Melting The Ice (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ava was in a really good mood and why wouldn’t she be?  She had an unbelievably good looking, well-endowed twenty-seven year-old man who just happened to be built like a Calvin Klein underwear model devoting himself to committing orgasmic homicide on her thirty-nine year old body, she thought with a chuckle as she waited for Cian to finish dressing for dinner.  His golf game with the resort golf pro had run late.  She had ridden in the fancy golf cart, sipping mimosas delivered by uniformed wait staff on the course and been perfectly content to watch his tall, well-muscled frame swing a club at a tiny little ball for the past few hours.  She hadn’t gotten all hot and sweaty so it hadn’t taken her as long to get ready as Cian.  A quick shower, some smoky eye shadow, a little mascara, fresh coat of lipstick and a slightly messy up-do was the extent of her preparation before sliding into lacy, black La Perla underwear and matching strapless bra.  The fuchsia Michael Kors sheath she wore left her shoulders and a healthy dose of cleavage bare and looked great against her tanned skin.  She’d slipped diamond encrusted hoops in her ears and a platinum-set 3 carat diamond pendant nestled in her cleavage.  Strappy, four-inch Manolo’s completed the ensemble, showing off her French-manicured toes.  She knew she looked her best and couldn’t wait to see his reaction to her appearance, though he seemed to have the same reaction no matter her attire; to get her out of it as fast as possible.  Not that she was complaining.  She had never enjoyed a man more than she was enjoying Cian.  The sex was phenomenal but more than that, he was good company.  He encouraged her to talk to him and listened attentively when she did.  He made her laugh with his warped sense of humor and made her content as she hadn’t been in many years.  The constant touching had taken some getting used to but she had moved past uncomfortable to welcoming, loving that he wanted to stake his claim when they were out in public.  Despite the age difference, they had a lot in common and were never bored in each other’s company. 

He had lived up to all his promises from earlier so that when they rolled out of bed so Cian could make his tee-time, it
had
been in the second bedroom.  By the time they had returned to their cottage, both beds had been returned to the pristine state they had been in prior to their sexual marathon.  She stood with her back to the room, staring out the window at the Springhouse idly wondering what was keeping him when she heard him clear his throat behind her.  She turned with a smile of welcome on her face that immediately turned to gap-mouthed astonishment. “Wow.” She breathed, her eyes starting at his freshly shaved face and working down the charcoal three-button jacket over a deep blue shirt and silver-grey tie and the long, muscular legs encased in narrow-fitting trousers to the black Cole Haan loafers and slowly returned to that ridiculously handsome face of his.  Even though he had just shaved, his five o’clock shadow was still apparent on his square jaw accentuating the chiseled features of his face.  She couldn’t recall at that moment ever seeing a better looking man.  There was just something about a gorgeous, well-built man in a suit that showed off his broad-shouldered, athletic build. 

“Thank you and may I offer you a ‘wow’, as well?” He asked, his eyes running over her with that glint that signaled the impending removal of her clothing. “Where’s the zipper on that dress?”  She laughed and put both hands in front of her as she quickly put the sofa between them.

“Oh no, Mr. Secord, we’re going to go eat…”

“You read my mind…that’s exactly what I was thinking.” He waggled his brows at her teasingly, a lascivious grin shaping his mouth.  She giggled and shook her head.

“We are going to the dining room.  This is Michael Kors.” She said as she ran her hands lovingly over the body hugging sheath.  He looked her over again and gave a low whistle of appreciation.  He picked up her tiny evening bag from the sofa and handed it to her when they met at the door.  His chocolate brown eyes gazed into hers for a moment before dropping a soft, lingering kiss on her mouth.
             

“You will be the envy of every woman in the room.” He said in a serious voice.  She snorted, but he kissed her again. “And I will be the envy of every man because I’m with you.”

She laughed, blushing with pleasure as he opened the door and placing his palm in the small of her back, escorted her out to the waiting transport.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dinner had been fabulous in the elegant main dining room and Ava had discovered Cian was as comfortable in this setting as he had been at Hal’s Place.  She had loved watching every woman present look him over with varying degrees of appreciation; from young teenage girls with their parents to white-haired matrons, they all had noticed him as soon as they walked in.  Cian being Cian was oblivious and wouldn’t have given it another thought if he had noticed.  After they had dined on the sumptuous, gourmet fare, they had decided to try out the newly opened casino where they had each dropped several thousand dollars before laughingly giving up.  Not ready to call it a night, they were having a nightcap at Slammin’ Sammy’s sports bar and checking out the poor Pittsburgh Pirates getting stomped by the Braves on one of the big screens.  She had noticed several women checking Cian out when he had removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and loosened his tie before challenging her to a game of foosball.  They had both laughed at her attempt to play foosball in four-inch stilettos.  She had excused herself to the restroom and was adjusting her dress to leave the stall when she heard two laughing women entering the restroom.  Her hand was on the knob when the sound of her name brought her to an abrupt halt.

“That’s Ava Talbot, one of
those
women that won that huge lottery a few years ago.” One woman was saying in a very condescending tone. “I guess that much money can buy you eye candy like that.” Both women snickered at the catty comment.

“He is gorgeous…I can’t imagine what he sees in
her
.  But I can certainly see what she sees in him.  Maybe he’s a gigolo.” The second female voice said in a snarky voice, causing more laughter. “I wouldn’t mind fattening his bank account; he looks like he could go all night.”

“You and me both.  That would be the only way a woman like
her
could get a man like
that
.  I mean, come on, she’s almost old enough to be his mother, for God’s sake.”  The women’s jealous words hit Ava like a ton of bricks, immediately ruining her good mood.  Before she thought better of it, she threw open the door to the stall and stalked out.  The two women were in their mid to late twenties and had that over bred blueblood look to them.  Both had been watching Cian with predatory intent all evening.  Their mouths fell open with identical looks of stunned surprise at getting caught gossiping by the very woman they had just been verbally bashing, their faces coloring with embarrassment.  Ava flashed them a cool smile, her head high as she stepped up to the long, marble counter beside them to wash her hands and reapply her lipstick.  An awkward silence ensued before she slipped her lipstick back in her handbag and gave her hair a quick fluff.  She turned to exit the room and had just heard both women breathe a sigh of relief when she whirled around to face them with the doorknob in her grasp.

“Just to set the record straight,
Ladies
, he’s not a gigolo and to be his
mother
, I would have had to have been a
very
precocious twelve year-old.” She turned to exit again, throwing over her shoulder as she opened the door, “Oh and he
can
go all night.”  The twin outraged gasps that followed her out of the bathroom brought a broad smile to her face and gave her momentary satisfaction.  It was short lived, though, because as soon as she saw Cian at the bar waiting for her, the smile faded.  Those bitches may have a point.  Everyone probably did believe she was just an old woman buying herself a young stud.  She was making a fool of herself and as the old saying went, there was no fool like an old fool.  Her earlier happy contentment vanished and all of her doubts about this relationship with Cian came back in a flood.  What was she doing? She asked herself as he looked away from the baseball game and saw her standing at the end of the bar, her face leached of all color and a disconsolate expression on her face.

“Ava, what’s wrong?” He asked with concern, pushing away from the bar and crossing to her, looking down into her face.  His hands settled gently on her arms as he searched her face.  She couldn’t meet his eyes and dropped her head. “Are you not feeling well?”  She shook her head and he immediately pulled her against his hard body for a comforting hug. “Come on, Baby, let’s get you back to the cottage.  Do you need a doctor?” She shook her head again and gently but firmly pushed free of his arms.  She took a deep breath and after carefully schooling her features, looked up to meet his worried expression.

“You don’t have to go back to the cottage with me.  Stay and finish the baseball game.  I just need to lie down…” She began, watching the confusion form on his face.

“Why would I want to stay here without you?” his voice was perplexed. “Come on, we’ll go back to the cottage and I’ll take care of you…”

“I don’t want you to take care of me, okay?” she snapped.  The confusion in his eyes was briefly joined by hurt before a shutter seemed to come down.  His mouth formed a tight line as he grabbed her hand and began pulling her behind him through the exit of the bar, passing the two women from the bathroom.  He glanced at the women curiously when they gave them an unusually wide berth.  Both females were watching Ava with apprehension when they swept by them.  He turned his speculative gaze on Ava but she tossed her head, put her nose in the air and didn’t even acknowledge the wary women’s presence.  They exited the main building of the resort through a side exit.  She plowed hard into his chest as he suddenly whirled around without warning, his eyes burning with fury.

“What the fuck, Ava?” He snarled at her. “What the hell just happened back there while you were in that restroom?”

“Nothing…”

“Bullshit!” He bit out, rage blazing from his eyes. “Do you think I’m fucking stupid?  Something happened while you were gone to the restroom and I want to know what.” She cast him a sullen look, her lips in a thin line. “You’re gonna tell me.”

“No…I’m not.  I’m going back to the cottage.” She went to move past him but he stepped in her path and refused to move. “Cian…” she said warningly but he was unfazed. 

“We can stand here all night, Ava.  I have no where I need to be.” He stated calmly.  She glared at him but he just stood there glaring back at her until she threw her hands up in defeat and stalked a little ways from him, muttering under her breath. 

“Fine!  You want to know my problem?” She asked sarcastically, facing him again, her hands on her hips. “Those two women in the bathroom said I was old enough to be your mother…” His mouth fell open in shock.

“They actually said that to you?” he asked incredulously.  She rolled her eyes.

“No, they were gossiping and I overheard them.  They didn’t know I was in there until I confronted them.”  A broad knowing grin broke over his face.

“Did you kick some ass?” Her lips quirked in unwanted amusement before shaking her head with disgust.

“No, I would probably feel better if I had.” She muttered.  He came towards her and made to pull her into his arms but she stepped away, her arms hugging her body.  He put his hands on his hips and looked up at the sky as if he were praying for patience.

“Ava…what am I gonna do with you?”  She immediately stiffened, her eyes narrowing.

“What is
that
supposed to mean?  I don’t need you to
do
…”

“Damn it
shut up
!” he barked at her, losing his patience. “Stop trying to pick a fight with me.  You’re upset; I get that but I didn’t do anything and I’ll be damned if you’re gonna use something two gossiping bitches you don’t even know said in a bathroom to push me away.”  Her jaw had dropped as soon as he had told her to ‘shut up’ in that commanding tone.  She watched him warily as he stalked closer.  “Somebody is always gonna have something to say…are we gonna have this fight every time or what?”  She watched him mutely for a long, pregnant moment, suddenly feeling even more foolish for letting the gossiping women get to her.  His brows were drawn down in anger, his brown eyes almost black as he glared at her.

“Why do you want to be with me?” She asked suddenly, her look direct.  He looked at her as if she had grown a second head. “I mean really, Cian, those women may have been way out of line, but they had a point.  I am a lot older than you and they’re probably not the only people thinking you’re some young stud I bought myself…” His eyes widened, a look of shocked disbelief marking his expression.  “After all, how else would a woman like
me
get a man like
you
without money involved…?” the bitter words poured out of her mouth until he stepped closer and got in her face.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?” he gritted out, obviously enraged.  She took a step back, alarmed and cautious, but he matched her step for step, looming over her. “You think I’m with you because of your damn money?”  Her face flushed with embarrassment, her eyes on the ground; unable to hold his gaze, but he gripped her chin and tilted her face back up to his.

“I shouldn’t have said that…”

“No you shouldn’t have, but you did.” Anger vibrated in his voice but hurt was the primary emotion visible in his eyes.  When she continued to stare at him mutely, he released her chin and took a step back.  He shook his head in disgust and turned to walk away.  After a moment’s hesitation, she moved after him and grabbed his arm.

“Cian…” she said in a pleading tone but he shook loose of her grasp and turned to glare at her.

“You insult me but even worse, you insult yourself.” He bit out. “I don’t appreciate being lumped in with the rest of the users and losers in your life.  For the record, I don’t need or want your fucking money.” And with that, he turned and walked away.