I want you.
The thought flashed in and out of his head, and suddenly he was twenty-three again, lusting over a woman he’d just met. But that was crazy. He’d just spoken to Sienna for the first time a mere hour ago. “Okay, well, I’ll see you later,” he said, and waited as she got into the car and flashed him a smile goodbye.
She beeped as she pulled away, and Dash raised one hand and watched her go. What was he thinking, flirting with Sienna, walking her to her car like he was interested in something more? She was a client, obviously smart and well-bred, and he had no intention of turning into a cliché by sleeping with her.
He pulled his coat tighter against the wind and walked back inside. Dash had vowed eighteen months ago to focus on his mom, then his business, then his friends, in that order. Not women. Not relationships. Sienna Cruz was only in town until July, anyway. So she was good looking. And smart. And had a moral compass.
They had absolutely no reason to get involved.
Chapter Three
Sienna thought about Dashiell Springer the entire way back to her apartment on the opposite end of town. She thought about him as she hiked up three flights of stairs and as she peeled off her clothes and took a long, hot shower. She could still feel his hands touching hers as he positioned her arms. She could still see his gaze in the biting winter air. All muscle. All confidence. She had no intention of getting involved with anyone before leaving for England, but wow. A guy like that might almost make her change her mind.
Clad in a robe and fuzzy socks, she poured herself a glass of wine. She’d miss this apartment when she left Whispering Pines. From the wide front window, she could see one full block in each direction. Two floors below her sat Zeb’s Diner, a fixture in town for as long as she could remember. Directly across the street were Bernie’s Barber Shop, a pet store, a clothing boutique, and a hardware store. A few streetlights twinkled in the dark. A car, then two pickup trucks, then a snowmobile, drove down the street and north toward County Route 78, which eventually led out of town and over the mountain to Silver Valley.
She settled into the recliner and had just picked up the TV remote when her tablet buzzed with an incoming Facetime call. She picked it up, fumbled with the screen, almost dropped it. No one else would be calling her via Facetime except her friend across the ocean.
“Max?”
No answer. She righted the tablet on her lap and checked the volume. “Max?” The screen went fuzzy, then finally settled into clarity. Sienna’s best friend grinned back at her from half a world away.
“Sienna, hi! Can you see me? Hear me?”
“Yes, now I can. What time is it there?”
“I don’t know. Midnight?” Max yawned. “I still haven’t gotten used to the time change.”
“How is it? Amazing? Beautiful?”
“Yes and yes. Also cold and rainy.” Max swung the tablet around to show Sienna a window smeared with rain.
“Where are you?” She could make out a few faces in the background and the sound of music and British accents.
“A local pub. It’s right down the street from my flat.” Max laughed. “Flat. Not apartment. Do I sound British yet?”
“Not yet, but you’ll get there.”
“Hey, Nate tells me you’re working out with Dash Springer. That’s a little detail you failed to mention.”
Sienna clutched her wine glass a little tighter. “How does Nate know that?”
“Oh, come on. Small town and all.” Max took a long drink from a beer mug. “I guess he ran into Jason downtown.”
Sienna didn’t answer.
“So did you start yet?”
“Actually, yeah. Just today. Just this afternoon.”
“Ooh, how was it?”
“Hard. I thought I might pass out.”
“I’ll bet.” Max bent closer to the screen “What about Dash?”
“What about him? He’s in, like, perfect shape. I don’t even think he was breathing heavy.”
“I’m not talking about that. Dash is gorgeous. Just what you need after Jason. He’s the total opposite of Jason, if you know what I mean.”
“Max, I always know what you mean.”
“So?” Max leaned close to the screen.
“He’s a major player with a reputation a mile long.”
“Exactly. Some eye candy to take your mind off your broken heart.” Ever since Max had found her own happy ending with Nate, she’d turned into the expert on all things romantic. “Enjoy him, Sienna. That’s all I’m saying. Why not?”
“I’m not going to spend my time at the gym flirting with my personal trainer.” Although she had to admit, the thought had crossed her mind. More than once.
“Why not? Flirting’s harmless.”
But Sienna didn’t think anything was harmless when it came to Dash Springer. She’d seen the look in his eyes in the parking lot. “I’m done talking about this.”
Max laughed. “Fine. But if you decide to give up that vow of celibacy, Dash would be the perfect person to show you the ropes.”
That vow of celibacy.
Right. The one she’d taken ages ago, when she and Jason were still serious and he’d told her he’d wanted to marry a virgin.
“Sienna?”
“I think I need to break that vow.” The words came out almost before she realized it.
“Really?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I mean, I have zero experience when it comes to guys. What if I get to England and I meet someone who wants to...I don’t know. What do they say there? Snog?”
Max burst into laughter.
“Is that the wrong word?”
Now Max was holding her stomach. In a minute she’d end up rolling on the floor of the pub.
“Stop laughing. You know what I mean.”
Finally Max took a breath. “Sienna, I can’t tell you what you do. Sex with the right guy is amazing. I can tell you that first-hand. It takes your relationship to a whole new level. But I don’t think you should be looking to jump into the bed of the first guy that comes along just because you want some experience snogging.”
But the more Sienna thought about it, the more it made sense. She and Jason were over. She’d stayed chaste for him, not for her. In fact, there were plenty of nights when she’d come close to asking him to change his mind. Lose my virginity. She’d add it to her list. Put it on the bottom, just in case she didn’t get to it. She didn’t have to make it a priority. But if the right guy did come along, she wasn’t about to cling to an old vow any longer.
Maybe the right guy already has. And maybe he owns a gym right downtown.
Sienna took a long sip of wine and let Max laugh.
LONG AFTER NIGHTFALL, Dash climbed into his pickup truck and headed for home. On impulse, he swung down Red Barn Road, passing a few of the old historic homes on the edge of town. Several had been redone in the last couple of years by Mac and Damian, and the workmanship was obvious. Just before the road curved up and over the mountain, he stopped.
There it was, a small white church with a simple sign out front: Valley Presbyterian Church. All Are Welcome Here. Empty parking lot. A single streetlamp that cast more shadows than light on its grounds. The property was neatly kept, the paint fresh, the pine trees around the church still trimmed with red bows from the holidays. It was probably one of those places that filled to capacity on Christmas Eve, with a choir singing at the top of their lungs and kids in their Sunday best running up and down the aisles.