Fire on Ice (Fire on Ice Series) (19 page)

When I parked my car in the lot outside my building and shut off the engine, I turned to her. “Are you sure you want to do this? We can go back to your parents’ place.”

She took my hand and held it. “I’m sure, Kian.”

“Then let’s do it,” I replied.

I don’t know what possessed me to straighten up my place before I left but I was glad I did. I was usually too busy with practice or being on the road to give the place any attention at all. But when we stepped inside, I was just glad there were no clothes strewn all over the floor or dishes piled on the counter.

“I know it’s not much but I’m not home very much,” I said as she looked around the place.

“It’s quaint,” she said and I knew immediately that
quaint
was a nice way of saying
tiny
. It was a studio apartment with barely enough room for one person.

Not that I had enough to fill even that small of a space. The place came furnished with mismatched items: broken down furniture, threadbare linens and assorted dishes that weren’t even true sets. I had my clothes, some hockey stuff, a radio and the shitty laptop Runt had given me. That was the extent of my possessions.

And, of course, the most important item in the room, the stuffed dog that Taylor had won for me playing Skee Ball, which was prominently displayed on my bed.

I could see the sides of her mouth raise to a small smile when she spotted the stuffed animal. My entire body was immediately warmed by her smile and I was so happy to see it again, even if it was just a hint of one.

Taylor turned to face me and her expression was unreadable. I had never seen her look so—ravenous before. “Are you hungry?” she asked and I knew she wasn’t talking about the Chinese food.

She didn’t give me a chance to respond. She closed the di
stance between us and put her hand on my chest. When she looked up at me, her eyes were filled with pure desire. It took my breath away.

“What are you doing?” I asked even though I knew damn well exactly what she was doing. I just couldn’t believe she was doing it. It was so damn hot my dick sprang to attention.

She reached up and started unbuttoning my shirt. I swallowed hard as she made quick work of removing it. I grabbed her hands and said softly, “You don’t have to do this.”

She gave me a sexy little grin. “I’ve been waiting to do this all day.”

As she ran her hands down my chest, I sucked in air. She was so fucking hot my dick felt like it was ready to explode in my pants.

And speaking of pants, that’s exactly where her hands landed next. Her eyes locked with mine as she unbuttoned the fly of my dress slacks. When she unzipped me and my erection was set free, she licked her lips in anticipation. I wanted to grab her and take control. I wanted to completely ravage every inch of her. But this was her show and I wanted to let her
control the action.

She pulled my pants from my waist and they dropped to the floor. She pulled my arms so I would step out of them. Then she eyed my boxer briefs. “These have got to go,” she said as if she suddenly found them offensive.

I obeyed her command and pulled my underwear down and stepped out of them. I stood there completely naked while she took in every inch of my bare skin.

When her eyes landed on my
rock hard erection, she bit her bottom lip and it was so fucking sexy, my dick ached. I felt like I was ready to explode. I needed to be inside her so badly, I didn’t think I could wait another second.

Then she did something that totally shocked me. She dropped to her knees and starting licking and sucking on my dick. I took in a sharp breath as she worked on my dick with her mouth and tongue. It was like fucking heaven.

But I had to stop her because I didn’t want to lose it in her mouth. I wanted to make her feel as good as she was making me feel. I wanted to make love to her.

“Stop,” I said gently as I grabbed her shoulders. “I don’t want to come yet and if you keep doing what you’re doing, I won’t be able to control myself.”

She nodded and stood up. I watched as she slowly and seductively stripped for me. Other girls had given me little strip shows but none were like this. Taylor had such an innocent quality and when it was combined with the little striptease, I was overcome with wild desire. It took every ounce of restraint I had not to throw her on to the bed and fuck her brains out.

When she was standing naked in front of me, she gave me a little half grin and grabbed my hand. She led me to my bed and gave me a little push so that I fell back onto the mattress. When I
was lying on my back stretched out on the bed, she climbed onto the bed and straddled me. When she looked at my rock hard erection, she got a gleam in her eye that told me she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

She leaned down and crashed her mouth into mine. Her kis
ses were needy and wild and I felt like I couldn’t wait another minute to be inside her. She hesitated for a moment before she positioned herself right on top of my erection. I was so heady with desire for her and it felt so damn good when she pushed herself, wet, hot and tight, onto my rock hard dick, I felt a moment of panic when I realized the reason it felt so damn good, better than it ever felt with anyone, because I was completely bare—no condom.

“Princess,” I protested trying to lift her from me so I could protect us. “We can’t do this. I’ve got to use protection.”

She shook her head as she continued to push herself up and down the length of my erection. “I went to the doctor,” she said softly. “I got on birth control. We can do this.”

I still wanted to protect her. Even though I always used a condom without exception no matter what
a girl said, I was still nervous about infecting her with God-knows-what from any one of the hockey whores I had been with.

But it felt so fucking good. I always thought guys who didn’t use condoms and got caught were fools but I suddenly had a better understanding of just how easy it was to get caught up in the heat of the moment and los
e control. 

“I haven’t gotten tested,” I said but she didn’t seem to hear me or didn’t care. She kept riding me and it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to want to stop her.

“I want this,” she whispered. “I want you. I want to feel you inside me. Every inch of you. Just you. I want to show you that I’m yours and nothing will change that.”

When our eyes locked, I knew that I would never want an
ything as much as I wanted Taylor Thompson. She was everything to me.

I tried to control myself for as long as I could but I felt like I was going to burst inside her at any moment.

When her muscles clamped around me I could tell she was ready to go and I was right there with her. “Go, Baby,” I screamed completely lost in the moment.

“Oh,
Kian,” she cried.

Hearing her scream my name fueled my explosion even more and the two of us went over the edge together. After the waves of pleasure subsided, she collapsed onto my chest but made no
move to dismount. It was like she wanted to keep me inside of her for as long as possible and I was very happy to comply.

She looked up at me with her big brown eyes, which were now lazy with the effects of post-coital bliss. “Have you ever done that before?” she asked.

“You mean had sex without using a condom?” I asked.

She nodded.

“No, never.”

“Never?”
She seemed surprised.

“You’re the one and only.”

That made her smile. “I like being your one and only.”

I wanted desperately to tell her that she was my one and only love but the words still wouldn’t come out of my mouth. “And I love it when I make you smile,” I said instead.

We enjoyed being in each other arms until both of our stomachs started to growl.

“I haven’t eaten anything all day,” Taylor stated. “Have you?”

“No. And I’m starving.”

“I guess it’s time to order that Chinese food.”

Sixteen

Taylor

I spent the rest of my short Thanksgiving break with
Kian at his apartment. The place was tiny but it was kind of nice to get cozy with my guy. I felt a tug of sadness in my heart on Sunday when Kian had to leave for an extended road trip. I got the feeling he felt as depressed about leaving me as I felt about him leaving.

“It’s only until Thursday,” he told me. “I promise I’ll phone you every night. You know I won’t be able to go more than a day without hearing your voice.”

Kian’s reputation as a kick-ass hockey player was really building and I knew it was just a matter of time before he was called up to another more prestigious team or even to the majors. And that would mean we’d be apart a lot longer than just a week-long road trip. I didn’t want to face the inevitable conclusion that in order for him to achieve his dream of becoming a star hockey player on a major league team, he’d have to leave town and leave me in the process.

As much as I loved
Kian and wanted to be with him, I knew that I would have to let him go for him to fulfill his dream. I would never forgive myself if I held him back and he didn’t use all of his talent.

I knew it was a conversation we would have to have soon.

When I returned to my suite, I finally checked my cellphone and found 20 missed calls and five messages from my parents. That was another inevitable issue I didn’t want to deal with.

When I finally got the courage to phone them back, my mom picked up on the first ring.

“We were so worried about you,” she said. She sounded like she was getting ready to cry.

“I stayed with
Kian at his place,” I stated matter-of-factly.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line and then my mother asked, “Do you love him?”

“Yes,” I admitted.

“We can’t help who we fall in love with,” she said. “My pa
rents weren’t exactly thrilled when I brought your father home to meet them. They thought I could do so much better than the starving musician he was at the time. Your father has a short memory when it comes to that. He’ll come around. Just give him time. It was a bit of a shock not only that you had a boyfriend but that he was a hockey player.”

“I know, Mom. But you and
Dad have to trust me. And you have to let me live my life. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“I know.” My mom sighed. “But you were just getting your life back together after everything that happened with Austin.”

“But I hadn’t really been living until I met Kian,” I said. “He’s the one who has really taught me how to live again. And how to love again.”

“I’m glad,” my mom said. “You
r father and I just want you to be happy.”

“I know, Mom. I’m finally happy again and I owe a large part of that to
Kian.” 

***

On Monday morning, I was anxious about my Stats exam. I had studied all day Sunday after I said goodbye to Kian. My sister had promised she’d walk me to class but she was nowhere to be found. About 20 minutes before class was due to start, I panicked. It took at least 15 minutes to walk across campus if I really hurried. My window of opportunity was slowly closing. My sister had been so good about walking me to class in the mornings but now she seemed to be back to her old tricks. Of course, she was the only person on the planet who didn’t own a cell phone and the antique phone in her room just kept ringing and ringing. She had probably stayed over at a
guy’s place and forgot to ask him to set the alarm, or maybe he just didn’t. Either way Zelda wasn’t here and I had to get to class. My Stats professor was a hard-ass and he’d definitely fail me if I didn’t get there on time for his exam.

I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me it was a mistake to walk alone but my brain was telling me I had to get to class. I could not fail an exam and risk having a B or worse on my transcript. Too much was a
t stake.

So I grabbed my stuff and headed out the door. I tried to stay as close as I could to groups of other students but I knew as I got closer to the psychology building at the other end of campus the crowd would thin out. There weren’t as many people majoring in psychology as some of the more popular majors like education and business.

I gulped as I suddenly found myself alone and still several hundred yards away from my building. And that’s when I felt a shiver run through my entire body and I could hear loud footsteps hurrying toward me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Blake trying to catch up to me. I quickened my pace even more but I could feel him gaining on me. I could see the entrance to the psychology building not too far away and I considered making a run for it until I felt his hand on my shoulder.

He pulled me so hard I nearly fell down then he spun me around to face him. He was such a good looking guy but his entire face contorted with an evil grin that quickly turned him ugly.

“I knew I’d eventually catch you alone if I waited long enough,” he snarled. His eyes held so much pure lust it was overpowering and almost sickening. I had the horrible feeling that he was not above taking what he wanted from a girl if she wasn’t willing to give it freely. My stomach clenched at the very thought of him forcing himself on me. My only saving grace was that I didn’t think he was desperate enough to do anything like that out in the open in the middle of the
morning.

He grabbed my elbow and pulled me close. I tried my best to squirm away from him but he just held me tighter. I panicked when I realized that if no one passed by he could easily drag me to a more secluded spot and take what he obviously wanted.

My stomach clenched and I felt like I was going to vomit.

“You have no idea how badly I want you,” he muttered hoarsely in my ear. “You’re such a little tease.”

I tried desperately to pull away but he just held me tighter. “I love it when girls show a little spirit and put up a fight. It really turns me on.”

He was holding me so close that I could feel his breath on my neck. His aftershave was expensive but overpowering and it made me gag. I didn’t have the ability to kick him or punch him but I thought about spitting in his face and I probably would have if I didn’t think it would just piss him off
more. 

Then I heard my name being called in the distance. I thought I might be
imagining it until I looked over towards the psychology building and saw Kyle hurrying towards us.

I didn’t think I’d ever be so happy to see Kyle again my life.

As he approached he had a puzzled expression on his face. “What’s going on?” he stated as he looked back and forth between me and Blake. “Dr. Simmons is getting ready to hand out the exams.”

This time when I pulled my arm away from Blake, he let it go.
The tough guy isn’t so brave when someone else is around
, I thought.
What a coward
.

“This isn’t over.” The look in Blake’s eyes froze me to the core. Not only were his cold dark eyes still filled with lust, they were now infused with rage on top of it. Not a good combin
ation.

Kyle’s eyes filled with concern and he grabbed my elbow i
nstinctively and pulled me away from Blake. “Come on,” he said. “We need to get inside. Dr. Simmons said he’d wait exactly three minutes.”

I nodded and Blake’s dark eyes followed us as we turned and headed toward the building. Another shiver ran through me because I could feel his icy eyes on me even as we walked away.

“I’m not even going to ask what that was about right now because we have to get our heads wrapped around Stats but you will talk to me after class.”

I had never heard Kyle show so much force and display so much moxie. I kind of liked it.

“Thanks,” I said as we hurried into the classroom. “I owe you a lot more than an explanation.”

“Stats exam,” he reminded me. “You’ve got to get an A in this class.”

I nodded and took my seat. When I looked up at Dr. Simmons I expected him to be angry but he wasn’t. He looked more concerned than anything else.

I was one of the last students to finish the exam and I knew I didn’t do as well as I could have or would have liked to. I just couldn’t get Blake’s words out of my head. And all I kept thin
king about was what if Kyle hadn’t shown up when he did…Blake could have raped me.

Luckily, I had a perfect score in the class going into the final, so I could still get an A in the class even with a low C on the exam. The problem was that I wasn’t sure I even answered enough questions correctly for a C and I really wanted to do well to get a letter of recommendation from Dr. Simmons.

“Is everything okay?” Dr. Simmons asked as I placed the exam on his table.

How could I possibly tell my professor that I was almost raped right before his class?

I gave him a weak smile.

“Let me know if I can be of assistance,” he said and his eyes held concern that I hadn’t seen before. “I have twin daughters your age. They’re finishing up their undergraduate studies at Stanford.”

“Thanks,” I muttered. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed when you see my grade.”

“Ms.
Thompson, being in this class isn’t just about the grade you earn it’s about what you’ve learned and if you’re able to apply it. I feel as though you’ve learned more than most students and I also believe you’ll be able to apply it when you enter a doctoral program next fall.”

That brought a genuine smile to my face. “Thanks, Dr. Si
mmons.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Kyle was waiting for me outside of the classroom. “I think I owe you lunch,” he said as I approached.

I frowned. “Why?”

“Weren’t we supposed to go to The Twisted Mug the day I made a total ass of myself and completely ruined our friendship?”

“Yeah, I guess so. But
isn’t it a little early for lunch? It’s only 10:30.”

He shrugged his shoulders.
“Maybe. But it’s never too early for a peach smoothie.”

“That’s true,” I agreed.

As we started walking toward The Twisted Mug, I saw my sister run right by us, her flowing white shirt was unmistakable. Then she made a dead stop, turned and seemed shocked to see us standing there.

“Kyle?” she muttered as she walked back toward us. “What are you doing here?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at my sister. “A better question is where were you this morning? Blake grabbed me outside the psychology building and was doing and saying some pretty scary stuff until Kyle came looking for me.”

My sister grabbed my arms. “I’m so sorry,” she groveled. “I don’t have any excuse. I didn’t stay at my apartment last night and I overslept. I swear it won’t happen again.”

I couldn’t stay mad at my sister. She just was the way she was and nothing was going to change that. But I knew I had to make other arrangements for the last few weeks of class before winter break. There was no way I was going to give Blake another chance to get me alone.

“Could someone please tell me who Blake is and
what is the deal with him?” Kyle asked, clearly concerned.

Between me and my sister, we filled Kyle in on all the details.

“I’ll walk you to class,” Kyle declared. “I’m not going to let that sick pervert anywhere near you.” Kyle turned to me. “And I’m a little pissed that you didn’t ask me sooner. When I think about what he could have done to you today, if Dr. Simmons hadn’t let me try to find you, it makes me sick.”

“We haven’t exactly been on speaking terms,” I reminded Kyle.

“I know,” he said sadly. “And we need to talk about that.”

My sister gave a forced half smile. “I guess I’ll leave you two to do whatever it is that psychology geeks do.” She gave me a big hug and whispered. “I’m really sorry.”

“I know,” I whispered back. “I hope he was worth it.”

“They,” she corrected. “And
they
were definitely worth it.”

“Two?” I asked almost afraid the number might even be higher.

She nodded and gave me a sly grin. “They’re brothers,” she mouthed and my eyes went wide.

I knew my sister was rarely monogamous but I never thought about her being with multiple partners at the same time.
And brothers? Wow.

As my sister hurried away, Kyle said, “Are you sure the two of you are related by blood and that one of you isn’t adopted?”

I laughed. “Positive.”

Kyle shook his head. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Me, too.”

Kyle and I both ordered peach smoothies and sat at a corner table. Since it wasn’t quite lunch time yet, The Twisted Mug was nearly empty.

“I want to apologize for the things I said to you. They were awful and I really didn’t mean them.”

I nodded and took a sip of my smoothie.

Kyle continued. “It’s not an excuse but I was angry. I always imagined someday in the future that we’d be together and when I realized it wasn’t going to happen, I was hurt. And I was jealous. I see the way you and Kian look at each other.”