Thawing Ava (21 page)

He shook his head. “Not yet.” He traced her features with butterfly kisses, taking his time. “I love your eyes, your nose, your chin, your cheeks, all of your face. I’ve dreamed of it for years.”

He traced the length of her neck with his tongue. Salt and sweetness burst on his taste buds. With a groan he continued on his path, circling her breasts before teasing her nipples with brief flicks. She writhed and arched her back.

“Brice, please,” she requested.

He shook his head. “Let me show you, please. God, the filthy things I could do with your breasts.” He scraped the tip of one peak with his teeth and lapped at it, then sucked it into his mouth. She clutched handfuls of his hair and pulled, but he refused to let go until he had her whimpering. Her moans turned to groans. He stopped and switched to the other bud. He nipped, bit, sucked, and kissed his way down one side and up the other, over her stomach, teasing her navel with quick swirls before moving down to her mound. “So much beauty. I will never get enough of exploring your body and your needs. Next time, we’ll use blindfolds.”

“Can I have control next time?” Her voice was low, soft, husky at the edges.

He gazed up her body, staring into her passion-darkened eyes. “You can have anything you want, honey. All you have to do is ask.”

He took a moment to inhale her musky perfume. Her legs were spread so he could see the plump, red lips of her labia and her thighs already glistening with her juices. Without hesitation he dove between her legs and lapped and ate at her delicate flesh. She wrapped her legs around his head and urged him closer to her heated flesh. He didn’t disappoint, enjoying every minute of giving her pleasure. Her essence coated his tongue, lips, chin, and cheeks.

He took her clit into his mouth, flicking the pulsing bud. Her body shook and quivered. The sounds she made only enhanced his desire for her. His cock ached, demanding that he sink into her tight wetness and never come out until they were both sated. When she came all over his mouth, he couldn’t take it anymore. Brice sat up and reached over to the nightstand, pulled out the drawer, grabbed a condom, sheathed himself, and rolled onto his back. “Ride me.”

He waited for her to protest, to make excuses. She got up onto her knees. “Brice, I’m…”

“Ava, fuck me,” he ordered. “If you don’t, we stop now, and I masturbate. Choose.”

He gave his cock a single stroke, hating the barrier between him and his skin.

She looked at him and licked his lips. With slow, hesitant movements, she threw one leg over his and positioned herself over his cock. “I’m not sure.”

“Baby, I know, but I want to watch you ride my cock, watch your tits bounce and watch your face as you come. Now, ride me, honey.”

She took hold of his cock and gave it a squeeze before she placed it at her entrance. She lowered her body down until he was seated fully inside her. She repositioned herself to sit on his lap, planted her feet into the bed, and rose up, then moved back down. He reached out and held one hip while pulling and tugging on her nipple.

“Move for me, honey. Ride me.” Brice’s gaze darted between watching his cock slip in and out of her pussy and her face. Her breasts bounced with each rise and fall of her body. She used her legs to help her power up and down. The need to thrust overwhelmed him, but he fought against that with everything in him, wanting her to control the tempo and pace. “That’s it, baby. Ride me. Fuck me.” He let out a groan and threw back his head when her vaginal muscles squeezed his dick. “Fuck, that feels good. Again, baby. Ride me. Fuck me. Faster, harder, baby.”

She picked up the speed, bouncing on his lap. The sound of slapping flesh and their moans and groans ricocheted off the walls. He released her nipple and held on to her hips, driving his hips upward, pushing into her as she came down on him. “So good, so fucking good. More, baby, more.”

She moved faster. Her pussy clenched and fluttered around him. She groaned and slowed it down, leaned back, and placed her hand on his thigh and restarted riding him.

He groaned as she drove him closer to going crazy. He needed to encourage her, say something before he lost his mind fully. “That’s it, honey. Get yours. I’m all yours. Fuck me, use me, come for me.”

He lost himself in the pleasure she wove around him in a tight web. Electricity seared up and down his body. “So close, honey.” He reached out and delved a finger between the puffy lips of her labia and found her clit. He pressed on the bundle of nerves. He felt her vaginal walls undulate and clamp down on his cock. Her body shook and stilled as she let out a cry. Without missing a beat, he drove his hips upward, drawing out more orgasms until he felt the electricity buzz around his balls and the semen rise in his shaft as it thickened and jerked. He came, filling the condom with his seed.

As the energy left his body, he released her hips and lay back, panting and trying to lower his heart rate to something that wouldn’t hurt. “Perfect, Ava. Just perfection.”

Ava leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you,” she whispered before she moved off him. He winced at the pain to his oversensitive cock but said nothing.

Instead, he reached over and cuddled her until she yawned and fell asleep. He got out of bed, disposed of the condom, and cleaned up before he soaked a washcloth and went back and wiped away her excess juices. Once she was cleaned up, he drew the covers over her and joined her under the blanket. He wrapped his arms around her before falling asleep. He refused to let her go. Hopefully this had convinced her of his trust in her and his appreciation for her body.

Chapter Thirteen

Christmas Eve

Ava woke up feeling sore. She couldn’t believe she’d ridden Brice and he had wanted her to. They still had a long way to go, that much she knew. His confession of love and wanting to marry her made her nervous. Yes, he was 100 times better than Perry, but she didn’t feel comfortable with getting married. They had just met again after years of separation, and they’d been living together for almost a week and a half. She didn’t want to rush things. Brice had to get his life together, talk to his parents, figure out if he truly wanted to keep playing hockey. Two games where he did well wasn’t good enough in her book. There would be times when she was sick or couldn’t go, like the away game. He’d have to get used to her not being there. Honesty was a must, and the fact that he wanted that between them was perfect and exactly what she wanted. Accepting her in and out of the bedroom gave her confidence in a way she hadn’t realized she needed. Support from her family and a belief in herself was something she was used to, but someone not related to her who believed in her bolstered her in ways she couldn’t even describe. She felt like she could take on anything. But there was a catch—she still needed a job. She didn’t want to just live with Brice and let him pick up the slack; she wanted to contribute to the relationship herself.

To clear her mind and give herself some time to think, she started a batter of pancakes and whipped some eggs. She lost herself in the mixing and measuring and quiet. Every once in a while she heard a soft snort from Brice, but he didn’t wake up. Last night had also increased her sexual comfort with him. Not every man would encourage a woman her size to be on top. A smile tugged at her lips. He could pick her up, handle her weight, and even had plans to lift her up during sex again. A chuckle slipped out. All she could do was shake her head. Both of them had changed and matured. She could see now that the Brice she’d held in her head had some insecurities, that his whole life had been about hockey, but during that Christmas, there had been a sadness about him. Maybe there were some deeper issues with his family than she thought or he knew.

“Hey.” Brice slipped his hands onto her hips and pulled her back against him. His cock was already semihard. He nuzzled her neck. “No need for clothes, huh? I like that. Naked day. We can do that.”

She used the spatula to smack him on the side of his thigh before putting it into the sink and grabbing another.

“Ow! Fuck, baby. I was checked on that side. Still sore.” He pulled back.

Horror filled her. “Go run a bath right now and soak! Jesus, why didn’t you tell me?” She had been so focused on their argument and sex, she’d missed the bruises and cuts. Even before he’d left for his away game, he’d been hurt.

“Nothing a sexy massage can’t cure, but if I take a bath, you have to join me. Tub is big enough for two,” he taunted.

Her body ached in its own way. The batter and eggs would keep. “Okay. But the massage will have to wait.”

Brice let out a whoop and rushed into the bathroom.

“Don’t forget it’s the team’s Christmas party at my parents’ place tonight, so I’ll have to go back at around four to help set up, get dressed, and cook,” Ava reminded him.

Brice came out of the bathroom and rested a hip against the doorway. “You didn’t bring back your clothes?”

“No. Didn’t want to presume, just in case.” She let him grab her wrist and pull her into the bathroom.

“No need to think now. We’ll move you back tonight.” He led her to the tub.

“We need to talk about that.” She watched him wince and shook her head. “You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?”

Brice gave her a cocksure smile. “Actually, I did, but at least I tried, right?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, you did.” She watched him move around the bathroom. Muscles bunched and slid under smooth, velvet skin mottled by bruises and cuts. She reached out and ran her hands over his back. He let out a hiss and grabbed her hands and pulled them until she could wrap her arms around his waist.

“Are we better?” he asked, his voice small, unsure.

Just hearing his lack of confidence tugged at her heart. “Yeah, we’re better, but we need to talk to work. We can’t just pick up where we left off. But we can start off with a clean slate.”

He nodded. “I can understand and respect that. So we start here and move up?”

“Yup, but”—she let that word hang between them—“you need to talk to your parents and explain things. One confrontation wasn’t enough to make your mother and father understand things. Maybe after Christmas?”

He went silent. She fidgeted from one foot to the other, feeling as if she might have pushed the issue too far. She knew his relationship with his parents wasn’t in a good place, and despite the encounter with Marion, she wanted him to face his parents and lay out how he was feeling and what he was thinking. That would go a long way to helping him deal with his other issues and give him some sense of closure.

He shut off the water, turned, and held out his hand to her. She accepted it and let him guide her into the tub. They settled down, him against the back and her resting on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. “Yeah, after the holidays would be best. I have a game after Christmas and then a home game before New Year’s, but you knew that. I just need to figure out how I’m going to address her bringing up your adoption as a way to hurt you. She’s never been so snobbish before.”

“Maybe she was being territorial? You’ve never brought back a girlfriend to meet them, have you?” Again she felt like she was pushing a line.

“Nope, never. They were never really around and my grandmother wasn’t exactly polite when not depressed, so I barely brought home my friends unless I had to.”

Her heart ached for him. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was what happened. Nothing I could do about it. When my grandmother lived with us and she wasn’t on her meds, she was bitchy. Neither of my parents liked being around her, and therefore they liked to go off and leave us under the care of the servants and with her.” His face darkened. For a moment she thought he was going to shut down but he continued to talk. “It wasn’t exactly a happy childhood, but it was mine. Hockey was both an escape and salvation. That’s why I was so dedicated. There was nothing else for me, not even school.”

She couldn’t imagine having the kind of childhood that lacked love and attention. Her parents had been into everything she and Davis did. No matter how embarrassing, they supported them, and took an interest in their schoolwork and after-school activities. From her mother, she got her love of cooking and an interest in marketing; from her father, she got her love of hockey and most sports. Both gave their children unconditional love. “I’m not going to say I’m sorry. Just that I support you in everything you do. I want you to know that.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I know, honey. I know, and you don’t need to do anything except simply be here for me. That’s all. Oh, and screw my brains out anytime I ask.”

She smacked his arm. “Come on. We have to get cleaned up, eat, and get ready.”

Despite the time constraint, Brice went slow. Once she was cleaned, she dried off and got dressed in the clothes she’d had on yesterday, minus her panties. She finished cooking breakfast and set the table. “Hurry up. The food will get cold.”

Brice came around the corner wearing only sweatpants. “I only have two days off. I don’t want to rush things.” His stomach growled. “I will say that does look good.” He settled at the table and dug in. “Delicious as usual. So are you going to take Davis’s offer? Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

She sat down and cut into her pancakes. “I wanted to think things over. If I take his offer, it would only be temporary. I already have a job lined up with a catering company. But also I’d want to take classes in marketing to catch up on new techniques. It’s been a while since I’ve had to use my degree.”

“You could use it to improve on your techniques in cooking, so think of this as an opportunity,” Brice pointed out.

“I would have a job, and I would be going back to school part-time.”

“And you can stay with me. You wouldn’t have a job babysitting me anymore. I don’t need it.”

“Are you sure? Have the team and management mentioned the bar to you?” She wanted to know how they had reacted.

“Alexi took care of it, assured everyone I wasn’t drinking or slutting around and we were only there to use the bathroom. But I was—well, we were warned to be more aware of where we are. It’s not our town. Walking into the wrong bar could mean an encounter with overzealous fans.” Brice finished off his eggs and retrieved more orange juice.