Melting The Ice

by Amy Leigh Napier

  “Somehow I doubt that.” He said before ending the call and flopping back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. He knew that day wasn’t coming any time soon.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “How come you’re swimming in our pool, Aunt Ava?” Seven year old, Madelyn Talbot questioned her aunt who was floating aimlessly on a float with her sunglasses over her eyes.

  “She just felt like coming over to visit you, Miss Nosy.” Macy responded to her daughter, laughing at Ava’s uncomfortable look.

  “But I wanted to go over to Aunt Ava’s and swim with Cian and Max. Max is leaving in a few days and I won’t get to play with him anymore.” Maddie wailed plaintively, as if it were the end of the world. Cian and Max had won Maddie over easily, especially Max. Ava’s theory was Max was on the same wavelength as a seven year-old, being an overgrown kid himself.

  “I know, Honey, that’s why Cian and Max are coming over to swim with you.” Macy responded with a smile for her daughter. Ava immediately flipped her glasses up to the top of her head and glared at Macy. Macy glanced over at her and snorted. “Somebody needs to get over herself.” Ava pulled the glasses back over her eyes and let out a sigh. She hadn’t felt like herself since the night she’d broken up with Cian. Broken up was really not the right term, she thought peevishly, since they hadn’t been dating. They had been having sex and now they weren’t…only it didn’t feel like she’d lost a sex partner; it felt like she’d lost her best friend. It had only been a week but it felt longer. She wasn’t sleeping or eating much and her emotions were all over the place; something she hated. She despised females that carried on like they couldn’t live without a man and here she was, not acting any better. But no matter how much she preached at herself, she couldn’t seem to let it go and move on.

  She had never had any trouble moving on and it absolutely infuriated her that Cian had made her care about him when he was nothing but a liar. To make matters worse, he had stopped even trying to talk to her. The first couple of days, he’d repeatedly tried to explain but she wouldn’t listen to him. She didn’t listen to Max when he came trying to change her mind either. The last few nights, Cian and Max had taken off in the evenings and not returned until the early hours of the morning. Max was still as charming as ever but Cian ignored her for the most part if they had to be around each other. The last couple days he mostly avoided her. He wasn’t supposed to be avoiding her. She was avoiding him! Didn’t he know how this game was played?

  She wondered for probably the hundredth time if she had overreacted. Cian had lied; she knew that without a shadow of a doubt, but should she have listened to his explanations? She had been burned so badly by Patrick and his lies. She had loved him and stubbornly stayed with him for years after she should have moved on. He had cheated on her repeatedly, lied to her even more and had been emotionally abusive to her. It had taken actually catching him with another woman for her to admit what she had known all along; he was not a good man and didn’t love her. She had been like a drug addict in detox when she’d broken things off with him for good. Of course, Patrick being Patrick, he hadn’t believed she could really be done with him. At first, he’d set back waiting to see how long it would take before she came crawling back. When he realized she wasn’t crawling back, he’d started trying to sweet talk her and bought her little gifts, but she’d refused to take his calls or see him and had returned his gifts. None of that had stopped Patrick, though, as evidenced by the scene at the Greenbrier and the resulting video. She had been split up with Patrick seven years and he still took every opportunity to unsettle her. Not Cian, though, she thought with disgust. A few days of the cold shoulder and he was out living it up with his buddy, not worried about her one way or the other. It had been easy to delude herself into believing they were just having casual sex, despite there being nothing casual about sex with Cian. Maybe if he hadn’t been staying in her home with her, she could have avoided all this attachment but he was in her house and daily proximity to him had lulled her into a false sense of security. She hadn’t wanted to care about him at all; hadn’t wanted to like him as a person, enjoy his sense of humor or crave his body next to hers at night. Apparently wanting wasn’t enough because all of that had happened and now she was miserable. She slipped off the float and swam to the steps, grabbing her towel from a lounger and pulled on her cover up.

  “Where are you going or do I even need to ask?” Macy asked snidely. “Running from him again?” Ava’s hands settled on her hips as she turned to glare at her best friend who was regarding her with raised eyebrows.

  “I’m going in the house to get a drink.” Ava snapped, causing Maddie to turn to look at her. Ava managed to put a smile on her face. “Would you all like anything while I’m in there?” Macy chuckled and shook her head. Ava stuck out her tongue and stomped into the cool interior of Macy’s house, heading for the bathroom. She strolled back into the kitchen a few minutes later, having changed into a pair of cut offs and a t-shirt. Cian stood there looking in the massive Subzero refrigerator with a beer in his hand. She came to a sudden halt as he glanced over his shoulder and saw her standing there looking uncertain. They stood there looking at each for long moments before Cian cleared his throat and held the beer out to her.

  “Want one?” he asked warily. She studied him for another moment before nodding her head.

  “Sure, thanks.” She responded, crossing to where he stood to take the cold bottle from his hand. Their fingertips brushed, sending an electric shock up her arm. He jerked his hand back, looking at her searchingly before turning to get another beer from the refrigerator. Twisting the cap off the bottle, she took a long drink. She moved to lean against the counter, waiting for Cian to turn around and look at her. When he did, his brows were drawn down with irritation.

  “What do you want, Ava?” He asked his tone surly. She looked at him closely, seeing not only the anger in him but the hurt as well. Macy had been preaching at her for days about ending up a lonely old woman if she didn’t learn to compromise. Ava had been cutting men off at the knees for years and it was hard to adjust to letting something slide from the first man she had cared about since Patrick. If she didn’t, though, she was going to lose him completely and she couldn’t stand the thought of things ending like this between them. She placed her beer on the counter and slowly moved towards him, watching for his reaction. His eyes gave nothing away as she approached. Her arms went around his hard midsection, her head against his chest. He hesitated for a long moment, holding himself stiffly against her, before his arms folded around her and he rested his chin on top of her head.

  “I’m sorry.” She whispered softly, nestling closer to him, loving being back in his arms after a long week without him. She pulled back far enough to look up into dark eyes that were regarding her warily. She smiled at that. “It was none of my business what you and Max…” His mouth captured hers, his tongue licking into her mouth in a hot, wet kiss that had any thoughts of talking spinning away. Her knees weakened at the onslaught, only his tight hold on her keeping her from sinking to the tile floor. She groaned into his mouth, her hands coming up to entangle in his silky hair, slanting her mouth across his to suck his tongue. A growl rumbled from deep inside him as his hands slid boldly down her backside to grip her thighs; spreading her legs and lifting her to the countertop in the same motion. She gasped into his mouth when he moved in to rub his erection against her center. She locked her ankles at the small of his back, using the strength in her legs to pull him more tightly to her, finding a rhythm that had their breath coming hard and fast. He tore his lips from hers to move across her cheek, his lips kissing their way to her ear. She moaned helplessly when his wicked tongue teased the delicate shell of her ear before dipping inside. Her hips jerked involuntarily against him, her moans becoming louder when his hand slid under her t-shirt to cup a breast, his thumb tenderly abrading the nipple to a hard point.

  “Damn, Baby…” His breath left him in a rush when her teeth nipped
at his throat. “I missed you so much...” His words were low and harsh, his mouth coming down hard on hers for another wet, open-mouthed kiss, their hands tearing at each other’s clothes.

  “Not on my Quartz countertops!” Macy’s shrill voice broke them apart. Cian turned so quickly Ava’s legs were still wrapped around his waist. She squealed when she was abruptly jerked from the countertop, her hands grabbing frantically at his shoulders to keep from landing on the floor. His arm slid under her rear, rescuing her from injury at the last second. Macy burst into laughter at their identical disgruntled expressions.

  “Macy!” Ava huffed out as Cian set her feet on the floor, his arm on her waist keeping her close, his hard erection pressing against the small of her back while they tried to get their breathing under control.

  “Don’t ‘Macy’ me…you were getting ready to do it in my kitchen, may I remind you?” Macy snickered at them. “As thrilled as I am you two have made up, I must draw the line at allowing you all to do it where my food is prepared.”

  After Macy had left them alone in the kitchen again, Cian pulled her to him, his lips brushing hers in a tender kiss and rested his forehead against hers. He was happy they had started making up but despite Ava saying it was none of her business, he knew the time had come for him to come clean with her; it was past time. Over the last week, it had become very clear to him that he more than liked Ava; he thought he might love her. And the only way for him to have a chance at a real relationship with her was to lay it all out for her, beg for forgiveness and hope and pray he could make her understand. The way she was smiling at him right then gave him hope; like she just might love him back. “Can we go to your house and talk?” he asked softly. She gazed into his eyes for a long moment, some unnamed emotion shining from the deep blue depths before she kissed him quickly and reluctantly pulled away.

  “Maddie will never forgive me if I take you away from her. We’ll have to be patient for a couple of hours.” He grinned broadly, being a full partner in the mutual admiration society he, Maddie and Max had going on. “But after that…” she said, her voice low and husky, her tongue slipping out to taste him on her lips. “We can most definitely go to my house and…talk.”

  He swallowed hard, knowing he would be hard pressed to keep his hands off of her long enough to carry on this dreaded conversation. It had been a long seven days. “Okay, but when we get home, we have to talk.” He stated, his eyes holding her gaze in an attempt to convey the seriousness of the situation. She smiled up at him before rising on her toes to lightly rub her lips against his for a quick kiss.

  “Okay, we can talk.” She said against his mouth. He laughed and smacked her on her rear before sliding his arm around her waist, their hips bumping against each other when he led back outside to rejoin their friends by the pool. He pulled a chair out for her across from Macy, dropped a quick kiss on her lips and after whipping off his t-shirt, executed a perfect cannonball into the pool, drenching Max and Maddie who had been in the middle of a game of Marco Polo. Maddie screamed as Max snatched her up, locating her easily thanks to Cian’s huge splash. Macy poured Sangria from the sweating crystal pitcher into a frosted tumbler for Ava, her grin knowing and smug.

  “That was fast.” Macy commented idly, smiling as she watched her daughter wrap two big, brawny men around her little seven year-old finger. “They are so good with her.” Maddie let out a squeal of delight as Max let her tag him and very dramatically declared Maddie a cheater. She vehemently denied the charges, enlisting Cian’s support in her defense.

  “Maybe...but I don’t care.” Ava sighed with pleasure, feeling all was right in her world for the first time in over a week. Her eyes ate up the sight of Cian’s bulging pecs and washboard stomach; he was so ripped and sexy. She couldn’t wait to get him home and let him give her body what it had been missing…after they talked. Maybe they could talk later.

  “So all is forgiven?” Macy questioned, watching Ava intently. Ava shrugged, not quite meeting the all-seeing eyes of her oldest friend, not wanting to dwell on any remaining doubts. She had been too miserable the last week to even consider anything but compromise.

  “Why are you making such a big deal of this?” Ava’s tone was defensive, her expression turning brooding. “It’s not a big deal…”

  Macy scoffed. “It is a big deal and you need to stop pretending otherwise.” Macy’s voice was pitched low for Ava’s ears only, her words not intended for any of the trio in the pool. “How many men have you dated since Pat the Rat?”

  Ava flashed an irritated look at Macy, sometimes hating dealing with people who actually knew her. When one had been friends with someone as long as she had been with Macy, it was impossible to fudge history to suit oneself. “I don’t know. Maybe I should consult the notches on my bedpost.” She snarled sarcastically. Macy rolled her eyes.

  “Don’t get pissy because you don’t want to answer my question.” Macy retorted. “You know damn well what I mean so stop with the innocent act. Seeing Ava Talbot compromise with a man is like seeing Halley’s Comet…it only happens once in a lifetime.” Macy snickered at Ava’s narrow-eyed expression, completely unconcerned with her friend’s displeasure. Listening to Ava’s denials was an entertainment all its own. “You have kicked men to the curb over squeezing the toothpaste tube from the middle…”

  “I have not!” Ava expression and voice were full of exasperation. Macy shrugged.

  “Maybe not that specifically, but I’ve seen you cut men off without a second thought for minor infractions that even teenage couples would be able to work through.” Macy reached out and patted Ava’s hands, her voice softening. “All I’m saying is you care enough about Cian to compromise and give him a chance. That’s huge for you!” Ava felt her face heat with embarrassment but managed to meet Macy’s searching gaze straight on. She was a grown woman and could admit when someone had a valid point.

  “I know.” She said quietly, letting out a long sigh and sipped at her Sangria.

  “Hey,” Macy teased, trying to lighten the mood. “This is a good thing. I’m happy you have finally fallen in love with someone besides…” Ava choking on her Sangria effectively brought Macy’s words to a halt.

  “Love?” Ava croaked out, her eyes wide with alarm. “I’m not in love with Cian!” she declared adamantly. Macy gave her a pitying look.

  “Sure you’re not.” Macy rolled her eyes as she came to her feet, laying her sunglasses on the tabletop and removing her cover-up. Executing a perfect running dive, Macy left Ava alone at the table with her thoughts. Ava replayed the conversation with Macy in her head, her mind in turmoil. Macy had lost her mind. She wasn’t in love with Cian Secord…was she? How was she supposed to know that? She’d thought she loved Patrick and look how that turned out. If what she had experienced with Patrick was love, she could go the rest of her life without ever having that experience repeated. Her first instinct was to put the distressing thoughts to the back of her mind to be dealt with at a later date and think happy thoughts…like what she planned to do when she got Cian in bed later that evening. She pondered thoughts of a naked Cian for a few pleasurable moments before giving up with a sigh of disgust. It was impossible to enjoy her fantasy when her mind had him looking at her with pity. Fine, she wasn’t Scarlett O’Hara and she had to think about this today. Life would be so much simpler if she were a character in a movie instead of a seriously screwed up human being. She forced herself to take a long, hard look at their… relationship, she thought with a mental wince at the word. No other word seemed to suffice, though. What she had with Cian was different and…well…kinda…uh, special, her brain stuttered to a stop on that thought. She thought about how she felt when they were together; happy, excited, content… and how she felt when they were apart; miserable, depressed, desolate… and the light begin to dawn. Oh my God…Macy was right. She was in love with Cian…or something damn close to it anyway, she mentally quibbled with herself. A cold finger of fear seemed to travel up her spine f
orcing a shiver out of her. Why did it have to be him that made her feel this way? She hated drama and knew that falling in love with him would result in plenty of it. The twelve year age difference alone would always bring snide comments from some. At best she would be called a Cougar…at worst a child molester. Cian was a ridiculously good-looking man, built like a dream and so overtly male he drew female attention like bees to honey. He didn’t even have to try. She didn’t know if she could deal with all that went with that. In her experience, truly good looking men were a pain in the ass to deal with because there was always another woman that wanted them and were willing to do whatever was necessary, without any regard for right and wrong, to get them. Could she really trust him? She would have to give that some serious thought. Because if she couldn’t, they were doomed; there was no way she could live like that.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Glancing at her reflection in the rearview mirror, Ava’s lips turned up into a big smile; she had been smiling like that all day. Not even an early morning meeting at Jason’s office with the private detective he had hired followed by another two hours with the accountant had managed to dim her mood. After last night, she couldn’t imagine anything upsetting her; Cian had made her a very happy woman. Her mind drifted back over the previous evening, the events running like a movie reel in her mind. They hadn’t left Macy’s until around nine and after a long day of water, sun and Sangria they had both been pleasantly tired and more than a little tipsy. They had intended to talk when they arrived at home but she had wanted to take a shower first. She had no sooner stepped under the hot spray than she felt Cian’s strong arms encircle her waist and his lips at her throat. That had effectively put an end to any conversation for the night other than groaning, moaning each other’s name and few other naughty suggestions and demands. After the third time when they had finally collapsed together in her big bed, Cian had tipped her face up to his until his dark gaze bored into her sleepy blue eyes. “I love you, Ava.” He had stated softly with absolute conviction. Her brain had frozen for what seemed like an eternity but had in fact only been a few seconds when she laid her hand against his cheek and heard herself say. “I love you, too.” The words had rolled easily off her tongue. Before she could have any second thoughts about her response, Cian smiled at her like he’d struck gold and captured her mouth in the sweetest kiss she had ever experienced. The kiss had turned to passion and then they had discovered the difference between sex and making love. He had shown her how he felt with his body making her feel like the most precious woman on earth until they had fell into exhausted sleep, their bodies wrapped close around each other. She was up early for her meetings and he was up early, as he was most days for his mysterious morning workouts, coercing Max into joining him when he could. He had almost made her late when she had stepped into her kitchen in a slim-fitting, sleeveless coral sheath, her wildly curling hair pinned up and contained for the most part and strappy high-heeled sandals. Looking all rumpled and sexy in nothing but a pair of worn jeans riding low on his hips with the top button undone, he leaned against the counter, sipping at a cup of coffee. His eyes had started at the tips of her toes and worked their way up, growing more bright with interest as they climbed. His eyes had met hers when he reached out and snagged her by the waist, pulling her easily against him, a mischievous smile on his face.