Thawing Ava (12 page)

“For not fighting me on the affection. For allowing me to be able to kiss you and hold your hand in public. Just wish we could do other things in public.” He punctuated that statement with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Take a cold shower or jump in a pile of snow,” she grumbled. “Or maybe take a long walk off a short pier into a frozen lake. Probably make your brain cells work faster.”

“No snow, only dirty slush piles, and I have no desire to get pneumonia. Although if I get sick, will you play nurse, maybe dress up for me in one of those outfits they show online?” He pushed into the building and headed straight for the gymnasium.

She didn’t respond. Her plump lips were pressed together in a thin line with a hard look on her face. He didn’t egg her on. Instead he refocused on the last task of the day. He’d given talks to this school before, so he knew the way. When he wasn’t playing or practicing and he had time, he took in a game. He also donated money to keep the arts and after-school programs going. Brice valued art and education as much as he did sports. “I might teach here once this hockey thing is over,” he confessed.

“What would you teach?”

He was thankful she didn’t just assume physical education. “English but I’d also coach the hockey team or be an assistant coach if they let me.” Brice knew he had a lot to teach the younger generation from his experiences so far. He wanted to be open and honest with them, talk to them about what they should avoid and how much they should be open with their team. He may not get the job, but he wanted to try anyway.

“I’m sure they would. It’s a nice school from what I’ve seen. Why not high school?” she asked.

“Can’t take the teenage attitude.” He chuckled and pulled her into the gym, where they were already waiting for him. Brice settled her in the front row and then started his talk. He varied it every time so that what he said applied to how they did in their last game.

“You lost last time, and that sucks. I know ’cause I did too. But I’m proud of you guys. You didn’t pout or throw a tantrum like us adults do from time to time. You acted like true sportsmen.” Pride swelled in his chest as he looked over the smiling faces of the team before him. “Now for the bad news. Here’s where I felt you went wrong and how you can work on it. You’re almost there. I just know you can be district champs by the end of the season.” He went into his analysis of the game, highlighting the players’ accomplishments and teamwork, and singled out each individual’s ability. By the time it was over, he still had several questions to answer and parents who stood around looking at watches impatiently. Brice didn’t rush it. He answered everyone and didn’t shorten things just to accommodate the impatient parents. He was exhausted but felt good about what he’d done.

When Ava grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the school, he could only lean on her a bit. A yawn pulled at his lips, and he tried to fight it. He had several matches to watch before he could truly call it a night. “Can we do pizza tonight? No cooking for either of us. There’s a gluten-free pizzeria on Fifth and Gold that makes an awesome thin crust.” He didn’t want her to go all out for him.

“Sure, but can you stay up if you’ve had pizza?” She turned the key; the engine growled to life. She put the SUV into gear, turned her body toward his, and backed up with caution.

He glanced at her as he slumped into his seat. “Don’t worry about me, honey. I’m not gonna be the one tied to the bed.”

“Promises, promises. Maybe I don’t want to be tied now. Maybe I’ve changed my mind.”

“No use turning back now. We’re doing it. I’ll only bind your hands. We’ll start there.” He closed his eyes and smiled when she said nothing in protest.

“Don’t think you’ve won. I just don’t want you to expend energy arguing with me when you need to focus on your game,” she shot back after a few moments of silence.

“Excuses, excuses. I still won this round.” They arrived at the arena, and she hadn’t disputed him. He unbuckled his safety belt, leaned over, gave her a kiss, and scrambled out of the cab. “I’ll take a taxi to get home. No need for you to come get me when it’s supposed to snow again tonight. Don’t want you to get caught up in that. See you later, honey.”

Brice slammed the door shut before she could rebuke him. It wasn’t her he worried about. As he shuffled in through the player entrance, he came across a few other teammates who hadn’t gone home yet.

“You doing some extra studying?” Marsh asked.

Brice nodded and grabbed his notebook and a pencil from his locker.

“Good. Glad I’m not alone.”

Brice didn’t ask why he was here late. He saw Davis come out of the weight room. Davis gave him a nod but said nothing. Brice opened his mouth to call him back, but Marsh pulled his attention back to why he was here.

“Come on. Let’s go. I want to get home before it’s so bad that we can’t leave. I don’t want to get snowed in with your sorry ass.”

Brice snorted. “Yeah, well, I have a hot woman waiting for me at home, so I don’t want to get snowed in with you either.”

They headed into the film room and settled down to watch past footage. Brice felt at ease with Marsh. They may not have talked on a personal level for the past few weeks, but it was good to hang around him again, one on one. There was no personal crisis here, no sexual frustration, just two teammates who wanted to better themselves for the team.

Chapter Eight

Ava’s heart tried to tattoo itself against her rib cage as the seconds ticked by. What had happened in the elevator and in the truck hadn’t soothed her. She found her arousal had amplified and refused to cool off, not even after a lukewarm shower. So now she just paced. The pizza arrived, but she’d barely touched it. Her tummy kept flipping. Food didn’t seem like a good idea. She’d thought of going out and getting some more Christmas decorations. Her stomach growled, and the acid of hunger churned in her gut, but she couldn’t bring herself to dive into the chicken and veggie specialty pizza that Brice favored according to the pizzeria. At least he kept to the health trend. She broke off a bit of the pizza crust and popped it into her mouth. Garlic, butter, salt, pepper, and cayenne with the sweetness of the crust burst on her tongue. She picked up a slice of pizza and studied the space as she ate. His apartment was bare, no indication that a holiday was in full progress. She mentally planned out how she’d use the tinsel and the lights. The loft needed some sparkle, as did the banister and the mantel over the fireplace. Ava wouldn’t go so far as to decorate the TV or bookshelves.

As she looked around, she flashed back to their Christmastime in college. The frat house had been bare too. Since no one was going to be there, they didn’t think it would matter to decorate or not. She hadn’t done much since the stores hadn’t had a lot left over. There also had been only slim pickings in the tree department. A Charlie Brown-style plastic number whose fake pine needles kept falling onto the tabletop. Brice had been amused—thank goodness—but she wasn’t sure if he’d want a real tree, one that was put together, or something small as a reminder of their time together. As she finished off her slice, she glanced at the clock again.
Maybe we need dessert
. She thought of making a devil’s food peppermint ice-cream cake.

With no timeline, she knew it couldn’t set properly if he came home early. Her mother would be making white chocolate spearmint mousse pie. Lightly sweet and minty, the perfect complement to the huge turkey dinner she made every year. Sadly, last year, Ava spent Christmas with Perry and his snobbish family. She’d been miserable. This year would be different. Would Brice’s parents be in town? She hadn’t asked him his holiday plans. The Prowlers had a game the day after Christmas. She’d thought of calling Brice’s parents, but wasn’t sure that would be a good idea. She didn’t want to pry too much and pick at a wound that may not have healed.

Brice seemed to know her really well. She, on the other hand, knew nothing about him. Well, almost nothing. There were the basics. Did that really count?
Do I really want to know more about him? Once this is over, will he want a true relationship with me?
The Internet images of him with model-thin women came back to haunt her. Ava shook her head.
No, can’t think like that. Brice said what he meant, period. If he truly wants me after this, then I’ll give it a try.

She turned on the TV and decided to watch the nightly news, hoping for a distraction. It didn’t take long for her to zone out. The usual segments; a few feel-good pieces but mostly bad news. The only time she felt even remotely happy was when they did some coverage on the upcoming hockey game. She winced when two players slammed into the wall and then began fighting. Growing up, she’d seen her fill of fights. A naughty thrill went through her as she watched. As much as she didn’t want Brice to get into a fight, it was part of the game and expected.

She finished her third slice and rinsed off her plate. Nine o’clock and still no Brice.
Not even a phone call and
I’m
the one that deserves a spanking?
Her pussy tingled at the thought of Brice’s hand on her ass. Just the idea of his hands on her body brought back her arousal. He’d promised her that when he got home, they would be doing some bondage. She wanted to go through with it, but there was still the practical part of her that warned against it. The sex-starved vixen reasoned that she’d never get this opportunity again. Who, or rather when would she find someone so sexually compatible and unafraid to show affection in public?

Perry had hated to hold hands with her. Brice went for it without hesitation, initiating contact with her in public whether she was ready for it or not. The more time that passed, the more differences showed up between the two men that she couldn’t deny. Brice was nothing like her ex, that was for damn sure. Brice was open-minded, honest, accepting, and affectionate. Just having him hold her hand or wrap an arm around her waist sent a thrill and filled a hole she hadn’t realized was there. Ava hadn’t realized just how starved for affection she was. His desire was obvious to her, his confidence refreshing. He wasn’t arrogant or cocky; he was just sure.

As much as she tried to fight against her attraction, it was making her grumpy too. She didn’t want to deny herself this time and ignore her sexual instincts. Okay, for tonight I’ll allow it, but if it fucks up his game, no more. I’ll use a vibrator, she promised herself. Now that that had been decided, there was only one other thing to do: call Davis. She couldn’t avoid her brother forever.

She grabbed her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts. Ava chose his number and hoped he was asleep or his battery had died. She didn’t want to dissect her relationship with Perry with her brother. From day one Davis had called it on who Perry truly was as a person. Eating crow didn’t sit well with her.

He answered on the first ring. “Can’t talk now. We’ll do lunch tomorrow. Dinah’s, corner of Rose and Hedgewater. Use GPS. Later, Sis.”

Ava stared at the phone, the dial tone beeping through the speaker. “How the hell am I related to him?” she shouted to the empty apartment.

She turned her phone to vibrate and put it down. Irritation warred with affection. At least he didn’t sound pissed with her.

“Sometimes I wondered that too.” Brice’s voice, low and full of amusement, carried over to her from a few feet away. The clunk of keys hitting a hardwood surface echoed around the space.

She whirled around at how close Brice was to her.

“How did you… Are you a ninja?” How had she missed him? That door was too well oiled.

“Took martial arts when I was younger. Learned how to move quietly to eavesdrop on my older brother and his friends.” He gave her a mischievous grin. “God, I’m starving. So, pizza here?”

“In the oven.” She decided to bring up the issue of decorations right away. “Um, Brice, how’d you like the apartment to be decorated? And if it’s okay, I’d like to get a tree. Something small, I promise. I can do it while you’re at practice.” Ava waited for rejection.

He opened the oven and grabbed a slice. Brice answered without looking at her. “Sure. What’d you have in mind? I never decorate. Too busy with the season and other engagements. And I wasn’t going to say no, so why do you look like I was going to hit your puppy or something?”

She grinned. “Nothing insane. Just simple decoration, tinsel, lights, a tree. Leftover crap from Perry.”

“Don’t put up anything too high unless I’m here. I don’t want you to get hurt, okay? The ceiling is so fucking tall. I’m scared of the cleaning crew using ladders to clean up there because that’s a long fucking way down. Good for summer and if the AC conks out. Bad for winter and decorations. And I’m not Perry. Perhaps you need a reminder.” His eyes darkened to the color of a forest at dusk.

She shifted in her seat and looked down at the counter. “Okay, deal. So are you too tired for…?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to finish that sentence.

“Say it, Ava,” Brice ordered.

Heat flared in her face and prickled along her ears. She licked her lips. “Um, are you too tired for what you promised me?”

Brice shook his head, and her heart sank. “Ava, be explicit. Tell me what you want.”

“Do you want to tie me down on the bed and use sex toys on me?” He hadn’t talked about vibrators and dildos, but she decided to throw that in there and see if he’d be put off. Brice had mentioned that he wanted to watch her masturbate, to see how she liked it, but this was putting her pleasure completely at his control.

The room grew hotter, and the fireplace wasn’t even on. She toyed with her phone. His gaze weighed on her, caressing the column of her neck, swirling around her breasts, and slipping down her stomach to whisper against her thickened labia. She could feel his fingertips ghosting over her flesh.

“Look at me, Ava.” Brice’s voice was deep, dark, hardened with command.

She met his gaze. “Yes?”

“I told you before you never have to feel ashamed with me over your desires and needs. You have to be honest with me and me with you. Now using sex toys on you—do you want me to use the ones I have, or do you want to use yours?”