Wild Ice

by Rachelle Vaughn

  The rain soaked through her blouse as it clung to her breasts. JD took a step toward her and brushed the wet hair away from her face. Her skin was chilled. Rain ran down her face and dripped from her chin. He touched her cheek and leaned in to kiss her.

  JD’s mouth came down on hers and his hand cupped the side of her face before tracing his thumb around the shell of her ear. She tasted like rain, freedom, and everything he’d been searching for. His hand snaked into her hair, holding her face in place. Not that she was going to go anywhere.

  When the surprise wore off, Lauren kissed him back and tasted the rain on his lips. She parted her lips and their tongues met. When his tongue tangled around hers, she pressed her body against his. Her breasts squished against his chest and she could feel his arousal. The power of his need made her shiver, but he must have thought she was cold because he pulled away and took her hand. “We should go inside.”

  “No,” she breathed. She didn’t want to explain, but she needed their first time together to be out here in the field. Out in the open with only the trees and birds and jackrabbits as witnesses. She needed to experience this with him outside of the confining walls of Teal Manor.

  JD realized then that he’d wanted Lauren ever since the first time he saw her in the field wearing that ridiculous hat. There was no mystery why Mel was so taken with her. She was amazing. She didn’t take the little things in life for granted. Things in nature were constantly amazing her. Not only was he fascinated by her adventurous spirit, but he admired her kind heart. And she cared about him. She cared enough not to give up on him when he already had.

  JD picked up the blanket and spread it back out onto the grass. It was damp, but it would work well enough to separate them from the soggy ground. Lauren could see the outline of his toned physique as his wet shirt clung to his chest.

  The rain slowed to a sprinkle and she knelt down on the blanket and pulled him down with her. She brushed the hair from his brow and ran her fingers down his cheek and over his jaw.

  As their tongues stroked, their hands worked at trying to free their bodies from the wet clothes. Her shirt clung to her breasts and he ripped it away, needing to touch her bare skin. They broke the kiss long enough for her to help him peel his damp shirt over his head. The sight of his bare chest caused Lauren’s breath to catch. It was obvious he’d taken his grief out on his body. Unknowingly sculpting it into something that rivaled the statues of gods. She ran her fingers over his muscular shoulders, rock-hard chest and rippling abs.

  He touched the straps of her white cotton bra and she held her breath when his thumb grazed over her nipple. She reached back, unclasped her bra and let the straps fall. He moved his hand away, let the bra fall between them and replaced his palms on her bare skin. He cupped her breasts and she leaned into him. His eyes met hers and she silently pleaded for him not to stop.

  JD looked at the woman bared before him. She was soft and delicate and her eyes were filled with trust. She was everything the wetlands were. Beautiful and wild and she knelt in front of him pleading with her eyes for him to tame her. Her lips begged to be kissed, her hair to be stroked, her breasts…

  He leaned down and brushed his lips over her breast. The pink nipple puckered and pebbled and he traced his tongue around the peak. She arched toward him and the sound that escaped her lips sent a rush of blood below his waist. Paying equal attention to both breasts, he suckled each one until she clawed at his hair. He captured the raindrops with his tongue as they landed on her creamy white skin.

  She pulled him back up and closed her mouth over his. He ran his hands around her waist, cupped her buttocks and pulled her closer. But it wasn’t close enough. There were still too many clothes separating them.

  As if sensing his thoughts, Lauren pawed at the waist of his jeans, fumbling for the button and zipper. When she wasn’t successful, JD unbuttoned them and slid the zipper down himself. Her hands were greedy and reached down inside his boxer briefs before he could slide the jeans down all the way. The groan that rumbled through his chest when her fingers wrapped around his length startled his own ears. He hadn’t been touched in so long. After a few strokes, he stopped her because he didn’t know how long he could hold off.

  Her cotton shorts slid down easily and he was grateful for the elastic waist. Just like her bra, her panties were cotton and they had little red and yellow flowers printed on them. With one hand cupping her behind, he slid the other hand into her panties and his fingers caressed her slick heat. He slipped one finger inside her and then two. She was wet and warm. With each stroke of his fingers, her grip tightened in his hair. She threw her head back and he could feel her muscles constrict around his fingers as she came. The ends of her hair tickled the hand that cupped her lower back.

  The clouds cracked open and rain poured down, saturating their bodies. He held her as she trembled with release. When her body recovered, she sighed. It was a satisfied sound and JD smiled. She kissed him deeply and then surprised him by gently nibbling on his lower lip. While his mouth was distracted, she pushed at his jeans and underwear and managed to get them the rest of the way down his thighs. He was still kneeling, so she pushed him down onto his back.

  She lay down beside him and wriggled the rest of the way out of her shorts and panties and then went back to work on his jeans. The heavy denim was wet and uncooperative and she laughed as she struggled to pull them down his legs.

  Finally, he managed to wriggle free and Lauren collapsed beside him, panting. He hoisted himself up on his elbow and admired her naked skin laid out before him.

  The sky rumbled and thunder boomed overhead. As much as he enjoyed being outside with her, unfortunately where there was thunder, lightning probably wasn’t far behind.

  “Come on,” he said, giving her lips a firm kiss. “We don’t want to get struck by lightning.”

  Somehow, Lauren felt as if they already had.

  While she gathered up her clothes, JD struggled with putting his wet jeans back on for the walk home. Lauren slid her feet into her shoes, giggled and took off running toward the mansion, her bare ass winking at him. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her retreat. Giving up on the soaked jeans, JD balled them against his chest, grabbed the backpack and blanket, shoved his feet into his shoes and took off after her. JD had never run in the rain before. Nor had he ever been naked while doing it. Come to think of it, he couldn’t say he’d ever ran naked anywhere either. Not since he was a toddler anyway. Luckily no one was around for miles because he couldn’t imagine how the two of them looked streaking across the field buck-naked in the pouring rain.

  Lauren’s giggling laughter led the way and he pumped his legs in an effort to catch up with her. Lauren had an unfair advantage because he was a little too…excited to immediately take off running behind her.

  She was fast, he’d give her that. And besides, he was loaded down with the blanket and backpack. Not to mention the wet jeans felt like they weighed ten pounds. When he started to catch up with her, she looked back and squealed. She threw her underwear at him and took off full speed ahead. He caught the scrap of fabric and added them to the pile.

  When he reached the patio of the house, she was leaning against a pillar, doubled over and trying to catch her breath. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, her hair tousled and wet.

  Mel was nowhere to be seen. JD knew the dog was smart enough to be curled up inside the dry house by now.

  “That wasn’t fair,” JD panted. “You had a head start.” He dropped the blanket and pile of clothes in front of him and it landed on the concrete with a wet plop.

  Lauren straightened and her smile faded when she looked at him. The thrill of the childhood game was replaced with the womanly thrill of seeing a grown man naked in front of her. His body was magnificent. While in the throes of her own orgasm she hadn’t been able to fully appreciate it. She bit down on her bottom lip and his eyes darkened with desire. Slowly, she dropped the clothes she’d been holding to her chest
and slipped her feet out of her shoes.

  The rain pounded relentlessly on the patio cover, the sound echoing around them.

  Her hair fell over her breasts like a curtain and she pushed it back behind her shoulders.

  JD swallowed. She was the rain and the wildflowers. She was giving herself to him freely and completely. And for the first time, JD was ready to take what she had to give.

  In a flash, he closed the space between them and crushed his mouth to hers. Their cold, damp bodies collided and instantly warmed on contact. He wanted to take her right there against the house but she deserved more than that. She deserved to be laid out on a king-sized bed and worshiped with his hands and tongue. He planned on taking the time—however long it took—to explore every inch of her soft skin.

  The sky opened up and hail began to fall. Jelly bean-sized chunks of ice bounced in the grass like popcorn.

  JD swung the back door open and pulled her inside the mud room, his lips frantic to reconnect with hers. They scrambled up the stairs to the master bedroom and landed on his mattress with a bounce.

  JD flicked on the switch to the gas fireplace. For a second, he feared it might not work because of disuse, but suddenly it flickered to life and a warm glow cast around the room warding off the chill in the air. Shadows danced along the walls as the weather raged outside.

  They scooted toward the middle of the bed so their legs wouldn’t hang over the edge. JD towered over her and her hair fanned out across his pillow. JD couldn’t help but marvel at the gift he’d been given.

  “Shit, I don’t have any—“

  “It’s okay,” Lauren reassured him. “I’m on the pill.”

  “I’m healthy, Lauren.”

  “Me too.”

  The fact that she hadn’t been with anyone since Daniel and he hadn’t been with anyone since Darla didn’t need to be spoken out loud. Physical need overrode his guilt and he kissed her. For the first time, Lauren was the only woman in the room.

  JD kissed his way down Lauren’s body until she writhed and begged “please”. Only then did he hold her close and slide into her heat. As the storm raged outside, they moved slow and deep, dragging out the moment until they were both breathless and glistening with sweat.

  Lauren gave as much as she took and still never seemed to get enough. The way she touched him made JD forget about how long it had been and his reservations fell by the wayside.

  Making love to Lauren was everything he thought it might be. She was sensual and passionate, she didn’t rush, but took her time exploring and savoring every detail and each moment.

  Afterwards, they took a shower and rinsed the rain and bits of grass from their bodies before seeking refuge in the bed again. With Lauren’s body tucked against his, JD drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

  * * *

  When Lauren woke up the next morning, the big bed was empty. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around the room. She’d never seen JD’s bedroom before. During the rush last night, she hadn’t had a chance to take a closer look. The large room was filled with antique furniture that probably came with the house, and like the rest of Teal Manor, was devoid of any personal touches.

  On the other side of the room, JD stood by the window looking outside. He was wearing plaid pajama pants and no shirt. His back was to her, the muscles rigid and taut with tension.

  “JD?”

  He turned around and she could see that his eyes were troubled. The haunted look was back and it chilled her to the bone.

  The covers were tucked in tight around her and she pushed them back and sat up. “Are you all right?”

  “I didn’t hear the dove.”

  It was the first day he hadn’t heard the dove since he moved in. Every morning he’d heard it, cooing and cooing, making that heartbreaking sound. But not today.

  “The storm probably scared it away,” Lauren told him.

  “There have been storms before and I always hear it the next morning.”

  “It must’ve moved on—“

  He looked over at her, his eyes flashed something she couldn’t read.

  “—to another tree.”

  His eyes questioned her until it finally registered what she was saying. “Moved on? Like me?”

  She thought he was referring to commitment and then she understood the analogy. Wasn’t he ready to move on from his grief?

  JD breathed a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to be stuck in the same tree every day.”

  “You don’t have to be,” she said gently.

  He looked back out the window. “I guess I could relate to it out there calling for its mate.” He winced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t talk about her to you. It’s not fair to you that I talk about her so damn much.”

  “Please, I don’t mind. She’s a part of you. She always will be. I understand that.”

  She sat on the edge of the bed and looked around for her clothes. Then she remembered they were probably still outside on the back porch. She settled for the sheet and wrapped it around her body and went to where JD stood by the window.

  “It isn’t fair to you,” he said again.

  “It’s okay. Us being together doesn’t mean you love her any less. You will always love her and hold her close in your heart, and that’s okay. I understand that. I’m not asking you to forget about her. I need you to accept that it’s possible to love again. I care about you, JD. I’m not here to replace her. I just want to enjoy our time together.”

  He turned back to the window and stared out at the rising sun. He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I can’t do this. I thought I was ready, but…”

  Lauren reached for him and he pulled away. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what was happening. He was shutting her out again and she was powerless to stop it. After all the time they’d spent together and the special, intimate moments, he was pushing her away. He didn’t want her. He wanted the woman whose memories were etched into his face. The woman who was gone and never coming back. The woman who wasn’t her.

  Lauren gathered the sheet around her body and ran downstairs. Outside, she pulled on her damp clothes and ran across the field toward the cottage. The thirsty earth had absorbed all the rain and yesterday’s storm was just a memory. Her shoes were still wet and they squished with ever pounding step. Mel ran after her and she yelled at him to stop following her. She let the tears streak down her face and she ran as fast as she could.

  * * *

  He’d been a fool. Since when did he ignore what his gut was telling him? Since when did he move out to the middle of nowhere just because life knocked the wind out of him? His gut had told him to hang on to Lauren and never look back. What were the odds of finding a woman like her? He was smart enough to know that those odds were slim to none. Maybe that’s why he’d sabotaged himself. Because it all seemed too damn good to be true, especially after the shit storm he’d lived through. No. Good things had happened to him before and he’d never gone and questioned them. Now he was just making excuses so he wouldn’t have to deal with real life and real emotions. He’d been picking at the same scab for months, making it impossible to heal.

  His gut was telling him to march over to the cottage and grab her by that floppy hat of hers and kiss her until he couldn’t think straight. Then he wanted to get down on his knees and tell her what an idiot he was—in case she hadn’t figured that out yet on her own—and beg her for forgiveness. After that, he’d thank her for seeing something in him that he couldn’t see for himself because he was blind as a goddam bat.

  JD stood in his kitchen and stared at the hummingbird feeder stuck to the window. The nectar was already half gone—or was it half full? JD saw it as half empty.

  He wanted to go to her, he really did, but he was afraid of what she’d say. No, that was a lie. He was afraid it was already too late. She’d been naked in his room, her hair mussed from their lovemaking. She’d looked at him with hopeful green eyes and he’d turned away from her and turned back t
o what was comfortable. The past. She probably hated him. He’d strung her along all summer. When she’d given all of herself to him he’d given only a fraction in return because that’s all he thought he had left.

  But that wasn’t entirely true either. She didn’t hate him. She couldn’t. She wasn’t capable of hate. There wasn’t a hateful bone in her beautiful body. And that was one of the many reasons he loved her. She hadn’t pressed him too hard or asked him to give what he couldn’t. She’d only talked to him without pity in her voice, shared her passion for birds with him, and had been a shoulder to cry on.

  As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t face her yet. It would just have to wait. He was used to having things hang over his head anyway.

  It had taken him over a year to be able to skate again, so it was understandable that when he found himself falling for another woman it would spook him a little. Or a lot.

  He’d been overwhelmed. So he did what came natural—he pushed her away. Everything bubbled up all at once. Rediscovering his love for the game, discovering his love for Lauren, letting Darla go... It was all too much. Now he would punish himself by wallowing in his own self-pity.

  Chapter Twenty

  Teammates

  JD never should have skated that day at Valley IcePlex. Just spending an hour on the ice had rekindled his love for the sport. Just one hour had his mind racing and thinking about things like training camp and his old team and his lifelong dream of winning the Gordie Prince Cup. There was still time for all that. He couldn’t make up for the past year, but he could set things right by moving forward.

  One thing was for sure, though. With all the emotions swirling around in his head about Lauren, JD knew he was ready for some more “therapy”.

  When Cody, the Razors’ team captain, called, JD agreed to meet him at Razors’ Ice. Cody’s calls were usually just a ploy to get JD to an ice rink anyway and this time he didn’t refuse. This time he was ready.

  JD didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up—especially his own—and he knew Cody wouldn’t make a big deal out of his return. JD thought they could just run a few drills to get him back into the swing of things. They agreed to shoot a few pucks and then go for dinner afterwards. Then he would figure out how to make things right with Lauren.