Melting the Ice

NINETEEN

CAROLINA HATED NEW YEAR’S EVE IN NEW YORK CITY. Typically, she either hightailed it out of town, or hid in her apartment, content to let everyone else crowd the streets and celebrate.

She anticipated with dread whatever Drew had in store for her for tonight. Knowing him, he’d thrust some hideous party hat on her and drag her out to Times Square.

She was sipping her tea when her phone rang. Frowning, she looked at the time. It was only eight in the morning, and it was Drew calling.

“A little early for our date, don’t you think?”

“Not really. Pack a bag. We’re heading out.”

“Staking out our place in Times Square already?”

He laughed. “Do you really think I’d do that to you?”

“I have no idea.”

“Pack a bag. We’re getting the hell out of here.”

“Okay. And what should I pack?”

“Pack for the beach. I’ll be there in an hour to pick you up. Can you be ready?”

What did he think she was, some diva who needed three hours to prep? “Yes. I’ll see you in an hour.”

Pack for the beach? Where were they going? As long as it was out of here, she was game.

She headed into her bedroom and grabbed her bag, threw in some capris, a sundress, and, though it was a ridiculous notion, her swimsuit. It was winter. Even if they hopped over to the Hamptons, which sounded like a delightful idea, it was still winter. She added a sweater and her yoga pants, too, just in case.

She took a shower and got dressed, then grabbed a bagel to eat while she waited.

Drew showed up exactly at the time he said he would. She liked that about him. He rang the bell, so she grabbed her bag and went downstairs.

When she opened the door, he smiled. “I love a woman who’s on time.”

“Hey, I even had time to eat breakfast.”

“Well, aren’t you efficient. Is this it?” he asked, grabbing her bag.

“You’re not kidnapping me for a week, are you?”

He led her down the stairs toward the waiting taxi. “Nice thought, but we both have to work, so no. Just overnight.”

They climbed into the taxi.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Seriously? You’re not going to tell me?”

“We’ll be there before you know it. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

The ride ended up being to one of the smaller airports, where she was surprised to see the Preston jet.

They boarded, and buckled in.

“How did you arrange this?”

Drew settled in next to her. “I talked to Gray, who talked to your dad.”

“Good morning, Miss Preston. Mr. Hogan.”

Carolina smiled at Oren, the captain of the flight crew. “Good morning, Oren.”

“We’ll be taking off shortly. We’ll have you into Daytona Beach in no time. Enjoy the flight.”

After the captain went into the cockpit, Carolina turned to face Drew. “We’re spending New Year’s Eve with Gray and Evelyn?”

“Not exactly. They had a change in plans and decided to go to Virginia to be with Evelyn’s parents. With the baby news, they wanted to spend some time with her parents and talk wedding plans. So I talked to Gray, and he’s letting us use his house.”

“Oh. This is fantastic.” An overnight in Florida trumped a cold New Year’s Eve in Times Square every time.

“I knew you didn’t want to be in the city for New Year’s Eve. I thought you might like to go someplace warmer. I actually was going to get us a hotel room there and asked Gray about the plane, but then he told me they were heading to Virginia and offered up the house. I didn’t refuse.”

“It’s a great house on the beach. And someplace warmer is a wonderful idea. Thank you.”

They took off, and Carolina busied herself with working on her line. She had models in place, and had pretty much decided on which clothes each of them would wear. There might be a few switches, but other than completing production, she was mostly finished. Now she just had to get advertising going, and she had to get Drew on board for that, along with one of her female models for the women’s line. She’d already talked to the agency and had selected one of the female models to do the advertising shoot for the women’s line.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, needing to rest and gather her thoughts.

The next thing she knew, Drew was shaking her shoulder.

“We’re getting ready to land.”

She blinked and opened her eyes. “Already? I must have fallen asleep.”

He smiled at her. “Just how hard have you been working this week?”

“Oh, not too hard.”

He gave her a look. “I don’t think I believe you.”

They landed and she and Drew both thanked the crew, who insisted they were thrilled to spend New Year’s Eve hanging out on the beach. Her father was flying their families out to spend it with them, so they were all excited.

Drew had rented a car. They threw their bags in the backseat and headed toward the house.

Carolina loved Gray’s house. She’d been out a few times, and he’d even let her stay there on vacation when he was away racing. She loved the expansiveness of it—right on the beach, no neighbors close by. It was gorgeous and peaceful, and as they pulled into the driveway, one of Gray’s staff was there with the key.

“Thank you, Louisa,” Carolina said, taking the key from her.

“The house is fully stocked for you. I’ll be back tomorrow—at three o’clock, Mr. Preston said—to get the key back?”

“That’s right,” Drew said.

Louisa nodded and left. Drew took the key from Carolina and opened the front door.

Carolina could already smell the ocean breeze wafting in from the open terrace doors. She walked to the terrace and outside.

It was warm out, so much warmer than Manhattan. She wanted to immediately shed her clothes and take a walk on the beach.

Drew came up behind her and put his arms around her. “I thought this might be more fun than the craziness at Times Square.”

She leaned her head back against his chest. “It’s absolutely perfect. There’s nothing more calming than the ocean.”

“Do you want to get changed and go take a walk?”

“Absolutely.”

They went upstairs and headed into the guest room down the hall from the master bedroom. The guest room was amazing. Oversize, with a big bed, a deck overlooking the ocean, and its own bathroom. Carolina changed into her swimsuit and put on her capris and a tank top, then slid into her flip-flops.

“This feels so decadent for December,” she said as she turned to Drew, who’d thrown on a pair of board shorts and a sleeveless top. She loved seeing all that muscle exposed.

They walked outside and Drew grasped her hand. She felt giddy, like she was on vacation, without a care in the world.

Of course, she had a lot of cares, a lot of tension, a lot of stress.

But not today. Today she wasn’t going to think about all of that. One day off was all she needed to melt all of that away.

The warm sunshine bathed her skin as they kicked off their shoes and hit the sand. It wasn’t summer by any means, but it was warm here, and it felt good. The salt in the air rejuvenated her as they walked parallel to the water. Carolina dug her toes into the sand, wishing it were summer already.

“We used to go to the shore a lot when we were kids,” she said as they strolled along at an easy pace. “It’s one of my fondest memories of my childhood. Playing in the water with Gray, splashing and dunking each other. Dad didn’t come with us all that often because he was so busy when we were kids, but Mom was always there, and aunts and uncles and of course cousins would join in. We had such a blast.”

Drew shifted his gaze toward hers and smiled. “That sounds like fun.”

“It was. We’d spend a week at the shore every summer. I looked forward to it every year.”

“I love the beach, too,” Drew said. “Of course, growing up in Oklahoma we didn’t have the beach, but there are a lot of lakes. We’d go camping. Everyone would go out on boats and water-ski.”

“Did your parents have a boat?”

He shook his head. “We didn’t, but my parents were friends with people who did, so we’d all camp together and we’d ski off their boat. Then when I was a teenager, I had a friend whose parents had a boat, and we’d head off on the weekends to go water-skiing.”

She stopped and turned to face him. “So what you’re saying is that you’re an amazing water-skier.”

He gave her an adorably boyish grin. “Hell, yeah. If the water out there wasn’t so cold right now I’d show you.”

“How unfortunate. Some other time, then.”

He took her hand and continued to walk. “We’ll come back in the summer. Then I’ll impress you with my water-skiing prowess.”

He assumed they’d still be together in the summer. She didn’t know what to make of that.

Would they be? She had no idea. She’d never had a long-term relationship with a man, had never progressed beyond a few dates or a month at best before the whole thing fizzled out due to lack of interest or her just being too busy to care if the relationship went any further. Her focus had always been on her career, and never on a man.

Her career had to remain her number one priority, now more than ever.

But the idea of not having Drew in her life made her ache, and she didn’t like that.

She’d never depended upon a man for her happiness. The thought of it had always seemed ludicrous to her. The only thing she had ever wanted, the only thought that had ever made her happy was launching her fashion line.

Something inside her was changing, some subtle shift in her priorities.

“Your shoulders are getting red. Did you put sunscreen on?” Drew asked.

“Oh, you know what? I was so excited about getting outside in the warmth that I completely forgot.”

“We’d better head back then, and get some sunscreen on you before you fry up like a lobster.”

She laughed. “Yes, that would be bad. Sunburnt is definitely not a good color on me.”

They turned around and Drew walked them farther up the beach into the shade on the way back.

Once inside, she headed into the kitchen.

“How about something to drink?” she asked.

“A beer sounds good.”

“Okay. Actually, that sounds pretty good to me, too.” Normally she disliked beer, but it was warm outside and she was parched, and today it felt like summer. And summer meant beer. She grabbed two beers and handed them over to Drew, who opened them both and gave her one. They went out onto the terrace and took a seat.

There wasn’t a soul out there, just the whitecaps billowing over the water. Carolina spotted a boat far off in the distance, but couldn’t make out what kind it was. It disappeared along the horizon, so all she could see then was water. No one else could be seen along their private stretch of beach. She felt like they were the only people in the universe right now. Shipwrecked, alone, and utterly in their own world.

She kind of liked it.

“Tell me how work is going.”

She shifted her gaze to Drew. “I don’t want to talk about work today. I’m on vacation.”

He cocked a brow. “I’ve never known you to not want to talk about your work.”

“So you’re saying I’m obsessed?”

He laughed. “No. I think you love your job. Nothing wrong with that. I talk about hockey a lot, because I love what I do. So do you. If you didn’t, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.”

“True. And I do love it. I’ve also been a bit obsessed by it for the past several months.”

“Rightly so, I imagine, since you have a lot riding on this being a success.”

She drew her knees to her chest. “Don’t remind me.”

“Oh, right, because you’re on vacation today and you want to obliterate it from your mind.”

Her lips lifted. “Exactly.”

“I can take your mind off work.”

“You can, huh?”

“Yeah.” He got up and grabbed his beer and hers. “Follow me.”

He led her through the door and into the house, down the hall and into the side yard, an oasis of greenery and palm trees, where there was a pool and a hot tub surrounded by a tall fence. He sat them down at the edge of the pool.

She tucked her feet and legs in the water. “Ah yes. At least this one is heated, unlike the ocean.”

Drew sat next to her and sank his legs in, too. “Yeah. And it’s a lot more private here.”

She laughed. “I didn’t see anyone out there.”

He clinked the tip of his beer bottle to hers before taking a long swallow. “But I have nefarious plans for you, and I wanted privacy.”

“Really. What kind of nefarious plans?”

“First, we’re going to take a swim, so get out of those clothes.”

“I like the sound of that.” She pulled off her top and her capris, then slid into the water, which felt warm and glorious. She swam a few laps side by side with Drew, who then scooped her into his arms and swung her around before dunking them both. She came up laughing, and then he took them under again, this time kissing her underwater. She wrapped her arms around his neck, loving the buoyant feel of the water and the way his lips felt on hers.

When they surfaced, she turned in his arms and wrapped her legs around him.

“This is a good start,” he said, pushing through the water toward the cement stairs. He sat her on the edge, then untied her bikini top, letting it fall to her waist.

Undaunted, she untied the back and tossed the top to the side of the pool. “Part of your nefarious plans?”

“I’m only just beginning. But first, sunscreen for you.”

“Oh, that’s right. We’re in the sun again.”

Drew got out, water dripping from his body as he headed over to the supply cabinet on the covered veranda. There was such fluidity to his movements, the way he walked with such ease and confident masculinity.

It was the same as when he was on the ice. When he skated, whether he was coasting or zooming along at some crazed speed, it was a beautiful thing to behold. She was mesmerized by him, and she’d caught each of his games when they were apart this past week. Not just for the lines and watching the movements of his body, but also because she’d missed him.

Which was a dilemma she had decided not to think about today.

He came back with lotion, pouring some in his hands. “Lean forward,” he said.

She did, pulling her hair out of the way so he could spread the lotion across her back and down her arms. His motions were thorough, and yet slow and sensual, heating up her body more than the sun had. Each touch was a caress, as if he was learning her body for the first time. He swirled the lotion down her spine and across her back, all the way to her bikini bottoms.

“Now, lean back.”

She smiled up at him as he spread more lotion on his hands, then began at the front of her shoulders, moving his way inward, toward her collarbone, cupping her neck in his hands and using slight pressure of his thumbs as he caressed her throat. She watched his face when he did this, his expression so serious, as if he wanted to make sure to cover every inch of her skin. His brows knit tight in concentration, his lips compressed. She had to smile at how seriously he took this task.

She swallowed as he made his way down across her collarbone. He cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples until they tingled.

He lingered at her breasts, using his thumbs to brush across the aching buds until she arched against him. Then he looked up at her, and the heat and desire in his eyes made her breath catch.

“I like you touching me,” she said, watching as he continued to tease and torment her nipples.

“You have the most beautiful breasts, Lina. I could play with them all day, watching your nipples harden. And from the way you move when I touch you, I know you like me lingering here.” He proved it by swirling his thumbs over her tingling nipples. Her lips parted, her breaths coming out in fast pants.

“Yes, that feels so good.”

“And there’s more of you I want to touch.”

He moved down to her stomach, putting more lotion in his hands and rolling across her abdomen, her hips, her lower belly, and then lifting each leg to rub and caress every part of her, all the way down to her calves. It was a soft, lingering sensual massage that awoke every nerve ending in her body.

She’d never felt more alive, or more ready to touch him in return.

“My turn,” she said. “Lie down here next to the pool.”

She grabbed a towel from the stack on the chaise and laid it next to the pool. Drew lay facedown on it, but instead of putting lotion on her hands, she slathered sunscreen on her body, then lay on top of him.

“Now this is interesting,” he said.

She fit her body against his, and rubbed against him, her nipples aching as she slid against his back.

“Lina,” he said, turning his head to the side to look at her.

She pressed her hands to his shoulders to keep him in position. “Just stay there and let me touch you.”

“You’re driving me crazy.”

“That’s the idea, isn’t it?”

She continued to roll over him, the lotion making her body slick as she lifted, then slid down his body, touching him everywhere with her breasts and sliding her still-bikini-clad pussy against his firm butt.

At this point she wasn’t sure who was more tortured—him, or her.

She stood, planting her feet on either side of his hips. “Now, roll over on your back.”

He turned over, smiling up at her as he did. “Now there’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

He made her feel bold and beautiful. She kneeled beside him and put sunscreen on his legs, massaging them the way he’d done hers. She wanted him to feel as good as he always made her feel. She straddled his hips and sat, then swept her palms over his chest and shoulders.

He grasped her wrists. “Your hands are so soft. Do you know how hard I get when you touch me?”

She shifted, sliding over his cock. “Yes.”

“Take your bikini bottoms off and let me lick your pussy.”

Shuddering at the prospect, she stood and untied the strings at her hips, then pulled away the material and tossed it to the side.

“Now come sit on my chest and let me suck your clit. I want you to scream for me.”

Grabbing the smaller towel next to them, she tucked it under his head. She leaned forward, bracing her hands on the cement as she lowered her sex to his face. Drew grabbed her butt and buried his face in her pussy, his tongue snaking out to lick the length of her.

A rush of heat and pleasure engulfed her. That she was looking down at him, could watch his eyes as he explored every inch of her, was the most intimate thing she’d ever experienced. She rocked against his face, already close as he flicked his tongue around the sensitive bud and then closed his lips around it and sucked.

His mouth was pure heaven, his tongue a thing of the devil himself as he flicked it over her clit, then laid it flat against her and, oh, the things he did to her. He slid his tongue inside her, then pulled out, rolling his tongue over her clit again. Tingling vibrations shot through her.

She tilted her head back, letting the sensations surround her until she couldn’t hold back. Her climax was like an explosion, setting her nerve endings on fire at the center of her core.

“Drew,” she cried out as she came. He dug his fingers into her hips as her orgasm rocketed through her, leaving her sweating and breathless.

When the trembling subsided, she slid back, lying on top of him so she could catch her breath.

“Your heart is beating fast,” he said as he stroked her back.

She smiled. “I might need some cold water to drink.”

Drew wrapped his arm around her, then sat up. “I’ll go get it.”

She sat on the edge of the pool and dangled her legs in the water while Drew went inside. He came out with two glasses of water and a condom packet.

She took the glass of water he offered, grinning at his still very obvious erection.

“Yeah, I’m going to fuck you out here.”

She got up and grabbed her water. “I certainly hope so.” After she took a drink she laid her glass on the table. “How about a swim?”

“Good idea.”

They jumped in the water, but as soon as she surfaced, Drew was right there, swooping his arm around her to tug her close. She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him. He cupped her neck to hold her there as he slid his tongue inside her mouth, backing her against the edge of the pool. His erection rubbed against her pussy, awakening her desire again. He grasped her breast, brushing his thumb against her nipples until the sensations made her moan against his lips.

He carried her out of the pool with her wrapped around him and deposited her on a smooth, wide stone ledge leading from the pool to the hot tub. Set several feet off the ground, it was a place to sunbathe or to dive into the pool. She looked up at him, the ends of his hair dripping water as he bent over to press a hot, lingering kiss on her. She shivered, but not from the cold. The sun warmed her body, and Drew’s kiss set her on fire.

He left her only long enough to get the condom and put it on, then he was back, scooping her forward and spreading her legs. He eased inside her and she leaned back, closing her eyes to let the feel of his expanding cock wash over her.

“I love watching you,” he said. “Watching us together. The way your pussy grabs onto me when I’m inside you. Can you see it, Lina?”

She lifted and leaned forward, watching his cock spear her. The visual combined with what she felt caused vibrations of pleasure to tumble within her. She lifted her gaze to Drew. “Yes.”

“You rip me to shreds, Lina.”

His words tore her apart, and then he thrust deeply, slid his hand under her butt and nearly lifted her off the stone as he plunged in and out of her so fast and hard she thought she’d die from the pleasure of it. And the entire time, his gaze remained locked with hers, as if there was something he was trying to tell her.

But there were no words between them, only gasps and groans as he furiously moved within her, and she rocked against him, giving him the only thing she had to give him.

Herself. Everything she had. She wound her arm around his neck and impaled her pussy on his cock, burying him deep within her. And when she came, tears filled her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing them back as wave after wave of orgasm slammed into her.

“Lina,” Drew said, his soft voice reaching her through the haze of her epic climax.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze, his features tightening as he came. She held on to him as he thrust and shuddered with his orgasm. She’d never seen anything so amazing as a man who gave her that much raw honesty.

She fell back against the stone and Drew went with her, taking her lips in a kiss as soft as the breeze flitting around them.

Drew rolled to her side. Carolina could barely take a breath, unable to fathom what had just happened between them.

Maybe it had just been really phenomenal sex, but she had felt so incredibly connected to Drew.

She closed her eyes and let herself relax, drawing deep, calming breaths.

Don’t overthink this. It’s not what you think it is.

And even if it was, she had no time for that in her life.

“Are you okay over there?”

She smiled, forcing those monumental thoughts out of her head. “Mmm hmmm.”

“You know what?”

She tensed. “What?”

“I’m hungry.”

She laughed and rolled over to face him. “We should probably take a shower and do something about that.”

Drew sat up. “Good idea. I know they’re doing a fireworks thing in town tonight. If you’re up for that, we can go.”

She laid her head in her hand. “Or?”

“We can barbecue here and just hang out.”

“I love the sound of that. Unless you like big crowds and fireworks.”

His gaze was pointed, and very warm. “I’m happy just to be here with you.”

And there was that giant warning signal pinging in her head again.

She stood and reached for his hand. “Ditto. Let’s go take a shower. Then you can get the grill started.”