Chapter Four
A million diamonds glittered in the snow, brilliant beneath the sun's rays. Overhead, a hawk circled lazily, his cry echoing throughout the valley. The mountain air was crisp, bitter cold and laced with the scent of evergreens. She heard the whoosh of the board gliding along packed ice long before she saw him. Crouched low, his body hummed with energy and strength. She gasped as he slid along the ramp, approaching the end of the jump. And then he soared, truly soared through the air, shouting triumphantly. His body inverted, stretched and righted itself before her eyes. For a moment he was silhouetted against the glare of the sun, a black figure in flight. He landed with a thump, spraying ice toward her as he came to a full stop. He pulled off his goggles and turned to look at her, his face flush with exhilaration.
Emerald eyes sparkled with joy....
Kiana bolted upright in bed, her heart racing.
Whoa, that was a weird dream. It seemed so...so real.
She had the strangest feeling she'd been glimpsing an actual moment of Oskar's life. He'd been glowing with pleasure, so filled with joy. It made sense that his greatest happiness was found on the slopes. Gregor said he was an incredible snowboarder, completely fearless.
I don't believe I was dreaming about Oskar Klaus!
Of course, it wasn't that surprising after the shocking kiss they shared last night. She must have been out of her mind to succumb to her own curiosity. Unfortunately, Oskar Klaus 47
didn't fit the typical snowboarder mold. He was well read, had a wicked sense of humor, enjoyed old bookstores, and was devoted to his family.
Great. Just great.
And that kiss....she'd never experienced anything remotely like that in her lifetime. The chemistry between them was combustible. Nevertheless, she'd heard from Gregor that Oskar was a player who enjoyed the snow bunnies on the slopes. A lot. She needed to keep her distance no matter how delicious his kisses were.
Kissing Oskar Klaus was nothing but a big, huge, enormous mistake.
She trembled and pulled her quilt around her shoulders.
Geez, it got really cold in my room last night. Something crunched on her hair. She reached up and discovered ice crystals on a strand of her bangs. Okay, that's a little too cold. Glancing at her nightstand, Kiana realized there was a dusting of snowflakes covering the surface. Her fingers reached over and drew a line through the frost. She inhaled a shaky breath, flung off her quilt, and staggered into the bathroom.
She gasped out loud at her reflection. Her nose and cheeks were bright red, and tiny icicles dripped from her hair. Okay, this is now beyond weird. Was I dreaming in 3-D?
"Ki-annnnna! I hear you up, girlfriend. Get out here and spill. I want to hear all about your evening." Trish tapped on her bedroom door.
48
Kiana shook the ice from her hair and splashed warm water on her face. It must have been cold in my room last night. Maybe...maybe I left a window open or something.
"Just a minute....I'm coming." She fluffed her damp hair with her fingers and shook it out. There must have been a cold draft by my bed. That's all. There was no other reasonable explanation. She opened her bedroom door and found Trish leaning lazily against the door frame.
"Well, good morning, sleepy head. How'd it go last night at Gregor's party?" Trish looked gorgeous as usual, wrapped in a fuchsia Chinese robe which highlighted her coffee-colored skin. Chocolate dreadlocks dangled from a clip on top of her head.
"Fine, it was just fine." Kiana attempted a nonchalant expression, but Trish raised an eyebrow.
"Pull another one. I just ran into Gregor in the foyer when I was grabbing the paper. He told me you and Oskar shared a hearty lip lock last night." Trish shook her finger in a teasing way. "Kiana Grant, it's about time you did something naughty. Now fess up."
Kiana groaned. "Could we please have some tea? I need fortification before this conversation takes place."
Trish laughed and pulled her into the kitchen. "Okay, we'll brew up my special ginger blend. Now remind me....which one is Oskar? It's hard to keep all those hunkalicious Klaus brothers straight."
Kiana blushed. "He's the youngest brother. You know, the snowboarder." She busied herself choosing mugs from the cabinet.
49
A bark of laughter echoed behind her. "Oh. My. God. He's the punk, isn't he? The one with green hair? Hee hee hee.....that is hysterical."
Kiana turned to find Trish doubled over, holding onto her sides. "Uh huh. Glad you are finding this so amusing," she said.
Trish wiped the tears from her eyes. "Remind me who is who in that family."
"Nicholas is the oldest...he owns a bakery with his new wife. Sven is the toy designer for Klaus Enterprises. You know, the hippie."
Trish nodded. "Oo la la. He's the one with that gorgeous long blond hair and huge shoulders. Oh yeah, I remember him."
"Wolfgang is in charge of charitable donations. We spent some time talking about the New York Children's Literacy Project last night. I'm going to help with their fundraiser,"
continued Kiana.
"Uh-huh. I remember Wolfie. Tall, dark and gorgeous. He has those super intense eyes." Trish filled a teapot with boiling water and sprinkled loose tea leaves into the strainer.
"You know Gregor, and Oskar is the youngest. I'm not sure what he does exactly with the family business...." Kiana hedged.
Trish raised a brow. "And?"
"Well, he's....he's...." Kiana took a deep breath and looked at her roommate helplessly.
Trish giggled. "Oh, Holy Moly. Someone finally got under your skin. Well, it's about damned time. Let's hear it."
50
Kiana sighed. "Honestly, he is so not my type. He has this crazy spiked hair and a really strange assortment of tattoos on his arms."
"So he's ugly?" Trish prompted.
"No, of course not, he is not ugly. He is....ah...tall and obviously athletic. Muscular. His face is very good looking. His eyes....are well, gorgeous actually. Emerald green." Kiana tapped her fingers on the table, ignoring Trish's gaze.
"Seriously, he spent half the night hanging out with the supermodel crowd."
Trish poured steaming water into Kiana's mug. "And, the other half of the night?"
Kiana added a teaspoon of sugar to her cup. "Um, well...we talked." She glanced up at Trish. "Believe it or not, he's read that book about Andy Warhol I like. We talked about that. He's not exactly what I would expect a punk snowboarder to be like."
Trish tsked. "I think you're leaving a little something out of the story, Ki."
Kiana cleared her throat. "We may have kissed at midnight. No biggie." She wrapped her hands around the mug and inhaled the fragrant ginger, studiously avoiding Trish's shrewd gaze.
"Kiana, look at me."
She glanced at Trish, and released a resigned sigh. She was about to receive a lecture from her concerned roommate.
"The thing is...ever since you've moved to the mainland and adopted this new, respectable life, I have the feeling you're squashing all the joy out of your soul. I knew you 51
before, remember? When my family used to vacation in Oahu and we first became friends. There was a spontaneity about you, a joie de vivre. In spite of all the stuff with your family and Tom, you embraced the life there. Picking up, moving to New York, getting an education and settling down as a librarian has put a serious damper on you. I'm not sure you belong in a city like this, Island Girl."
Kiana blinked away tears. She was so blessed to have Trish as a best friend. Someone who understood where she'd come from and why she'd made the choices she did. "I don't want to talk about Tom, ever again."
Trish put her arm around Kiana's shoulders and squeezed.
"Not all good-looking guys are a*sholes, Ki. Tom was a loser, but you need to learn to trust your instincts again. Hey, you had good instincts about me, right? You didn't take one look at me and think 'dreads and a belly-button ring, oh no!' "
Kiana rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. You are one of the most brilliant and loyal people I've ever met. And I love your dreads and your belly-button ring."
Trish smirked. "Then why won't you let me pierce yours?
Your abs are dying to be shown off in a sexy bikini with a little diamond stud, lovie!"
"I'm perfectly happy wearing a one-piece bathing suit, Trish. Not everyone needs to flaunt their body, you know."
"Well, you've got one to flaunt. And instead, you hide it behind a bunch of baggy old grammie clothes. Just because you're a librarian, doesn't mean you have to dress like one."
Trish took a sip of her tea. "Okay, we're getting off track here. So, is Oskar a good kisser or what?"
52
Kiana laughed and gave her roommate a quick hug. "You are not going to let this go until I've given you a play by play, huh?"
"Damn straight, girlfriend. So, what happened at midnight?"
Kiana shrugged. "We were talking, and then the countdown started, and then...we just...well, he gave me a Happy New Year's kiss."
Trish stared at her friend with a disbelieving look. She folded her arms across her chest and tapped a foot on the hardwood floor.
Kiana buried her face in her hands. "Okay, fine. Whatever.
It was incredible." She sighed in defeat.
"Wow!" Trish fanned herself and started to giggle. "How incredible was it?"
Kiana peeked a look at her roommate and answered in a whisper. "The best kiss of my life."
Trish slapped the table. "Well, all right, girlfriend! The question is...what are you going to do about it, hon?"
"Absolutely nothing. When I decide I'm ready to start dating again..."
"It's been years, Kiana!" Trish wailed. "You're twenty six years old!"
"I don't care. I am telling you, the last person in the world I am getting involved with is Oskar Klaus. I don't care how gorgeous he is, or that his kisses are earth-shattering. I know his type, and I am not interested. I'm sure he has completely forgotten all about it. He was probably so drunk he thought he was kissing one of those Swedish supermodels."
53
"What if he hasn't forgotten? It's high time you started to loosen up a little bit, Ki. Have some fun, you know? It sounds like Oskar Klaus is a very interesting opportunity. How long is he staying at Gregor's?"
Kiana shook her head vigorously. "I don't know, and I don't care." She placed her empty tea cup in the sink. "I gotta run. Mr. Brockman is expecting me today."
"On New Year's? Are you crazy? It's a holiday."
Kiana laughed at the incredulous look on her roommate's face. "I know. He's having a party in the shop for the kids.
It's just for a couple of hours. They're supposed to dress up like their favorite literary character, and he's treating them to cookies and punch."
Trish gently patted Ki's hand. "That old man is lonely, and he would probably die of sadness if you didn't spend so much time there, hon. But you need to get yourself a life. Double check if Oskar is really such a great kisser..."
Kiana blushed and busied herself cleaning her tea cup at the sink. "Very funny, Trish. I'm going to take a quick shower and head over to the book store. I'll see you in a couple of hours, okay? Maybe we can catch a movie later or something." She hustled out of the kitchen, anxious to end the conversation with her meddling and well-intentioned roommate. Today she would immerse herself in Brockman's wonderful bookstore and forget all about that astonishing kiss.
After Kiana had showered and dressed, she buttoned up in a heavy wool pea coat and Sherpa hat, ready to brave the frigid weather outside. The final touch for her outfit...her 54
tortoise shell glasses. She scoured the room, but couldn't find them anywhere.
Hmm. That's funny. I don't remember where I put them.
She ripped open the top drawer of her dresser and perused the large assortment of spectacles. Trish teased her mercilessly about her collection of ugly, librarian-style eyewear, especially since Kiana boasted 20/20 vision. She chose a pair of round wire-rimmed glasses and headed out, waving good-bye to Trish. Hopefully, Brockman's would be packed and her afternoon filled with rambunctious kids. It was going to take a huge distraction to make her forget the best kiss of her life.
Oskar awoke to a loud buzzing sound. Something was tapping his hand. Exhausted, he rolled over on the sofa and pulled a throw over his head, trying to block out the noise.
The sofa shuddered as an object banged against it. Then again.
"What the....?" He flipped to his side and glared at Gregor's housekeeper, who was vacuuming the carpet, repeatedly smacking into the couch.
"Ivanka, do you mind?" He didn't bother trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.
"Hmm. Looks like you did not make it to bed last night.
Too much booze? If you don't like the sound of the vacuum this morning, why don't you sleep in one of the bedrooms?"
Ivanka smirked at him.
He sighed, sat up gingerly, and rubbed his messy hair.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
55
Ivanka rolled her eyes. "You Klaus boys are too old for all this partying. You should be getting married and settling down, like your brother Nicholas."
"You been talking with my mom?"
"Alena knows you boys are too wild."
Something sharp was stabbing his hip. He reached down and pulled a pair of glasses out from under the blanket.
Curling his hand gently around the frames, he slid them under a pillow. If his brothers saw those, he would never hear the end of it.
Gregor walked into the room, sporting a plush velour robe and leather slippers. The Wall Street Journal was tucked under one arm. "Ivanka, thanks for cleaning up. There was confetti everywhere."
Oskar shook his head. "Gregor, I'm nominating you for Most Anal-Retentive Guy On The Face Of The Earth. The party is barely over and your housekeeper is already vacuuming?
You're killing me."
Greg laughed and took a sip of coffee. "Ready for some French roast? You look like crap."
"Yeah, I'll take some coffee. Since I obviously am not getting any more sleep." He glared at Ivanka who chuckled.
Sven stumbled out of the bathroom, pulling his long blond hair into a ponytail. "Whoa, that smells good. Coffee?"
Gregor nodded toward the kitchen. "Help yourself. There's a carafe of French roast, and I'm brewing espresso right now."
Wolfgang appeared in the living room and plopped down next to Oskar on the couch. "Hey bud, have pleasant dreams 56
last night?" He punched his brother on the arm and Oskar winced.
Sven called out from the kitchen. "Good question, Wolf Man. My guess is he was dreaming about...ah, maybe a librarian?" Oskar heard his brother snicker.
If they only knew.
He cleared this throat. "Ah, I actually don't remember much about last night. What happened?"
"Oh, come on. I thought the sofa was going to catch on fire. You and Kiana were all over each other." Wolfie raised a brow. "You don't remember that?"
Sven cradled a mug of coffee in his hands and sat down at the table. "I thought you were gunning for that supermodel, O. What happened? Decided that the moon goddess was more your type?"
Gregor frowned. "The 'moon goddess' is my neighbor. She is a very sweet woman. I hope you didn't go overboard with her, O."
"Nothing happened. Just a kiss at midnight, okay?" Liar.
You dreamt of her the whole damned night. " So, what's her deal anyway? How can she afford to live in this chichi apartment building?"
"Her roommate Trish inherited the apartment from her grandmother. Trish is a grad student in plant taxonomy at New York College, and Kiana's a librarian at the New York Public Library."
Oskar blanched. "She really is a librarian? Oh hell, you have got to be kidding me. I knew she looked like one, but I didn't realize..."
57
Sven raised his coffee cup. "To Oskar's first time with a librarian. One for the record books."
Oskar glared at Sven. "Well? I don't see any supermodels around. Did you strike out, Hippie Boy?"
Sven choked on a sip of coffee. "Don't try to change the subject. Wasn't interested in any of the supermodels. They were too young, too skinny..."
"Too superficial..." added Wolfgang.
Gregor grunted from behind The Wall Street Journal. "I'll bet Sven would like a nature girl who doesn't shave her pits and lives in a tent. And Wolfie, just what are you looking for that you couldn't find last night?"
All of the brothers quieted as Wolfgang looked uncomfortable. "I don't really know," he answered softly. "All I know is I haven't found the 'right one' yet. Not like Lucy and Nicholas. Those two...you can just tell...they're meant to be together."
Oskar looked at his brother with concern. "You sound like you're ready for something serious, Wolf. No more playing around, huh?"
Wolf nodded, not a hint of a smile on his face. "If I could find what Nicholas and Lucy have together, I would be all over that."
"Geez, don't let Mom hear that or she'll be match-making like crazy," Sven said.
Gregor put his paper down on the table. "I don't even have time to date. My work is so nuts I barely sleep."
"You need a vacation, Greg. Why don't you come down to Mexico with me for a break?" Sven asked.
58
"Can't. Not right now. The economy is tanking, if you haven't noticed. I need to be on top of it twenty four-seven."
Oskar inconspicuously pocketed Kiana's glasses, and then staggered into the kitchen in search of caffeine.
Gregor followed and lined up cups next to the espresso machine. "What are your plans today?"
"Just checking out a couple of book stores." Oskar accepted a tiny cup of the bitter brew from his brother and reached for a pitcher of cream. "So what's the deal with the librarian, anyway? Does she have a boyfriend?"
Greg raised a brow. "No. Trish dates a lot, but Kiana had a bad experience back in Hawaii, and I don't think she goes out too much."
Oskar's eyes shot up. "What sort of bad experience?"
"Trish said some surfer dude did a serious number on her.
Implied they would get married, and then showed up with a girlfriend, eight months pregnant. She told me Kiana was devastated."
" Bastard," Oskar murmured under his breath.
"I guess Kiana's family is very laid back. Extremely laid back. They basically sounded homeless, living on the beaches, for a good portion of Ki's life." Gregor paused to take a sip of coffee. "She looks sort of vulnerable, O. I hope you know what you're doing. I would hate to see her get hurt."
"I have no intention of hurting her, Gregor. Honestly. I really like her. It's...not just about the kiss. We had a cool time talking, that's all."
59
Gregor nodded. "Okay. Well, in case you're interested in seeing her again..."
Without missing a beat, Oskar responded, "Yeah, I'm definitely interested in seeing her again."
Greg laughed. "My bet is she'll be at Brockman's today.
Practically all of her free time is spent volunteering at that bookstore. Good luck, little brother." He patted Oskar on the back and headed back to the living room.
Oskar reached into his pocket and pulled out Kiana's glasses. He held them up to the light and peered through the lenses. He started to laugh, realizing they were clear glass, with no prescription whatsoever. She was going to great lengths to hide behind her prim little uniform, but he knew better.
All night long, the sexy moon goddess had tortured his dreams. Dreams so vivid and real, he had sand in his hair and dried salt water on his rumpled clothes. Kiana's toned, curvy figure, clad only in a tiny bikini, had taunted him mercilessly, frolicking on a pristine tropical beach. He watched her paddle out the crest of turquoise waves, riding a well-worn surf board, long locks of hair floating on the water's surface. As the foam approached, her graceful body stood effortlessly on her board, and she rode a massive curl, hidden in the shadows. He could hear the exhilaration of her laugh within the crashing surf. She finished her ride with a swing of wet hair and a face-splitting smile, the first time he'd witnessed such unadulterated joy on her face.
Kiana glanced over her shoulder just once, her aquamarine eyes sparkling with challenge as she caught his gaze. Then 60
she licked her lips slowly and disappeared behind some rocks.
But not before he noticed the tattoo at the base of her spine, an enticing little mermaid ready to play. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was a glimpse of the real Kiana Grant. The librarian get-up was just a ruse.
He'd lived in Glasdorf long enough not to be put off by his larger than life dream. He wasn't quite sure what it all meant...the out of body experience while kissing Kiana at the party, the dream that was a bit too real. But he was determined to find out. That midnight kiss was off-the-charts hot, and he was thoroughly intrigued by the sexy librarian.
He was a man on a mission—to break through Kiana's dull exterior and let that little mermaid out to have some fun.
He grasped the glasses in his hand and smiled.
It was time for a bit of browsing in Brockman's Books.
61