Destiny's Whisper (10 page)

Their eyes met, his the color of midnight, hers darkening to a deep sapphire blue, and a small flame flickered to life between the two; a promise of patience, understanding and tolerance; of friendship, support and loyalty.

In the flash of a spark of electricity, the skating partnership of Chloe Spenser and Sergei Rocmanov was formed and melded together. And as Jordan and Aleksei looked from each other to the two young people shaking hands, memories of the moment they had agreed to become partners and shook hands for the first time assailed them and they each silently pondered where this partnership would lead.

CHAPTER 6 

A
fter numerous long distance phone calls to California, Aleksei was finally able to reach Mrs. Spenser and, despite his wishes otherwise, gave in to Chloe’s pleading and didn’t tell her mother the exact cause or extent of her injuries. With words of reassurance from her daughter, and promises to keep her up to date on her recovery, Mrs. Spenser couldn’t thank the Rocmanov’s enough for all their assistance and allowing Chloe to recover at their home. Aleksei assured her it was always a pleasure to have Chloe with them, he only wished it was under more pleasant circumstances.

Two days later, Chloe was released from the hospital and went home to recuperate with the Rocmanov’s. With Dani talking constantly and keeping pace with the wheelchair in which Chloe was being pushed toward the hospital exit, Aleksei followed quietly behind. He carried the small bag of necessities his wife had brought for Chloe only a couple days before, listening with half an ear to his daughter’s excited chatter as he read through the recovery instructions the nurse had left with him. Sergei leaned casually against the jeep he had pulled up in front of the hospital’s entrance and watched people wander in and out of the hospital.

The double-doors opened automatically as the small group approached the exit and the nurse pushed the wheelchair toward the vehicle Aleksei pointed out.

Sergei opened the passenger door and stepped aside as the nurse pushed the wheelchair forward, stopping beside the jeep. With a quick smile for the nurse, Sergei reached down and helped Chloe move from the wheelchair to the front seat, steadying her when she wobbled a bit. In short order, he had her tucked safely into the seat and the belt strapped securely into place.

Chloe had remained silent while Sergei had seen to settling her into the jeep, casting only occasional glimpses toward the handsome man she’d agreed to become partners with, their eyes never making contact. His touch had been efficiently detached, making contact with her only out of necessity and she was confused by her conflicting desire to feel his touch. On one hand, she knew what it felt like to feel the hand of anger, and hatred and scorn, yet, with Sergei; he’d never shown any indication of even expressing those emotions to anyone, let alone her. A small voice deep inside urged her to reach for him, just a small touch, something to test his reaction to her. Maybe, Andrew was right, maybe she deserved the horrendous punishment she’d received at his hand. Maybe she wasn’t worthy to be cherished and wanted; loved.

She wasn’t even aware she was crying until Sergei gently raised her chin, lifting her eyes to meet his and wiped away the tears that drifted silently down her cheeks. Chloe’s breath caught in her chest at his gentle touch, her gaze trapped by his, and she wondered if there was a way to simply melt away beneath his dark gaze, like slipping into a black-bottom pool, swallowed up painlessly; free from fear and pain and all things hurtful.

“Let’s go home, Chloe,” Sergei suggested quietly, his voice a deep whisper, his gorgeous mouth only inches from hers, his breath making the golden wisps of hair at her temples dance gently. With a minute nod, she agreed, and with a final quick smile, gave her seat belt a firm tug for security and closed the door.

Sergei’s eyes met his father’s over the top of the jeep; questions clear in his gaze, questions Sergei wasn’t sure he was prepared to acknowledge, let alone answer. Aleksei closed the door behind his daughter as she scrambled into the jeep, her excited conversation with Chloe continuing non-stop, oblivious to the swirling emotions that raced through the others.

With a quick motion, Sergei tossed the keys over the roof of the jeep to his father, and stated darkly, “You drive.” Sergei didn’t even acknowledge his father’s casually impressive catch of the speeding keys, before sliding into the back seat, and settling behind Chloe.

Aleksei cast a quick glance heavenward and slid into the driver’s seat. With a quick turn of the key, the engine turned over, purring smoothly, and with a gentle smile toward Chloe, announced, “Next stop, the Rocmanov Plaza!” As an afterthought, Aleksei firmly stated, “I hope everyone made a pit-stop before we left, because I’m not making any
potty stops
along the way!”

Chloe’s eyes widened in surprise at the stern tone and she cast a quick look over her shoulder toward Dani, who caught her expression and with a reassuring squeeze to her shoulder, stated “That’s Daddy’s idea of humor, dry as it may be, if you’ll pardon the pun. It’s an official Rocmanov ritual that he makes that statement, in fact, he’s probably kept a running tally of all the times we had to make
potty stops
along the way on our trips. Right, Sergei?” she asked her brother sunnily.

But Sergei was lost deep in thought, his mind trying to clinically dissect his flip-flopping emotions. He wasn’t one for outbursts of emotion, at least up until now. He’d always been the calm, cautious, thoughtful Rocmanov, even more so than his mother, who had been known for her rock-solid, steady emotions. The way he felt now, he may as well have been a feather in a windstorm; tossed about without mercy, his will and desires without merit, a tiny spec in a maelstrom of conflicting emotions.

Dani’s sharp pinch brought his attention back to her repeated question, “Right, Sergei?” and at her exasperated look and sharp nod up and down, he docilely agreed, his tone low and deep. His words had her eyebrows raising in silent question, but as he turned his head to view the world outside the jeep, she set her questions aside for later. It didn’t take a fool to realize her brother was lost in contemplation and she was sure it had a lot to do with the silent passenger in the seat in front of him.

When the air conditioner kicked on, the soft breeze blew over Chloe, cooling her flushed cheeks and the soft scent she always wore, washed over Sergei in a seductive wave and swirled throughout the vehicle.

Dani recognized the scent and smiled a silent thanks to her mother for remembering this little detail for Chloe. “Chloe, you smell wonderful!” she stated, breathing deeply and closing her eyes as visions of a garden wall covered with vines of honeysuckle came to mind.

Sergei’s pain-filled low groan caught Dani’s attention and she cast him a bewildered look then shrugged her shoulders in dismissal.

Aleksei heard the low growl also; his eyes meeting his son’s in the rearview mirror, understanding dawning as ebony gazes met. Apparently, Rocmanov men were destined to be haunted by flowery perfume and he remembered his own downfall at the scent of Jordan’s favorite scent. As long as he lived, Gardenias would always be a reminder of Jordan, and all indications were pointing to his son following in his footsteps. With a bemused wink at his son, he breathed deeply of Chloe’s scent himself, smiling at the light, freshly sweet scent, and wondered where the road ahead would lead them.

In the back seat, Sergei did his best to ignore the gentle scent of honeysuckle that surrounded him as surely as vines themselves, beckoning, coaxing, encouraging him to fall under it’s subtle spell. Finally, he gave in, closing his eyes as the subtle scent devoured him and the picture of Chloe wrapped safely in his arms, her heart beating in time with his, their breathing synchronized, brought him peace and he slowly slid into a light sleep.

In the front seat, Aleksei cast a glance at Chloe, watched her quickly lose her struggle to remain awake, and saw her long lashes flutter to her cheeks one last time. Aleksei’s eyes met his daughter’s own surprised look in the rearview mirror when Sergei and Chloe whispered each other’s names, almost simultaneously, in their sleep.

“Daddy…” Dani began.

“Later, Pumpkin. We’ll talk when we get home. In the meantime, why don’t you get some rest, too? It’s a long trip home and from the looks of things, it’s not going to be an early night.” Aleksei suggested, giving her a wink in the mirror.

Dani knew he was right and despite her desire to debate the situation now, she blew him a kiss back and wiggled around to get comfortable in her seat. How on earth did he expect her to sleep when so many weird things were going on? “Daddy, this is too weird!” Dani complained softly one last time before finally finding a comfortable position and closing her eyes.

Aleksei heard his daughter’s final comment and had to agree. This whole situation was a lot of things; weird was as good a word as any!

When Aleksei pulled the jeep into their driveway ninety minutes later, Jordan was waiting for them, swaying nonchalantly on the glider swing on the covered porch, a tall glass of ice-tea on the table beside her. As soon as she saw the car, she was on her feet, rushing down the four steps and sprinting across the immaculate lawn to meet the group as the jeep quietly came to a stop. Sergei exited first, enveloping his mother in a hug and accepting her kiss to his cheek without complaint.

“You’re late! I was expecting you forty minutes ago. I was just about to send out a posse,” Jordan teased, running a loving hand down her son’s cheek, taking in his sleep-swollen eyes and slightly glazed expression. “Fell asleep in the car again, didn’t you?”

Sergei smiled down into his mother’s upturned face. “You know Dad drives like a little old lady, there’s not much to do but sleep when he’s at the wheel,” he teased, knowing his father’s cautious driving stemmed from surviving a car crash that should have, by all rights, killed both he and Jordan.

“Your father drives just fine, quit picking on him!”

“Yeah, Sergei, quit picking on Daddy,” Dani piped in, circling the back of the jeep and sliding into her mother’s open arms, smiling in sleepy satisfaction as she inhaled her mother’s scent–gardenias–and rested her cheek against soft, full breasts.

Aleksei came around the front of the jeep, his eyes eating up the site of his wife, clad in snug jeans, a T-shirt and a jaunty vest covered in frolicking kittens, looking more like a teenager than an adult. The sudden desire to slip her out of those jeans and ravish her swamped him and his eyes grew dark with desire. Swooping his head down and giving her a heated kiss, one that left no question as to his train of thought, he whispered quietly in her ear, “I’ve got plans for you later,” and bit her gently on the neck.

“Promise?” Jordan inquired, her eyes full of seductive promise, one hand running lovingly over his shoulder and down his arm, her manicured nails lightly scoring his palm as she continued her trail downward and whispered over his fingertips, electricity jumping between them.

Aleksei growled deeply, shaking his head in wonderment, still unable to believe, after all these years, this seductive, teasing, infuriating creature was all his. “You’re a wicked woman, Jordan Jamison!”

“And aren’t you glad,” Jordan taunted back, lifting her chin defiantly, her gaze filled with fire and promises yet to come.

“You’ll never know exactly how glad,” he quipped deeply, placing a final quick kiss to her mouth before turning his attention to Chloe. “So, Miss Spenser, ready to recuperate?” Aleksei asked casually, extending his hand and helping her from the jeep.

Chloe slid the short distance to the ground, clutching Aleksei’s hand when she wobbled as her feet hit the ground. “I’m never going to get used to this cast,” Chloe stated quietly, her voice quivering slightly, her eyes sneaking cautious peeks at the four people surrounding her.

“Dani, get Chloe’s crutches,” Jordan ordered casually, “And Chloe, give yourself a chance, you’ve only had that cast on for two days. In no time at all you’ll be getting around as if you’ve had it on forever.”

Chloe accepted the crutches from Dani with a small smile of gratitude and fitted them under her arms, frowning slightly at the tenderness the crutches had created already. She didn’t know how she was going to stand using these stupid things for eight weeks when her armpits already felt raw.

Silently Chloe waited, balanced precariously on one foot and propped up with the crutches as Jordan and Dani removed two small bags of her things from the jeep and headed up the brick walkway toward the front of the house. Chloe watched Jordan lead the way, Dani only a few steps behind her, their voices filled with laughter and love as they chatted about inconsequential things. Aleksei was busy moving the jeep into the side-load garage and yelled to Sergei he would unload her luggage through the garage and see him inside. Chloe watched the play of muscles across Sergei’s back as he picked up the few remaining bags his mother had insisted Chloe would need at the hospital, which from the looks of things hadn’t even been opened, and made his way toward Chloe.

Chloe looked uncertainly toward the brick structure that made up the Rocmanov home. Large, but not overly imposing, the two-story structure was colonial style in nature, but boasted a full wraparound porch, now filled with inviting chairs with comfy cushions that just screamed
sit down and relax.
Numerous planters of brightly colored flowers hung from the high rafters, their scents mingling sweetly.

The structure was completely made of a soft peach-tone brick, with dozens of windows, all gleaming brightly in the afternoon sun. With the mild temperatures, the windows were opened, the gentle breeze billowing the sheer curtains that granted privacy but allowed air to sweep them gracefully about in the dancing breeze.

Chloe had spent more time in this house, as a child, than she had in her own home, and yet, she felt as if she were seeing it for the first time. For a split second she felt safe and welcome, the way she had felt as a child, and then the vision of Andrew’s face filled with rage, and his hateful words, ‘
You’re fucking nothing’
, rushed over her and her blood went cold.