CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #2
A smile began tugging at her mouth. “I wasn’t aware you had voting rights.”
“I just acquired them,” he stated confidently.
She laughed. “Are you jealous?”
“No.” The answer came far too quickly.
Nova’s smile turned smug.
Snow pointed at her with his coffee mug. “Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your face did.”
She innocently took another spoonful of ice cream. Then licked the damn spoon.
Snow stared at her. The woman was going to kill him.
After last night, all he could think about was replacing that spoon with his mouth and finding out whether her lips still tasted as good as he remembered.
He forced his gaze back to her eyes. “Did you accept?”
“Maybe.”
“Nova.”
She laughed. “Relax, Gabe. I told him no. That it wasn’t professional.”
Snow froze. She called him Gabe, not Snow.
Something warm settled low in his chest before he could stop it. He liked it. Probably far too much.
“Good,” he murmured.
“Oh, so you are jealous.”
“I prefer protective.”
“Convenient.”
Before Snow could answer, movement near the entrance caught his attention.
Speak of the fucking devil. Brett walked into the dining area with three other men, laughing about something one of them had said.
Snow’s amusement disappeared instantly. “That’s our cue.”
Nova glanced over her shoulder and spotted Brett. “Seriously? I’m not finished with my ice cream.”
“Bring it with you,” he said, standing up, just as Brett noticed
them.
“Ms. Hart. Mr. Iverson.” Brett smiled as he approached. “Leaving so soon?”
Snow returned the smile, although there wasn’t much warmth behind it. “Unfortunately. We’ve got a call scheduled with Mr. Silverman in ten minutes.”
Brett’s eyes moved to Nova and lingered on her for a second longer than Snow liked.
“I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Maybe,” Nova replied politely.
Snow placed his hand lightly against the small of her back and guided her toward the exit before Brett could extend the conversation.
They made it into the corridor before Nova looked sideways at him.
“We don’t have a call with Mr. Silverman.”
“We do now.”
She laughed. “You know, for someone who claims he isn’t jealous, you seemed awfully eager to get me away from Brett.”
Snow glanced down at her. “I’m not jealous. I just don’t trust him.”
“I don’t either.”
“Good.”
They walked quietly beside each other, neither seeming particularly bothered by the silence.
Snow had always appreciated that about Nova.
She didn’t feel the need to fill every quiet moment with meaningless conversation.
And after spending most of the day surrounded by crew members with nowhere else to go because operations had been suspended, the relative peace was welcome.
They were almost halfway down the corridor when Nova turned toward him.
“I forgot to tell you. I talked to Rick earlier.”
Snow’s steps faltered. His stomach tightened as several possibilities immediately raced through his mind, none of which he particularly liked.
Maybe Nova had decided two and a half years together deserved another chance.
Hell, maybe hearing that Rick hadn’t known anything about the engagement announcement had changed how she felt about him.
Snow knew he didn’t have any right to tell her what to do. Two kisses didn’t give him a claim on her, and he had already told himself he would give Nova whatever time and space she needed. But that didn’t mean the thought of her going back to Rick didn’t make him want to punch a fucking wall.
Nova busted out laughing.
Snow glanced at her. “What’s funny?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” She stopped walking and looked at him, amusement dancing in her dark blue eyes. “I can practically hear whatever terrible scenario you’re creating in your head right now.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh.”
Snow narrowed his eyes.
Her smile widened. “Relax. I’m not getting back together with him.”
The tension left his shoulders so quickly it was embarrassing. Even Nova noticed.
“Oh, my God.” She laughed again. “You really were worried.”
“I wasn’t worried. I was processing what you said.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head and started walking again. “Well, you can stop processing. It wasn’t anything like that.”
Snow fell into step beside her. “So how’d it go?”
Nova was quiet for a moment before releasing a long breath. “Surprisingly well, actually. It was a good conversation.” She glanced down as they walked. “One we probably should’ve had two and a half years ago.”
Snow frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I think we finally admitted something neither of us wanted to admit back then. Rick and I were together because everyone expected us to be together. Our families ran in the same circles, our fathers did business together, we looked good on paper.” She shrugged.
“Somewhere along the way, I think we confused everyone else’s expectations with what we actually wanted. ”
Snow listened without interrupting.
“He apologized,” she continued. “Like really apologized. Not the bullshit I’m-sorry-you-got-hurt kind of apology. He owned what he did and told me he never meant to hurt me.”
Snow’s jaw tightened despite himself. “He still did.”
“Yeah.” Nova nodded. “And I told him that. I believe he’s sorry, but being sorry doesn’t erase what happened. He made a choice, and that choice hurt me a little. There isn’t an excuse for it.”
Snow glanced at her, feeling a quiet surge of pride at the certainty in her voice. There was no bitterness there. No lingering hope either. Just acceptance.
Maybe that was what she had needed all along. She just needed some closure.
“So where does that leave you two?”
“Friends with business ties.” She gave him a small smile. “But not together.”
“Good.”
Nova shot him a sideways look.
Snow shrugged. “What? I’m allowed to have an opinion.”
“Of course you are.”
He caught the amusement in her voice. “Don’t start.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You never have to.”
She laughed softly.
They continued down the corridor for several more steps before Snow remembered the much larger problem.
“What about the engagement announcement?”
Nova’s smile disappeared. “That’s a little more complicated.”
“Considering half the world apparently thinks you’re marrying the guy, I’d say so.”
“Not half the world.”
“Fine. The state of Utah.”
That earned him another laugh.
“So what’s the plan?” he asked. “Public statement? Retraction?”
Nova glanced up at him. Then she grinned.
Snow immediately became suspicious. He had seen that particular expression before.
“What are you planning?”
Her grin widened. “Rick and I have a plan.”
Snow waited. But she didn’t elaborate.
“And?”
“And what?”
“What’s the plan?”
“You’ll find out.”
Snow stared at her. “You’re not going to tell me?”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s better this way.”
“For who?”
“Me.”
He barked out a laugh. “That expression on your face is making me nervous.”
“It shouldn’t. Unless your last name is Hart or Montgomery.”
Snow laughed. “Jesus. Remind me never to piss you off.”
Nova bumped her shoulder lightly against his arm. “Trust me. We have a plan, and by the time Rick and I are finished, our parents are going to regret deciding they knew what was best for us.”
Snow studied her face. There was something different about her tonight. Last night she had been devastated by what her parents had done, but now that familiar spark was back in her eyes.
Whatever she and Rick had planned, Snow almost felt sorry for their parents. Almost.
Snow fought a smile as they continued toward their room. He was also beginning to hate ice cream.
Not because there was anything wrong with the stuff, but because watching Nova finish off her bowl was fucking torture.
She looked at him. “Do you want some?” She asked, holding the spoon out.
“Nah, I’m good.”
“You sure? It’s the last bite.”
They reached their room moments later.
Nova paused in front of the door. Her dark blue eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Just for the record, you looked really cute when you thought I might be getting back together with Rick.”
Snow stared at her. “Cute?”
She grinned. “Yup. You actually stuck your lip out in a pout.”
“No, I did not.”
“Yes, you did.”
“That’s it, I’m taking that last bite of ice cream.”
He reached for the spoon in her hand, and she jerked it away.
“Hey, that’s mine.”
“You offered it to me,” he said, laughing as he reached for it again.
“I changed my mind. It’s my ice cream.”
“Not after you offered it.”
Nova tried to maneuver around him, laughing as Snow reached for the spoon again. Somewhere in the ridiculous tug-of-war, her hand bumped his, sending the final dollop of melting ice cream tumbling from the spoon.
It landed directly below her collarbone.
They both froze and looked down.
The white ice cream stood out against her olive skin exposed above the neckline of her tank top, slowly beginning to melt.
Snow’s gaze remained fixed on that tiny drop for several seconds before slowly traveling upward. The casual clothes shouldn’t have done a damn thing to him. A simple tank top. Capri sweatpants. Barely any makeup after the long day she had.
Yet she had never looked sexier.
When his eyes finally reached hers, the laughter had disappeared from her face too. Something else had taken its place. Desire. There was no mistaking it.
Her dark blue eyes had gone heavy as she stared back at him, and Snow watched her lips part on a shallow breath. The playful energy that had followed them down the hallway transformed into something entirely different as the silence between them stretched.
He stepped closer. His hand came up, bracing lightly against the door beside her, not touching her, but close enough that he could feel the heat of her. His gaze flicked up to hers for just a second, giving her time to pull back if she wanted to.
She didn’t. Her breathing changed, becoming quicker as his gaze dropped once more to the ice cream melting against her skin and starting to run down toward her breasts.
He should grab a towel. That was the sensible thing to do. Unfortunately, sensible had just left the fucking building.