Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Love.
Another full month had flown by, and all Leo could think about was how much he burned to lay his feelings out for Kat.
That would be a mistake.
Deep down, he knew it.
Kat had made it perfectly clear where she stood.
It didn’t matter that four weeks had passed since that walk in the snow when he’d allowed himself to show a little vulnerability. Sure, he’d masked it with his cocky grin and cheesy lines. But it had been the complete and utter truth.
She stood with the foreman going over some details.
Leo couldn’t tear his gaze from her. He hadn’t seen her in a skirt and heels since that first day.
Her turtleneck sweater clung to her form, accentuating every one of her curves.
Jeans had been tucked into her boots and she stood with one hip popped to the side.
Her expression left no room for argument as she told the guy what she needed from him.
Leo’s focus flicked to the older gentleman.
His hair had greyed and there were plenty of lines around his eyes and his mouth.
He’d been around the block more than once and it was clear he knew what he was doing.
Yet, that slip of a woman had him standing at attention.
It still impressed him the way she could command the space around her.
She was made for the corporate lifestyle.
He frowned then. Maybe she was right about not wanting a life here.
But then she’d go riding with him and he saw her carefree joy rise to the surface to snuff out all the control she clutched onto for dear life.
Kat needed this place just as much as he needed her.
Just a few more months. He only had a few more months to convince her what he already knew to be true.
“Hello, Princess,” he murmured behind her right ear as soon as the foreman stalked toward his crew.
She gasped, turning toward him with a surprised smile. “I thought you were out running errands.”
“I was.” He brushed the strands of her hair away from the back of her neck with a sweep of his fingers. “But I’m back now, and you want to know what I want to do today?”
Kat hummed but it sounded more like a groan. Goosebumps lifted on her skin and the temptation to kiss her there ripped through him like the winter winds. She shivered and whispered, “What do you want to do today?”
“There’s a pond in the next town over that’s completely frozen over now. I thought you and I could go ice skating.”
She turned wide, excited eyes toward him. “Really?”
“Really.” This was the sort of excitement he adored. This was the reaction he wanted to see. Kat could move out here. She was as adaptable as they came. “Put that clipboard away and grab your coat. I’m taking you out.”
Leo laughed as Kat’s gloved fingers dug into his forearms. “I thought you’d been ice skating before.”
Her eyes shot daggers his way. “When did I ever say I knew how to skate?”
“The way you reacted to my invitation. What else was I supposed to think?”
She harumphed. “I never said I knew how to skate. I can’t help it if this sounded exciting because I’ve never been.”
“Isn’t there like some famous ice rink in New York?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, but I’ve never been to that one either.”
He tugged her to a stop, his hands holding her tight around her upper arms to keep her on her feet.
“Why not?” This woman was perfection in every way.
Even if she confessed right here, right now, that she was terrified of skating, he wouldn’t have believed her.
She didn’t exactly look scared in this moment.
In fact, the way her face flushed red made it perfectly clear she wasn’t scared but more… embarrassed? She avoided his gaze and pulled her lips between her teeth. “No reason.”
Leo chuckled. “I don’t believe that for a second. Why haven’t you been skating before? And don’t tell me you’re not interested, because…” he gestured toward her and smirked. “Clearly…”
Kat rolled her eyes but the smile she sported was more than enough evidence to keep him going.
“Come on, Kat. You gotta tell me how someone who probably passed the ice rink every single day going to work never took a detour… never played hooky.”
At that, her smile faltered. He’d hit a nerve without actually meaning to. And immediately all he could think about was apologizing. He shifted closer to her and took her hands in his. Waiting expectantly for her to answer him, he wasn’t surprised to sense all her walls coming up again.
“I never had time.”
“Really? Not even when you were a kid?”
The beautiful blush from before came back with a vengeance.
“My dad never had time to take me, either, okay? Ice skating wasn’t exactly a top priority when it came to how I spent my time.
” Her eyes cut to his and then darted away to scan their surroundings.
People continued to skate around them, paying them no mind.
Kat fidgeted and more than once attempted to tug her hands from his.
He kept her hands tightly within his, frowning at her reaction. “Why are you upset?”
“I’m not,” she practically snapped. Then her eyes darted once more to meet his. “I’m not. Really.”
He cocked his head slightly. “You can talk to me, Kat.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “You want to know why this is a hard topic?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”
Kat let out a sigh and he shifted his stance to her side. Taking her hand in his again, he led her toward the edge of the pond where a path had been constructed to exit. She wobbled somewhat but he kept her steady.
By the time they made it to one of the many benches that surrounded the pond, Leo worried that Kat wouldn’t open up to him. He was getting prepared to convince her by any means necessary when she sighed again.
“Because of your mom.”
His brows shot up. “What?”
Kat covered her face with a hand and let out an embarrassed laugh. “Not because of your mom… but in a way, yes. I’ve been here for weeks and even I can tell that you had a very different childhood than me. She made sure you experienced everything you could think of.”
Leo watched her warily. He didn’t like seeing her hurting and that emotion was shining through more than he wanted to admit. One of her hands was still within his own and he squeezed it with reassurance.
“But you want to know what my childhood consisted of? Nights where I ate alone or with my nanny. Days filled with coloring in his office. Going to private schools because he was going to be too busy to be home for months at a time.” Her eyes shone with emotion.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love him. He was a good father—always wanting the best for me.
I know that. Deep down, I do. But where your childhood had multiple opportunities to spend time with your family, I was raised to run our family empire.
So no, going ice skating wasn’t something at the top of our priorities. I didn’t have fun for fun’s sake.”
Finally, one tear slipped down her cheek and before he could reach it to swipe it away, she brushed it with the back of her hand. Then she let out a sad laugh.
“You must think I’m—”
“Hey,” he reached out and grasped her chin to force her to look him in the eye, “I’m not thinking anything but the fact that you’re a strong woman who has done amazing things with her life. You’ve accomplished so much, you have no idea how much I respect you.”
She sniffed and brushed at another tear. A hint of a smile graced her lips. “Yeah?”
“Of course,” he murmured. “Just because you didn’t get the chance to try out things like ice skating doesn’t mean you missed out on anything. You have your whole life ahead of you. And maybe you’ll start believing me when I tell you to ease up and enjoy life for once.”
Kat actually laughed at that. “And you know me better than that. When I go back home, things will return to normal. My hours won’t allow for ice skating or taking breaks.”
Her words cut at him like a sharpened dagger straight to his heart. Her response had been so quick, so sure, that he could tell she didn’t have a single inkling to stay.
She can’t leave.
The words were screamed in his head as he continued to study her. They were on the tip of his tongue, but he bit them back. Kat was only preparing to leave because she didn’t have a good enough reason to stay.
He had time.
They had time.
All he had to do was make her love it here more and she’d change her mind.
Leo traced his thumb across her cheek and smiled. “And maybe you’ll realize that even the great Kat Jerris needs balance in her life.”
She brought up her hand and covered his with it. “You’re… so good for me. Thank you, Leo.”
And just like that, she’d reached into his chest, wrapped her long fingers around his heart, and pulled it out. She had his heart in the palm of her hand. That should terrify him.
But it didn’t.
She turned her lips toward his palm and pressed a kiss to its center. Leo stifled a shiver and his ears started ringing. Right here, right now, there was no denying just how attached he’d become. Kat was so special and she didn’t even know it—well, not in the way that mattered.
Leo slipped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close. He brought her lips to his and kissed her deeply, hoping that she could feel just how much he cared for her.
If she didn’t know now, she would.
Their kiss was one not only filled with passion but promise. Her arms came around his neck and she clung to him. Their bodies were pressed together by a need that each of them was desperately trying to satiate.
Kat was the first one to pull away, but only just. Her face remained so close to his own as she searched his face. He wanted so much to believe that in those beautiful eyes she felt even an inkling of what he was feeling right now. It would be so easy to tell her that he was falling for her.
But what would she do?
Probably pull away.
Yep, definitely pull away.
Especially when she seemed intent on returning home.
“What?” she whispered.
“Hmm?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Her smile spread wider.
“I’m not looking at you like anything.”
She laughed then gave him a playful shove. “Yes, you were.”
He stumbled back a step, his skates catching on the rubber flooring that had been installed near the pond. Chuckling, he shook his head. “How about we get some hot chocolate? An ice skating outing is never complete without hot cocoa with marshmallows.”
Kat continued grinning, her eyes shining brighter. “That sounds perfect.” She stepped toward him and linked her arm through his. “Lead the way.”