Home Ice (10 page)

Putting on a not-so-private show for Dom, Izzy wiggled her petite body and suggestively touched herself. Unable to help himself, Dom joined in. Izzy began running her hands across his chest and practically humped him on the dance floor. Ally laughed at the show they were putting on but never stopped dancing to the music. It felt good. The lights and the room were spinning around her, but then again, that could have been the alcohol. Spinning. Everything spinning.

Ben stood his ground and watched Ally from the shadows. He was fascinated by everything about her. The way she seemed so shy and reserved one minute and then moved her body to the music with no reservations the next. He had noticed her amazing curves before, but now the way the lights illuminated her in that sexy dress. Where did that dress come from? It was a crime against humanity to keep a body like hers hidden under shapeless tee shirts and hospital scrubs.

He licked his lips and watched her hair as it flowed around her, making him ache for her. Her side swept hair hung over one eye and she glanced at him with the other. Her cheeks flushed from the alcohol and the dancing, giving her an amazing rosy glow and her blue eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief.

A smile crept to her lips as if she was putting on a private show for Ben and him alone. She traced her hands from the curve of her hips, up around her waist, to the side of her rounded breasts up to her neck and then ran her fingers through her hair. She giggled to herself and then gestured a come-hither motion with her finger to Ben.

He found his feet moving beneath him and in a few strides he was in front of her. Face to face. Body to body.

Everyone else faded away along with the music. All he could hear was his own breathing. His heartbeat pumped with the music.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

They danced together as if they were the only two people in the club. He felt his jeans tighten as she shook her hips. She put her arms around him, weaving her hands into the hair at the base his neck.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

He put his hands on her waist forming his fingers to her soft curves. He moved his hands up her back and down to the base of her spine.

Thump, thump.

His tee shirt was soft and clung to his chest and biceps. She reached out and touched his sleeve before running her palm across his chest and felt his muscle ripple beneath the thin fabric.

In return, he touched the ends of her hair, fighting the urge to clench his fist into it near her scalp. His senses heightened and he focused on the scent of her. Strawberries. How was it, that surrounded by a club full of people, he could pick up on her scent and hers alone?

He wanted his hands everywhere on her. He wanted to bury his nose into her silky blonde hair. Her neck. He wanted to lose himself in her fragrance. He wanted her over him with her glorious hair falling down to brush against his bare chest. That slinky dress of hers was sexy as hell, but it would look even better on his bedroom floor. He didn’t want anything to be between them. Skin on skin. Mouth on mouth. Hands on…

It took every ounce of his being to turn away from her. But he did. It felt like he was forced to wake up in the middle of a perfect dream. But he did. He turned away from her regardless of how his body screamed at him to stay. But he couldn’t. Not like this.

Ben went over to Izzy and whispered something in her ear. Ally watched as they exchanged a few words. Ben nodded to Izzy and cam back to Ally. Without looking at her, he took Ally’s hand in his. She laced her fingers into his warm grasp. He led her off the dance floor and she floundered behind him. Their perfect moment of fervor fizzled, just like the feeling in Ally’s head.

Great. No more happy fun time.

“Where
‘
er we goin’,” she slurred, confused by the force of his grip.

Through her alcohol induced haze, it dawned on Ally that she didn’t really even know Ben at all. Could she trust him? He could be taking her
anywhere
. She shook the absurd thought from her foggy head. She was sure she had nothing to worry about with Ben. But, just in case, she scanned the room for Rocky, whom she guessed might come to her rescue if she needed rescuing.

“I’m taking you home.” Ben’s jaw clenched as he looked for the exit. The club was like a zoo of people. Everywhere, bodies were entwined together with some of them making out in dark corners.

“Ah jeez, I was just getting started.” She stumbled behind him in her new heels.

“Yeah, I know, but I think it’s time to call it a night.”

Ally had never heard this firm tone of voice from him before. What had she done to make him so angry?

Getting to the door was like an obstacle course there were so many people packed in the club, but he held tight to her hand and maneuvered his way through the masses. He flung the exit door open and sucked in a breath of fresh night air. People mingled around the alley smoking cigarettes and whispering in the darkness.

In the parking lot, Ben found his car, put her into it and got into the driver’s side.

“This must be a tight squeeze for Moose.” Ally giggled at the thought of the two-hundred pound dog wedged inside of the sports car.

“Huh?” He thought she was deliriously drunk, then he understood what she was talking about. “Oh, yeah. That’s why I have a truck for Moose. This is for me.”

She nodded solemnly. “You don’t like me.” She pouted as he started the ignition and the Corvette purred to life. She huffed and her bangs flew off her face and back down to her eyes again.

“I
do
like you. That’s why I’m making sure you get home safe.” He pulled out onto the main street and drove in the direction of her house.

She looked over at his profile. It was solid and unmoving except for a nerve twitching near his temple.

“You don’t think I’m pretty,” she said in a child’s voice. The alcohol had gone straight to her head. “I bought this new dress and these silly new shoes. But it doesn’t matter. Now you’ll never make love to me.”

He looked over at her in surprise and she hiccupped in response.

I’ll thank the vodka for my loose lips in the morning
, she thought.

His brown eyes softened and he released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding in. “That’s why I had to get us out of there. Because I would have made love to you right there on the freakin’ dance floor.”

“You’re so nice.” A giggle turned into another hiccup. She patted his hand and snuggled down into the leather seat. “Take me home,” she mumbled and he thought he heard her say something about the number 20. Then she promptly fell asleep for the ride home, snoring softly next to him.

He tried to keep his attention focused on the road and used the remainder of the drive to calm himself down. Still, he couldn’t help but look over at her occasionally. And to think he almost passed up Dom’s invitation tonight to stay home and play video games. Passing street lights periodically lit up the car’s interior, adding a glow to her golden hair.

God, she was beautiful.

After a few deep breaths and several “keep your eyes on the road” later, he found her house according to Izzy’s directions. When he pulled the car to a stop at the curb, he was surprised by how tiny the house was. From the outside, it looked a tad smaller than his garage. It didn’t look big enough for one person to live in, must less Ally
and
her grandmother.

He got out and went around the car to open her door. She was still sound asleep and he smiled at the sight of her curled up in his car. What a week it had been! He took her purse from her lap and searched through it for her keys. Carefully, he carried her into the house. It was cozy inside and he noticed
grandmotherly type touches all around. Doilies, afghan blankets and lots of framed photos. No modern bells and whistles, but if felt like home.

A light was on inside one of the bedrooms and he saw an old woman on the bed reading, so he carried Ally into the only other bedroom.

Like the rest of the house, her room was tiny. Furnished with a bed, desk and a few book shelves. Decorated in pastels, it was soft, like her and actually kind of warm and inviting.

Carefully, he laid her on the bed and she mumbled something incoherently before rolling to her side, nearly hitting him in the face with her flailing arm. He set her purse down on a stack of veterinary medicine books on the desk. When he slid her shoes off, red toenails caught his attention. He hadn’t pictured her as the red nail polish type. She was just full of surprises, wasn’t she?

I wonder what else she’s hiding.

His gaze traveled to her ample cleavage peeking over the top of her dress. He watched her breasts rise and fall with the steady rhythm of her breathing. He wondered if the skin there felt as velvety as it looked.

Ben shook his head, breaking her spell over him and pulled a blanket over her. Maybe with her body covered he wouldn’t think about her curves and skin and…

Again, he found him self caught off guard by how much he wanted her. He had never wanted anything so badly before. Well, besides to play hockey, of course. But she stirred a craving deep inside him. And it wasn’t just a sexual need, but he wanted to know her inside and out and devour every bit of her. Her mind
and
her body. He had the feeling that no matter how much he had of her, it would never be enough. He wanted to know more about her. Her hopes and dreams. Everything.

This girl was definitely trouble.

He leaned down and kissed her temple, breathing in her incredible fragrance and tucking the memory of it away for his forthcoming night alone. Suddenly, the moment was interrupted with a voice from the other room.

“Allison, is that you?” the old woman asked from the room across the hall.

Ben went to the doorway and cleared his throat. This must me Gram. She looked very old. At least in her mid-eighties with silver hair she wore just above her bony shoulders.

“Um, I was just bringing Ally home, ma’am,” Ben answered.

The woman furrowed her brow in concern. “Is she all right?” Her gnarled hands closed the book she was reading and she looked up at him.

Gram had Ally’s blue eyes. They had a friendly warmth like Ally’s, but also a lifetime more of wisdom.

“Oh, yeah. Everything is fine. Ally was really tired and fell asleep in the car.” He glanced around the small room. It was mostly bare except for the bed, a chair, a chest of drawers and a stack of jigsaw puzzles in the corner.

“What is your name, young man?” Gram asked.

He looked back at her and apologized for not introducing himself sooner. “I’m Ben.”

“Ah, you must be the young man Allison met the other day. I thought your date wasn’t until tomorrow.” Her face crinkled in worry. “Oh, dear, how dreadful. I am getting terrible at keeping track of time.” She placed her hand on her cheek. Did she forget Allison’s big night? She silently cursed the feeble memory that time had bestowed upon her.

He smiled, thinking of Ally telling her grandmother about their upcoming date. “We still have a date tomorrow. We just happened to run into each other tonight. It was a fluke thing.” Well, a partial fluke. When he heard Dom was going to the club, he knew Izzy might be around and if Izzy was there, it was possible Ally could be there as well.

“Oh, how fortunate.” Gram struggled to swivel herself and finally swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

“You don’t have to get up, Mrs. Monroe.” He motioned to stop her from standing. “I will lock up for you on my way out.”

“Please, call me Gram.” She paused to think. “Would you like to have some tea with me?”

He was touched by her thoughtfulness. It wasn’t every day that he had the opportunity to have tea parties with old ladies.

“Are you sure? It’s getting late. I don’t want to disturb you.”

“That’s perfectly all right. I couldn’t sleep anyway, knowing that Allison was out at some nightclub. She doesn’t go out very often and I worry about her. So, how about that tea?”

“I would love to have tea with you.”

“Oh, good,” she clasped her hands together. Her smile forced a set of wrinkles to bunch up at the corners of her mouth.

“Now be a dear and help me into the kitchen. These old bones don’t work like they used to.”

Gram put her frail arm through his and he led her to a dining room chair.

“You might as well break out some cookies, too,” she said with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “I have a bit of a sweet tooth.”

“Sounds good.” He filled the teapot with water and they munched on cookies and chatted while waiting for the water to boil.

A large unfinished jigsaw puzzle took up most of the kitchen table. The pieces of a cottage were finished and all that was left was the sky and a sailboat in the background.

“I haven’t done a puzzle since I was a kid,” Ben said.

“We always have one in progress. It’s good to keep the mind active.” Gram studied a pile of pieces, looking for the perfect fit.

Ben tried to help Gram with the puzzle but he only managed to put one piece in place. Nonetheless, Gram was delighted to have the help.

“It’s not very often that we have company. Especially not a tall, handsome boy like yourself.”