Cocky Protector - Kat Mizera Page 0,40
will never get to the gym.”
I laughed, slowly pulling off my top. “You were saying?”
“I thought you wanted to work out?” he growled, advancing on me purposefully.
“I do. But there’s more than one way to work out.”
“You’re definitely trying to kill me.” He snaked out an arm to grab me and pulled me close. “And now I’m going to make you pay.”
“Oooh…” My breath left me in an excited rush. “That sounds…terrifying.”
He laughed and tossed me on the bed.
Two hours later, we had to shower and get dressed, all thoughts of working out long gone. We had lunch on our own and were waiting in the reception area when Chance and Aubrey joined us as we got ready to leave on the tour. We joined a dozen others as we filed off the ship onto shore, and excitement coursed through me. I loved to travel and explore new places, and Ace had said he hadn’t had a lot of opportunity for that, though he wanted to. Today was going to be filled with firsts for both of us, I hoped.
“I did some research on the winery on the list,” Aubrey said, wrinkling her nose. “Terrible reviews. Personally, I’m going to skip it, though you guys can go if you want. I’m happy to shop.”
“If the reviews were bad, I’m out too,” I said, glancing at Ace. “You?”
He shrugged. “I’d go if you wanted to, but if not, I’m happy to do whatever.”
“Shopping it is.” I slid my arm through the crook of his elbow as we walked. It was chilly today, and the wind picked up, so I wrapped my scarf around my head since I’d left my hair down and it was blowing all over the place.
The town was small but lovely and the Christmas market was enchanting. Each booth had something different, everything from cookies and candies to tourist items to local, handmade jewelry. I bought some sweets to bring home, as well as an ornament to put on some future Christmas tree since I hadn’t gotten one since my divorce. I had a nice collection of ornaments, though.
“Hey, we’re supposed to try this Rüdesheim coffee,” Aubrey said, pointing to a little place that advertised them. “Apparently, you can’t come here without trying one.”
“What is it?” I asked as the four of us walked in that direction.
“It’s coffee with a special German brandy called Asbach or something, covered with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.”
“Sounds good,” Ace said. We walked up to the counter as my phone rang and I saw my mother’s name.
“You guys order for me. Let me talk to my mom for a few. She’s been texting me constantly.”
I walked out of the small store and answered the phone, not wanting to talk on the phone in the middle of a busy little shop.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Shannon! How are you? Is everything okay?”
“Everything is wonderful. The boat is gorgeous, we’ve made friends on board, and we’re having a blast.”
“Where are you?”
“Today we’re in Rüdesheim and were just about to have some special local coffee drink.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad you’re away from that awful person stalking you and can relax.”
“I booked a massage for Thursday morning, so relaxation is on the menu.”
“And Andrew? How’s he doing?”
I paused. There was something curious in her voice, like she was asking something more than what she was saying. “He’s good. We’re good. Having fun. He’s just as charming as I remember.”
“Really?” My mother’s voice rose an octave. “So…the two of you are…spending time together?”
I frowned. “Mom. Is that your way of asking if we’re sleeping together?”
“Of course not.” Mom sounded affronted. “A lady would never ask such a thing.” She paused. “But if you happened to mention that something like that was going on, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
I was so shocked I wasn’t sure what to say at first. My mother was interested in hearing about not just my sex life, but whether or not something was going on with me and Ace? I’d always thought she disliked him, thought him beneath us. Had that changed now because he was helping me?
“Shannon?”
“Sorry, you caught me off guard. I didn’t think you liked him.”
“It’s not that I didn’t like him, I just wanted more for you. In case you’ve forgotten, I was married to a military man and I was alone a lot. Years. I didn’t want you to live that life. Unfortunately, it seems that none of the things I wanted for you were what was best for you. You’re