Hearts On Ice Page 9

  We were intertwined with one another as I dropped my things wherever. We yanked off our thick winter coats and scarves while attempting to keep our lips connected. I allowed him to pull me onto my bed with him. My heart was pounding from the moment his large hands slipped under the back of my tank top.

  Going through my memories, I couldn’t think of the last time I’d had sex. Man, it had been at least eight months or so. I’d met this guy who was an ice skating coach, and he had turned out to be a waste of my time as I learned days after our first hook up that he was married. It was disappointing, but I’d learned a good lesson.

  Max lifted my body over his, making me straddle him. Our tongues were exploring one another’s mouths as his hands gripped my ass. I gasped at the feeling of his manhood, Zeus, as he’d called it, prodding my aching core. I moaned into his mouth, grinding on him. Fuck, we were wearing too many clothes.

  “Max,” I moaned as I reached for the hem of my tank top, ready to rip it from my body.

  “No, baby,” Max whispered against my lips, grabbing my hands away to keep me from undressing myself.

  I pulled my body upright and glanced down at him, slightly confused. I felt how hard he was, so I knew he wanted it as much as I did. My freaking panties were soaked from our make-out session.

  “I see that look. I do want you so bad, but damn, I want it to be special with you…only you.”

  He maneuvered to lay me beside him. I rested my head on his arm and peered into those steel gray eyes of his. Max was nothing like the man I thought he was the day I met him. He was surprisingly warm and gentle, but at the same time assertive and arrogant. Max Madden was a walking, talking contradiction that had found a place in my heart.

  “I’m sorry, baby, but I don’t know. I’d fuck you right here hard enough for you to be sore for the next week, but I can’t explain it.” He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. I observed his face as he did so while my hand ran over the stubble on his chin. He kissed my hand. “I’ve always jumped right into bed without a look back, but you’re special to me and I’ve never experienced that. I want to make the night we go all the way something for you to remember.”

  I pushed my lips to his for a brief moment before I settled back onto his arm, my legs intertwined with his as we lay on my bed. This was special enough; just laying together and enjoying each other’s company for the time we had together.

  “I have a question,” I started as he took a strand of my hair between his fingers and began to twirl it.

  “And that question is?” he asked as he continued with my hair.

  “Did you really name your dick?” I bluntly asked him, eager to know since that one day he’d thrown me off by mentioning this Zeus.

  Max let out a deep laugh that rumbled through his belly.

  “I’m serious.”

  “I know you are. Yes, he has a name. You’ll meet Big Zeus soon enough,” he said, giving me a wink that set my soul aflame.

  Damn, I wanted to meet Big Zeus then and there. “What made you name it?”

  “Him. And well, he’s a god. You’ll eventually succumb to the power of ole Zeus when you’re screaming my name. Trust me, baby, you’ll scream it.”

  It had suddenly gotten much warmer in the room. Max knew exactly when to turn on the heat.

  He nuzzled his nose into my neck. A tickling sensation from his stubble made me giggle as he held me tight. The pure sense of safety I had in his arms was something I’d never felt before. He just had to hold me, and I knew nothing could hurt me. I knew he would never hurt me.

  “You saved me,” Max whispered onto my collarbone. “I would still be that guy and that asshole you met day one. I don’t know why you gave me a chance, but I will never be able to thank you enough for changing my life.”

  “It wasn’t me. It was you. You had the power to seek the help you needed, and I’m so proud of you. I gave you a chance because I saw behind the addict. I saw a man who was going through many of the same issues as I was. You just needed a little pick-me-up,” I told him honestly. I didn’t save him. He saved himself.

  Taking off into my triple Lutz, I felt positive about it. And from the whistles, I knew my choreographer, Nadia, felt good about it too. My landing was perfect, and the air I felt traveling along my skin brought me comfort as I spun to a stop for only a brief moment before the dramatic pause we were practicing. Nadia had insisted that we jump right into it. In no time, I had a short program routine that I was already practicing and once I mastered it, she apparently had a free skating program for me that would be quite the comeback routine.

  I loved Nadia. She was a feisty little blonde who didn’t take no for an answer except possibly the offer for a cocktail. She’d made the decision to stay in Colorado for a couple of weeks to teach me the routines. Then Beverly would come to help me perfect my techniques.

  Athletes were allowed to reserve the rinks for private practice with their coaches. Once I was able to seriously take on getting into work, Nadia and Beverly reserved the rink.

  Out of my dramatic pause, I flew across the rink at high speed and mastered twirls before the ending jump of a triple Axel. I felt like a sex kitten on ice. Nadia had given me exactly what I wanted: a routine that wasn’t typical of the so-called Ice Princess. Instead, it was something grown up and sexy. As the song ended, cheers erupted from Nadia and another person on the other side of the rink. I spotted Max standing at the entrance, shouting out cheers with a huge bouquet of flowers in his hands.

  I quickly skated over to the buff man in front of me, still amazed that he was actually there for me. It had been nearly a week since New Year’s. Max and I were now an official couple. He was the complete opposite of how I expected him to be. He was a gentleman to me in every way. No matter what, he was always opening doors, pulling out chairs, and catering to me as if I were royalty.

  “Baby,” I said sweetly as I approached him.

  He leaned over the barrier and pulled my body to him, kissing me hard. No matter how many times he’d done it, I still got butterflies in my stomach. We’d kept things relatively quiet in public around the center. We simply hung out a lot, but kisses were reserved for our private time together. The amazing part was that although our relationship was filled with raw and intense sexual tension, we hadn’t made love yet. We hung out and talked about anything and everything. We kissed like there was no tomorrow and we’d gotten pretty close, but we’d kept it very PG-13 so far. I’d never been with someone who didn’t want to jump right into bed, but I sensed that Max was aching to get me there eventually.

  “These flowers are beautiful, are they for me?” I asked as I peered at the colorful bouquet in his hands. It was made up of roses of many colors, and they smelled amazing.

  “No, I bought them just because. I don’t have any plans to give them to my sexy-as-fuck girlfriend,” he joked.

  I punched him in the arm only to have him react in a moment of mock pain. Sticking my tongue at him, I skated away, shaking my butt and wiggling my hips as I went. I felt saucy.

  “You’re a tease, Lady Crestwood,” Max called out.

  “I know,” I responded, looking over my shoulder to see a twinkle in his eyes that made my heart smile.

  “I want to see the whole routine,” he said as I saw him take a seat on a bench.

  “Yeah, I think one more run through would be good,” Nadia agreed as she held up her remote, ready to restart the music.

  I found my position and gave her a nod. The music began and I found myself in my groove. I had a lot to prove in this routine. I wanted to show the world that I was back, but not just back. I was a new and revived force. I needed to also show them another side of me. I was still looked upon as that teenaged girl that had taken the world by storm. I was now a woman and they needed to be introduced to her.

  After my final run through, Nadia and I scheduled my next practice before I was off to Max who’d sat and waited patiently for me to finish. We walked hand in hand to the
exit of the rink where our hand holding would end. The gossip mill was already filled with rumors and for now, they would remain just that—rumors.

  “Hey, a few of the guys and I think a couple of girls are headed down to Billy’s tonight. I thought I’d go and actually be social for once. I thought maybe you could come down with me,” Max added as we strolled together, seemingly to the outside world as friends.

  “Billy? Who is Billy?” I asked, wondering who in the heck they were going to visit.

  Max let out a chuckle before he lightly swatted me on the butt in the empty hallway.

  “Billy’s is a bar a few miles up the road. We are allowed to leave campus.”

  “I know we can leave. I just didn’t know about Billy’s, Mr. Know It All.”

  “I’ll show you what I know,” he growled before he surprised me by pushing my body against the wall, his tall frame overtaking mine.

  I glanced into his lustful eyes as he held me firmly to the wall. Max’s lips just hovered over mine, but he didn't kiss me. Max had this intensity about him, and it drew me in deeper.

  “You make it hard to be around you.” His lips just brushed mine, eliciting a gasp from my throat.

  “How hard?” I inquired with a sassy smirk.

  He grabbed my hand and jerked it down under his waistline where he pressed it to his very hard and enormous dick, Zeus that twitched at my touch. “That hard.”

  His lips crushed mine, but only for a few seconds before we heard voices. Max pulled himself off me and motioned for me to continue walking with him. “So, tonight?” he asked, anxious for an answer.

  “Tonight,” I agreed with a nod in his direction.

  Puckering my lips, I applied a layer of crimson lipstick. I looked good enough to go out to a local bar. My hair was in its usual braid over my shoulder, and I had applied a layer of light makeup. I wore an ivory V-neck sweater paired with jeans and tan knee-high boots.

  “And where are you going again?” My mom asked over the phone that sat on my messy bed, covered with clothes, because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to wear, earlier.

  “A local bar up the road,” I answered.

  “With who?”

  That was Mom, the interrogator. I smiled to myself as I was about to drop a bomb on her. “I’m going with a few other athletes and my boyfriend.” I waited for her reaction.

  “Excuse me. Repeat that.”

  “You heard me. I said I'm going with my boyfriend.” I worked to hold in a giggle.

  “And what is this boyfriend's name?” she asked in an eerily calm voice. I was prepared for a barrage of questions.

  “Max…Max Madden. He plays hockey.”

  “I've heard of him.” She paused. “Lia, you are aware he doesn't have the best reputation.”

  “I know, but he's working to put his past behind him. He's a good guy. I promise you. He's misunderstood,” I attempted to explain.

  “Misunderstood?”

  “Yeah, that's all. I like him so much and he's a sweetheart.”

  “I just don't want him to distract you from your goal and I don't want you to get hurt. He seems like the type of guy who could do some damage to your heart and maybe other parts of your anatomy.” I could hear her typing. She was Googling Max for more information.

  I sighed. I knew Max’s rep would follow him around and I hated it. He wasn't the guy that the tabloids had made him out to be. It was only a facade to hide his pain.

  “He wouldn't hurt me.”

  “How can you be sure? I'm reading police reports now. He's been kicked out of bars for fights and his ex-girlfriend even filed an assault charge against him because he backhanded her during an argument.” Mom was persistent and I appreciated it, but I had to believe that Max wasn't that guy.

  “Mom, please,” I begged, just wanting her to stop.

  “My job is to protect you, Lia. You're my only child. I can't let you get hurt because you’re crushing on some guy who could be dangerous. I’m emailing you the ex-girlfriend’s police report now. Just take a look at it and make an informed decision about him.”

  She was being my mom, the protective woman, and I appreciated it. But I knew that everything was fine between Max and me.

  My phone dinged indicating that the report had arrived from my mom. I sighed in response as I picked up my phone from the bed.

  “I’ll talk to him about it. I promise. I know it sounds like I’m being stupid about this, but I’m not. I just don’t want to jump to conclusions about him because people have done that to him his whole life. I don’t want to be like those people,” I explained as I opened the file she had sent.

  Right away I was greeted with photos of a busty blonde with bruises all over her face and arms. I swallowed at the sight. Could Max have really done that to her? She looked sad and defeated in the photo like all of her joy had been stolen. One photo was a close up of her swollen lip. A tear escaped my eye. It was almost like I could feel her pain.

  There was a knock at my door, and I knew it was Max. I wiped away my tear before I grabbed my purse off the bed.

  “I’m about to head out, Mom. I will talk to you later. And I promise I’ll talk to Max.”

  “Okay. I just want you to be safe and in good hands. I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I ended the call before I opened the door to my handsome boyfriend. He stood in his winter gear. I stood on the tips of my toes and gave him a peck on the lips before grabbing my coat and scarf.

  “You okay?” Max asked with concern on his face.

  “Yeah. Why do you ask?” I added cheer to my voice to mask the sadness and potential fear. Max wasn’t like that, something was amiss and we’d talk about it.

  “You seem… I don’t know...maybe a little off.”

  “No, I’m good. Let’s go!” I cheered as I zipped up my coat.

  “If you say so.” Max took me by the hand as we left my cabin.

  We only walked a few feet hand in hand before we were in the presence of others who would read into our gesture.

  We took a taxi with a few others to the bar. I ordered a cocktail and watched Max play pool with a couple of the guys. Those photos and the incident with his ex-girlfriend were on my mind. It worried me. I would never date a guy who hit women. I knew people deserved second chances and all, but there was a line where my safety was concerned. Plus my reputation would likely take a hit. I wouldn’t be the Rihanna to his Chris Brown.

  Max strode over to me, non-alcoholic cocktail in his hand. He’d been having a great time while I was at war in my mind. I didn’t know when and how to bring it up, but I knew it had to be soon. If I was to end it, I wanted it done fast, like Tonya Harding’s career.

  “Something isn’t right,” Max said. “Please tell me what’s wrong. I want to fix it.”

  “I don’t know if you can,” I admitted.

  Max took a moment to look around us to see if any of our friends were in earshot. He came a little closer, his tall frame overtaking mine as he leaned down over me, keeping his voice low.

  “Baby girl, please talk to me. I need to know what’s wrong,” he begged of me.

  I took a deep breath and peered up into his eyes. I saw the need inside of them to keep me safe and happy. I reached into my purse and removed my cell phone and found the photos and the incident report. “Did you really do this?” I asked him as I held up the phone.

  “We can’t talk about that here,” he told me quickly. “Put those away please.”

  “Max, I need to know.”

  “I know, but we can’t do it here. Let’s go.” He took my hand and pulled me out of the bar.

  We were lucky that a taxi was waiting in the small parking lot. We got inside and left. My knees were shaking as Max’s hand rubbed them to calm me. I was about to venture into the unknown. Was Max the guy those photos made him out to be? I supposed I’d learn. Just when I thought I’d found a fairytale, there was a possibility that it would end faster than it had started.
>
  12

  Max

  The thumping in my chest wouldn’t subside. I knew the situation with my ex-girlfriend would come up eventually, but damn, why so fucking soon? It wasn’t something I wanted to think about, though I knew it would follow me everywhere. The media had run with it and blown the entire story out of proportion, I knew it would be just a matter of time before Lia heard about it and I’d have to explain it all.

  After we got back to the Willows Center, I held Lia’s hand as we took the path toward the cabins. She wouldn’t look at me directly, and I fucking hated it. I needed her to hear the story from my lips, and not from the tabloids or other third party sources.

  I unlocked the door to my cabin and allowed Lia to enter first. I shut the door behind me and kept my hand on the door. I wasn’t sure how to proceed. This big strong guy who was known for being outspoken had no words, but I sure as hell needed to find them.

  “Lia,” I muttered as I turned around to find her taking off her boots and coat. She threw it over a chair and sat on the edge of my bed, legs crossed, looking like the angel she was. I refused to lose the one who had saved me. There was no chance in hell I would lose her.

  Without any more words, I took off my coat and threw it over the chair as Lia had done, before I took my seat next to her on my bed. I took her hand into my own and looked at her face. She still refused to meet my eyes. Her fear was obvious. She was afraid that the story was true and we would have to end our budding. As it was, her reputation would take a large hit just for being involved with me.

  “Those photos were taken a few weeks before I entered the center. Mandy and I had been having issues. Mainly, she was anxious for me to recover from my injury so I could start back playing. In her eyes, my injury meant I’d be out of work, which in turn meant I’d go broke and she wouldn’t be spoiled and pampered by me anymore. She was my only other relationship. It lasted six whole months before that night.” Explaining it all was exhausting, that series of incidents had taken up so much energy that I should have devoted to my healing.