Bound by the Italian's Contract(83)

                It was a hard admission to make, but it was the truth he’d avoided for years, preferring to use his failed attempts at therapy as his excuse to drop out of competition completely. He’d used guilt as the reason to hide from life. To avoid any emotional entanglement with a woman.

                Yes, his recovery had been painful, but other skiers with far worse injuries had pushed themselves until they were back on the slopes. None of them had chosen the coward’s way out.

                But fear had consumed him, destroying the exhilarating challenge of mastering the mountain again. Not fear of losing, but of winning because he no longer believed he deserved it. Just like he’d convinced himself all women were after him for his money.

                So he’d thrown himself into unbelievable challenges in the corporate world, but inside he was little more than a robot, a shell of a man, performing the role of ex-champion playboy without emotion. He hadn’t realized how shallow and lonely his life had been until Caprice had come back into it, and even then he’d denied himself the true pleasure just being with her gave him.

                Caprice. His chest tightened and his sex stirred at the mere thought of her. But it was the warmth in his chest—his heart!—that brought him to his knees.

                Julian was right. He was an idiot.

                Caprice was unlike any woman he’d ever met, challenging him on more levels than he’d believed possible, challenging him to look at the deeper part of himself that he’d hidden from.

                But he’d resisted searching his soul until now and had totally refused to open his heart, so certain that doing so would cause him heartache instead of joy.

                And oddly it did just that now.

                He ached for Caprice. Wanted her. But by realizing that he wasn’t the bad guy, that he did deserve happiness this late, he’d remained the taciturn machine and had driven her away. He’d let his guilt prevent him from opening his heart to her.

                Now he was ready to do just that. But was she lost to him? Did he stand a chance?

                He had no idea.

                The only thing glaringly clear was the fact he couldn’t let his relationship with Caprice end this way. He couldn’t bear the thought of living without her, even though the prospect of giving his heart to her scared the hell out of him. It terrified him more to think of living like this—without her, without love.

                Luc swung to his feet and stalked to his suite. He had one chance to make this right with her. This was the most challenging run of his life and for the first time in years he was ready to do whatever it took to win.

                * * *

                It took an entire month and one week before she could move back into the lodge.

                She stood in the spacious foyer, turning a slow circle, in awe of the changes. Luciano had given her the plans to okay, but she’d never dreamed it would be so massive. So dominating a force perched on this ledge surrounded by denuded slopes where old pistes were being cleared while new alternative slopes for beginners were being formed. It was, in short, a miracle—a work of art, from the towering vaulted ceilings to a fireplace whose red stones took up a wall yet didn’t overpower the massive room with heavy crossbeams.

                All things she’d envisioned in the scant future. Luciano’s largesse had made it all come true.

                “Welcome home.”

                “Karla?” Caprice asked upon hearing that voice from her past, whirling to the friend she hadn’t seen since high school to embrace her, ensuring she wasn’t dreaming. “What? Why are you here?”