Melting The Ice (11 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Cian had never met a more irritating woman in his life.  He had spent the last three nights in Ava’s bed rocking both their worlds.  Once he’d warmed her up, she was adventurous and inventive and he loved everything she did to his body.  The problem was the whole warm up deal.  After their first night together, he had awakened in her bed, his body humming with sexual satisfaction.  He’d left her sleeping while he kept to his usual morning routine and headed for the rink.  He’d gone through the routine of his workout then stopped at a local diner for a hearty breakfast.  When he had arrived back at Ava’s she’d been gone.  He’d swam laps in the pool, answered some of his more important emails and took out one of her Arctic Cat ATVs and rode through the woods on well-maintained trails.  She’d been home by the time he arrived back at the house after several hours of tearing through the hills.  He hadn’t known what to expect after spending the night with her but he certainly hadn’t expected her to treat him with stiff politeness.  She’d been cordial and a good hostess, but had not asked him once where he had been or any other personal information, for that matter.  If that was the way she wanted to play it that was fine with him.  He didn’t want a relationship either; he just wanted that lush body in his bed.  She could keep the rest of it. 

The second night, she had taken herself to bed without issuing any kind of invitation to him.  He’d gone to his room, took a quick shower and with nothing but a towel around his hips, knocked on her door.  It had taken her longer than necessary to open the door.  He could picture her waging a mental war with herself as to whether she should let him in.  When she finally opened the door and saw him standing there in his towel, she had reached out and pulled him into the room by his towel.  His towel had been on the floor in a matter of seconds as she had kissed her way down his chest and stomach.  She had turned him inside out with her lips, teeth and tongue and left him dazed.  He’d recovered quickly and proceeded to spend another night getting down and dirty with his gorgeous hostess.  The next day, she had once again acted as if he were nothing but a casual acquaintance.  For some reason, it had started to piss him off. 

Since he’d played Juniors, females had been making fools of themselves over him.  There were always rink bunnies offering him any and every sin of the flesh he could imagine and even some he couldn’t.  When he’d been young and fresh into the world of being a professional athlete, he’d let a few groupies work him over when he had felt the urge and every one of them had begged for a repeat performance.  All his ex-girlfriends, including the crazy supermodel, had always hung all over him, catered to him and treated him like God’s gift to womankind with little to no effort on his part.  Not Ava though; she was non-stop effort.  The second day of being treated like some door to door salesman she tolerated in her home had brought out a spiteful streak in him that he hadn’t even been aware he possessed.  To her stunned surprise, he had begun touching and crowding her every time he was near.  If he walked past, he let his body brush against hers, he dropped a kiss on her lips, he ran his thumb across her lips, patted her ass when he caught her bending over in the kitchen and made inappropriate comments at every opportunity. 

Yesterday afternoon, she had been in her office, probably thinking she could avoid him in there.  He had brazenly entered her office and set down in one of the leather chairs in front of her desk.  She had raised a haughty brow as if she was the queen and he was some foul-smelling peasant come to bother her.  That had really irritated him.  He’d quickly wiped that snotty look off her face when he had proceeded to tell her exactly what he would like to do to her in excruciating detail.  She’d tried to play it cool but her quickened breathing gave her away.  He described how he would spread her out on her desk and lick his way down her body until he was between her legs, making love to her with his mouth until she couldn’t take it anymore, then he would push inside of her and let her come around him.  And that is exactly what had happened.  She had succumbed quickly after that and he had spent the next hour having some of the hottest, most erotic sex of his life in Ava’s book-lined office.  They had moved from the desk to the overstuffed sofa.  He’d been on his back while she straddled him, kissing her way down his chest and stomach to where he’d been standing at full attention, big and hard.  She had no sooner touched her mouth to him than he had flipped her around to straddle his chest so he could return the favor.  The sex had been phenomenal.  When she was back at herself, she returned to treating him like some stranger she’d met in passing which had infuriated him even more.  The same pattern had repeated over the next twenty-four hours and he was getting angrier by the minute. 

Now he was setting on her deck, eating a perfectly grilled steak and baked potato while Ava chatted with her father, Ben and her stepmother, Allison.  Ben Talbot had raised a questioning brow at his daughter when Cian had joined them by the pool for dinner until she had introduced him as a friend of Jameson’s that had come to visit effectively ending Ben’s interest in him.  Cian had been fuming at this further insult, though he had no good reason to be so angry.  How was she supposed to introduce him to her father; as her boyfriend?  Not having a legitimate reason to brood didn’t stop him until he realized he was learning more about her listening to her with her dad than he had in all their time together. 
             

“You should be ashamed of yourself, Ava,” Ben Talbot aimed a condemning stare on his daughter. “Fighting with your brother in court over money.”  Her mouth had gaped open in momentary surprise before she had schooled her expression to show disinterest.

“Why should I be ashamed?  All I’m doing is protecting what’s mine, Dad.  Joey is the one that filed a lawsuit trying to take money that doesn’t belong to him.  How is that
my
fault?” Her questioning, angry gaze took in her father and Allison who appeared decidedly uncomfortable, refusing to even make eye contact with either her husband or stepdaughter.  Ben sighed as if they had had this conversation many times before.

“Ava, with all the money you have, don’t you think you could share some with your brother?  He doesn’t have much…”  A disbelieving snort escaped Ava.  She was looking at her father as if he had suddenly morphed into some unknown being.

“Are you serious?  He files a totally baseless lawsuit to try and gain a share of money that is in no way, shape or form his and all you have to say is I should share with my brother because he doesn’t have much?” She asked, her voice rising dangerously, expression stunned. “Why am I even surprised?” she muttered to herself.

“Ever since Macy dumped him…”

“You mean after he’d screwed around with her friend repeatedly and gotten caught?” Ava’s sarcastic voice interrupted her father.

“Ava!” her father barked at her in disapproval. “Watch your language!” Allison had once again dropped her gaze as if she wouldn’t be involved in the scene if she couldn’t see them.  Ava’s chair went flying backward as she came violently to her feet, enraged.

“Don’t you dare come to my house defending Joey to
me
!  He cheated on his wife with her friend and when he refused to stop, he got kicked out on his ass like he deserved.  He doesn’t take care of his kids and never has and he was not in any kind of relationship with Macy when we bought that damned ticket!  You always defend him, no matter what, don’t you, Dad?” She bit out angrily. “You keep right on defending him but he’s not getting a penny from me
ever
.” Her father came indignantly to his feet, assisting his shocked speechless wife to her feet.  Cian was mesmerized by the family drama he was witnessing.  He and his brothers argued amongst themselves but never in a million years had he been involved in anything like this with his parents.  Clayton Secord, Sr. would have cold cocked one of his sons for talking to him in the manner Ava was speaking to her father.  Although, in her defense, his father would never have supported any of his sons acting in the manner her younger brother had acted towards Macy and the kids.  Not taking care of your kids was as low as you could go in the elder Secord’s book.  He also couldn’t imagine any of his brothers trying to take money from him or each other to which they had no right.

“I know when I’m not welcome.” Ben Talbot stated in a stiff tone, his eyes full of accusation.  Ava was vibrating with rage.

“Not when you come to my home and defend what your son is trying to do.” She stated with finality, not giving an inch.  Without another word, Ben ushered his wife through the side gate and disappeared from view, the sound of their car starting a few moments later signaling their departure.  Ava appeared as if frozen for a moment, a look of disbelief on her features.  Her haunted gaze met what Cian could only imagine was his own incredulous expression.  Her face crumpled and her body seemed to sag in on itself.  A sob escaped her throat and covering her mouth with her hand, she ran into the house, the sound of her crying following in her wake.  He considered going after her but figured she could use some time to regroup and besides, he had little experience with comforting crying women.  He finished his dessert and the rest of his beer before gathering up the dishes to take in the house.  He put them in the massive stainless steel dishwasher in Ava’s kitchen and after studying the LCD screen for a few minutes, figured out how to start the wash cycle.  He grabbed another beer and headed back outdoors to watch the sunset from his lounger. 

One thing he had discovered on this trip was that West Virginia was a beautiful state.  It might not be the most economically sound or have the most sophisticated residents but the scenery was breathtaking.  Ava’s house was high on the very crest of a hill, with a valley separating it from Macy’s stone mansion on an adjoining hill and their friend Lena’s Greek revival mansion topping another one in a triangular formation.  The area around them was wooded but nothing interfered with his view of the rich, vibrant colors of the sunset.  The scene with Ava’s father and stepmother had bothered him more than he cared to admit.  His main attraction to Ava was physical; she was a beautiful woman with a hot body and a real wildcat in the sack.  But he also liked her.  Over the last month, he’d gotten to know her a little and found her to be a kind, generous person.  She was a private person and distrustful of most people; she was always looking for ulterior motives.  He knew having the kind of money that built this gated compound and put several million dollars’ worth of automobiles in garages made for a heavy burden.  After witnessing her father trying to justify Ava’s own brother suing them for money on which he had no claim whatsoever, he felt a little more understanding of her need for space.  If that scene had been indicative of their relationship; and he would guarantee it did considering how quickly tempers had flared; it was no wonder she was so closed off.  Not that he had any intention of giving her any space, but he understood why she felt she needed it.  He wasn’t going to do anything to hurt her.  He just wanted to hang out with her and have lots of hot, sweaty sex with her for the duration of his visit and part friends.  He was contemplating going after another beer when he heard the door from the house open.  His head turned to watch her step out carrying two Coronas.  Her eyes were a little puffy from crying but she still looked good to him.  She met his gaze with an oddly vulnerable stare of her own before handing him one of the beers.  “Thanks,” he grinned to lighten the mood. “You must have read my mind.” She turned a wry smile on him.

“Yeah that one took a lot of brain power.” He chuckled at her sarcastic response.  She fell silent, her blue eyes looking away for a moment before meeting his gaze.  She looked uncomfortable and faintly embarrassed. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”  She said quietly, her voice brittle and polite.  He snorted with disgust.
             

“Hell, I’m sorry
you
had to see that.” He took a long drink of his beer, sucking a drop off his bottom lip.  She looked up in surprise as he continued to regard her steadily. “Has your father always upheld your brother or is this something new?” She laughed without mirth and shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing new.  You would think I would be used to it by now, huh?” She said sorrowfully. “But I’m not.” They fell into a long silence, both of them sipping at their beers, gazing up at the sky.  Finally, she turned and gave him a smile. “Thank you for not thinking I’m crazy.”  He let out a bark of laughter.  Surprising them both, he reached out and firmly but gently pulled her over onto his lap, settling her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her.

“Who said I don’t think you’re crazy?” he teased.  She’d been holding herself stiffly but relaxed at his teasing words and giggled. “I just think you’re right.”  She didn’t respond for a long time; just lay against him, her face in the crook of his neck.  He had one arm around her back, his hand resting on her hip and his other hand lightly caressing her thigh where her legs lay across his.  “I can’t imagine your mom acting like that.”  He had met Lora Talbot on several occasions since he’d arrived in West Virginia and they had immediately taken to each other.  He felt her shaking her head against his neck.