It actually wasn’t. I was just being dramatic and feeling all kinds of anxious over him appearing back in my life.
“God,” I muttered, “Get yourself together, Birdie. Today will be all about deflecting. Deflect, deflect, deflect. You are the queen of that. If anyone can do it, you can.”
Shit.
Who was I kidding? If I was the queen of deflection, Jennifer Beaumont, my mother, was the queen of not letting anything pass her by. That woman saw everything. And I meant absolutely every damn thing. She’d been seeing through me for decades. She would take one look at me and just know Winter was back. She could sniff these things out, and the fact she never wanted us to break up would mean she’d be all over me again in an effort to convince me that we were meant to be together forever.
Maybe I should call Patrick and see if he’ll come with me.
No.
No, no, no.
Worst idea ever.
You’ve only been dating for two weeks. No guy needs to meet the Beaumonts after only two weeks. He needs time to be prepped for that meeting. A lot of time.
After pushing that idea aside, I faced the fact I couldn’t put the inevitable off any longer and headed into my bedroom to get dressed for Sunday lunch with my family.
I’d just finished applying my favourite pink lipstick when the doorbell sounded. Worst timing, because I was already going to be late which was the last thing I needed. Lucas, my older brother, detested people being late and would give me hell for it, especially since it was his engagement we were celebrating. Carey, my other brother, was as easy-going as they came and would tell Lucas to quit harassing me. They’d get into an argument over it and—
“Birdie! Open the door.”
I froze.
It was Winter.
He banged on the door. “Your car’s in the driveway, so I’m guessing you’re home. I’m not leaving until you answer the door.”
Shit.
Why did I fill my garage with gym equipment? My car would have been in there right now if I hadn’t done that.
After I procrastinated for another few moments, I faced the fact Winter would make good on his word. He was stubborn like that. If he wanted to see me, he’d wait hours.
“Bloody man,” I muttered to myself as I headed to the front door. Yanking it open, I tried hard not to look at any part of him other than his eyes. It would be safer that way because Winter’s body was dangerous territory. It had been known to distract me from arguments enough to completely throw my complaints out the window.
Today I failed in my efforts.
Spectacularly.
Winter’s masculinity blazed from him as he stood in front of me wearing jeans that hugged his muscles, a fitted dark blue T-shirt, and the leather jacket I gave him years ago. The way it sat so comfortably on him told me it was still one of his favourites. However it wasn’t his clothes that pulled me in, it was the way those brown eyes of his watched me with an intensity that caused my knees to weaken. Winter communicated so much from his eyes alone. I’d always been able to get a read on him from them. It was something I’d loved—the raw honesty he never hid. He wasn’t a man who ever lied or tried to, and he wore his emotions, thoughts, and feelings with an easy and open manner.
He flustered me to the point of jumbling my thoughts, and that was without uttering a word. I could only imagine what he’d do to me once he spoke. In my bewildered state, I threw out, “You need to shave. That beard’s out of control.”
I wasn’t lying; it was. He looked like a lumberjack who hadn’t seen civilisation in months. Well, not really, but I’d never seen that much beard on him. And while I preferred a little less, he was still sexy as hell.
His lips twitched as a smile slowly made it to his eyes. “Out of everything I know you must want to say to me, that’s what you lead with?”
His laidback sexiness was too much for me today. I didn’t have the brain capacity to stand my ground against it. He’d mentioned chasing me last night, and if I allowed him to continue down this path, he wouldn’t have to chase me for long. So I went on the offensive in an effort to deter him.
“What I really want to say to you is that you’re wasting your time coming here. I’m not interested, so whatever this game is you think we’re playing, it’s all in your mind.”
I tried to close the door, but he blocked that by stepping one foot inside my house. “You’re telling me that if I were to kiss you right now, you would push me away? That you wouldn’t feel anything?”
My heart raced as I swallowed hard. “Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.” Glancing down at his boot, I said, “I have to go out.”
When I angled my face back up, I found him watching me with heat. A few moments passed in silence while I did my best to gather strength. I’d need it to stick to my guns, because if the way Winter was staring at me was any indication, he was about to attempt to push his way back into my life.