Authors: Elizabeth Moynihan
Jordan looked at Aleksei’s dark scowl and knew things weren’t going to get any calmer in the next few minutes. “All right, he’s left, now you can tell me all the ways I handled this situation badly.”
“You obviously already know you did, so there’s no real reason for me add to the guilt you’re already feeling,” her husband answered calmly.
She looked at her husband, saw the understanding and compassion in his eyes and choked back tears. “He’s only a baby, he’s too young to be having these feelings. For anyone.”
“You yourself have said he’s an old soul in a young body. Have you changed your thoughts on that?”
Jordan shook her head no.
“You knew he was going to grow up and fall in love someday,” Aleksei stated softly, reading the sadness in her deep green eyes.
“I didn’t think it would happen so soon,” Jordan whispered, stepping into her husband’s open arms and sighing as she felt them wrap around her and hold her tightly.
“Neither did I,” Aleksei answered truthfully, if not a little sadly. “I don’t know how I’m going to survive Danielle doing this!”
“I’ll start calling convents right after breakfast,” Jordan suggested, more than a little seriously.
Aleksei nodded in agreement, kissing the top of his wife’s head before resting his cheek against her gleaming hair. All of a sudden he felt tired and old and wondered if all parents had such defining moments in their lives; probably so. He only hoped they’d handled it with at least a little panache.
When Chloe’s eyes fluttered open an hour later, she was still hugging Sergei’s pillow; her cheek rested against the soft cotton cover and the scent of his after-shave teased her senses. The sudden bombardment of memories of all that had passed only a few hours before had her flushing a deep pink and her color grew even more vivid as the image of Aleksei standing in the doorway finding them together in Sergei’s bed came to her mind.
Thank God it wasn’t his mother!
she thought to herself and decided the last thing she needed was for Jordan to find her in her son’s bed. How exactly would she explain that? Shaking her head back and forth, she decided that wasn’t a conversation she’d rather be faced with.
Untangling herself from the sheets, Chloe left the warmth of the bed, and quietly made her way to the door. With a final wistful look at the tussled bed, a soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she opened the door to leave-and found herself face to face with Jordan.
Chloe’s eyes widened in shock, her mouth opened and closed as she searched her suddenly blank mind for words and her hands fluttered as she looked for a way to explain why she was exiting Jordan’s son’s bedroom at seven o’clock in the morning, wearing only her pajamas.
Jordan’s gaze ran up and down Chloe’s willowy frame and she barely managed to keep from smiling as she took in Chloe’s pajamas; the boxer shorts and cropped T-shirt covered with dancing frogs she wore weren’t exactly the epitome of sexy. In fact, she looked more like the sleepy-headed little girl that used to share sleepovers with Dani so many years ago than a sultry vixen trying to seduce her son. Still, things had changed and still reeling from the discovery, Jordan refused to let her get away without a comment.
“Sleep well, Chloe?” Jordan asked quietly, a knowing look in her eyes.
Chloe blinked in surprise at Jordan’s calm question, fully expecting a very different attitude. Shouldn’t she be screaming in outrage over having found her leaving her son’s room? Where were the accusations that questioned her morals, her parentage? She knew if it had been her mother, the roof would have likely been blown off by now. Again, Chloe tried to think of a response–and couldn’t–and finally gave up trying. With a muffled, “Sorry.” She made a quick escape to her bedroom and quietly closed the door behind her. With a huge sigh, she leaned against the door and slowly lowered herself to the carpet.
Sliding her hands through her hair, she rested her head against her knees and groaned. Never would she have thought she’d find herself in this predicament. She’d never lost control of her emotions so completely that even common sense deserted her, but then, she’d never been faced with the bombarding sensuality of Sergei. Somewhere along the line her mind had given complete control over to her heart and her heart obviously didn’t think rationally. Thoroughly embarrassed, she was certain things couldn’t get any worse.
“For heaven’s sake, Chloe, where have you been?” Dani asked drowsily, pulling the covers off her head and yawning hugely.
Chloe covered her face with her hands and shook her head back and forth. So much for a clean getaway!
“Mom caught you sleeping with Sergei?” Dani asked excitedly, suddenly wide-awake and struggling to untangle herself from the covers only seconds before she’d been buried under.
“Oh, God, no.” Chloe moaned; her voice muffled as she once again buried her face against her knees.
Dani kicked her way out of the covers and rushed across the room to plop herself on the floor in front of Chloe. “Okay–spill it. I want to know every gory detail–and don’t leave anything out!”
Chloe’s shocked expression had Dani frowning and, in disgust, she growled, “Don’t you dare tell me, ‘nothing happened’.”
“Nothing did happen,”
“Why on earth not?”
“What? Dani, have you taken total leave of your senses? This is your brother we’re talking about! Typically, sisters don’t like the idea of their brother’s becoming involved with their friends.”
“I’m not typical!” Dani stated dramatically.
“No fooling? Gee, I never would have guessed that!” Chloe countered, casting Dani a look that was full of confusion. “Besides, it’s totally tacky to have sex under your parent’s roof!” Chloe tossed in as an afterthought, hoping she at least sounded a little bit worldly.
The look Dani tossed her told her she’d failed miserably and she scrambled to her feet, walked to the demolished bed and plopped down dejectedly on the edge.
“Like you’d know anything about having sex anywhere, let alone,
under your parents roof
!” Dani countered.
“Don’t be tacky. You wouldn’t know about it any more than I do!”
“That’s beside the point–we’re talking about you!”
“There’s nothing to talk about. This whole thing is so thoroughly embarrassing I’d just as soon forget it!” Chloe moaned, falling backwards on to the rumpled heap of covers and draping one arm over her eyes. Maybe she could just disappear if she tried hard enough.
“If ‘nothing happened’ then what’s so embarrassing?” Dani pestered, lifting her arm and peeking at her before dropping down beside her on the bed.
“Let’s see: your father caught your brother and I in what appeared to be a very compromising situation. Your mother caught me coming out of your brother’s room in a rather minimal state of dress. Your brother makes me feel so out of control I can’t see straight; a sensation I’m not sure I like or not…” Chloe counted off on her fingers.
“Something did happen!” Dani exclaimed, bouncing lightly on the bed, and pulling on Chloe’s arm until she finally sat up.
“Fine–something happened–he kissed me!” Chloe finally relented.
“That’s it?”
“What do you mean–
‘that’s it’
? Do you have any idea how devastatingly wonderful your brother’s kisses are?”
“Oh, please–don’t make me barf!” Dani laughed. “If all of this hullabaloo is over a ridiculous kiss I might as well start packing for the convent right now.”
“It wasn’t a ‘
ridiculous kiss’
! It was much, much more,” Chloe defended, lifting her chin defiantly.
“I know, it was ‘
devastatingly wonderful’
!” Dani teased in a dramatically sexy voice, ducking as Chloe sailed a pillow toward her head.
“You’re a wicked woman, Danielle Janae Rocmanov!”
“I’m not the one who was caught in bed with a man!” Dani tossed back lightly.
Chloe looked at her best friend and had to acknowledge when she was right, she was right. “Point taken!” she conceded with a small nod and a timid smile. “So, what happens now?” she asked, chewing on the end of her thumb, “Will they send me home?”
“Not a chance! Until your mom’s back, they wouldn’t risk putting you back within Andrew’s reach. They may not like the fact you and Sergei are getting
friendlier
, so they’ll probably look for other ways to keep you occupied. My guess is they’ll use the old
‘keep them exhausted and they won’t have the energy to do anything but sleep’
method.” Dani suggested with a laugh.
“That sounds like you know first hand of that particular ‘
method’
,” Chloe said.
“It’s one of their favorites–they used to use that one on Sergei and I when we were going through our
‘what shall we fight over this time?’
phase. Believe it or not, it actually worked pretty well. At least it did for Sergei; he’s such a light-weight!”
Chloe’s snort of disbelief at Dani’s comment brought a smile to Dani’s face. “You disagree with my assessment?”
“Only the fact you consider your brother a ‘light-weight’. Exactly when did this
‘phase’
you were speaking of occur?”
“About the time we were six and ten, I’d guess,” Dani allowed, smiling as Chloe sailed yet another pillow her way.
“Well, I’ve got news for you, he’s changed a whole lot since then, and there’s absolutely nothing ‘light-weight’ about him now!” Chloe stated with a sexy smile and glowing eyes.
“I’ll take your word for it,” Dani stated in disgust and didn’t duck in time to avoid the incoming pillow Chloe had suddenly launched.
With a high-pitched scream, the pillow fight was on!
O
ver the next two weeks, the tension level within the Rocmanov house increased to nearly unbearable and nothing was working to correct the problem. After a particularly miserable morning, the decision to send Dani and Chloe to the mall was not up for discussion; the edict had come from Jordan and was not negotiable!
Sergei complained it would simply put them that much further behind in their training schedule if Chloe were off gallivanting with Dani. But as persuasive as his objections were, his mother was unrelenting, and with a frustrated shake of his head, he watched his sister and partner drive away.
“How much longer are you going to keep purposely separating us?” Sergei asked in frustration, casting one last look at the empty driveway. Tension had him tied up in knots and he shrugged his shoulders up and down as he tried to shake off an odd feeling that suddenly washed over him.
“Dani and Chloe deserved a break; I thought the mall would be a nice diversion,” Jordan stated, lifting one brow sardonically at her son’s snort of disbelief.
“The only thing you’re trying to divert is anything unrelated to skating that might make Chloe and I lose focus on the ice and cause you and Dad embarrassment,” Sergei growled.
“Your father and I aren’t worried about you embarrassing us on the ice.”
“You don’t think I’m capable of making mistakes; you don’t think I have it in me to lose?” Sergei fired back.
“Not if you remain focused.”
“Mom, as much as you wish it otherwise, I’m more
focused
with Chloe beside me. I made a promise to you that I’d stay away from her except when we’re skating and I’ve kept that promise.”
“I only want what’s best for you, Sergei. I’m not doing any of this to purposely make you miserable,” Jordan explained.
“Chloe is what’s best for me,” Sergei stated softly.
“Sergei, you’re so young….”
“Mom, how old were you when you fell in love with Dad?”
Jordan blushed a deep pink and shook her head at Sergei’s strategy. “That’s not the point; we’re talking about you–not me!”
“We’re talking about how old you should be before you fall in love. You think twenty-one is too young and yet I remember you telling me you knew you were in love with Dad when you were all of twelve! Why is it right for you and not for me? What makes your feelings at that age any more valid than mine now?”
“Sergei, you don’t understand….” Jordan began, reaching out to touch her son’s arm.
Sergei pulled away from her touch, his heart aching at the look of sadness that entered her eyes at his withdrawal. “You’re right, Mom, I don’t understand! I don’t understand how easily you can deny me having the same feelings for Chloe that you’ve shared with Dad. You always taught us to be open and giving of our feelings; maybe you’re just jealous of the fact that you might have to share my attention with someone else.”
“That’s not fair, Sergei!”
“Nothing about this situation is fair, Mom,” Sergei countered sadly, walking slowly across the lawn toward the building that housed their gym.
Jordan closed her eyes and fought to control the tears that filled them. Memories of Sergei growing up flashed within her mind like a slide show: his first toothless smile, his first wobbly steps, and his first tiny pair of skates. So many firsts and the sudden realization that her little boy had grown into a man, with his own opinions, ideas and desires struck her. Regardless of her wish to keep him safe from harm and heartache, she knew in her heart the time had come to let him stand alone and face whatever fate decreed. Her days of being his protector were done; he was now ready–more than ready, wanting–to assume the responsibility of protecting and caring for another. Did she have the right to break his heart under the guise of keeping it safe? As much as the thought of Sergei being in pain over a love gone lost hurt her, she knew she couldn’t stop the emotions that ran so strongly between them. One didn’t stop an avalanche simply because it might cause damage. Destiny had a path and raging against it didn’t necessarily get you anywhere; sometimes it was just better to follow it and see where it lead.
Brushing away tears, she watched her son enter the building and close the door without ever looking back to see if she still watched him. At least Sergei wasn’t alone. Whittaker was there to supervise his workout and, if nothing else, Whittaker would keep him safe.
The mall was jammed, as usual, and Dani and Chloe found themselves parking at the far end of one of the lots and hiking in to the building that housed ‘two hundred and seventy-eight stores-all under one roof ’, or so the commercial touted.
The cold air washed over them as they pushed through the second set of double doors and found themselves entering a world filled with crying babies, whining toddlers, frazzled mothers and teenagers squealing over the newest, coolest clothes. Casting each other
aget me out of here look
, they proceeded to head for the center court–and the food.
The two window shopped along the way, stopping to admire the new styles, commenting on the ugly shoes, ooohing over sparkling jewelry and stopping in to pick up a couple of the newest romance stories at one of the bookstores.
“I can see it now, Mom’s going to freak when she sees all we managed to buy are a couple of books she’ll probably think we’re not old enough to read!” Dani teased Chloe as she passed her money to the cashier and took her bag of books.
“She told us to go shopping–we’re shopping!” Chloe countered, holding up their purchase.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“So, I don’t know about you, but I’m up for something loaded with calories and with absolutely no redeeming health benefits,” Chloe stated with a laugh, breathing deeply as she caught the smell of baking sweet rolls from the nearby food court.
“You’re reading my mind!” Dani answered with her own laugh and the two headed off to follow the delicious smells that unto themselves could add a few pounds to anyone passing by.
The two chatted about nothing in particular as they made their way through the crowds in search of food. They people watched and laughed at the antics of one toddler in the throes of a full-out tantrum, laying on the ground and screaming loud enough to bring the roof down while his mother sat on a nearby bench and watched her child with an unbelievable nonchalance. Obviously, this wasn’t the first tantrum she’d been faced with.
The sweet roll stand loomed before them and breathed deeply of the overwhelmingly sweet aromas that surrounded them. “I’m getting the largest cinnamon roll they make!” Dani stated, licking her lips in anticipation as she surveyed the menu on the wall.
“Make that two,” Chloe added with a laugh.
“I get the biggest one!” Dani demanded, and moved a step closer to the counter to place her order. The three people in front of them seemed to be taking their time to make their decision and Dani groaned in agony; there was nothing worse than starving and being four feet away from the heaven of a cinnamon roll!
“I see patience is still a strong suit of yours!” Chloe teased, watching her friend roll her eyes as the people in front of them changed their minds yet again. To watch Dani you’d think she was ten seconds away from starving.
“Oh, hush. It’s been ages since I’ve had one of these monsters and if I don’t get one soon, I’m liable to do something thoroughly embarrassing!”
“Well, while you’re thinking of what ‘thoroughly embarrassing’ thing to do, I’m going to go find us a table before they’re all taken,” Chloe offered, watching as people suddenly seemed to be making a mad rush for the few remaining empty tables. “Grab me a leaded Pepsi, too, would you please?”
“Large?” Dani called.
“Is there any other size?” Chloe answered back.
With an affirmative nod, Dani waved Chloe off toward the tables and returned her attention to the cinnamon rolls.
Chloe wandered through the crowd of people, stepping around bags on the floor, strollers blocking aisles and tried to avoid having her feet stepped on again and again by the little kids that insisted on running in circles around the tables. Finally, she spotted a small table in the far back corner of the eating area. A large tree beside the table gave it a bit of added privacy and a metal fence separated it from the hallway that led to the restrooms and one of the mall’s exits. Amazingly enough, she managed to get to it before anyone else did and settling into one of the wire-back chairs, she placed her bag of books on the table and watched for Dani.
She didn’t even hear his approach; all she knew was that suddenly her hair was trapped painfully in a fist and her head was being held immobile. She felt her blood turn cold at the familiar voice and menacing words.
“Well, if it isn’t Rocmanov’s slut! What dirty little things did you promise to do to him if he let you out of his bed?” Andrew hissed hatefully in her ear, closing his fist tighter around her hair when she didn’t answer him. “No–don’t tell me-the great Sergei Rocmanov is queer and even from the back you couldn’t inspire him enough to get it up?” he chuckled evilly. Running his tongue hotly along the side of her neck, a wickedly deep laugh rumbled in his throat as she tried to pull away.
Chloe’s nails bit into her palms as she struggled to control the fear that held her silent. Scream! Her mind told her and yet she couldn’t move; could barely breath. “Please….” the word slipped from her lips in a shaky whisper.
“Please what? Please take you back? Please forgive you for all the shit you’ve put me through? Please forget what a lying, scheming, two-faced bitch you are?” Andrew ranted, his tone dangerous and low. “That’s a lot to ask of me!” His fist closed tighter in her hair.
Chloe closed her eyes and tried to shut out the pain and Andrew’s hate-filled words. Silently she called Sergei’s name and tried to envision his beloved face.
“You can get your hands off Chloe or I can scream the fucking roof down now–the choice is yours!” Dani stated casually, her eyes glittering dangerously as she set the tray that held their two drinks and their once coveted cinnamon rolls down on the small table.
Andrew cast his furious eyes toward Dani but didn’t release his hold on Chloe’s hair, “This is between my partner and me; it’s got nothing to do with you.”
“Ex-partner! She’s skating with my brother now and that takes you out of the picture.”
“There was never any agreement to separate,” Andrew hissed.
“I think leaving her unconscious on the ice was a pretty clear statement as to your concern for her well being.”
“She brought it on herself!”
“You’re full of shit!”
“Listen, you fucking bitch….” Andrew yelled, suddenly realizing his mistake when people turned to look at him at his outburst; including a nearby security guard.
“Congratulations, Manning, you’ve now assaulted the both of us. Wouldn’t your daddy just love to get a call from that security guard over there letting him know he can come collect you at the local police precinct.”
“Chloe doesn’t have the balls to press charges against me!” Andrew taunted.
“Maybe not, but I’d take great pleasure in seeing your sorry ass hauled out of here in handcuffs! Care to test me?” Dani stated in a dangerously low voice, her chin lifting defiantly.
“This isn’t over,” Andrew stated, the threat clear. With a final furious gaze that encompassed the two girls, he stormed down the hallway that led to the exit and disappeared.
The barbell Sergei was lifting over his head dropped to the floor with a loud crash as his energy suddenly disappeared and a wave of cold fear washed over him. Hearing his name being softly called by Chloe made him begin to tremble and he looked at Whittaker in confusion. “Something’s wrong.”
“It’s not the first time you’ve dropped a barbell,” Whittaker answered nonchalantly.
“No–it’s Chloe.”
“Chloe’s fine–she’s with Dani,” Whittaker offered, handing him a glass of water, concern for Sergei’s unusual behavior causing a frown to appear between his eyes. “What can happen at the mall? Other than your parents will have to skate another two years to pay off the bill the girls run up on this shopping spree?” he asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Sergei nodded absently; hoping his coach was right and yet he was unable to shake this strange feeling. Something wasn’t right; he could feel it in his gut and yet was helpless to do anything about it.
Whittaker’s voice calling him back to the present had him moving toward another machine.
Without thinking, he began to use the machine that would make his already muscular shoulders even stronger, but his mind was miles away and unable to think of anything but Chloe.
Dani looked at Chloe’s pale face and dilated eyes and tried to remain calm. She was still shaking as adrenaline continued to rush through her veins after her encounter with Andrew. The way she felt at the moment, she still felt she could pound him into mincemeat if given the chance and she really relished the idea of doing it. But that would have to wait, right now, she had to get Chloe up and moving and the way Chloe was looking, she wondered if it would happen anytime soon. She hated the idea of calling home and having to explain what had happened, but if worse came to worse, she’d do it.
“You okay, Chloe?” Dani asked softly.