Melting the Ice

by Jaci Burton

  Trevor leaned back and signaled the waitress for another beer. "Okay, maybe. But it's not like you've been known for long-term relationships with women. Or any relationships for that matter."

  "You're right. But this is Carolina, and she's different." She'd always been different. Not that he could explain that to Trevor. Or to Gray.

  "So she does mean something to you beyond just the sex."

  "Yeah, I guess she does."

  "Does she feel the same way?"

  "I don't know."

  The waitress brought another round of beers. Trevor took a couple swallows, his gaze intent on Drew.

  "What?" Drew shot Trevor a look.

  "Why don't you just ask her?"

  "Ask her what?"

  "How she feels? Or tell her how you feel about her?"

  Drew shook his head. "It's not the right time. For either of us. There's too much going on right now to talk serious shit."

  Trevor laughed. "I've never known you to be a coward, Drew. But it sounds to me like you might be afraid to take that step with her. Or maybe you're afraid of what she'll say."

  "Oh, this coming from a guy who has never had a serious relationship in his life?"

  "You have a point. But I know you. You're a good friend and always have been. I want you to be happy. Does Carolina make you happy?"

  He thought about it, and realized that over the past few months, he'd never been happier. He loved spending time with Carolina. She made him laugh, she challenged him, and of course, the sex was off the charts. They had similar goals--their careers were their number one priorities right now. But there were a lot of other things they still needed to talk about, which had nothing to do with happiness.

  "Yeah, she does."

  "Then follow through. Talk to her about how you feel and see what happens."

  "Maybe. When the time is right, I'll do that."

  "That's the right move. You shouldn't let a good woman slip through your fingers."

  "Sounds to me like you might be ready to take that step with someone."

  Trevor let out a laugh. "Yeah, right. When? Like you said, I'm too busy, and having the time of my life right now. Long-term relationships just don't fit into my career plan right now."

  "You never know, Trev. The right woman might just blindside you when you least expect it."

  TWENTY-THREE

  FASHION WEEK WAS BARRELING DOWN ON CAROLINA like a meteor hurtling through the atmosphere.

  She barely had time to breathe. Her to-do list was a nightmare and every day she felt like pulling her hair out, because either beading had to be replaced on her signature dress or one of the suits wasn't fitting the model just right and had to be altered--again. She was sure a certain model was changing his physique in some way, because it fit him just damn perfectly a week ago and if she found out he was using performance enhancing drugs or pumping too much iron or something that was making her have to refit this coat one more damn time she was going to explode.

  Or maybe replace the model, though she was out of time, and most definitely out of patience.

  She sat in her office going through the lineup of the walk-through, numbering and renumbering everyone on her lineup card, when there was a knock on her door.

  "Carolina, Esme is here for her final fitting."

  She didn't even look away from her desk. "Get her dressed, Tierra, then call me."

  "Okay."

  She needed to schedule Drew in here for final fittings, too. She and Drew had traded phone calls, but hadn't yet connected. She picked up her phone and sent him a text message.

  I need you to come in to my office for a final fitting. What does your schedule look like for this week?

  She laid her phone down on the desk, hoping he'd text back today.

  "Esme's in the dress."

  Carolina left her office and checked the fitting on Esme's dress. Esme was a very sought-after model, so to get her for the show was a big deal. She'd put Esme into the beaded gown. It fit her perfectly. Esme walked for her, and of course she did it beautifully.

  "What do you think?" she asked.

  "I think it's a knockout dress," Esme said. "I want it."

  Carolina grinned. "Thank you."

  At least something had gone right today. Esme was going to be the hit of the runway. And she hoped the dress would be, too. She'd spent hours designing it, crafting it to absolute perfection. Esme was gorgeous, with her tawny skin, tall frame, amazing body with her curves in all the right places, and those golden brown eyes of hers that were incredibly mesmerizing. The dress, with its copper and orange beading, set off Esme's coloring perfectly. Carolina couldn't have found a better marriage between outfit and model.

  "Thank you so much for agreeing to model this for me."

  "Thank you for asking. I'm excited to wear it for you. Tierra gave me a peek at your line. I think you're going to go big."

  Hearing those words from Esme, from a supermodel who wore the latest fashions from the biggest designers, made her heart race. "Thank you. I really hope so."

  After Esme tried on the other two outfits, she left, and Carolina huddled with her staff, making some notes and adjustments. A few other models showed up, so they spent several hours doing final fittings and discussing alterations. She and her staff grabbed lunch and ate in the main sewing room together. She didn't get back to her office until dark. That's when she realized she'd left her phone on her desk. She'd missed several calls, and a return text from Drew.

  I have an hour or so right now. After that I'm headed out of town. Want me to come over now?

  That had been seven hours ago. She scrolled through her missed calls and saw that Drew had called, too.

  She tried calling him, but got his voice mail. He was likely already on a plane headed for . . . somewhere. She left him a message apologizing for missing his call, and told him to call her when he got back to town.

  Dammit. She couldn't believe she'd missed him. And now that she knew he was going to be out of town for at least a couple of days . . . she missed him already. Not just because she had deadlines to meet, but because she missed being with him. Work separated them so frequently that she could have at least spent an hour with him today.

  She went home, disgusted, and warmed up a can of soup, eating in front of the television as she worked on her schedule.

  There wasn't even any decent hockey on tonight.

  When her phone rang, she grabbed it, smiling when she saw it was Drew.

  "Hi," she said after she clicked the button.

  "Hi yourself. Busy day?"

  "Insanely. I apologize for missing your text and your phone call. I was in the workshop and left my phone on my desk. I'm clearly in idiot mode this week."

  He laughed. "That's okay. I figured you were buried."

  "No excuse, since I'm the one who bugged you. Are you settled in wherever you are?"

  "I'm in Toronto, and yeah. Cold here."

  "I'm sure it is. How long is the out-of-town trip?"

  "I'll be back Friday. Can we arrange something then?"

  "Let me take a look at my schedule. Hang on."

  Her staff wasn't due to work over the weekend, but she could handle it. She pulled up her phone. "How about Saturday? Do you have a game?"

  "I do Saturday night, but we could do it in the morning."

  She chewed on her lip. She didn't want to be pressed for time. "How about Monday?"

  "That'll work."

  "Great. Thanks for making time for this."

  "No problem. We'll get it done."

  "I'm really sorry I didn't get to see you today. I was sad that I missed you and would have been happy to see you for that hour." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she'd thought about them. Now they were out there, a confession of sorts. It was the first time she'd said anything even close to her feelings. She cringed, even as she said them, wondering how he'd react.

  "Yeah? I miss you too, Lina. I know we haven't been able to spend a lot of time
together. Our schedules kind of suck right now, so I was looking forward to getting an hour of your time this morning before I had to fly out."

  She palmed her stomach, rubbing the ache of loss. "I'm sorry. Again. I seem to be saying those words a lot lately. My head is going in a million directions right now. Normally my phone is on me at all times. I tossed it on my desk and promptly forgot about it."

  "Babe. It's okay," he said, and she heard the laughter in his voice. "It's not like we're never going to see each other again. Monday, right?"

  "Yes. Monday. But that's five days away. Right now it seems like an eternity."

  She knew she was being foolish. She'd be swamped between now and Monday and wouldn't even think about Drew.

  Much.

  "We could always have hot phone sex every night. Then you wouldn't miss me as much."

  Her body coiled with need, desire driving a pulsing sensation deep in her core. "I've never had phone sex before."

  "Neither have I."

  She settled onto the sofa. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."

  "Why's that?"

  "I don't know. It seems to me you've done just about everything."

  "I'd never had sex at the Garden. Definitely never had a blow job on the ice before. That was a first. You've given me some mind-numbing firsts, Miss Preston."

  She loved when he got formal with her. "We've had some firsts together, then."

  "It's too bad it's not spring or summer. I'd like to take you outside on your garden patio and make love to you out there."

  She took a deep breath, imagining him pushing her up against the wall, sliding his cock inside her as a warm summer breeze blew over both of them. The flowers would be in bloom and the scent of jasmine would waft over her as Drew thrust into her, slow and easy.

  She leaned back on her sofa and closed her eyes, her hand drifting down to cover her pussy. She ached with need for Drew, wanted him here with her right now.

  "What are you thinking about?" Drew asked.

  "You and me, up against the wall on my terrace in the summer. I'd wear a dress--no panties, of course--so all you'd have to do is unzip your pants and you could be inside me."

  "You're making me hard, Lina."

  "Are you touching yourself?"

  "Yes."

  This was thrilling, talking about sex over the phone. Not nearly as good as having him here with her, but her nipples were hard and her pussy wet. She slid her hand inside her panties, her fingers cool against her heated flesh.

  "What are you doing, Lina?"

  "I have my hand inside my panties and I'm rubbing my clit."

  "Christ."

  "And you?"

  "I've got a stranglehold on my dick. Just listening to you breathe hard could make me come. Not to mention visualizing you touching your pussy."

  She smiled at that, loved that she could push him right to the edge without him even seeing her. "I can't help it. You make me hot."

  "Get hotter. Tell me what you do to get yourself off when I'm not around."

  She pushed her sweats and panties down. "I rub my clit, and put two fingers inside me, pumping as if your cock is in me."

  Now it was her turn to feel as if she was ready to come, because the sounds she heard over the phone were driving her crazy. It was almost as if she could hear him stroking his shaft. And his deep, harsh breaths were the most powerful aphrodisiac she'd ever heard.

  "Sometime when we're together, I'm going to show you how I jack off. At the same time, you're going to rub your pussy and make yourself come for me."

  She widened her legs and slid her fingers deeper inside her pussy, felt it tighten around her fingers as she hurried her strokes. "Yes. I want to watch you stroke yourself, want to see the come spurt out of you."

  "Fuck. Fuck. I'm going to come, Lina."

  "Yes. Oh, yes, Drew. I'm coming." She couldn't hold back her climax, and came, letting Drew hear it as she cried out. He returned the favor, increasing her pleasure as he groaned into the phone with his own orgasm.

  For a while after that, all she heard was both of them breathing heavily.

  "I'm going to need a minute here. Don't go away," he said.

  "Okay."

  Every part of her trembled as she stood and went into the bathroom. When she came back, she grabbed her tea and took a sip to coat her dry throat.

  Wow. She felt dizzy, but she smiled.

  "Still there?" he asked.

  "Yes."

  "That was fun."

  "It was."

  "Not as much fun as it would have been if I was there with you. But it'll do until I see you again."

  "I'll definitely sleep tonight now. I thought for sure I'd pace all night long. Thank you, Drew."

  "I'll talk to you again tomorrow night after my game, if you're up for it."

  She smiled. "I'm definitely up for it."

  "Night, Lina."

  "Good night, Drew."

  She hung up and laid her phone down, staring at all the paperwork she'd carelessly tossed onto the floor. Her most important work, cast aside in favor of phone sex.

  She giggled and kneeled to pick it all up and re-sort it.

  Sometimes even important work had to be put aside for really great sex.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  CAROLINA COULDN'T HELP THE SURGE OF PRIDE AND absolute awe as she watched her brother modeling her clothes. Gray had the perfect form for modeling, and as much as he hated it, he could walk a runway. The fit was excellent and wouldn't need much in the way of changes at all.

  "God, that guy is hot," Evelyn said as she sat in the chair next to Carolina.

  Carolina grinned. "And your hormones must be surging."

  "That they are. But I'd think he was hot even if I wasn't pregnant." After the staff hustled Gray into the dressing room for a change, Evelyn turned to her. "You've done an amazing job, Carolina. I'm going to want to order all those clothes for Gray. He looks hot as hell in them. I would say, like they were made for him, but really, they were."

  Carolina laughed. "They do look good on him, don't they? I'm really pleased with how everything turned out."

  "You should be. How's your stress level right now?"

  "Actually, not as bad as I thought it would be. Things are running pretty smoothly and I'm more or less on schedule." Carolina glanced at the dressing room, and not seeing Gray, she pulled out her notebook. "Since Gray's no doubt being stuck with pins at the moment, I have a few wedding dress concepts I'd like you to look at."

  Evelyn's eyes widened. "Seriously? Already? I didn't think you'd have any time to work on or even think about my wedding dress until after the launch of your line."

  Carolina shrugged. "It's a stress reliever and takes my mind off this whole Fashion Week thing. And when an idea pops into my head, I can't help but work on it."

  She showed the drawings to Evelyn. "These are only concepts. Not fully fleshed out yet, just a few ideas."

  Carolina held her breath, watching as Evelyn flipped through the three dress concepts she'd created. Evelyn looked at each one, studying them carefully, then going over them all again, which Carolina appreciated.

  Evelyn laid her hand over the notebook and lifted her gaze to Carolina. The excitement on her face was evident. "These are gorgeous, Carolina. But how am I supposed to choose just one? Is it possible to wear three wedding dresses?"

  Carolina exhaled, then laughed. "I'm so glad you like them."

  "Like them? I love them. All of them. Oh, my God, they're amazing. I can't believe you designed these in the short time since Christmas."

  Carolina flipped through each one, discussing how they could make subtle changes. "Anything you want, however you want it, we can alter. We can even take portions of one dress and add it to the other. And each one can be easily altered for your expanding waistline."

  Evelyn grinned. "That'll be helpful, since I have no idea how big I'll be by May."

  "How are you feeling, by the way?"

  "Surprisingly g
ood so far. No morning sickness. A little tired, but your father is giving me a lot of leeway in that regard. He's already told me to hire an assistant to help me out because he doesn't want me to work so hard."

  "Well, that is his grandchild you're carrying. I don't think he wants you working twelve-hour days right now."

  "I've been to see the doctor, who assures me I'm perfectly healthy and can carry on my normal duties for as long as I feel like it, so I'm thrilled about that. But I have a feeling your father is going to be watching me like a hawk the entire time. Along with Gray."

  Carolina nodded. "And my mother."

  "Yes."

  "How did your parents take the news?"

  "They were elated," Evelyn said with a wide grin. "They're so excited about the baby and the wedding. We're all getting together next weekend in D.C. along with Gray's parents to talk wedding planning. I'll be sure to take a lot of notes since I know you'll be too busy to attend."

  "Thanks. I'll get up to speed on the whole wedding-planning thing with you as soon as I get Fashion Week out of the way."

  "Honestly, Carolina, there's no hurry. I think with your mother in charge, neither you nor I will have to do much of anything, anyway. Which gives me a huge sense of relief."

  Carolina laughed. "You're probably right."

  "So back to the dresses. Can I get copies of these to look at?"

  "Of course. I'll email them to you."

  "And you won't give these to anyone else until I choose one?"

  "Absolutely not. You're my first--and so far my only--wedding dress client."

  Evelyn laid her hand over her heart. "I'm so honored by this, Carolina. And I love these dresses so much. But I think I already know which one I'm in love with."

  "Which one?"

  Evelyn scrolled to the second one. "This one. The scalloped edges and the sweetheart neckline. It's so modern, yet classic and traditional at the same time. And with the empire waist, I think it'll fit the expanding baby belly perfectly. It's the one that's in my head right now."

  "I'm so glad. I think a dress like that will look beautiful on you."

  "So do I. But I want to look at all of them again, just to be sure."

  "I'll email them to you, and you can show the moms and get their opinions."

  "Oh, good idea. Thank you, I'll do that."

  Gray emerged from the dressing room and Carolina quickly closed the file. "But not the groom-to-be."

  "Definitely not."

  "What are you two talking about?" Gray asked.

  "Wedding dresses," Evelyn said. "Which you can't see."