Melting the Ice

by Jaci Burton

  "Tired?" he asked.

  "Mmm," was all she said as she snuggled against him.

  He smiled, wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes.

  He woke in a daze, the sunlight streaming in through the half-open blinds in his bedroom. For a few seconds he felt disoriented, until he remembered last night.

  And then he smiled.

  He'd really conked out after he and Carolina had sex. She'd exhausted him, and herself, too.

  His mouth was dry. Really dry. He reached over for the water on his nightstand and took a couple long gulps before rolling over.

  "Lina. You want a--"

  She wasn't there. Huh. He threw off the covers and went into the bathroom. Not there, either.

  Her clothes were gone, too. Maybe she'd gone into the kitchen to make coffee.

  Coffee sounded like such a good idea right now. He climbed into his jeans and went into the kitchen.

  Not there.

  She was gone. She'd left his apartment without saying a word.

  She'd left him.

  Just like he'd left her that night in college after they'd slept together.

  He shook his head, dragged his fingers through his hair and leaned against the kitchen counter.

  Well, that felt shitty.

  And now he knew how Carolina had felt. He leaned against the kitchen counter, shaking his head and smiling at the thought of the payback she'd given him.

  A payback he'd damn well deserved.

  Well played, Carolina. Well played.

  TWELVE

  "THIS HEMLINE NEEDS TO COME UP TWO INCHES. JUST above the knee, so each tier of the skirt has movement."

  "I can take care of that," Tierra said, kneeling in front of the model to mark where the cut in the hemline would be.

  Carolina walked down the line, surveying her clothes on the models. So different than viewing them on a hanger. Now they had life.

  She twirled her finger, and the next model turned and walked the length of the room.

  "This one's good just the way it is."

  "I totally agree," Edward said. "Love the color and the way it clings to her body."

  "Just one thing, though," Carolina said, squinting as she observed. "The color. It's too muted. We need to change the fabric. Flesh it out a bit. Maybe more of a deep coral rather than a peach?"

  Edward studied the model, too, then finally nodded. "I think you might be right. I like the peach, but the coral would be stunning, especially with Felicia's skin tone."

  Carolina nodded and jotted down the change in her notebook. "Let's do that."

  Edward made a note as well.

  They spent the next hour going over textures and fabrics and design, watching the way each piece of clothing moved and the way they looked under the lights before making some changes. All in all it was a good fitting.

  She'd spent the past few weeks immersed in the line. It had been a furious undertaking and she'd worked nonstop, seven days a week, burying herself in her designs as the clock ticked on finalizing everything.

  Since that night she'd spent with Drew, she hadn't had a moment to think about him.

  Much.

  She'd woken early that morning after and gotten up to use the bathroom and had come back into the bedroom, planning to slide under the covers with him.

  But something had stopped her. Maybe it was the way he looked, the covers drawn down, covering only his lower half. He'd been sprawled on his stomach, his hair wildly unkempt, his arms thrown up over his head. His lashes, so sinfully long, nearly brushed against his upper cheek. His full lips were closed and she'd held her breath as she watched him sleep.

  God, he'd looked so sexy at that moment all she'd wanted to do was grab her sketch pad and draw him looking just like that.

  Before the inspiration left, she'd gotten dressed and hightailed it out of there, grabbing a taxi and heading home. After she'd spent an hour getting the angles and shadows just right, she was satisfied she'd gotten the sketch as she'd envisioned it.

  It was beautiful. Perfect.

  Exhausted after that burst of creativity, she climbed into bed and slept for two hours. It wasn't until after she woke up, showered, and made a cup of tea that she realized she'd just up and left Drew without a word.

  She thought about calling him, even picked up her phone, her finger hovering at the button, then laid her phone down.

  After that night, it was probably best to just leave it alone. They'd had a good time. Or at least she had. The sex had been phenomenal. Not that it had surprised her that they would be good together. Their first time had been more than she'd fantasized about. This time? Even better.

  She warmed thinking about how he'd touched her, how many times he'd made her come. She wished she were back in bed with him right now.

  But just once. Only that one time. That was all there could be between them. It wasn't going to happen again.

  Diving headfirst into work had been the best way to keep herself from contacting him.

  And he hadn't called her, so that was a good sign he'd thought much the same thing.

  Then again, maybe he was pissed she'd walked out on him. She really did owe him an explanation. Or maybe she should just leave well enough alone and call it another great one-night stand with Drew. They seemed to do one-night stands really well, only that night had been the last night.

  The only problem was, she needed to start calling in her male models for fittings. Christmas was right around the corner and she needed to finalize sizings before the holidays shut everything down and she wouldn't be able to get in contact with everyone.

  Gray told her he'd come in for a fitting, and that meant she needed to get hold of Drew and figure out who would be wearing what. Then she needed to start an advertising campaign, a tease for her line.

  After doing that sketch of Drew asleep the morning after their night together, she already had a fantastic idea for advertising the underwear line. She could get another one of the models--a professional--to do the shoot, but the problem was, her vision was dead-set on seeing Drew in that spot.

  Any hot, sculpted body would do. Logically, she knew that. But logic didn't always fit with her inspiration. She just couldn't see anyone else in her men's underwear but Drew.

  She took a deep breath and grabbed her phone, hoping he didn't answer and she'd get his voice mail.

  Success. After several rings, Drew's voice mail picked up.

  "Hey, Drew, it's Carolina. I'd like to arrange a time for you to come by and try on some of the clothes you'll be modeling for me. Plus, we need to start talking about how you'll fit into my advertising plan for the line. If you could give me a call back, or just shoot me an email with your schedule for the next week, we can work something out. Thanks."

  She hung up, satisfied that she'd sounded completely professional.

  Now all she had to do was wait until he--

  She jumped when her phone buzzed in her hand. She looked at the display, then relaxed when Stella's name came up.

  "Hey, Stell."

  "Hey, yourself. How's work going?"

  "Good. Crazy busy. How about you?"

  "It's going well. Rehearsals are intense and my calves are cramping, but I'm excited about doing this show."

  "I can't wait to come see it."

  "I called to tell you I have a few hours' break. Can you take a little time off and have some lunch with me?"

  She hadn't seen Stella since that night at the bar, either. The problem with having a deadline was shutting herself off from everyone. But she hadn't eaten yet and things were running smoothly. "I'd love to."

  "Great."

  They made plans to meet at a bistro not far from the theater district. She gave some instructions to her staff, then hopped in a taxi. Stella was waiting outside the restaurant.

  "It's cold out here," Carolina said as she slid her arm through Stella's and they headed inside.

  "I'm still hot from rehearsals. The fresh air felt good."

/>   It was a little after the regular lunch hour rush, so the place wasn't crowded. They were seated right away and Carolina ordered an iced tea and a chicken salad.

  "I want all the details on how rehearsals are going."

  Stella took a deep breath and shrugged out of her coat. "Great, but the choreographer is a bastard. He works us all until every muscle in our bodies is screaming. I both love and hate him. I'm learning so much, but oh, my God, I'm so sore at night that all I want to do is go home, ease my body into a hot bath, then fall facedown on my bed and pass out."

  "But it's good, right?" Carolina asked as the waiter brought their drinks. "It's going to be a good show?"

  "It's going to be a great show, and really amazing exposure for me. I'm so lucky to be with the company. You know how much I literally squealed like a damn girl when I got a spot."

  Carolina laughed. "I know. You've been working so hard to get in with a good troupe."

  "Yes. So no matter how much I complain about how hard they're working me, it's just the best job. And we have to rehearse hard because the show opens right after Christmas."

  "I'll be there."

  Stella grasped her wrist. "I know you will. And I love you for that, considering how insane with work you are right now."

  Carolina laughed. "Well, my insanity is coming up, but I always have time for you."

  The waiter brought their food and they sat and ate. Stella dove into her salad just as eagerly as Carolina did.

  "Are you eating well?"

  Stella nodded. "Yes. I have to. I'm burning calories like crazy. I'd die if I didn't replenish. How about you?"

  "Trying to. Edward and Tierra ride me worse than my parents about eating. One or the other of them is always fetching me food. It's unlikely I'm going to starve to death."

  "I'll be sure to thank them both next time I see them." Stella stopped to take a sip of tea, then looked at her. "And how about hot guy Drew? Seen him lately?"

  She popped a crouton into her mouth and shook her head. "Not since that night in the bar. How about hot guy Trick? How did that go?"

  Stella grinned. "That went very well. And he is very hot. But like you, I don't have a lot of time for hot men in my life, and he's had several road games. But we have done some long-distance sexting."

  "That sounds fun."

  "It has been. And it relieves some of that excess tension. He's a great guy."

  Carolina studied her. "You like him."

  Stella shrugged. "As much as I can like any guy. He's good in the sack, and I might want to do him again."

  "You try so hard to make it seem like he doesn't matter."

  "Please. We only had one night. And you're avoiding the subject of you and Drew. How did that go after we left?"

  "I went to his place."

  Stella laid her fork down. "And?"

  "And I . . . left the next morning."

  Stella's eyes widened. "Ohhh, so you slept with him. Yay. You needed to get laid."

  "I really did."

  "Anything since then?"

  "Nothing at all. I actually left before he woke up. And I've been so busy I haven't had any time to talk to him. Plus, he hasn't called me."

  "So, you walked out on him without a word. Good for you."

  She loved Stella's smug smile. "You know I didn't plan to dump him. I had this . . . well, this is going to sound bizarre, but when I got up that morning, he looked so beautiful sprawled out on the bed, I was inspired to draw him just like that. Unfortunately, I didn't have my drawing pad with me, so I dashed out of his place, raced home and sketched that image I had of him before I could lose the visual."

  Stella just stared at her.

  "I know. I told you it was bizarre."

  "No, I'm just thinking. So you weren't out to get revenge on him for dumping you in college."

  "No. Of course not."

  "Not consciously, anyway. But maybe subconsciously?"

  Carolina took another bite of salad, studying Stella. Finally, she waved her fork at her friend. "I think you have a vindictive streak in you."

  Stella laughed. "You think?"

  "I still think some guy broke your heart and you never got revenge."

  "And you think I'm projecting my need for revenge onto you."

  "Yes."

  Stella laughed. "Trust me. If I wanted revenge, I'd go get it for myself. I just think Drew did you wrong, and I figured you took your opportunity to get him back."

  "I wasn't out to get him back. What happened between us just . . . happened."

  "And then you ran out on him and haven't spoken to him again. So what does that mean?"

  Sometimes her best friend irritated the crap out of her. "It doesn't mean anything, other than we've both been busy."

  "Or, it means that you got exactly what you wanted from him, and now you have no more use for him."

  Frustrated, she shook her head. "That's not what it means at all."

  "So you do want to see him again."

  "I didn't say that, either."

  "So you're done with him."

  She laid her head in her hands. "You make me crazy, Stella."

  "It's a particular talent of mine."

  Carolina lifted her head. "It just happened between us. It didn't really mean anything other than we slept together, had one night together, and now it's probably over. Except I am using him as a model for my line, so I guess I'll be seeing him again."

  Stella leaned back and sipped her tea. "And how do you feel about that?"

  Carolina let out a sigh. "Stella, spending a lunch hour with you is a lot like talking to a therapist."

  "So, you do feel something for him," Stella said with another victorious smile.

  "You're a giant pain in my ass."

  "That's what best friends are for."

  *

  TWO WEEKS OF ALMOST NONSTOP ROAD GAMES WERE taking their toll on Drew. They'd had one series of home games, but it seemed as if he'd blinked and they were back on the damn road again.

  He was cranky. They'd lost three games and he wanted nothing more than to get back to the Garden and the home crowd again. This new season wasn't starting out the way anyone on the team expected, and if they didn't turn it around soon, it was going to be a dismal one.

  Even worse, after practice today he'd found a voice mail on his phone from Carolina. Using her most professional voice, she'd asked him about meeting with her. Not to see him personally, but to get together to meet about her line.

  There wasn't a single word or phrase she'd used in that voice mail that had been personal in nature. It was like that night they'd shared hadn't even happened. Couple that with the disappearing act she'd pulled, and his lousy mood had increased, if that was even possible.

  "You practicing your scowl for the game tonight?"

  His gaze shot up and he glared at Trick. "What?"

  "Hey, that's an even better one. You should try that one on Vancouver tonight."

  "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Trick shut the door to his locker. "Man, you're grumpy. You need to get laid."

  "Fuck you, Trick."

  Trick just laughed. "That mood has got to do with a woman. A certain pretty brunette I met at the bar a couple weeks ago?"

  "I don't want to talk about Carolina."

  "So it is her." Trick took a seat on the bench next to Drew. "Did she dump you?"

  "No, she didn't dump me. Well, maybe. I don't really know."

  "You don't know? What the hell, man? Has it been that long since you've been given the boot by a woman you can't tell when you've been dumped?"

  "Actually, I've never been dumped."

  Trick let out a snort. "Every guy has been kicked to the curb at least once. You either didn't recognize it or didn't care. And now you have, and you do care, so you don't know what the hell to do. Like now, with the hot brunette."

  "Her name is Carolina."

  "That's right. Carolina. So Carolina dumped you."

  Maybe
she had. He'd never been with a woman he liked enough to care whether she wanted to see him again or not. He searched his memory to try and remember if any of the women he'd dated in the past had ever given him any signals about not wanting to see him again.

  Maybe there had been a few in his past, and he just hadn't read the signals. Nothing like being self-aware.

  But with Carolina, he had no idea. He dragged his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, Trick. With the road trip, I haven't had a chance to talk to her. But she does want to see me. She left me a voice mail."

  "That's a good sign then, right?"

  "It's about the modeling thing for her fashion line."

  "Oh." Trick slapped him on the back. "Start there. If you like her, it at least puts you in front of her."

  "I guess. I don't know. Women are a lot of work."

  Trick stood and grinned. "But so much fun to play with."

  THIRTEEN

  CAROLINA FINISHED UP SOME PAPERWORK AND LOOKED at her phone, answering a few text messages and emails.

  She cleared several off her phone, leaving the one she'd gotten from Drew three days ago.

  Out-of-town games. Back on Friday. Will call you.

  Terse. Noncommittal. And decidedly not warm or friendly.

  Then again, she hadn't exactly told him she'd missed him in her voice mail, or that she'd had a great time that night they'd spent together. Her voice mail had been cool and professional. So what had she expected in return?

  She set her phone aside and went back to her paperwork, wrinkling her nose at the prospect. Design was fun. It fired her blood and fueled her excitement. The accounting and paperwork and everything else that went into starting up her business? Not so much fun. She had accountants and lawyers to handle the finances and legalities, but she was the CEO of Carolina Designs, and as such, it was up to her to go over every detail, including the drudge work she didn't enjoy.

  After two hours of poring over numbers, she was satisfied they were on track.

  Her phone buzzed.

  Drew.

  She picked it up and pushed the button.

  "Hi, Drew."

  "Hey, yourself. How's it going?"

  "Busy. How about you?"

  "Finally back in town."

  "Away games?"

  "So, you haven't been watching?"

  "I'm sorry. I've been a little distracted lately. How did it go?"

  "Buzz me up and I'll tell you."

  "You're downstairs?"

  "Yeah."

  She rolled her eyes and headed to the door. "What if I hadn't been here?" She pressed the buzzer.

  "Then I'd have gone out to dinner alone. Hanging up now."