Hearts On Ice Read online

  “It was my birthday, and JC had thrown me a party at my place. Mandy and I had been fighting on and off all day. She got bitchy about something tiny and I was drunk, so we got into it for the millionth time that day.” I swallowed as I felt Lia’s nerves working back up, her limbs jittering.

  I wrapped my arms around her, only to elicit a cringe. Fuck, that cut deep. I’d never hurt or hit a woman and I’d never hurt Lia ever.

  “I told her to get the fuck out of my house. She and her friends got her things and left without incident. That was it until the next morning. The police knocked on my door to arrest me on domestic violence charges. I read the report and saw the charges. Luckily, that night my house was full of people who were all willing to go to the police and say what had really happened. Plus in the fucking report she only says I backhanded her. Those photos look like a full beating. She had bruises every fucking where. I never did that.” I paused and lifted Lia’s chin to look directly into her eyes. She had to see the truth in mine. “I never touched her like that in my life. I would never.

  That incident and subsequent breakup with Mandy nearly ruined my career. I was already injured and out for God knows how long. Then Mandy went and pulled that bullshit. The NHL was ready to pull my contract, and Team USA would follow immediately. My injury could already cost me everything and that would have sealed the deal.”

  “I believe you,” Lia whispered softly. “I really do. I believe you would never do anything like that. I needed to hear it from you to be perfectly sure.”

  She was Saint Lia. I exhaled the breath I swear I’d been holding since the bar. Lia leaned her head on my shoulder and nuzzled in. I kissed the top of her head and held her tight. There was no way I was going to let this one go—not ever.

  “I’m hungry,” Lia said, breaking the silence.

  I smiled to myself. She was able to move on and not give the entire situation a second thought. I loved that. “I can make pizza,” I informed her.

  “Pizza? Really?”

  “It’s frozen pizza, but it’s pizza,” I confirmed.

  Lia nodded in acceptance of my frozen goods. I let her go. That was hard. I stood and went into the little kitchenette. I opened the fridge and reached into the little freezer compartment that held a stack of frozen pizzas I’d bought at the local grocery store. Once the toaster oven was prepped, I popped in a pizza. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist and a head rested on my back. My Lia. She planted a kiss on my back before I whirled her around. Her back was against the counter and my body pressed to hers.

  “I’m sorry I brought that whole situation up,” Lia muttered.

  “No, it’s fine. You needed to know. Where did you get those pictures from anyway?”

  “My mom sent them because she was just worried about me.”

  “So your mom knows about us?” I questioned as I took the end of her braid between my fingers and toyed around with it until the strands started to unravel.

  “Yeah, she does.”

  I wasn’t listening anymore as I continued to undo Lia’s long braid. When I finally finished, her hair flowed down her back and she looked like a goddess or a fucking queen out of a dream. The way she looked at me through her long eyelashes, I knew there would be no more talking unless it was dirty talking. I couldn’t wait any longer. Tonight was the night.

  I took her face into my hands and kissed her hard. This was how I claimed my territory. Lia was mine and only mine. My tongue slipped into her mouth, she gasped as she leaned in for more. I knew Lia had the same ideas as I did from the moment her fingers began to unbutton my shirt.

  First thing was first, her clothes had to go. I unbuttoned her jeans and began to yank them down her legs before she pushed me away and kicked them off. Her sweater was next as she ripped it over her head. I was mesmerized at her sexy body on display just for me. A cocoa goddess stood before me. Her taut skin was flawless with all the important bits covered in skimpy cream underwear. I had to calm the animalistic urges growing inside me. Tonight, I would put those aside. I wanted it to be something different with her and not mindless fucking. I wanted to give her a night of bliss. Taking care of her was my utmost priority.

  “Damn,” I grunted as I took her in.

  I admired her long legs, round hips, big tits, and beautiful face. Lia was all woman and all mine. In one fluid motion, I lifted her from the floor and placed her on the counter. I positioned myself between her thighs and attacked her neck with my lips and teeth. Just the reverberating sound of her moans made Zeus press at my zipper, fighting for release to be buried inside her sweet pussy.

  It only took me seconds to unhook her bra and slip the straps from her shoulders and arms. I peered down to see her perfectly round and perky milk chocolate tits, each tipped in dark chocolate. Planting kisses down her neck to her hard buds, I sucked one into my mouth. Lia arched her back and moaned. She liked it and I was glad as my hand took the other one, squeezing and rubbing.

  Using my free hand, I yanked the fabric of her soft panties to the side and found her not just wet, but absolutely soaked. My thumb found her clit and she shuddered under my touch as I made delicate circles as I rubbed around it.

  “Mmmm,” she moaned through the air.

  I broke free from her nipple and kissed her lips. She attacked me with hers, pulling me close and going wild like she’d been starved of tender affection. I bit down on her bottom lip before pulling back and observing her.

  “I’m starving,” I growled before bending and planting a kiss on her flat stomach. “I think I need to eat,” I added with a whisper before I nudged her legs further apart and buried my head between them.

  Through my sucking and licking of my prize, her sweet pussy, I could hear her pants and groans as her fingers slinked into my hair. I pushed two fingers into her tight opening as I licked her clit that was begging for more with each delicate lick. I didn’t need a warning to know she was about to cum. Her cries and the tightening of her body around my hands and fingers gave me a clear indication that I was rocking her world. My mouth was doused with her delicious dew that I knew would leave me craving more.

  “You taste like pure sugar.”

  She looked away, slightly embarrassed. I thought it was adorable. Without any adieu, it was time for Lia to meet big Zeus. I picked her up from the counter and carried her to the bed where I laid her down. I grabbed the elastic band of her panties and stripped them from her body. I finished the unbuttoning of my shirt that Lia had begun and took it off. I saw her eyes watching my every move and examining my body. Being the cocky guy I that I was, I knew I was good-looking. I had worked fucking hard to build the body I had.

  With my jeans down and off, only my underwear was left, and my dick was aching to be freed from his temporary prison. The moment I slid down my boxers, Lia’s eyes widened and she instantly knew why he was named Big Zeus.

  “Oh, baby, please tell me you’re on birth control,” I begged to know.

  “I am,” she answered shyly.

  “Tell me, how bad do you need this?” I asked, stroking my dick.

  Her eyes had glossed over with pure lustful desire. I saw her chest heaving up and down as she opened her mouth. “I need it bad. I need you to fuck me, Max. Oh, God, just fuck me,” she begged in a throaty voice.

  I climbed on the bed and picked up one of Lia’s legs and putting it over my shoulder, I put Zeus at her entrance. Her nod was all I needed before I slammed into her, filling her to the hilt.

  “Fuck!” She let out an agonizing scream.

  I froze. “Lia, baby, did I hurt you?” I asked in a panic. I could have been gentler with her, but I’d let my urges take over. My heart was pounding, only wishing I hadn’t hurt my sweet girl.

  “No, please, please, please, keep going,” she begged out of breath.

  I grinned at her pleas that I wasn’t going to deny. Pulling out, I slammed into her again, her cries filling the room. Over and over, I’d never had anything feel so good in my life. Lia�
�s nails dug into my skin, scratching and clawing away. Fuck, I loved that she was a scratcher.

  “Max, I’m going to cum,” she said through her cries.

  I pulled out of her. “Turn over,” I demanded before she flipped to her stomach. My hands grabbed her hips to position her on her knees. I pushed back into her, gripping her hips, pounding into her, our bodies slapping together as our pants filled the air. My hand reached around and gripped a tit, squeezing it hard.

  “You like it, don’t you?” I asked, my voice deep and gruff.

  “I like it.”

  “Tell me how you like it.”

  “I like it hard, Max.”

  My lips curved into a smile at her declaration as I slammed into her hard. I allowed my hand to run down her stomach and between her thighs, finding her sensitive clit.

  “Mmm, yes, Max! Oh, fuck yes!”

  I rubbed her harder as I fucked her until I felt her body gripping onto my swollen dick, my balls preparing for release. A lion-like growl erupted from me as I came into her, shooting every bit that had been waiting to release just into her.

  We collapsed together onto the bed together, a mess of hurried breaths and sweat. I pulled her close, her head on my chest as my heart pounded in her ear. It wasn’t a random fuck, it was the real thing. It was love.

  Our moment was disturbed by the toaster oven buzzing, indicating that our pizza was ready. I pulled away from Lia, and she moaned in protest. But I had to leave her to get our food that we both needed after our workout.

  Lia sat next to me, the bed sheet covering her, and a paper plate on her lap. Her hair was all over the place. I couldn’t help but stare at the sexy thing I had in my bed. Sex with Lia had been literally explosive. What I had with her was irreplaceable, and as I watched her eat the pizza, I found myself wondering about an actual future with her. It blew me away. Max Madden wanted to settle down with one woman?

  “What are you staring at?” Lia asked, pulling me from my trance.

  “You. I love your hair like that.”

  “A mess?”

  “No, not a mess, just fucked.”

  Lia burst into laughter and shook her head at me. “You’re something else, Max Madden…something else.”

  Leaning into her, I pecked her plump lips before taking her empty plate and placing it on the hardwood floor with mine. My hands on her body, I positioned myself over it. There was so much more of her to have and so little time. I spread her legs.

  “You want Zeus, baby?”

  “Mmm…humm, give me Big Zeus,” she begged.

  Reaching out, my eyes popped open when the body I’d reached for wasn’t there. Lia and I had fallen asleep after our third time, but now, she was nowhere to be found. I sat up in the bed to listen. She was probably in the bathroom. Right away, I noticed her coat and boots were gone from the chair near the door. She had left.

  “Fuck,” I grunted to myself as I tried to remember anything I could have done wrong. My face went into my hands. I could still smell her delicate scent all around me. Damn, I could still see her naked frame under me and hear her fucking sexy screams as I gave her the world.

  Determined to shake it off. I wandered into the kitchen, scratching my balls. I approached the counter and found a piece of paper with distinguished handwriting. A smile came to my lips because the note was from my Lia.

  Had a gym date. Come find me.

  Xoxo,

  Lia

  Quickly, I changed into my gym clothes and headed out into the cold morning. Waking up in a new morning, it was as if the world had changed completely. The morning was crisper and the air clearer. It was the best stroll I’d taken to the main lodge.

  Once in the gym, I spotted Lia right away. Her tiny shorts hugged her scrumptious ass and her crop top left nothing to my imagination as I’d seen all of her, touched her, tasted her, and fucked her senseless. My walk in her direction was cut short by what happened next, though.

  Lia lay down on a mat and Damian, her Russian friend, hovered over her. He bent her leg back. Lia looked up at the guy who could be practically fucking her and she had a smile on her face as she spoke to him. I couldn’t hear a word she said as a rage coursed through me. I watched his hands on her thighs, caressing and rubbing. Lia fucking moaned at his touches.

  Damian then leaned in. His lips were at her ear as he whispered something. Lia promptly bit down on her plump bottom lip. The look in her eyes was one I’d seen the night before. Her eyes were filled with lust.

  She wasn’t the girl I thought she was. I couldn’t watch it much longer. I couldn’t watch her allow herself to be felt up by somebody else. I’d made her mine, so why wasn’t she fucking acting like she was mine? Fuck it. I was done. I needed to run her out of my system and be done with her. I found myself on the treadmill, running at full speed when she approached me.

  “Hey, I’m sorry I had to leave. Damian and I had planned to work out together,” Lia explained as she stood in front of me.

  I kept running, not paying her any attention in the empty gym as her date had gone.

  “Max, what’s wrong?” Her voice was sweet and filled with concern.

  I shut the machine down and looked down into her pleading eyes. I shook my head, stepped off the treadmill, and pushed past her without a word.

  “Max, what the hell?! What’s wrong? I’m sorry I didn’t wake you up.” She was following me.

  I turned sharply to come face to face with the girl I’d given my all to. She was the first girl I’d done that with. The girl I had made scream my name at the top of her lungs.

  “You didn’t need to. Glad you got a little fun last night. Don’t expect more of it. I don’t fuck with hoes,” I growled before turning back to the bench I was headed toward, but Lia stepped in my path, in my face.

  “Hoes? Did you really just call me a hoe?” Her hands were on her hips and her sassy attitude on full display.

  “I did. You’re just going to fuck with me and let that dude put his hands all over you this morning like you don’t belong with me. I see how it is. So yeah, I called you a hoe. Now, get the fuck out of my way.”

  She started laughing, but I didn’t find anything funny. She continued laughing, though. “Oh God, you are demented. If I’m with you, I’m with you. I don’t play that other shit. I’m not fucking Damian. Do you want to know who is fucking Damian? Ask Alejandro Garcia,” she proclaimed.

  “Who the fuck is Alejandro Garcia?” I asked, confused to where the conversation was going.

  “Damian’s boyfriend. You know what? Clearly, this isn’t for you. If you’re going to be trippin’ about who I spend my time with outside of you, I’m not one to be controlled or told what I can and can’t do. I told you, I don’t sleep around, I’m not that girl.” She laughed again and shook her head. “I don’t even know why I’m explaining this to you. I don’t have time for your bullshit. A lesson for the future, think before you react, asshole.”

  She threw her towel at me and was gone. She’d left me standing in the gym feeling like the biggest dumb ass around. I’d jumped to conclusions about her. I knew Lia was better than that, but I let my insecurities get in the way of the best thing to ever happen to me. Was I unconsciously trying to fuck up what I had going for me?

  “Fuck!” I yelled in frustration. I had to get her back. There would be no rest until I got my girl back.

  13

  Lia

  “Called me a hoe,” I fussed to myself as I unlaced my skates. My practice had been horrible. I was in my head, replaying my fight with Max over and over again. I should have known he would be the jealous type. Honestly, it was hot, but when it came to name calling and making assumptions, I drew the line.

  I was frustrated with the guy I thought I’d have something real with. Max had this genuine spirit about him. Our night together was an explosion of emotions and ecstasy. With every breath, I still felt his hands on my body and our passion that rocked my world in every way possible.

  Returning
to my cabin, I was exhausted and didn’t want to chance running into Max at dinner because the wounds were still raw. I’d avoided him at lunch and was doing the same for dinner. I knew I’d have to put on my big girl panties at some point and face him, but with fresh wounds, I wanted to give them time to heal.

  I poked around at the salad the cafe had sent over. He’d done a complete 180 on me and it had taken me by surprise. The anger in his voice and the venom he spat as he called me out of my name had cut deep. There wasn’t a chance in hell I’d tell my mom yet. I wasn’t ready for the I-told-you-so lecture that would come with it.

  There was a knock at my door. I groaned and lifted my body from my bed. Tonight had called for sweatpants and a tank top, and my hair in a messy bun, the typical heartbreak look. The only thing I was missing was a carton of Ben & Jerry’s to keep me company. Alas, tonight, I had salad.

  Without checking, I opened the door and there he was. Max stood holding a paper bag in one hand and a large bouquet of bright red roses in the other. I could already smell the delightful scent of them entering my room.

  Arms crossed over my chest, I stared him down. He was trying to make up for it. He was trying to justify calling me out of my name. I rolled my eyes and went to close the door, but it hit a block, which was his big foot.

  “Lia, please don’t shut me out. I don’t know how to do this sorry thing, but with you I’m willing to learn. Let me in please.” He gave me puppy dog eyes that nearly melted me like the polar icecaps.

  I sighed and nodded, willing to let him talk and say his peace, but forgiveness wasn’t immediately on the table. He would have to beg and claw tooth and nail for it.

  Max entered my cabin and closed the door behind him. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched him fumble around. I held back a giggle as the not-afraid-of-anything, big muscular guy, tried to find his bearings. He sat the paper bag on the counter along with the large bouquet before he turned to face me.