Melting The Ice (10 page)

“Cian, please…” she begged on a breathy moan when his mouth continued down her stomach to the waistband of her bikini panties.  His lips and tongue spread kisses along the lacy edge, barely dipping under to tease at the covered skin.  Her moans grew louder when one of his hands slid between her thighs to teasingly rub back and forth against the damp crotch of her panties.

“Damn, Baby, you’re so wet for me.” He whispered against her stomach as his hands slid her panties down her hips and thighs in what seemed like slow motion to her.  His movements were slow and languid as if he had all the time in the world but she was in no mood to wait.  She wanted it hard and fast and told him so in no uncertain terms.   His head rose from where he was spreading kisses along the top of her mound and a devilish grin spread across his handsome face. “You’re not gonna rush me, Ava.  I’ve been waiting for this too long.” He said in a low growl.  His hands spread her thighs wide and she felt the tip of his tongue slide up the swollen, wet fold between her legs before lashing against the tiny bundle of nerves at the top.  Her hands moved to grip the fabric of the sofa cushion as he tormented her with his mouth, making her gasp and beg for him to make her come.  Her arousal built quickly out of control and when he plunged two fingers deep inside her body she got exactly what she wanted.  Her orgasm hit her like a runaway freight train tearing through her body.  She cried out his name, her body bucking beneath his mouth and fingers while he held her down with his other hand against her stomach.  She felt like liquid fire was splintering inside her body and the waves kept washing over her.  He stayed with her until the contractions around his fingers slacked off before sliding back up her body.  His tongue plunged into her mouth, letting her taste herself on him as he shoved his shorts down his thighs.  She was still recovering from her first orgasm when he hooked her legs over his arms and spread them wide.  She reached between them to grasp his hardness, her fingers not quite meeting as she guided the jutting length to where she needed him most.  They both groaned loudly as he worked his way inside until he was fully seated, holding completely still to let her body adjust to the heavy invasion.  Her hands gripped the rippling muscles of his back as he began to thrust slowly in and out of her body, pulling almost all the way out before plunging back in hard.  Their mouths were locked together, and both were moaning and groaning with every thrust, their tongues imitating the movements of their bodies.  He broke the kiss to pull back and watch her face while he drove into her tight, slick sheath. 

“Cian, please, please, please…” she begged, her head tossing from side to side.   He wrapped her legs around his waist and gripping her hips in his hands, increased the tempo of his thrusts, pounding into her so that she was screaming his name on every stroke.  The first orgasm with his mouth had been spectacular but in no way compared to the orgasm that tore through her body as his hard thrusts pushed her over the edge.  It started between her legs then seemed to burst, completely swamping her in sensation as her body convulsed around his, milking his driving penis.  Three more hard thrusts and Cian let out a loud shout as his orgasm poured from his body into hers and collapsed over her. 

Chapter Fifteen

He barely managed to catch himself on his elbows to keep from crushing her with his entire weight while he tried to recover from the mind-numbing orgasm that had just ripped through his body.  He didn’t know if he would ever move again.  Her body felt so good with her legs still wrapped around his waist, her hands lying limp against his back where they had just a few moments previously been digging into the muscled expanse while she had screamed his name with her orgasm.  She had come hard and the muscles of her tight sheath had milked him dry until there was nothing left to give.  Both of their breathing was slowly returning to normal when his sluggish brain reminded him of the events leading up to their lovemaking.  Her uninhibited response had short-circuited his brain, he thought ruefully as he rose up on his arms to look down into her beautiful face.  Her long sooty eyelashes rested against her cheek, her full lips red and swollen from his kisses, her face and neck abraded from beard burn.  He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips, lingering to sip at her for a moment before pulling back to gaze into the sparkling blue eyes that were smiling up at him.  He grinned back at her, dropping a kiss on the end of her nose. “I was going to ask if you were okay, but that smile just made that unnecessary.” He said his voice low and husky.  Her smile widened, her arms sliding around his neck to pull him down for a long, slow kiss.  He was surprised to feel his body showing renewed interest when her tongue tangled erotically with his.  He broke the kiss, pulling back to go for round two when he saw her slight wince of discomfort.  Feeling a twinge of guilt for practically pounding her into the sofa, he gently eased out of her, her inner muscles still gripping him tightly. “I’m sorry, Baby.  I should have been easier with you.  I got a little carried away…”

She giggled, her hands locked loosely around his neck. “Don’t you dare apologize!  The only thing I’m sorry about is that we waited so long.”  He smiled down at her.

“
You
waited so long.” He agreed teasingly.  She lightly smacked his shoulder. “Seriously, I was beginning to think you were never gonna give in.”  She rolled her eyes.  “Why did you have to be damn near sexually assaulted at your front door to want to be with me?”  She burst out laughing at his sarcastic question.

“Watching you kick Drew’s ass turned me on.”  She slowly stroked her hands down his chest, lightly running her fingers through the mat of dark hair, grinning cheekily.

“Is that right?” He quirked an eyebrow at her.  She gently tugged at the hair on his chest drawing a quick wince from him.

“Yeah, there’s just something about seeing a guy’s face bounce off the top of a Corvette that gets me going.”  He leaped off the couch and bending down swooped her up off the sofa and tossed her over his shoulder.  “Hey!” she protested, only to feel his hand smack her ass as he took off up the stairs, laughing.

Chapter Sixteen

Ava lay beside Cian’s sleeping form staring at the stars through the skylight over her bed, her mind going a million miles a minute.  The recent sequence of events kept running like a Powerpoint presentation on repeat.  She felt like the rug had somehow been jerked from under her feet and it had left her momentarily shaken.  When she had first awakened in the dark wrapped around a sleeping Cian like he was her own personal body pillow, all she’d felt was sleepy, sore and very satisfied.   Her body had been so sated and drained from their lovemaking; the first explosive time on the sofa, the slippery, raunchy sex in the shower and the slow, sensual lovemaking in her bed.  Sex with Cian was damn near a religious experience.  The man had serious skills.  He had brought her to orgasm so many times she had lost count.  She generally preferred to be in charge but he had a primal, dominating side to him that made her quiver inside like an untried virgin.  By the time he’d finished with her, she’d been more than happy to submit to his demands especially when she realized he wanted nothing more than to please her. 

“Let me touch you.” She’d begged him breathlessly when he had pinned her hands to the mattress, his hardness buried inside her.  A soft, knowing laugh had rumbled out of his chest and ignoring her pleas he had continued to slowly thrust in out of her, their bodies sliding against each other from chest to knee.  He hadn’t released her hands, but leaned down to kiss her neck, his tongue teasing the tender cord.  She had undulated against him as his lips had moved gently down her neck, quickly having discovered her weakness.  Her neck had always been a hotspot for her and he exploited it at every opportunity.  “Oh God,” she’d moaned. “Please Cian…” the loud gasp involuntarily escaped when he’d sucked the skin directly beneath her ear lightly into his mouth, his lips, teeth and tongue driving her out of her mind while he continued his measured thrusts, her hands still pinned above her head.  He had kept at that pace until she had cried out his name loudly, begging him.  The orgasms had swept through her like a tidal wave, coming one after the other until he had joined her in his own, the hard pumping of his hips driving her up the bed.  Only then had he released her hands but all she had been capable of by that point was holding on for the ride.  When he had rolled to her side and proceeded to drape her across his still bellowing chest, she had collapsed in a boneless heap and fell asleep on top of him. 

Waking up to the sound of his heartbeat against her ear had been disconcerting when her mind had cleared enough for her to start thinking about the implications.  She didn’t make a habit of sleeping with her lovers after the sex was over.  Actually, she preferred to sleep alone.  Of course there had been guys over the years that had slept over at her place and it hadn’t been a big deal but even when they had spent the night, she’d never cuddled with them while they slept.  Both times she had slept with Cian, though, she had awaked to find them wrapped around each other and it filled her with a sense of unease.  He hadn’t stirred when she’d carefully separated herself from his hard, warm body and moved to the other side of the massive bed.  She’d been laying there gazing blindly through the skylight ever since.  She wasn’t even sure how long she had been at it she was in such a state of shock.  Nothing about their situation made her comfortable.  She’d always been practical and sensible.  Sure, she’d hooked up with a few guys in different locales around the world for the last few years but she had never hooked up with anybody in her small hometown.  That should have been her first warning that her normally black and white existence was steadily moving into the gray.  Then finding out he was Jameson’s friend
and
she had been out to dinner with his parents on several occasions had pushed her further from her ethical center.  She’d allowed him to stay in her home, lying to herself when she had foolishly believed she could resist him.  He’d been completely up front with her about what he wanted from her and how he planned to get it.  And damn, if she hadn’t fell right in with his plans.  He’d left the time and place of her downfall to her so she couldn’t even claim he had seduced her.  She’d been the instigator, dropping her clothes and climbing on top of him.  She had lusted for him for weeks and truth be told, watching him defend her honor against Drew had sent some kind of inexplicable thrill through her body.  He had been so gentle with her after sending Drew packing, taking care of her, letting her vent.  All that chivalry added to the weeks of wanting had been lethal to Ava and her will to resist had fled.

No matter how many times she told herself sex with Cian was of no more consequence than any other of her men over the years, she didn’t believe it.  She was irritated with herself but even worse, on some level she was petrified.  She’d never been comfortable going against her principles; she’d now violated so many, it had left her on shaky ground.  A lot of people would have said she didn’t have a moral bone in her body but that wasn’t the case.  There had always been lines she didn’t cross believing that actions were either right or wrong; no middle ground.  Her moral code may not be on par with good Baptists like her parents but she’d always lived her life in a way she could look at herself in the mirror and be at peace.  That it was a man and Cian in particular that had pushed her into this moral quagmire unnerved her completely.  She had always prided herself on her control and ability to do the right thing.  She couldn’t name the times she had self-righteously talked about weak people not being able to control their urges.  Oh, how the mighty had fallen, she thought. 

She looked over at him, sleeping on his stomach, his arms under the pillow his head rested on.  His face was turned towards her, his long, dark lashes lying against his cheek.  He appeared younger in sleep with his face relaxed but for the five o’clock shadow darkening his jaw.  The sheet barely covered his hips, leaving his heavily muscled shoulders and back bare to her gaze.  Physically, he was beyond prime; at least he did it for her, she thought with disgust.  Looking at him so much over the last few weeks is what had gotten her into this mess in the first place.  Unable to sleep, Ava slipped into the bathroom and took a quick shower before downing a sleeping pill out of her medicine cabinet.  She pulled on panties and a big t-shirt before slipping quietly back into bed so as to not wake him.  She didn’t want to sleep in the same bed with him but even more, she didn’t want to have to deal with him right now.  Let sleeping dogs lie, she thought, before falling into a restless sleep.

Chapter Seventeen

The ringing of the phone gradually brought her awake.  She’d been so deeply asleep; several long moments passed before she even realized it was the phone by her bed ringing and not the alarm clock.  Without opening her eyes or raising her head from the pillow, she reached out and grabbed the phone.

“Hello?” she answered, the sleeping pill making her groggy.

“Mom, are you still in bed?” Jameson’s deep voice snapped her to reality in an instant.  She was instantly wide awake, setting straight up to look at the otherwise empty bed.  Nothing but the imprint of Cian’s head in the pillow gave any indication he had even been there.  She slowly let out her breath and fell back against the pillows, feeling weak from her momentary adrenaline rush. “Mom!” his voice came through the phone loudly when she had not responded after a few seconds.

“Sorry, Baby.” She apologized, trying to gather her still sleeping wits about her. “Why are you calling so early?  Is something wrong?”

“It’s not early.  It’s almost noon.” He laughed. “Did you have a late night or what?” The type of night she had flashed through her mind and she shifted in embarrassment to be having those kinds of thoughts while she was on the phone with her son.  Thank God he couldn’t see her or he would immediately know something was up.

“I had a date last night.” She said by way of explanation.  He asked a few questions about her date before she made it clear it would not be a repeat experience without going into any detail.  He let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Mom, I really worry about you sometimes.” He said after a moment when she had told him her date had not been her type.  His statement surprised her.

“Why?” her tone puzzled.

“Because you’re always so alone.  Do you know I cannot recall one boyfriend of yours that I ever saw more than a couple of times in the six or seven years since you and Dad have been broke up?” He asked in a careful tone of voice. “It’s like you can’t get past the things Dad did…”

“Good God, boy!  Are you suggesting I get back with your father?” She asked in an appalled tone of voice. “Because that will never…” Jameson burst into laughter, effectively bringing her rant to an end.

“Hell no!” He stated adamantly, then gently. “But I do wish you would find somebody that makes you happy.”

“Who says I’m not happy?” She forced out a laugh.

“Don’t insult me by acting like you don’t know what I mean, Mom.  You’re a grown woman and I don’t mean to get in your business.  I would just worry less about you if I knew you had a man in your life that was good to you.” She set in stunned silence after her son’s statement. “You’re going to be forty next year.  Do you plan to be alone for the rest of your life?”

“Jameson,” She said on a tired sigh. “I’m not comfortable talking to you about my love life or lack thereof.  Is this really why you called?” He was quiet for a few seconds.  She knew he was debating with himself on whether to continue this line of discussion or live to fight another day.  He always had been like a dog with a bone when he wanted something.  Finally, she heard him sigh.

“No, I actually called to make sure everything was going well with you and Cian.”

“What do you mean?” she asked quickly. 

“I mean how are you and Cian getting along?” He said with exaggerated slowness as if she had misunderstood his original question. “He is staying at the house with you,
remember
?” She shook her head in disgust at herself.  Of course, that’s all he wanted to know.  He had no idea his mother was some perverted old woman that had just spent the night behaving like a slut with his friend.  God help her…she’d really done it up right this time.

“We’re getting along fine, though to be honest, I don’t see him all that much.” She said, forcing herself to keep her tone light.

“Really?” He sounded confused again. “I talked to him a little while ago and he said you had been a wonderful hostess and that you and Macy had been spending a lot of time with him.”

“Well, it’s all in perspective.” She said hurriedly, her tone bright, while she winced at the ridiculous answer she’d just given her son. “But he’s not been any trouble.”

“Oookkaaaayyyyyy.” He drew the word out, sounding like he thought his mother might be off her rocker.  Maybe she was.  Hell, there wasn’t any maybe about it, she thought with self-disgust.  After several seconds of uncomfortable silence, he spoke again. “I just wanted to check that everything was cool.  I know it was a huge imposition me asking you to let Cian stay for a while.  I appreciate it Mom and so do the Secords.”

“Everything is fine, Jameson, so you don’t have to worry.  Have you ever known me to suffer in silence?” she asked in a teasing tone that caused him to chuckle and lightened the mood.  They talked for a few more minutes about Macy joining Nate on tour and his own plans to hit the road with them for a couple of weeks. 

“I talked to Dad last night.” He brought the topic of Patrick up tentatively. “He said you two had been talking.”  She snorted indelicately.

“I ran into him at the drug store and had a
very
brief conversation with your father and I
do
mean brief.  If that constitutes ‘talking’ then he was telling the truth.” She was so fed up with Patrick’s crap; he never even bothered changing up his routine.  She could tell by her son’s tone that his father had said more. “What else, Jameson?”  He took a deep breath, and then seemed to spill all the words out at once.

“He said you’d been down at Hal’s making out with some young dude on the dance floor and everyone in town was talking about you being holed up with some kid.”  Her jaw dropped in utter disbelief at Patrick’s gall.  The humiliating part of it was Patrick was actually telling the truth but it wasn’t right for him to tell their
son
things like that.  She had never badmouthed Pat to their son; she’d never had to.  Patrick had managed to ruin his relationship with their son all by himself.  No matter how many times Jameson had asked his father to not talk about his mother to him, Pat just couldn’t seem to help himself.  She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.  “Mom, listen, the only reason I’m telling you this is so you’ll know what Dad is saying in case you run into him again.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not the one spreading the rumor if there even is a rumor going around.” He said disgust with his father evident in his voice. “He really pissed me off.  He can’t accept you’re finished with him, can he?”

“I don’t know about your father, Baby.  When you were growing up, I always tried to shelter you from the dysfunctional relationship he and I had.  You’re a grown man now; you know I should have left your father years before I did.  The only good thing he ever did for me was give me you, Honey.” Her voice was tired and a little sad. “It’s not all his fault because he didn’t do anything I didn’t allow.  I accept my part of the blame.  I never wanted to put you in the middle.”

“And you never have Mom; it’s always been Dad.  You’ve always said ‘forewarned is forearmed’ and that’s why I told you what he said.  If I didn’t know how much you hate being the topic of gossip with the rumor mill, I wouldn’t have even mentioned this to you.  Now you’re prepared.  End of discussion.”  He said with a soft chuckle.  “I love you, Mom.”

She felt her eyes tear up with emotion.  She blinked hard and sniffled, a watery laugh escaping. “Oh Baby, I love you, too.  You’re the best son, you know that?”  He burst out laughing.

“That’s the word on the street.” He teased.  He quickly changed the subject, promising that he would be home for a few days before fall quarter started.  They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.  She felt emotionally wrung out after talking to Jameson.  Learning that Patrick continued to try and discredit her with their son really pissed her off.  He always seemed to conveniently forget Jameson had been there through all of those years they had been going back and forth in their relationship.  And if there was one thing Jameson Ryan Talbot wasn’t, it was stupid.  Patrick didn’t seem to get that the countless times he’d walked out on her; he’d also walked out on his son. Truth be told, Jameson probably had less faith in his father than she did.  Her son had never depended on his father for anything and if he had, he would have been out of luck.  Patrick had always had a good job and when he and Ava were together, he’d been a good provider.  Unfortunately, those periods usually only lasted a few months before he would find a new woman and immediately drop Ava like a bad habit.  If she wasn’t having sex with him, he had always seemed to forget he had a son that needed a father.  Her reflections filled her with self-disgust that she had ever allowed Patrick to run in and out of her and their son’s life like their home had swinging doors.  In some misguided way, she had believed she was doing the right thing so that Jameson would have his father but in reality, she was lucky that her son had a good head on his shoulders.  Otherwise, Jameson could have become a self-centered asshole like his father.

She mentally flipped through several possible courses of action; she could confront Patrick which would be a total waste of time, she could go around town defending her ‘good name’ to the townspeople which would be an even bigger waste of time, or she could just carry on business as usual and ignore the entire thing.  Since she had become something of a celebrity by a twist of fate no one could have predicted, she had made a career of rising above the fray.  Her ex would love nothing more than for her to lower herself to his level.  Having firmly decided on ignoring gossip, her mind turned to the man with which she had just spent the night. 
She wondered what he thought was going on with them and what his expectations were.  Did he expect her to spend every night with him or was it a onetime deal?  She wondered where he was and what he was doing when her thoughts came to a screeching halt.  She didn’t want a relationship with him, she quickly reminded herself.  They had used each other to scratch an itch.  It may happen again and it may not, but she was determined to keep it casual, regardless.  That meant not wondering where he was, what he was doing or who he was doing it with; it was none of her business.  She dragged herself from the bed, feeling a little better now that she had decided on a sound course of action.  No more doubts; she would ignore her ex’s trifling stunts and keep things impersonal with Cian and all would be well.