On Thin Ice

by Bernadette Marie

  Her stomach did a flip as she watched him rake his fingers through his thick, dark hair. Her heart hitched when she realized she wanted to tangle her fingers in those long locks and this time she wanted to be the one who started the kissing.

  Malory laid her hand on her stomach and tried to take a deep breath as Christopher and his team headed off the ice. She needed to get her emotions under control. The very last thing she needed was to be aroused by Christopher Douglas. She’d been there before. When her body did the thinking, everyone got hurt.

  He turned the opposite direction from her and headed toward the locker room. Malory stopped walking as he tapped the player who had scored on the shoulder.

  “There is an entire team out there. Are you aware of that?”

  “We won.”

  “That’s not my point. My point is the showboating has to stop. You took that puck off the stick of one of your own players. You didn’t pass once in the whole game.”

  “But four of the six goals were mine.”

  “And did you notice the rest of the team? They didn’t even move toward the net. There wasn’t a reason to. You start playing like a team player or you can find a new team. Everyone on this team deserves to be in the play. It’s not just all you.”

  The player unsnapped the strap of the helmet and pulled it off. Her long hair fell from beneath it, and Malory smiled from a safe distance.

  “Fine. You’re a good one to talk. Without me there’d be no team.”

  “Then you can watch from the bench next time.” Christopher crossed his arms and the player stormed off. “Trust me on this. When they shut you out, you won’t have a team to play with,” he called out after her.

  Malory walked toward him. “You were kind of hard on her, weren’t you?”

  “That? Trust me that was a pat on the back.”

  She watched him follow the player with his eyes. She’d seen that same fire in her father’s eyes when he’d come down on Christopher. And just as with her father there was compassion and love in his actions and words. Each of them wanted the best for each player and the team. And each of them had been that show-off player who went on to bigger and better things, like teaching younger players to play.

  “It seems I’ve heard those words before. Showboating. Team player. Watch from the bench.” She inched closer to him.

  “I’m the best kind of coach. I’m the one who has walked the walk.”

  “What are you doing now?” She let the smile that was itching finally settle on her lips.

  Christopher regarded her and took a step back. “I have some planning to do for the Christmas pageant.”

  “Oh.” She stiffened her shoulders. “I was thinking . . .”

  “C’mon.” He tugged her down the hall toward the kitchen and shut the door behind them.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Showboat’s parents were headed toward me. Not what I want to deal with right now.”

  The room was dark, but the light from the rink filtered under the door and gave the room a dim glow.

  Malory swallowed hard. She wanted back away from him, but was trapped between him and the door. She wanted to celebrate her day with someone, but she needed to be mindful of taking the necessary steps to avoid the intimate situation in which she was finding herself. She took a step, but only ended up closer to him as he stood there with his hand on the doorknob. She sucked in a breath. She could sense the instant she decided to let the moment unravel. She rested her hands on his broad chest and felt him stiffen then relax.

  “What did you want to tell me?” His voice had gone husky and in the dark, she smiled. She was getting to him and she hadn’t even started.

  “I just bought myself a bakery.”

  “Did you?” His hand slipped from the knob, and he slid it over her hip, resting it on her waist urging her to move in closer to him.

  “Uh-huh. My new partners and I, that is.”

  “I see.” His other hand rose, brushing her side and stopping on her waist.

  She felt his fingers tighten into her skin and she knew he was vying for control. Christopher Douglas wasn’t synonymous with the word.

  Malory lifted her hands to his shoulders and then wrapped them around his neck as she pushed even closer to him. In the dark, every one of her senses took over when her eyes couldn’t. She felt the pounding of his heart beating against her chest. The scent of his woodsy cologne filled her nose as she stretched up on her toes so their mouths would be closer. Her mind told her to step away. Friendship was all she could afford right now. A lover would cost her too much in the end. But she could hear his breath begin to grow heavy as his hands slid from her waist to the small of her back. Suddenly, common sense didn’t matter much.

  “I was thinking we could celebrate. You know, your move back. My move back.” She inched her lips closer to his. “Your new business. My new business.” She gently touched her lips to his. “Us.”

  If she had wanted him to lose his mind, she was certainly succeeding. His entire body was pulsing, and when she covered his mouth with hers, not gentle and soft, but hungry and hot, he couldn’t help but move with her. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and he moved her until her back was against the door. She let out a deep, throaty groan as he moved his hands up her sides, pulling against her coat and her shirt until his hands felt the softness of her skin.

  He could drown in the silky touch of her, the feminine scent of her, the very thought of her.

  She tugged at his bottom lip with her teeth and it sent a shock wave straight from his mouth to his masculine core.

  “I didn’t think you were too receptive to this.” She was pulling his shirt from the waist of his pants, and then her hands were on his skin, sending shockwaves through his veins.

  “I wasn’t.” Her voice was muffled against his neck as she trailed mind-blowing kisses from his lips to his ear. “I mean, maybe I was too receptive and it made me mad.”

  “I’m glad you got over it.” He hoisted her to his waist and she wound her legs around him tightly. Her fingers in his hair were driving him mad. Common sense would tell him that taking her in the kitchen of the ice rink wasn’t smart, but he wasn’t thinking about smart. He was thinking about making love with Wil. He’d thought about making love to Will since the last time he’d had the pleasure.

  He let the thought linger as she moved against him, making any thought near impossible to think. The last time they’d made love they’d been young. She was a woman now and he was a man. They’d each had other lovers and they’d each grown from who they’d been. But that night, under the full April moon on Christmas Island, they’d made love on a blanket and promised each other the world.

  How dumb had he been to give that all up for one lousy hour with another girl?

  Pounding at the door made both their heads shoot up.

  “What?” Christopher yelled as he gently and quietly set Wil back on her feet and the pulsing electricity between them fizzled.

  “You having dinner? Clear the ice,” Mac Stern hollered through the door, and then Christopher heard his footsteps head back down the hall.

  He reached his hand next to the door and flicked on the light. He looked Wil over. Her eyes were smoky, her hair tousled, and a flush filled her cheeks. He’d kissed her until her lips had swollen, but the smile on them was sexier than any of it.

  “I guess we got caught.” She tucked in her shirt.

  “Just interrupted.” He raked his fingers through his hair and turned to straighten his clothes. “I’m glad you’ve had a change of heart.”

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

  He nodded. “Let’s reschedule this celebration. I’m not going to let Mac Stern ruin this for me.” He finished tucking in his shirt and pulled her to him again. “Tomorrow night we have games clear up until eleven o’clock. But I was telling Harvey I’d like to take you to Denver for the weekend if you’re available.”

  Her eyes opened wide, and that sexy smile tur
ned into a grin. “I haven’t been to Denver in far too long. What did you have in mind?” She moved in close again and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “I’m fairly sure I could get us tickets to the Avs game, front row.”

  She shook her head. “Sounds nice.”

  He pulled her against him tight. “Or we could stay in. Eat room service. Take a carriage ride. Whatever you think.”

  “I think”—she planted a wet loud kiss on his lips—“you’d better find a room with a good menu. It’s been a long time and I’m going to need my strength.”

  She winked, opened the door, and strolled out of the arena, leaving him lightheaded.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Night slipped into early morning and Christopher pounded his fist into his pillow again. There was no comfortable position, not when his thoughts swam the way they were.

  He rolled onto his back and rested his hands behind his head. That Wil, she’d thrown him for a loop. She’d all but punched him for kissing her the day before and then she’d shown up and thrown herself at him. It was enough to make a man lose his mind.

  She wanted to celebrate? Oh, he’d show her a celebration.

  He wondered if you’d lost your heart to someone so many years ago, and she never really left your thoughts, did you have to start over from the beginning if you were lucky enough to have a second chance? Did he have to wine, dine, and impress her? Could he just rush in and tell her he was sorry and he’d never stopped loving her? Was it appropriate to bring up the last conversation they’d had on that blanket in the middle of the lake?

  He’d promised her the world under the moonlight that night. She’d accepted it and expected it. Then he ruined it.

  When she’d married a college professor he’d nearly lost his mind.

  His team had lost game seven of a playoff series. He’d tied one on. He’d taken the bartender to bed with him and he’d snuck out the next morning without even learning her name. He hadn’t cared.

  Wil had gotten married, and that meant there was no turning back.

  But she wasn’t married anymore. Wil was back in Aspen Creek and so was he.

  It was a sign. A sign that he needed to grow up and be a man. He’d pined for Wil since he was a young boy, and his desire for her had never ceased. It had only grown with age.

  When he stopped in for breakfast, he was disappointed not to find her at the restaurant. Sitting in his usual spot at the counter, he watched his mother take orders from two tables and fill coffee. Then he caught sight of Samantha walking toward him with a coffee mug.

  “Mornin’, handsome.” She set the mug down in front of him and filled it with coffee, just as she had done every morning since he’d moved back.

  “Mornin’. How’s your son?”

  “Feeling better. At least I could take him to the sitter this morning. I don’t like missing work, especially when your mom tells me they got in an unannounced bus load yesterday.”

  “We all pitched in. Don’t worry about it.” He smiled at her, noticing she looked frazzled. She moved on to another customer and he thought about how she looked again. Had his mother looked that tired when he was younger? She’d worked so hard and she’d never missed a day. When the Millers owned the restaurant, they’d given his mother a job, with the understanding that she had a young son to tend. There were a few sitters, but he wasn’t necessarily the kind of kid people wanted to babysit for too long.

  He’d come to work with her a few times when he was sick and he slept on the loveseat that was still in the office. She’d check in on him when they had downtime, and Mrs. Miller would sneak him treats throughout the day. Then when he’d fallen in with Harvey Wilson, things had changed for both him and his mother.

  During the day the ice arena didn’t have much business. There were always a few skaters, but he didn’t get busy until the evening. He’d hang there during the days once they’d all become, well, he figured, a family. Likewise, on late nights, Wil would have dinner at their house until Harvey would come for her.

  “You look deeply lost in thought, kiddo.” His mother laid a plate of pancakes on the counter in front of him.

  “I just thought Wil would be here.”

  “Didn’t she tell you? She’s got a new job.” She rested her arms on the counter. “I’ve already gotten my first delivery of rolls.”

  “She’s at the bakery?”

  “Yeah, they decided she should start right away and learn the ropes before Esther packed up and headed out of town. Wil came along at the right time.”

  He took a sip of his coffee and let the warmth of it replace the anxiousness stirring in his gut. His heart picked up its pace when he realized he wanted to hurry out of the restaurant and find Wil and wrap his arms around her, before she changed her mind about them.

  If he said he was sorry for running out on her all those years ago, would she accept it? If he said he still loved her as a thirty-four-year-old man, would she believe him?

  It was definitely worth trying. He couldn’t imagine wanting anything more than he wanted Wil back in his life, and more than a lover, he wanted her as a partner in his life. After all this time would she still be willing to accept all the promises he’d once made her? Would she still consider being his wife after all they’d been through?

  “Maybe I’ll stop by there and see how she’s doing.”

  “She’d appreciate that. Now eat.”

  Malory moved loaves of bread from the oven and slid them on the cooling rack before sliding in a pan of rolls. She’d been at the bakery since four that morning and she couldn’t remember when she’d felt so alive.

  She’d owned the bakery in Santa Barbara, but it wasn’t the same feeling as being at the one in Aspen Creek. There were people she’d grown up with and loved that were depending on her now to make the bakery something special. And she had two partners who counted on her to make the bakery an even bigger success.

  She and Esther had gone over recipes and baked hundreds of rolls and loaves of bread. They took orders for the following day and made deliveries.

  Esther sat on her stool at the prep table and took a break from the morning’s routine. “You do know your way around a bakery

  “Yes I do. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed getting up early and diving into dough.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re excited. Because I’m just as excited to get out of here. All of our kids have moved away, and it’s time for us enjoy just being husband and wife for a while.”

  The thought hit Malory harder than she ever could have imagined. Husband and wife. She’d had that once. Or she thought she’d had it.

  She and Alan had been married for ten years. They had the same interests and same taste in everything. It should have been a marriage made in heaven. But somewhere, being perfect for each other just became boring.

  Malory listened as Esther made a checklist of all the places she and her husband wanted to travel. Jealousy rippled through her. She and Alan never had made plans like that. They didn’t plan vacations or nights out. They didn’t dream of future houses or even children. Grief replaced the jealousy. She’d dreamed of those things before she’d met Alan. Why had she let herself slip away?

  Esther reached for the order board that sat on the table. “We have to get going on that Alistair kid’s birthday cake. His mom works in town and wants to pick it up before she heads out of town for the weekend.”

  “What kind of cake is it?”

  Esther flipped to the order and showed her the picture of a dinosaur. “These are not my favorites.”

  “Would you mind if I did it?” Malory turned the clipboard to face her and studied the picture. She’d made more dinosaurs than she could remember and she was dying to make one more.

  “I certainly wouldn’t mind.”

  Their attention diverted from the order board when the door to the bakery opened.

  Christopher stood in the doorway, shadowed by the sun at his back, a bouquet of flowers in his ha
nd. Malory’s heart did a little flip.

  Esther stood from her stool and walked toward him. “I wondered how long it would take you to stop by.” She kissed him on the cheek. “You’re mama was right about this one. She’s a hard worker and will be ready to take over as soon as I walk out that door, but”—she adjusted her attention toward Malory—“she’ll keep my best interest and financial stability in mind.”

  Christopher looked at Malory and just smiled. Then he looked back at Esther. “These are for you.”

  Esther’s face crinkled up in confusion. “For me?”

  “Yeah. They’re a congratulations on your semiretirement.”

  Esther laughed and took the flowers. “You always were such a sweet talker.” Esther cradled the flowers in the crook of her arm. “I’m going to finish up. Thanks for the flowers.”

  “My pleasure.” Christopher gave her a nod as Malory walked toward him. “C’mon, I have something in the truck for you.”

  Malory grabbed her coat from the rack and followed him outside to the pickup.

  Christopher opened the door to his truck then turned and pulled her into his arms. He planted a long, warm kiss on her lips that made her knees go weak. He pressed his forehead to hers as he released her from a kiss that had made her dizzy.

  “I sure like doing that.”

  “I’ll admit I like when you do it too.” She pulled back and smiled. “So what do you have for me?”

  Christopher turned to reach for the item in the truck. “I have reservations at the Brown Palace for Saturday night.” He held up a miniscule duffel bag. “This is all you can pack in.”

  “Chris, this will hardly hold my toothbrush and comb. You expect me to . . .” She saw the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Oh, I see. I’m not really supposed to pack anything?”

  “You always were a smart girl.” He leaned in and kissed her softly. “I have to get back.”

  “How long will you be there tonight?”

  “Late. Want to come sit with me and watch hockey practice?”

  She dropped her shoulders and let out a sigh. This was how it would always be, she realized. Their schedules would always keep them apart. “I told Esther I’d be here at four in the morning. I’d better go home and get some rest.”