, like Pierre is,” she says.

I roll my eyes. “I have plenty of time, Mom. I don’t know what will happen with Harper.” She hates my guts, and I’m trying to earn back her trust, but other than that, everything is fine.

“Okay, message received. I love you, sweetheart. When are you coming to visit me?”

“Soon. I promise. Don’t forget we will be in Italy together for Pierre’s wedding, so I’ll see you then,” I remind her.

“That feels like forever, sweetheart. I just want to give you a hug,” she tells me.

“I know. I miss you. Love you,” I tell her.

“Love you, too. I’m here if you ever need to talk,” she tells me.

“I know.”

Sam: Change of plan. Nate is going to meet us there.

Sam: But Harper’s shown up with Kimberly.

Felix: I thought you said she wasn’t coming.

Sam: Yeah. I thought she wasn’t. But here she is.

Fuck. I should turn around. This is a bad idea.

Felix: Maybe I should stay here.

Sam: No. You cannot leave me on a plane for ten hours with those two. You said you always help your friends.

Asshole.

Felix: Fine. I’ll be there in ten.

Fifteen minutes later, I arrive at the private airport and am greeted warmly by the staff. When I walk up the stairs, I hear the girls chatting away happily and then they stop, noticing me.

“Felix, you’re here. Thank fuck. They have already started on a bottle of champagne. They are going to giggle the entire way,” Sam states dramatically.

“What are you doing here?” Harper says, looking me up and down.

“I invited him,” Sam states.

“You didn’t tell me,” Harper bites back.

“I only found out twenty minutes ago that you were coming,” Sam says. Harper rolls her eyes and goes back to talking to Kimberly. “Ignore her. She’s been in a mood all week.” I look over at Harper and notice the tension in her shoulders.

“Sit back, relax, when we wake up, we are going to be in Paradise. Well, not the Paradise but a potential Paradise,” Sam says, clinking his whisky glass to my beer can.

I must fall asleep at some stage because I wake up needing a leak. I head to the back where the bathroom is and run smack bang into Harper coming out of the toilet, she jumps.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” I say, reaching out and steadying her. Harper pulls her arms away from me. “Is everything okay between us?” I ask because I feel like we have gone from fucking like rabbits to mortal enemies.

“Sure.”

“You seem tense.”

“Do I? Everything’s fine,” she answers quickly. Yeah, everything isn’t fine.

“Harper, I’m worried about you,” I whisper as I cup her face.

Tears well in her eyes as if she can’t hold it in any longer, and the next thing I know, she is hugging me tightly as she breaks down.

“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her, slowly stroking her hair. “Whatever is bothering you, you can tell me.” She looks up at me and I wipe her tears.

“You seem to do that a lot for me lately. I’m not normally this teary-eyed.”

“It doesn’t bother me.” I wipe another tear from her cheek. “Is everything okay? Please tell me it’s not Josh?” She stiffens. I take that as a yes. “I’ll fucking kill him.”

She places her hand on mine. “Felix, please,” she begs.

“Harper,” I say sternly.

“Please,” she begs again, and the anguish in how she looks at me breaks me.

“What’s going on?” I ask softly, trying to hold back my anger and worry.

“You were right,” she whispers.

My brows pull together. “Right about what?”

“That I couldn’t handle Josh,” she says quietly as if she is ashamed.

“Princess, I never said that. I didn’t trust that motherfucker. What’s he doing?”

“I can’t be sure, but it’s like out of the corner of my eyes, wherever I’m going, I think he’s there. But I never quite see him. It’s nothing tangible. Just I can feel him. It’s freaking me out. I’m jumping at every shadow, any noise. This is New York. There is always noise.”

“Is that why you decided to come on the trip at the last minute?” I ask. She nods. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“So that you could tell Sam or my friends and have them worry about me when I don’t even know if it’s real or not? I don’t want them to think I’ve lost my mind.”

“They wouldn’t think that. They are worried about you, that’s all.”

“Everyone has too much on their plate. Mom’s gala is coming up in two weeks. She doesn’t need this, too. And Sam, he’s going to become overprotective and suffocate me. They don’t need my pathetic ass complicating their lives.” I hate how she’s putting herself down. Fuck Josh for making her feel like this. “I’m trying to be strong.”

“You are strong. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak.”

“Are you going to tell on me again?” she asks angrily.

“No.”

Harper seems surprised. “Why not?”

“I learned my lesson. I do have a caveat though.”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course you do.”

“Why don’t we just tell them we’re dating, but for real? Everyone thinks we are, except your family and friends. We can easily convince them. I can stay with you under the guise of a sleepover. My presence around the home should make it clear to Josh to fuck off.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because …” I raise a brow waiting for her to finish. “Just no.”

“Then I guess I’m going to have to tell them about Josh. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you, and I could have stopped it.”

“You can’t, please …” she answers in a panic.

“I think Josh is dangerous,” I say softly.

“I might be imagining it.”

“Are you?” Silence falls between us, then her shoulders slump and she shakes her head.

“No. I’m so scared, Felix,” she whispers. I reach out, pull her into my arms, and hug her tightly. “You think that would work?”

“Yes, but there needs to be ground rules,”

“Of course.”

“Nothing can happen between us, no sex, no nothing.”

“We are playing a couple dating, there can’t be nothing,” I argue with her.

“Fine. In public there is something, at home there is nothing. I am not looking for anything more than to feel safe and get this nightmare over with,” she states.

“Okay, touching only allowed in public, no private touching, like what we are doing now?” I smirk.

“We will date until my family’s gala night and then we can break up.”

“That’s only another week. I don’t think that would look good for either of us. I thought you were Miss PR,” I tease. Harper gives me a filthy look. “We date until I go to training camp and then we can break up.”

“That’s the entire summer?” she shrieks.

“And?”

“That’s too long.”

“Do you not think you can keep your hands off me?” I tease.

“Please. You’re not that irresistible. I have access to The Paradise Club if I need to put my hands on something.” She huffs, folding her arms in front of her.

Like hell she will. “Does that apply to me, too?” I ask.

“Of course,” she states. I know how stubborn the woman is.

“I have weddings to attend in France and Italy during the summer, so I would like you to accompany me to them,” I ask her.

“I’m not going to your brother’s wedding,” she declares.

“But I need a date, and wouldn’t you be expected to be by my side if we are dating?” I ask her.

“Your brother and I don’t get on. He would not want me there,” she argues.

“I’ll talk to him.”

“You have a wedding in France too? So do I?” Harper asks, changing the subject about attending my brother’s wedding. I’ll need to work on that.

“Yeah. Axel Taylor’s, do you know him?” I ask her.

“From Dirty Texas?” I nod. “Of course I do. I’m going to the same wedding. I looked after the PR for them when Vanessa was sick,” she explains.

“You did?”

“How do you know them?” she asks.

“Met them in LA and became friends,” I tell her.

“Small world.” She smiles for the first time.

“Does that mean you will be my date for that wedding?”

“Yes. Fine.”

“Don’t sound so happy about it.” I grin.

“I’m not because I know my friends and they are going to see through this ruse. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

“Guess we start on this trip, test it out,” I tell her.

“Don’t you think people are going to be suspicious if we announce we are dating after I’ve been kicking up a stink about it for the past week?”

“We can say it was the tropical destination that made us see each other differently.”

Harper makes gagging sounds. “Are you sure about this?”

“We are already everywhere online. Even last week they got photos of us at lunch and wrote this entire narrative about our supposed romance.” I couldn’t believe the article. Everything in it was lies, but the photos did look good. They photographed us when we were laughing, and we genuinely did look happy which is what they said in the story.

“I’ve been ignoring the media,” she says quietly.

“I’m doing nothing all summer other than trying to find somewhere to live and working out. I’m free to be your boyfriend.”

“Fake boyfriend,” she reminds me. Yeah. Yeah.

“One more thing, if you meet someone while we are dating, please tell me, don’t mess around behind my back. Not you,” she pleads.

Reaching out, I cup her face. “I told you I don’t like cheaters. I would never.” She gives me a small nod and my thumb caresses her face as a moment threads between us. “I think I should kiss you, seal the deal.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She shrugs.

Leaning forward, I pull her to me and slowly, ever so slowly, lean down and kiss her. Electric white heat rushes through our bodies as our lips touch, it’s been too long. It takes her a moment to welcome me in, but as soon as she does, it’s like a lightning strike and everything explodes. All that pent-up heat we’ve denied each other these past couple of weeks pours out and the gentle kiss turns into something more.

“I fucking knew it,” Sam says. Harper and I pull apart quickly. “You do like my sister.”

“Sam …” I start to argue, but Harper’s hand slides into mine and squeezes it.

“Thanks for ruining the moment,” Harper tells Sam who frowns.

“Harper just confessed that the reason she’s been so stubborn over the whole fake dating scenario with me is because she has a crush on me.” Harper squeezes my hand painfully, which makes me chuckle.

“Is this true?” Sam asks her. Harper nods, unable to answer her brother. “That’s why you’ve been a bitch because you didn’t want Felix to know you liked him?”

“Yes,” she says through gritted teeth. Oh, this is going to be so much fun.

“Does that mean you like my sister?” Sam asks me.

“I didn’t know she felt the same way as I did until just now,” I explain to him.

Sam shakes his head. “So, this is happening?” Sam questions.

“What?” Harper asks.

“You two are dating for real?”

“Um …” Harper hesitates.

“Yes. I’m dating your sister. I’m sorry I didn’t ask permission, but …” I don’t get to finish my sentence when Sam comes rushing up and hugs me.

“I’m so happy.” He then turns to Harper and says, “He is the only boyfriend of yours I’ve liked.” Harper stares at her brother in bewilderment. “And, Felix,” he says, pointing at me. “Don’t fuck this up. I will hurt you if you hurt her,” he warns me.

“Sam, you can’t say that,” Harper tells her brother.

“Yes, I can. It’s what big brothers do. Especially to one of their friends who is now dating his sister.”

“I won’t fuck this up,” I tell him. Because I don’t plan on letting Harper go now that she’s mine.