Ice Hot

by Gina Hollands

“Do I? Today you’re telling me it’s Sophie, but three months ago you introduced yourself as Zara.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “So, is it really Sophie, or is that just another of your fantasy personas?”

  Chapter Three

  Sophie put her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands, then took several deep breaths. The chatter and laughter of the nearby diners was drowned out by the blood rushing through her ears. She’d been dreading this moment but still could barely believe it was happening. She sighed, dropped her hands flat on the table and looked directly at him.

  “Daniel, I’m sorry. I truly am. I never meant for things to go that far. I got carried away in all the lies I told you that night and dug myself in too deep to get out. It was my boyfriend, you see—”

  “Boyfriend?” he cut in.

  “Ex-boyfriend. That’s why I was out with my sister, Laura, the night I met you. It was her way of helping me take my mind off finding my fiancé with another woman earlier that day.”

  “He’s your fiancé now? He was only your boyfriend a second ago.”

  She sighed and raised her shoulders in a gesture of defeat.

  “We were engaged to be married. When I found out he’d cheated, Laura insisted I needed to experience a real man and ought to change the habit of a lifetime and go wild. Have sex with a stranger, was how she put it.” She gave a strangled laugh and swiped an imaginary hair away from her forehead. “I know you might not believe this, but I’m quiet and shy normally. I don’t do one-night stands and sex on planes. Only when I’m with you, for some reason.”

  He took a chunk of bread from the basket on the table, tore a piece off, and chewed, then raised an eyebrow for her to continue.

  “I wanted to live a little for once, to see what an exciting life could be like, but I couldn’t do it as me, not the real me, so I pretended to be someone else, just for one night. I was expecting to meet a guy, flirt a little, and yes, if I’m honest, probably a bit more, too. I thought maybe Laura was right. Sex with a stranger might be just what I needed. But that’s so unlike me I can’t tell you. I never expected—I mean, I wasn’t planning on…”

  “Planning on what?”

  She lifted her hands off the table, turned her palms up, and shrugged.

  “Let me ask you something, Sophie.” He leaned in toward her. “Do you think it’s acceptable to be invited into a man’s bed, allow him to make passionate love to you, then disappear by morning?”

  “No!” She answered quickly and pressed a hand into her burning forehead. “When I woke up I knew I’d made a huge mistake by sleeping with you. I couldn’t keep up the act any longer. I didn’t want to admit I’d lied to get into your bed.” She cringed again at the thought, squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to erase the memory. “I saw no alternative than to leave. Please believe, I’m truly ashamed of myself. It should never have happened.”

  “Your only mistake was sleeping with me?” He sipped his drink.

  “Oh God, no! I mean, no, that was great. It was really great. The best I’ve ever…” She struggled for words and noticed a smile creep up Daniel’s face.

  “Aren’t you mad at me?” she asked.

  “Why? Should I be?”

  “I acted disgracefully. I lied to you, slept with you, then left you. I’m mad at me!”

  His brown eyes twinkled in the flickering candlelight.

  “I must admit when I recognized you at the airport—”

  “I knew you’d recognized me. Why didn’t you say something then? Why did you want to bring me here with you, to this beautiful country, to your beautiful lodge?”

  He ignored her question. “At first I was angry. I suspected you’d done a disappearing act so that you could sell your story to the scandal-hungry press you have in your country, or so you could try to buy my silence to stop the story going out. When the headlines didn’t emerge and I didn’t hear from you again, I was curious. I wanted to find out the real you.”

  “The real me? You mean you knew all along I was lying?”

  Daniel grinned. “Of course I knew you were lying. You’d hardly win an Oscar for that performance.”

  “Oh my God. That makes it even worse!” She covered her eyes with her hands. “I spent all night concocting some nonsense, and all the time, you knew I was making it up. Why did you let me carry on?”

  Daniel laughed and reached over the table to pull her hands gently away from her face.

  “I found you fascinating. I wanted to know the truth behind the mysterious woman I’d met that night.”

  “I was terrified that once you recognized me, you’d call the agency and have me fired, and I can’t afford to lose my job now that I’m—now that I’m single,” she finished.

  She took a sip of her drink and gave him the sincerest smile she could muster. Her relief he wasn’t angry with her was short-lived. While he now knew the truth why she dashed from his bed, some things still had to remain unsaid.

  ****

  To Sophie’s disappointment, Daniel didn’t offer her his hand for the return journey to the lodge, and they walked in companionable silence, hands stuffed in pockets against the biting, icy air.

  “Thanks for dinner,” she said as they reached the lodge. “I’ve had a lovely evening.” She meant every word. After the uncomfortable start to their evening, she had relaxed in Daniel’s company and laughed more than she could remember in a long time. His hard-faced businessman façade had retreated, and his sense of humor and charisma shone through. They talked long after they finished their meal and were the last diners to leave the restaurant.

  “The night is still young,” he said, his intense dark eyes shining in the moonlight.

  She hesitated, unsure what he was proposing. “Shouldn’t we go to bed—to sleep, I mean,” she added, hastily. “The big meeting is tomorrow, and we—”

  “Sophie,” he interrupted, impatiently. “I’ve tried to get what happened between us out of my mind. It’s not often I fail when I set myself a challenge, but today I have. On that score, at least. Trying to sleep would be futile, so rather than lie in bed, tossing and turning, I intend to prepare for tomorrow by enjoying these beautiful surroundings. Let me show you.”

  He didn’t wait for her to respond but grasped her hand and strode over to the jetty. The light from the burning lanterns flickered as they walked, highlighting the blackness of his thick, wavy hair.

  They reached the end of the jetty where the magnificent bubbling hot tub steamed in the freezing night air. Daniel pulled off his sweater, revealing a cotton T-shirt, which clung to the firm curves of his toned body. He tugged that off, too, and his smooth olive chest glowed golden by the light of the burning lanterns.

  She realized he wasn’t going to stop at his underwear, and a mixture of adventure and trepidation washed over her. “What are you doing?”

  “The feeling of warm water on bare skin is the best,” he responded with a wink and a hint of a dare in his voice. “Try it.”

  She stood still as he peeled off his tight designer boxer shorts. One glimpse of those perfectly sculpted buttocks and lean, toned thighs, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. He leapt into the hot tub and submerged his strapping body into the water. The water displaced, sending a wave sloshing over the side.

  “Come on. It’s great in here.” He raked a hand through his hair, which looked even darker when wet, and slicked it back away from his face to reveal serious, dark eyes.

  He’s even more gorgeous naked and wet.

  The water droplets on his chest and shoulders glistened on his tanned bare skin, and a desire to run her hand up his slick, firm torso crept over every one of her erogenous zones.

  “Promise I won’t look,” he said, his pupils glistening with mischief.

  “Okay,” she replied, nervously. “But only if you turn around.” Although she had no hesitation undressing in front of him earlier, she was more exposed now somehow, in the open air.

  He cocked his
head to the side and raised an eyebrow. She put her hands on her hips to give him the message she was only prepared to join him on her terms. He shrugged in defeat and turned away to look out over the lake.

  Expecting him to turn back around at any moment, she hurriedly discarded her clothes on the jetty and slipped into the welcoming tub. The hot, bubbling water enveloped her cold skin, causing an army of goose bumps to storm over her limbs. An overwhelming sense of contentment flooded her body. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the edge of the tub to savor the moment. When she opened them again, contentment turned to joy as she was met with a star-studded black velvet sky.

  “This is incredible,” she whispered. The beauty of the scenery and the comfort of the hot water caused a swell of emotion to rise inside her.

  “If you think that’s good,” he said. “Come and see this.”

  She floated over to him. His ripped arms were folded on the edge of the tub, and he was staring out. She followed his line of vision. The vast, dark lake was so eerily still it looked like a pitch-black carpet. Above it stood a picture-perfect mountain with a snow-covered peak.

  “That’s quite a view,” she said, quietly.

  She was so entranced by the natural beauty surrounding them, she hadn’t realized how close they were to each other until her shoulder brushed his upper arm. Her whole body fizzed, heightening her awareness of their nakedness.

  He turned to her, and unsure what to do, she pretended not to notice. He reached behind her and lightly caressed her spine, guiding her body closer to his. She had no choice but to look at him. Her bare, wet breasts brushed his chest, and the coarseness of his body hair against the softness of her nipples caused them to stand to attention.

  Her nipples hardening against him sent a surge of virility through her body, all the way down to her pussy where the sudden rush of blood brought with it an urgent desire to be made love to. His hard-on dug insistently into the soft flesh of her stomach and left her in no doubt his needs were every bit as urgent as hers.

  He flattened his hand against her back and pulled her against him until her breasts pressed against his chest. Every nerve ending in her body tingled, right down to her very core. She couldn’t wait any longer, to hell with shyness. She locked her mouth against his.

  He cupped a hand round the back of her head and held her tightly to him as they kissed. His lips explored hers as his tongue darted masterfully in and out of her mouth. His kissing was so deeply erotic, it made her long for the rest of him. She reached down under the hot, frothy water and closed her hand firmly around his length. The vibrations from the moan he let out tickled her lips as they kissed. His appreciation for her actions sent her head into a spin, leaving all logic behind. Her natural sexual instincts kicked in, and she knew exactly what she had to do.

  She began stroking his engorged member to the rhythmic motion of his rocking pelvis. He slipped his hand down her spine, over her buttocks to her moist opening. He inserted one finger gently. She was grateful for his mouth being firmly pressed against hers, otherwise she would have screamed out her pleasure into the silent night air.

  Her need to feel more of him reached overdrive. She opened her thighs wider for him and, with her massaging hand, guided him to her entrance.

  “Now you seem to be the one who’s forgetting something.” He tore away from her and climbed out of the tub. It was only when she saw him reach into the pocket of his discarded jeans that she realized what he meant. She watched him roll the condom over his hardened cock and bit her bottom lip, surprised at her own irresponsible behavior.

  “Good job you came prepared,” she said when he stepped back in the tub and took her in his arms. “I—I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Never mind that.” He took her hand and placed it round his cock, now smooth and silky in its rubber sheath. “Now, where were we?”

  She wrapped her legs around his back and positioned his hard tip at her entrance. Her body was completely immersed in the water, but she could still feel the warm wetness building up between her legs. The unrelenting bubbles pulsed against her, intensifying the tease of him being seconds away from penetrating her.

  “Wait,” she said, suddenly, and paused the movement of her hand. “Stand up.”

  She wasn’t sure who was more surprised at her command, but he did as she asked. Without a word, he rose to his full height, and the generous measure of his stiffness bounced out of the water, stopping in line with her lips.

  He was a masterpiece in masculinity, and she took a moment to admire the sight in front of her before taking his girth firmly in one hand and wrapping her mouth around his erection.

  Sophie’s lips closed around him, his cock cocooned in her hot mouth. He uttered her name over and over, and she began to explore him with increased confidence and hunger. Her rough tongue flicked rapidly around his sensitive tip, and he looked down. Her breasts, bright white in the moonlight, floated on the water’s surface, bobbing gently up and down as she licked and sucked him.

  He tangled his fingers in her damp hair, guiding her head to take him deeper and faster. She moaned again and reached her spare hand under the water between her legs.

  Fuck. He loved it when she pleasured herself. Catching her in the plane washroom seeking her own enjoyment had been the most erotic scene he’d ever encountered. A woman who knew what she liked… That turned him on like nothing else, but he had no intention of letting her go all the way alone. “No more, Sophie.”

  With her mouth still around him, she looked up at him with her big green, round eyes.

  “I need to be inside you.”

  She let him go, and he reached under her arms to pull her up. Her long hair draped like a shawl over her creamy white shoulders. He walked her backward to the edge of the tub, and she placed her hands behind her on the edge to hold herself steady. In one deft moment, he slipped inside her. The force took her breath away, and she gasped, her volume intensifying as he plunged in and out again and again. The last of her shyness evaporated, and at that moment, she didn’t care who heard, just that he didn’t stop.

  She pressed her pussy against him and allowed her mound to rub against his pubic bone. Every thrust drove her further and further toward the peak she craved. Just a few more thrusts and she’d be there. Two more. One more. There. Right there was perfection. Her clit pulsated, and she leaned back farther, thrusting onto him.

  Wave after wave of pure hedonism raced through her. Despite the freezing air temperature, every inch of her skin burned with desire and adrenalin. Her heart squeezed with the effort and the excitement, and an intense thirst drenched her bones. Her final crest of pleasure synchronized with his first. He squeezed his eyes shut and released into the condom, muttering, almost incomprehensibly, about how he loved to watch her come.

  They sank back into the water up to their shoulders and found each other’s eyes. He bowed his head and planted a kiss on her forehead.

  “You’re amazing, Sophie. There’s nothing I want more than to take you to my bed. But we’ve got a big day tomorrow, and I’d end up making love to you all night. We’ll get tomorrow’s meeting out of the way, then we’ll talk.”

  “Talk? What about?”

  “About us.”

  “Us?”

  “Do you really think at the end of these three days I’m going to let you go?”

  She started to smile but was quickly stopped when his mouth once again locked on hers. What began as a tender goodnight kiss soon became harder and hungrier. He reached to stroke her breasts, and she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck.

  His hands closed around her wrists, and pulled her gently away. “No. I need to leave you alone.” He laughed and shook his head. “We both need to get some sleep.”

  He leapt effortlessly out of the tub, and she caught a glimpse of those well-cut buttocks. Although her pussy ached from the fast, hard sex they’d just had, the thought of his backside pushing up and down as he rode her made her
tingle all over again.

  “Are you coming in?” he asked and turned to face her.

  She nodded and rose, the biting cold instantly chilling her bare flesh.

  He stood next to the tub, held out his arms, and lifted her out as if she were light as a feather. Still naked and without a hint of a shiver against the bitter night, he picked his sweater off the ground and pulled it over her head. It came almost down to her knees like an oversized blanket that carried his scent. She breathed in and stifled a contented sigh.

  He scooped up the remainder of their clothes from where they’d been carelessly discarded and threw them over his shoulder. Together, they walked hand in hand down the jetty toward the lodge—he, resplendently naked, and she, swamped in his sweater.

  She allowed herself a quick glimpse back at the hot tub, still steaming in the middle of that fairy tale setting. Her heart plummeted to her belly. She’d allow herself tonight to dream about what could have been, about their fantasy future together. Then tomorrow, after the meeting, she’d give in to reality and tell him about the baby they’d made three months ago, growing by the day inside her.

  They’d been careful that night, too, but when she’d removed the female condom in the bathroom afterward, she’d found it had dislodged from its position. She’d hoped everything would be okay, but a missed period and a test six weeks later told her it wasn’t.

  Chances were, he would either run from the responsibility or think her a gold-digger. But those were chances she’d have to take. If he let her down, it would break her heart, but her baby’s happiness came first and there weren’t going to be any more lies.

  Daniel encased Sophie’s hand in his, and a swell of happiness rose in his chest. This was the woman he wanted to love, to protect, forever. He’d suspected it three months ago but was in no doubt now. He felt it with every caress of her soft body and flick of her light brown hair, heard it every time she laughed, and saw it every time he looked into those huge green eyes.

  She might run a mile, not want to commit, but that was a risk he was prepared to take. He had to tell her how he felt. And tomorrow, after the meeting, that’s exactly what he was going to do.