Ice Games (16 page)

This time, though, he pressed a quick one to my mouth and then shifted on the bed. “Lie on your back. I want to taste you again.”

I quivered at the thought. Wanting to taste me could only mean one thing. I moved my legs and fell back onto the mattress, and then I clamped my knees together again as he moved over me.

Ty leaned in to give me a kiss, and then began to trail his mouth down my body. Kisses were pressed on my breasts, my stomach, my belly-button—and then he went further south. His hands gently nudged my knees apart, and I spread for him, hesitant at first. At further nudging, I opened wider, and he dropped off the side of the bed, pulling me toward him, where he knelt on the floor. My hips were on the edge of the bed, and my legs dangled over the side. As I watched, Ty lifted one of my thighs and placed it over his shoulder, then the other.

Then, he gave me a wicked, wicked look before leaning in and burying his face in my pussy.

I sucked in a hard breath, shocked by the feel of him down there. I didn’t know how to process it at first. It was too intimate. He moved his head a little, and I felt his tongue stroke along my clit, and a ripple of pleasure moved over me. Oh…that was pretty good.

Ty must have noticed my twitching in silence. He lifted his head and glanced up at me. “How we doing?”

“Not bad.”

“Not bad?” He raised an eyebrow, and then chuckled. “I know a challenge when I see one.”

And his head descended between my legs again. His tongue stroked over my clit again, this time slow and sensual, and then he licked again. The pressure changed a little, and I squirmed against him. His hand clamped down on my hip, holding me in place, and then he continued to do the same motion, licking a little harder, and then faster.

Oh…that was…yeah. That was actually feeling really damn good. My hips rolled of their own accord, and I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my throat. He changed it up a little, sucking on my clit in a way that felt totally different, but equally good, and I squirmed. “Ty…”

“Yeah, baby?” I felt his hand shift and move between my legs, and then his finger pressed at the entrance of my core.

“I need…more. I think.” My hands clenched at the blankets, desperate to hold on to something.

“I’m going to give you more, Zara. Don’t worry.” His husky voice was as erotic as his touch, and I shuddered in response. One thick finger pressed into me, and I whimpered, this time not entirely with pleasure. “Fuck, you’re tight,” he told me. “Let me know if I hurt you.”

Right now I didn’t care if he hurt me. I just wanted him to put his mouth on my clit again. So I said, “I’m good.”

He pushed in and out with his finger, and I sucked in a breath, because that was a different sort of sensation than his mouth on my clit, but it was still good. It made me want to clamp down around him, lock my legs behind his back and hold him there. Ty pushed again and then his mouth was back on my clit, feasting once more.

I moaned when he pushed deep, and then it felt like he had two fingers inside me, and the stretching, pinching sensation happened again. I opened my mouth to complain, but he sucked on my clit, distracting me. His tongue was working rapidly, and the fingers drove in and out of me, harder and faster. An orgasm was building, just on the edges of my consciousness. I clung to the blankets, my hips raising. “Don’t stop,” I told him. “Don’t stop.”

The bastard stopped.

I whimpered a protest, but then he was moving over me, coming to press another kiss on my mouth.

“You doing okay, Zara?”

“No,” I whined, clinging to his neck. “You fucking stopped, and I was so close.”

He chuckled and pressed another kiss to my mouth. “I’ll get you there again, I promise. I’m going to get condoms. Be right back.” He detangled from my needy grasp and sprinted to the bathroom.

Ty returned a moment later, smoothing a condom over his cock. I barely had time to glimpse it before his body was pressing onto mine again, and my arms gleefully stroked his back, caressing him. My mouth sought his, and he gave me another open-mouth kiss, our tongues tangling even as he shifted, moving his body between my legs and spreading my thighs wide with his hand. This time I went easily, hopefully, desperate to get relief. I wanted that orgasm.

He shifted again, and then I felt his cock press against my entrance. I tensed in anticipation, waiting for him to move. Instead, his fingers moved to my clit and he began to play with it again.

I was so distracted by that touch that I relaxed, pushing against his fingers. His thumb grazed against my clit again, and I moaned.

And then he sank into me.

I sucked in a breath, my body stiffening. That…had not been a pleasant sensation. Something entirely too big and thick felt crammed inside a too small space, and a sharp needle of pain had flashed through my insides.

“You okay?” Ty kissed me again, and then continued to press light kisses on my face. “Talk to me.”

“Feels a little…twinge-y,” I lied. Felt like a brick had been shoved up into my girl parts. “I’m fine.”

“You’re still a shitty liar,” he told me, and his fingers continued to flick at my clit. “Give it a minute. It’ll go away.”

“Mmm,” I told him, getting distracted by his fingers. “Just don’t stop doing what you’re doing down there,” I breathed. “I like that.” And him being stuffed inside me? Was doing weird things to my senses. My toes were curled, and I was getting weird tingles of sensation that weren’t unpleasant. It made me want more.

When I shifted again, Ty pulled back and thrust into me. I winced, because that still felt raw, but it wasn’t as bad as before. He regarded me for a long moment, not moving again. “Still okay?” There was strain in his voice, and I knew he was holding back because of me.

So I nodded. “I’m good.”

The next time he drove into me, it barely hurt. His fingers kept teasing my clit, though, and I was starting to lift my hips with his thrusts. He surged forward again, burying himself, and then began to move in smaller strokes, pumping in and out, hips flexing. That…oh, that felt really good. My fingers dug into his shoulders and I tried to pull him down closer. I wanted more of that.

“Put your legs around me, Zara.”

I did, wrapping them around his waist and locking my ankles behind him. That changed the angle of his thrusts, and when he rocked into me again, I gave a startled little gasp, my eyes going wide at the bolt of pleasure. That orgasm was tickling at the fringes again, and I began to raise my hips with him, needing more. “Ty,” I breathed, “Oh…it’s getting nice again. I like this.”

“Good, baby,” he told me. “That’s good.” And he drove into me faster, his pounding thrusts taking on a harder edge.

Within minutes, I was clinging to him, making inarticulate noises of pleasure as he drove into me. I was still searching for that orgasm, pursuing it with every cant of my hips against his, every slam of his balls against my flesh, every flick of his thumb against my clit. I was so close! Why wasn’t I coming? I could feel it just out of reach.

Then, Ty shifted again, and his cock brushed something deep inside me when he stroked down again.

And I went off like a rocket. My legs clenched tight around him, and I felt my pussy spasm around his cock as my entire body reacted to the orgasm. I gurgled his name in the most unsexy way possible, and that gurgle turned into a moan as the pleasure ripped through me.

And then Ty slammed into me, hard, seeking his own release, and I kept quivering, the orgasm kept pounding through my veins, and I whimpered even as he stroked harder and harder. Oh god, this orgasm was never going to end, and I was going to die of bliss.

Ty bit out my name, and then he pushed against me, hard, and held there for a long moment, while I shuddered around him. Then, he collapsed on top of me, his skin moist with sweat. He’d come.

And I had come like crazy.

Wow.

I panted in the bed, trying to catch my breath. That was…holy shit. I had no words. Heck, I’d had no words during the latter half of sex, either. I was pretty sure the sound I made when I came wasn’t entirely human.

How embarrassing. Even now, my legs still twitched with aftershocks with Ty’s cock still buried deep inside me, his big body propped over mine.

He lifted his head, skin flushed, and gazed at me. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I was pretty sure I could feel my cheeks turning red. What kind of small talk did one make to a guy that was balls-deep inside you? “So, um, thanks?”

Ty laughed, rolling off to the side and then out of the bed. “You don’t have to thank me, Zara.”

“Well, I thought it would be better than discussing the weather.” I watched as he moved to the garbage can and peeled off the condom. He was still hard, which was fascinating. I thought guys went limp right away? Guess not. He toweled his cock off, and then tossed the towel to the ground and headed back to bed with me.

I scooted over to let him in, and he grabbed the mess of blankets, tossing them over us. Then he got into bed, pulled me against his side, and began to nibble on my ear again.

That made those crazy aftershocks start shooting up my legs again. I squirmed, but didn’t try to get away. It felt too good.

“So what now?” I asked him.

“What do you mean, what now?” He brushed a lock of hair away from my ear. “You hungry or something?”

“No, I guess I mean…after the show.” I wanted to say
what about you and me
? But I didn’t have the guts.

“Well…now that the show’s over, we go back to the real world and see if we were able to patch our careers.”

Back to the real world. Yeah. Not what I wanted to hear, but I wasn’t surprised. He was a fighter in Vegas, and I lived in Ohio. We weren’t happening. I knew that. I’d known that all along, of course.

And yet, I was still disappointed to hear it. “Yeah,” I said. “It’ll be weird to go back to our normal lives.”

He shrugged. “Has to happen at some point.”

It did. I got quiet.

“So how was it?” He asked me. “Your first time?”

“Not bad,” I said again, putting the teasing back into my voice.

He laughed, mock-biting my ear. “You’re impossible to please, Zara Pritchard. It’s clear that I’m going to have to go for round two.”

“Round two?”

“Well, yeah. You didn’t think I was just going to roll over and fall asleep, did you?” His mouth grazed my shoulder.

“The thought had occurred to me.”

“No, I plan on tonight being a wild event of mind-shattering, brain-melding sex. At least, that will be my contribution to the team. How about you?”

I pretended to think for a moment. “I…can put my ankles behind my ears?”

“Oh shit, really?” Ty looked dazed. “Fuck, I’m hard again already.”

I laughed. “Would you like a demonstration?”

“I…think I just might.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Do I regret anything about the show? That lousy scoring system, maybe. My partner? Absolutely not. Zara was amazing. She was the only reason we made it as far as we did. I don’t want to hear anyone say anything bad about her in my presence. Ever. Understand?
— Ty Randall, to interviewers, Post-Show

~~ * ~~

Ty had been right about the windows in his room; they were killer. I squinted at the sunlight pouring onto my face, raising a hand to protect myself from the too-bright light. What time was it?

At my side, Ty burrowed his face further into his blankets, and then he pulled me against him, using me as a human shield against the light.

I wiggled out of his grasp. “Can’t stay. Have to pee.”

He mumbled something and released me, and I sprinted to his bathroom.

I finished my business in there and headed to his mirror to do a quick check of how I looked. In short: awful. I had stubble-burn on my collarbones, a hickey on my neck, and the back of my hair was a poofed up rat’s nest. There were circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep, and they were puffy. I also had the dopiest grin on my face.

The inside of my thighs were sore, as were other, ahem, parts, so I took a quick shower to loosen my muscles. By the time I emerged from the bathroom, Ty had his back to the window and was sound asleep again. I contemplated getting back into bed with him.

And then I sighed heavily.

What was the point in getting back into bed with Ty? Last night had been incredible, but it was now morning. That meant that one of the assistants would arrive soon to pick up our luggage and take us to the airport, and we’d go our separate ways. That was it. End of story.

It was best if I just started packing. Get the whole thing over with quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid. I slipped out of Ty’s room and tiptoed across the hall to mine, stark naked. Changing into my typical tank top and leggings, I tied my wet hair into a bun and began to pick up my room, packing my things. As I did, hot tears began to spill down my face.

I didn’t want things to be over. Didn’t want this to be the last night with Ty.

Somewhere during this competition, I’d fallen for him hard.

And it hurt to realize that it was one sided. Ty had been tender in bed, but afterward he’d definitely said he wanted no-strings-attached sex. That was fine. I wasn’t going to do strings. I’d thank him for making my first sexual experience amazing by not making it messy.

I packed my things, cramming dirty laundry into my suitcase, and then lovingly packing my skates in next to them. I went to the dresser, where I’d pulled off one of the sequins from the bridal gown I’d worn in our last competition. I needed to fix it to my skate to increase my juju.

Then I sighed. I needed to be out of here by the time Ty woke up. I could fix up my skates later. There was no hurry, after all. I wouldn’t be skating in a competition again for quite some time…if ever.

I hauled my suitcase up and grabbed my cellphone. Melody had left me a text message.
Whenever you’re ready to leave, let me know and I’ll have the car there
.

You don’t need me for the post-show interview?

My boss says that as long as we have Ty, it’s fine.

Ouch.
I’m ready
, I texted back.

Great
, she sent a moment later.
Car will be there in five.

I hauled my suitcase to the front door as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake up Ty. I peeked out the window. No car yet, of course. I glanced back at Ty’s room. The door was shut. I…wanted to see him one last time. So I left my suitcase at the door, tiptoed back to his room, and cracked the door silently, peeking in.

He was so gorgeous. A morning scruff of beard covered his chin, and his long eyelashes were visible, little dark fans against his skin. His full mouth was slightly parted in sleep, and he had the pillow trapped in his arms, hunching carefully away from the sunlight spilling into the windows.

He’d been so tender with me last night, so utterly absorbed in making sure that my first time was amazing. And it had been. I felt ruined for every other guy out there. Who could possibly stand up to Ty Randall? I didn’t care if he had a reputation for being a bad boy or punching referees or biting noses. That was in the ring. With me, he’d been charming, patient, understanding, and oh-so-gentle.

I’d fallen hard. Like a stupid idiot, I’d gone and fallen in love with the guy that took my virginity and rocked my world. Damn it.

Tears pricking my eyes, I eased the door shut again, saying goodbye to Ty Randall forever.

~~ * ~~

Zara. Call me. Muy importanta, girlfriend.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, looking over at my students tottering around the ice. The adults were pushing wheeled garbage cans back and forth to help them stay steady on the ice. “Let’s take a five-minute break, everyone,” I said. “Free skate if you want to.” I skated off the ice and headed to one of the benches.

Two messages and a text. The text was Naomi’s, the other two were a number I didn’t recognize. I answered the text.
I’m here, Nay. What’s up?

Did you read the Sports section in Mediaweek today?

Uh, no. Should I have?
I texted back, my heart fluttering.

Your boy’s back in the game. They put him on probation, but he’s got a fight coming up next month, it seems. You excited?

Oh. So the whole TV show thing had worked for Ty. Good for him. I glanced at my students at the mall skating rink. It hadn’t worked for me, sadly. I hadn’t heard a peep from the producers.
I’m excited for him
, I wrote back. And it was true, I was.

How could I not be excited for the guy I was still madly in love with? It had only been a few days since the competition. The only thing the show had done for me was cut me a paycheck, help me lose my V-card, and give me a lot more first-timer students back at the mall, because everyone thought I was a celebrity
now
that I had been on a stupid TV show instead of being merely an Olympian. Irony, thy name is Zara Pritchard.

You hanging in there?
Naomi texted me back.

Boy, she sure knew how to interpret a silence.
I’m fine, I wrote her. It’s just going to take me some time to get over him.

I understand. I won’t bring him up again. XOXO.

I wrote Xs and Os back to her and clicked off our chat, checking my voicemail instead.

“Zara?” Melody’s voice chimed in my ear. “This is Melody Zimmerman, with
Ice Dancing with the Stars
. Can you call me back?”

The next message was Melody, too. Same deal. I returned the call, curious.

“Melody Zimmerman,” she answered brightly.

“Hi, this is Zara. You called me?”

“Oh!” She sounded relieved. “Yes! I’m so glad I got ahold of you.”

“You are?” My heart gave an excited flutter. Maybe I’d have a job after all.

“Yes! Listen, ratings have been through the roof this year, and so the producers want to do a little something special with the finale.”

Uh oh. That didn’t sound good. “Something special like what?”

“They want to have everyone participate in a big skate number for the finale show. Bring back all the eliminated contestants and stuff. Isn’t that awesome?”

I glanced at my rink full of students, wobbling on the ice. “Um. So what does that mean for me?”

“We’ll fly you back out here to the cottages, and you can stay for the next few weeks on us while you practice your routine.”

My heart leapt. Outright
leapt
with joy. A few more weeks? That meant more Ty. More alone-time with Ty. More nights in his bed.

More heartache and pain as I fell more in love with the guy and then we walked away again. “I don’t think I can.”

There was a long pause. “What do you mean?”

“What does it pay?” Might as well be a little mercenary about things.

She got quiet. “Well…you already got paid by the show, I thought?”

“Yeah, but I just signed up a bunch of new students, and I can’t just leave. That’s my paycheck. If I cancel classes, I lose all those students for being a flake. I can’t survive off of what the show paid me.” Thirty grand was nice and all, but it wasn’t going to last forever.

“Oh. But you need to practice your routine. You’re contractually obligated to appear in the finale show.”

I gritted my teeth. “Is Ty Randall going to be there?”

“Yes, he is. He actually hasn’t left yet. The producers had him doing some press junkets, so it’s perfect that he’s still in town.” She sounded so bubbly and happy. “Everyone just loves him.”

Yeah, that was the problem I had. I loved him, too. Too much. “I can’t come back,” I told her again. “If you can fax me the routine and send me the music file, I’ll learn it on my own.”

“But…”

“Yes?” I tried to be patient with her. It wasn’t Melody’s fault I was an ice diva.

“You have to come back and practice,” she said in a small voice.

“I’m an Olympic-level ice skater,” I told her in a firm voice. “You think I can’t learn your TV show routine? I can learn it in a day. I could learn it blindfolded.”

“Well, I know, but—”

“Just fax me the information, and I’ll fly out in time for the show. Problem solved.”

I could practically hear her frowning into the phone. “But what about your partner?”

“Have him practice with Svetlana. She’s pregnant, not dead. She can still skate enough to train with him.” And she was keeping her job, and I had been the fill in. They didn’t need me. They hadn’t even invited me to the press junkets. As soon as our team was off the show, they were done with me. I hadn’t forgotten about that.

Why do them a favor if they weren’t going to do me one?

“I guess we could get Svettie to train with him,” Melody said uncertainly. “I need to run this past my boss. Hang on.” I heard her cover up the phone, and a muffled conversation ensued. I even heard a few words about ‘she’s being difficult,’ which made me laugh quietly to myself. They hadn’t even seen difficult yet. After a long moment, Melody came back onto the phone. “Okay. I’ll email you instructions for the routine and a plane ticket. You have to be out here the night before for dress rehearsal and last-minute costume fittings, okay? Not negotiable.”

“Got it. I’ll have everything learned by then.”

“Okay,” Melody said, sounding relieved. “You have my number if you have any questions.”

“Will do,” I said, and I hung up.

Well, shit. I stared out at the ice, not really paying attention as one of my middle-aged students dropped to the ice, laughing, and his garbage can fell on top of him.

I had to go back to Hollywood because the show wanted to parade us out one last time. It just went to show how completely non-essential I was to them. They’d kept Ty there after he’d been voted off and sent him on a press tour. I was just the hired mannequin, so they’d sent me back to Ohio.

Worst of all, they’d wanted me to spend two more weeks around Ty Randall, so by the time I went home for good, I’d be a complete and total mess, instead of just
mostly
a mess like I was right now. I reached down and touched the bottom of my skate, feeling the sequin from my bridal costume.

I’d worn this the last time I’d been in Ty’s arms. Well, sort of. I’d actually been in a t-shirt and panties, but I judged my life by skating costumes, and this one would always make me think of Ty. Me and him. Bride and groom.

Tears pricked my eyes as I tossed my phone back into my bag and headed back out to the ice. I skated over to my fallen student, offering him a hand and swiveling to the side to keep my balance when he accidentally tried to pull me down with him.

The last thing my heart could take was two more weeks around Ty Randall. One night with him had fucked me up good.

The ache in my chest, though? It told me that I wanted those two weeks more than anything. But I knew it wasn’t smart.