Love on Ice (Cannon City Series Book 2)

by Lauren Marie

  The room went dead silent, except for the gurgle from the coffee maker. Jay felt a weight land on his shoulders and he wasn’t sure what he should do first. Did he need to hold Kate and comfort her or go find her mother and give her a piece of his mind? He felt torn between worry and anger.

  Kate sat back and pinched her nose with fingers. “Unbelievable. You were right, Frank. This is weird.”

  “Max Hardy DVD’s can be really brutal. I read there isn’t any form of sex he hasn’t touched on in his little films. Bondage, bestiality, orgies, you name it and he’ll film it. The one thing, Kate, is that your mother never came right out and said that’s what they’re after. She never said she wants you for porn films, but when you hear the good news it will have to make you wonder.”

  Jay stood up and pulled the cabinet door open. He took three mugs out and slammed the door shut. He poured three cups of coffee and took them to the table. When he sat back down, he saw Frank watched him. “What?” he asked.

  “I know your pissed, Jay. Tone it down, okay. I’ve said it before; I don’t want to have to defend you right now.”

  Jay nodded and put his arm around Kate’s shoulders. “So what is the good news?”

  Frank looked at Kate. “Your dad is alive. Your mother divorced him three years ago, but he’s alive and well in Portland. I got in touch with him this morning and he wants to talk to you, Kate. I’m supposed to call him later and let him know if you’ll agree to see him. Your dad says he can get a flight and be here by tomorrow. The fact that your mother lied about him being dead makes me wonder about her motivations. I think she wants you for the money that can be made off the films. I doubt she’d come right out and admit it, but that’s what I believe.”

  “And that’s all she wants me for is the money. That’s what you’re saying?” Kate said.

  “That’s what I truly believe.” Frank nodded.

  Jay tried to take her hand, but she pushed him away. She stood up and stared at Frank. She started to say something, but stopped and left the table.

  Jay watched her head to the living-room. “Frank, how about I call you later. You can take the coffee with you.”

  “I brought bagels,” Frank said and looked at Jay. He nodded. “We still need to discuss which subject to focus on first. Go to her and we’ll enjoy breakfast after a bit.”

  Jay got up and followed Kate. He saw the doors to the deck open and she stood at the rail, her hands tightly held onto the wooden post. He could see white spots on her knuckles.

  “Babe.” He stood next to her, but didn’t touch her.

  “Jay,” she said and her voice cracked. “Remember when we ate lunch a couple of weeks ago? I told you when things get too close, it’s time for me to leave. And sometime later you said if I felt panicked I should let you know and we’d talk about it? ” She looked up at him as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  Jay felt scared. Her eyes looked angry and hard, but tears ran from them. He could tell she was hurt and wanted to hold her. As he reached up to touch her cheek, she moved back a step. He dropped his hand. “Fine, we’ll both go. Give me half an hour to pack up some stuff. We’ll take the Jeep and head out.”

  “That’s really nice of you, but no. I wanted too much. I felt lonely and thought maybe I could have a normal relationship, but...” She looked away from him at the back yard. “I don’t think it’s in my cards to ever be happy. For some reason the Gods are against me. You can’t leave, Jay. You have family and friends here and you’d only end up hating me for taking you away.”

  Jay moved up to her and put one hand behind her neck. The other slid around her waist. She tried to push him away, but he pulled her close and rested his head on her shoulder.

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, Kate, I can’t live without you now and if it means we leave together, then so be it.”

  Kate stopped trying to push him away and he straightened. He saw her frown and her eyebrows folded together. “Jay, why are you shaking?”

  “You’re scaring the crap out of me, sweetheart. I find someone for the first time in my life and for some crazy cosmic reason I love her more than anything and because of outside troubles she’s threatening to disappear from my life. I can understand how people sometimes go completely mad and do terrible things, because if I don’t leave with you that might be me. I seriously want to hurt your mother. Sweetheart, please, let me help you fight her.”

  Kate put her hand on his chest. He let go of her neck and put his hand over hers. “Jay, think what this will mean for you. I can’t ask you to do this,” she said.

  “Babe, don’t make me strap you down with duct tape and keep you captive.” He moved his hands down her shoulders and held onto her upper arms.

  She looked at him and her frown got deeper. “This is not funny, Jay, and you said you weren’t into bondage.” She hit him on the shoulder.

  “Are you pissed at me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, hold that feeling and let me help.” He looked into her eyes and knew she was confused.

  “Excuse me,” Frank said from the door. “I’m not sure about the duct tape thing, but I want to help, too. Kate, you’ve got to know if Jay’s begging then I think you’re going to have a hard time getting rid of him.”

  Jay watched her expression soften and she grabbed onto his shirt.

  “I need to think. I’m going to take a shower.” She looked up at him.

  “Can I join you?” Jay asked and kept hold of her arms.

  “No, I need some space for a little while. Talk to Frank and drink too much coffee.” She let go of his shirt and walked into the house.

  ****

  Kate let the hot water pound onto her neck and shoulders. She wanted to scream, cry, beat up on something and laugh hysterically all at once. She placed her hands on the tiles and put her head down between her arms. The warm water moved down her back and legs and helped with the chill that over took her. A voice kept a litany going in her brain. Over and over it said the time had come to find a bus out of Colorado. It stabbed at her heart to think she might hurt Jay. The thought of him leaving Canon City with her was impossible. He’d been so kind to offer, but she couldn’t ask him to give up his life.

  She put her head on her arm on the shower wall. Besides her brain telling her to leave, it screamed at her about her mother’s lies. That woman’s lies affected her life for far too long and she felt angry at herself for being scared. She’d let everything her mother said make her feel small, afraid and vulnerable.

  She turned off the water, dried off and got dressed. She used Jay’s hair dryer and brush and looked at herself in the mirror. There she saw a woman who didn’t want to run anymore. She was tired and wanted a life. She wanted to be a part of something and not be on the outside anymore. She felt sick of watching people around her enjoy their lives.

  Kate put her socks on and went down the stairs. Jay and Frank still sat at the kitchen table. They’d torn open Franks bag of bagels and prepared them, but neither man had touched the food. She walked over to Jay and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his neck and sat down next to him.

  “Do you want some coffee, babe?” Jay asked.

  “No, not right now.” She wove her fingers through his and put their hands on her lap. “I’ve made a decision.” Jay and Frank both looked at her expectantly. “Frank, would you call my dad and tell him I’ve got my hands full with my mother. Tell him when she’s gone, I’ll think more seriously about contacting him.”

  “Got it,” Frank said.

  “So, other than killing my mother and burying the body up in the mountains, how do I get rid of her?”

  “I can have my assistant file the restraining order today. It will keep her at least one thousand feet away from you. I’ve also got papers ready for a harassment suit. We can threaten her
with it and ask for an ungodly amount of mental compensation.”

  “Frank, the only thing I want from her is to never see her again. I know we’re supposed to forgive, but it’s going to be a really long time, if ever, before that happens. Even if we won against her, I don’t want money. I just want her to agree never to step near me again.” Kate stood up and went to the coffee maker. She found the cups and poured. “Wait a minute, I had a cup of coffee...”

  “It got cold, babe. I cleaned the cup and put it away.”

  She nodded and carried the new cup to the table.

  “Kate, I contacted Harry and let him know, again, you won’t be at work tonight and will probably be out the rest of the week. He said not to worry, your job is safe,” Frank said. “I’m going to set up a meeting with your mother as soon as we can.”

  “Frank, is there any way you could have this conference without me? It makes me so uncomfortable to be around her and I’d rather not attend.” The last thing she wanted was to deal with her mother. A plan started to form in her head, but she didn’t have it complete yet. She knew there was only one answer to her problem.

  “We need to do this. If we face her head on, you’ll be finished with her forever and can look to the future. If we don’t get the ball rolling, you’ll still be looking over your shoulder and I know you don’t want that, sweetheart,” Frank said.

  “Okay then let’s do it. The sooner the better.” She took a sip of coffee and then looked at both of them. Her eyes settled on Jay. “I want to run. I think it’s ingrained into my genes. It’s really hard not to go and pack my bag.” She looked at his eyes and put her hand on his cheek.

  “Are you two certain you don’t want to use my cabin for a few days?” Frank asked.

  “That’s very nice, but I’ve decided not to run. My head still wants to go to the bus station and get out of Colorado.” She ran her thumb over Jay’s lips and leaned over to kiss him. “I want to fight it as much as possible. I think what Jay and I have is more important than any threats my mother can dish out. It’s time I stopped being scared all the time and fight for what I want. Thank you for the offer, Frank.”

  “Jay, you’re awfully quiet over there. Are you okay?”

  Kate saw Jay look across the table at Frank and nod. “I’m just watching my woman stake her claim and enjoying every minute of it.” Jay smiled and squeezed her hand.

  Frank shook his head. “All right then, I’ve got some work to do and I’ll contact you later with the time of the meeting.” He put his bagel onto a napkin and stood up. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Frank, get some rest. You look done in,” Kate said and smiled.

  They both said goodbye, but didn’t leave the table and sat quietly for a few minutes. Kate finally turned sideways on her chair and put her feet on the crossbar of his.

  “Jay, sweetheart, good-looking man, darling, dear...hmm, what other endearments can I use?” She put her hand on his shoulder.

  He leaned on her knees. “How about scorching hot dude or luscious lips?”

  “I did say good-looking man.”

  “Yeah, but I’m more than just good, right?”

  Kate laughed and moved her hands around his neck. “Yeah, you are. Thank you for being so incredibly patient today. I still want to run, but the part that wants to fight for you - for us - has gotten a little bigger. Little bigger? I wonder if that’s correct.”

  Jay took hold of her leg and started to pull it over his legs. He leaned over and grabbed her rear end. He pulled her onto his lap and kept his hands on her behind. “You were too far away from me. You’re welcome.” He moved his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

  “Babe, I can’t guarantee I won’t ever not want to run, but I can work on it and try to keep the panic under control. I just...I don’t want...”

  He let her sit up straight. “What?”

  “I don’t want you to get frustrated with me. It’s got to be difficult for you to put up with all this crap. I’m so sorry to drag you into it.”

  He put his hands on either side of her face and looked into her eyes. “Kate, you are who you are and I don’t expect you to change for me. The only thing I ask is that you don’t push me away anymore and don’t run. That hurts my heart more than anything. We can get this worked out.”

  “That’s two things, Jay.” She put her hand on his cheek and kissed his lips. She felt his hands move back down to her waist and then up under her shirt.

  “You’re right. How can you stand a boyfriend who can’t even count?”

  “I’ll have to suffer.” She licked his lip and put hers fully on his. She swept her tongue over his, around his teeth and brushed his top lip and sucked it.

  “Babe, before we digress into two overly horny people I just want to make sure we’re okay. I need to know you’re really going to stay and not run.” He looked up at her.

  Kate gazed at his brown eyes and heard the overwhelming need in his voice. “Yeah, we’re good and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Okay. Good.” He smiled. “This shirt needs to come off then.” He kissed her. “Please.”

  “Oh, all right. If you insist.” She pulled the shirt off and unhooked her bra. She sighed as his hands moved along her sides to frame her breasts. “I do love the way you touch me,” she said as his fingers moved over her nipple and he kissed her shoulder.

  “I love you so much, Kate. You do know that, right?”

  “Yeah, I know. I love you, too.”

  She saw his eyes go down to her chest and he grinned. “Babe, you are so beautiful. I hope you don’t have any plans this afternoon. I think we’re going to be very busy.” He looked up at her. “We’ll most likely need to take another shower.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  They spent the rest of the day relaxed and lazy. Kate tried to get Jay to go into the rink, but he didn’t want to leave her. As much as she guaranteed she wouldn’t run, she could tell he had a hard time letting go of what he felt. She was glad that they were honest with each other about the relationship. He did apologize to her and said he worried that she might feel he didn’t trust her not to run. Kate understood that she hadn’t given him much of a reason to trust her for not disappearing. Since they’d only known each other a couple of weeks, they agreed they still had a lot to learn about one another.

  In the evening, they went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered take-out. They brought it back to his house and watched a movie while they ate broccoli beef, almond chicken and fried rice. When Kate broke open a fortune cookie the note inside said, You will get all you desire. This caused her to cry and another long discussion started about hope. Jay told her to think positively and remember the good guys always win.

  Kate knew that what she wanted to do was going to be very difficult. Guilt stabbed at her heart because she felt sure if she went through with her plan, Jay would no longer be a part of her life. She didn’t have a clue if she could pull it off, but would have to wait for the right time.

  “Jay, tell me some good tips to deal with my mother.” Kate lay on her side and moved her hand on his chest.

  “What do you mean?” He put his hand over hers and then kissed her palm.

  She propped up on her elbow and looked down at him. “At the diner, I started the discussion with her and felt sort of indifferent. It really didn’t matter to me what she thought, but by the end I was scared again.”

  “Right, your mom pushed at your emotional buttons and played a guilt card or tried to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That business about not respecting her...when we’re kids we usually are brought up and taught, thou shalt love thy mother and father, but these days if parents treat the kids bad, how can the kids be expected to respect them? So, if your mom tries to push your guilt button, don’t let her. Remember how m
ad you are about the way she hasn’t respected you. She can threaten all she wants, but it’s just her way to feel superior over you. She gets off on it. I know it’s easier said than done, but just ignore her.”

  “Jay, did you just quote the Ten Commandments?”

  “Yeah, I went to Sunday school and everything, when I was little,” he said with a sing-song voice.

  “You’re a smart, scorching hot man.” She put her head back on his chest.

  “Not so smart. I have a hard time writing complete sentences and I don’t even want to talk about math. My accountant double checks my numbers every month.” He rolled her onto her back and kissed her neck. “Would you like to do a skate around tonight?”

  “I don’t know. I’m full of fried rice and I like the peace I’m experiencing right now.” She smiled at him. “It would also mean I have to get up and get dressed. I just want to hold you right now.”

  “Then we’ll stay put and I’ll worship your body some more.” He leaned toward her and brushed her lips. “Why do you have such a huge grin on your face?”

  “You crack me up sometimes. Worship my body?” She laughed.

  “Hey, in case you hadn’t noticed” - he moved down a little and cupped her breast with his hand - “I’m totally addicted to your breasts. They’re better than drugs any day of the week. They make me high, but I can still drive and don’t get a hangover.”

  She continued to laugh and tried to turn on her side, but Jay pinned her down. His lips kissed the soft skin on one of her breasts and caused her to moan.

  They heard his phone ring and quieted down. Jay’s head popped up and he frowned. “Damn, it never fails.” He reached for the phone and looked at the screen. “It’s Frank.” He hit the receive button. “Hey. What’s up?”

  Kate looked up at him and could hear Frank’s voice, but it sounded like a squeaky toy.

  “Okay...yep, tomorrow. We’ll be there. Good.” He clicked the phone off and put it on the nightstand. “We have a meeting tomorrow at 11:00 o’clock.”