Woods.
Snow-capped mountains.
And the soft sound of jingling all the way.
Even Michael Buble` and his silky voice couldn’t make this moment more romantic.
“I don’t want you to be cold.” Park lifts his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close to him. “Let me warm you up.”
“Wow, that was smooth and a little cheesy,” I joke as I snuggle into him.
“If you thought that was smooth and cheesy, watch this.” He moves his free hand to mine and changes the tone of his voice to something overly serious. “Your fingers are cold. I can warm those too.” He covers my frozen hand with his, so now we’re holding hands. Who needs winter gloves when there’s a hot man around to warm your fingers?
I stare at our joined hands. “I mean, your approach to hand-holding is a little cliche`, but it works.”
“I didn’t know my hand-holding techniques were getting rated too,” he jokes. “I’m starting to get a complex over here.”
“Don’t!” I laugh. “I’m only kidding. You’ve got game.”
He’s got so much game he has the second most expensive spot on the Monopoly board—Park Place.
He leans in, his lips vibrating against my ear, sending a shiver down my back. “I’d like to think so.”
“What do you do with all that game?” I twist my body so I can look at him. “There’s probably been a line of women at your door your entire life.”
“Nope.”
“Oh, come on. Surely you’ve had your fair share of girlfriends.”
He shakes his head. “Not really.”
“So you’re saying you’ve never had a serious relationship?”
He glances away, avoiding my stare. “Serious relationships aren’t a priority in my life. I’ve been too busy for that kind of stuff.”
I lean back against him. “I know what you mean. I’m the same way when it comes to love.”
His head shifts, and I can tell he’s looking down at me. “What about Nicholas?”
“That wasn’t love.Thatwas work.” I grimace. “Wait. That sounded bad, notworklike I was a hired escort or something.”
“I figured, but thanks for the clarification anyway.” Park chuckles. “For someone so open, you sure keep a tight lip about what happened with that guy.”
My shoulders drop, and I look straight ahead at the driver holding the horse reins. “That’s because I’m embarrassed.”
“Was he married or something?”
“No.” I bite my lip, unsure how much I want to tell Park. I could keep quiet or even make something up. I’ve gotten pretty good at lying over the years. I could easily fabricate a story. But for some reason, I don’t want to hold back. Part of me wants to trade in all the lies for truth—at leastsomeof them.
I spin so I’m facing him again. “As you know, Nicholas Lawrence was my boss. At first, everything between us was harmless. It was just a game to me. I knew Nicholas was interested, and I amped up the flirting. I wanted to see if I could get him to trust me if he’d let me into his inner circle. It sounds bad, but I loved being chased.” I pause, waiting for the look of horror to cross over his face, but everything remains even. I should’ve known there wouldn’t be a reaction. Park is good at keeping his emotions in check. “I never thought I would actually develop real feelings.”
“So you loved him?”
“No, not even close.” I shake my head.
“But you said you developed real feelings.”
“I did.” I look up. “I developed insecurity, self-doubt, depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. I went into the relationship knowing the risks, but I thought I had it covered. I thoughtIwas the one in the power position because he wanted me, and I knew it. I thought I had the upper hand. But I was wrong. Nicholas is the master manipulator, and over time all the reasons why I started the relationship didn’t matter anymore. I was the one getting played. The lines between what was real and what was fake blurred together until I was in so deep that I didn’t know how to get myself out. ”
