Ice: Part I

by Penny Hawking

  Peyton opened his mouth and then closed it and shook his head. “One, monkeys are cute.” He said seriously. “Did you know Spanish people call cute things monkeys?”

  Ice stared at him in confusion.

  “But two.” He continued speaking. “I know never to put black people and monkeys in the same context. So, no Ice, I don’t think you’re a monkey.”

  She smirked and shook her head. “You’re something else.”

  “But I do need you to climb this tree.” He added.

  “No.” Ice’s voice wasn’t as convincing as it was earlier.

  Peyton sensed it too. He wrapped an arm around her waist and another his around her shoulders. “Please.” He said giving her an innocent smile.

  “I have flip flops, you have on kicks, and it’s not fair.” She said weakly.

  “Honey, where I’m from we climb trees barefoot.” He said.

  Ice groaned. “I don’t know how to climb a tree.”

  Peyton had already released her and crouched down to untie his shoelaces.

  Ice reluctantly slipped out of her flip-flops.

  Peyton jumped up and looked her over. “You might wanna take off your tank top, so you don’t get it dirty.” He said his eyes twinkling.

  She smirked. “You just want to see me undress.” She pulled her tank top over her head.

  “Yeah that too.” He admitted shrugging. Peyton grinned appreciatively at her bra. “Too bad your boyfriend doesn’t get to see this.”

  “Okay I get it.” Ice said as she folded her shirt and laid it on top of her flip-flops.

  “Do you?” He asked. “Do you get that I want us to happen and Michael out of the picture?”

  “You are so bold.” She stood up her hands on her hips.

  “Don’t you love that about me?” He fluttered his eyelashes at her, and she giggled.

  “I told you, it’s complicated. I’ll----I’ll see….”

  “Yet here you are in the woods with me, half naked.” Peyton smirked.

  She sighed. “I know….” She whispered meeting his eyes.

  Peyton stared at her as if he wanted to say something else but stopped himself. “Fine.” He groaned. “I’ll be the other man, stop begging me.”

  She smiled and covered her mouth.

  “Come on. Let me show you how to climb this tree.” He ushered her forward. “It’s really easy, you just put your foot right there and there…” he instructed pointing at little branches and pieces of wood coming out the tree. “I’ll be behind you, so you don’t fall, and I’ll guide you.”

  Ice grabbed a branch. She turned her head to look at him. She let go of the branch. “You go up first, I want to see.” She said stepping back.

  “Fine.” He said. He grabbed a branch, propped himself up and began climbing up as if he was a monkey incarnate. He got up high and sat on a hefty branch.

  “You see, easy, no problem.” He said, looking down at her. “Come on, climb up.” He motioned for her to start climbing.

  “Actually, you did a pretty good job yourself, you don’t need me.” Ice said smiling up at him.

  Peyton patted the space in front of him. “Get up here.”

  “Uuumm…well actually…” Ice trailed off, backing up a little.

  “Woman, get in this tree.” Peyton said in a faux menacing tone.

  “You actually really don’t need me anymore…so I’ll just watch you.” Ice said.

  “Ice, climb this fucking tree right now.” Peyton said aggressively pointing at the tree branch he was sitting on.

  Ice bit back her laughter. Peyton acting angry was actually sexy.

  “Don’t make me come down there.” He warned getting up from the branch and lowering himself.

  “Okay, okay…I’ll climb the tree.” Ice said backing away. Peyton had already jumped off the tree. He went towards her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and started tickling her.

  “I said I’ll climb the tree.” Ice screamed in between laughter.

  “Oh, so now you wanna climb the tree huh?” He said not letting up on the tickling.

  Ice broke away from him and headed to the tree, trying to catch her breath. She reached for the first branch. “How do you do this again?”

  Peyton was right behind her. He patted her right leg. “Put that there.” Then her left leg. “Put that there.” Then he grabbed her butt. “Lift yourself up.”

  “Excuse me sir less grabbing and more instructing.” Ice said as she lifted herself up and reached for another branch.

  Peyton chuckled softly. “Yes ma’am. Wouldn’t want your boyfriend to get jealous.”

  “Hardy-har-har.” She rolled her eyes as she moved up and he followed suit.

  “Oops.” Peyton said smiling innocently. “My hands slipped.” As his hand brushed her butt again for the sixth time.

  She playfully smacked his hand away as she reached the branch he’d been sitting on earlier. Peyton, moved past her, lifted himself up on the branch, and then pulled her up next to him.

  “That wasn’t so hard.” He said as he sat and let his legs hang on either side of the branch. Ice followed suit facing him.

  “It was scary.” She admitted shaking off the dirt on her arm and stomach and jeans. “But it wasn’t that bad.”

  “Ice”

  “Yeah?”

  “Tell me about yourself.”

  Ice smiled. “Like what? What do you want to know?”

  “Where you were born, how you grew up and all that.” He responded.

  Ice stopped cleaning the dirt off her clothes. “My life is pretty boring.” She said softly.

  “Come on.” He urged.

  “Well, a cool fact, I was born in Hawaii…I was sort of…a mistake child you could say.”

  “A mistake child?” Peyton said softly, but Ice didn’t hear him.

  “Anyways, we stayed down there until I was one or two, and then moved to Kansas where my mom’s from.”

  “I didn’t know there were black people in Kansas.” He said jokingly.

  Ice laughed. “There aren’t any really…well most of them are military brats and stuff. Then my dad transferred branch again and we moved here. The end.” She shrugged.

  “Did you like Kansas?” Peyton asked.

  Ice didn’t answer for a while. “At first it was home, you know fun, family, friends…but then…then I could do without.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know…stuff.” She said shrugging it off.

  Peyton felt like she was holding something back but continued. “Any other family members? Brothers, sisters, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, aunts?”

  “Nope, no brothers or sisters. Both grandparents form both sides are dead, and my dad was an only child….” Ice paused. “My mom had a sister.” She finished so quietly that Peyton almost didn’t catch it.

  “Had?”

  “Yeah, she died.” Ice shifted uncomfortably.

  “H--”

  “What about you, Mr. Stone?” Ice asked cutting him off. She leaned towards him playfully. “Where were you born? How did you grow up?” She asked with a small smile.

  Peyton looked at her. She’d purposely cut him off. He shrugged. He’ll bring it up again next time.

  “Los Angeles California, born and raised.” He said.

  “Just like Maddie.” Ice said.

  Peyton nodded.

  “Hummm, are all blonds from Cali?” She asked jokingly.

  “Or maybe you just attract blonds from Cali.” Peyton countered leaning into her and suggestively licking his bottom lip.

  “Maybe….” She blushed but didn’t move back. “So, what else?”

  “Well, I have a brother and a sister.” He said slowly.

  “Duh!” Ice said pushing him.

  He laughed. “My grandma on my dad’s side is running the business for now in Cali, her husband died years ago. My mother’s parents live in a little gated community in North Carolina. I have three aunts and four uncles all on my dad’s s
ide. Who the fuck knows where they are or what they are doing? They’re sharks, each and every one of them. My mom was an only child, that’s why she’s such a fucking angel.” Peyton stopped and smiled.

  “I have a soft spot for people who happen to be the only child.” He whispered. His lips grazing her cheek before he looked back up at her. His grey eyes dark.

  Ice grinned at the subtle kiss. “Whatever. So, what was it like growing up in Cali?” she asked.

  Peyton looked at her lips before answering. “Snobby rich people everywhere.” He shrugged. “It was fun, and then it wasn’t. There were so many rules you had to follow and so many things you had to do and so many fucking people to please.” Peyton looked away.

  “I was suffocating over there.” He said reaching inside his short’s pockets for something. He took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

  He took out a cigarette and put the pack back in his pocket. “Anyways, my mom decided to leave, and that’s when I came here at 15.” He finished as he lighted his cigarette.

  Ice cringed a little. She hated open flame. She was relieved when he put the lighter away.

  He took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew the smoke away from Ice.

  Ice was silent and then she realized something. She looked up at him and saw that he was looking down at something on the ground.

  “What about your dad?” Ice asked.

  She saw him flinch. It was small, but it was there.

  Peyton put the cigarette back in his mouth, took a long drag and exhaled smoke. “He’s dead.” He said nonchalantly.

  “I’m sorry.” Ice said touching his arm.

  Peyton laughed. “Everybody dies…some just earlier than others.”

  “How’d he die?” Ice asked.

  Peyton didn’t answer; he just kept puffing away on his cigarette as if he needed the nicotine to live.

  “How else do people die? They cease to live right?” He finally replied as he blew out more smoke.

  “Peyton.” Ice whispered. She knew he knew what she meant.

  “How’d your aunt die?” He asked taking another drag and meeting her gaze.

  This time she looked away “That has nothing to---”

  “When you want to tell me about your aunt’s death, I might tell you about my dad’s.” He spoke seriously.

  “Or you could just say you don’t want to talk about it.” Ice snapped back.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” He said calmly as he brought the little piece of cigarette back to his mouth.

  Ice looked out into the forest but then felt his hand brush her thigh. She inhaled sharply and he scooted closer to her. She felt his hand move up her thigh and finally looked down at it. The way his fingers slowly and deliberately moved up. She lifted her eyes to see him watching her.

  Not breaking eye contact he slowly slipped his hand up her stomach. Fingers warm and slightly callused. She shivered in delight. Strong hands.

  “I’m sorry.” He said softly. He leaned over and kissed her neck. “He’s dead, he’s gone…can’t bring him back. That’s the end. I have my mom and siblings to worry about.”

  Peyton licked his lip, his grey eyes getting darker as his fingers moved over her flat belly. “We don’t bring up your aunt or my dad, truce?”

  Ice nodded.

  He smiled and licked his bottom lip. “I want to make-out with you.” He whispered. His lips brushing against hers. His fingers left a trail of desire as they caressed her skin, before he slid it to her back and then downwards, cupping her ass.

  Ice could hear how loud she was breathing but was unable to stop.

  “Do you want to make out with me?” He asked her lips.

  Ice couldn’t find words. She could barely breathe. Was it being so high up on this tree branch? Was it his proximity? Was it the fact that she could feel everything around her in this very moment?

  “Nod for yes. Shake your head for no.” Peyton whispered with a smirk. “I won’t tell Michael.”

  She swallowed hard and swore she had intended to shake her head when instead with the subtlest of movements her chin moved up and down.

  Peyton groaned in satisfaction and smiled. “Let’s get off this tree.”

  Getting down was much easier than getting up. Was it the urgency? The anticipation of knowing she was going to engage in another make-out session with Peyton? She remembered how much she’d enjoyed his lips on that tower. How his touch had her craving for so much more.

  Ice laughed as she jumped off the last branch daringly. Something she never thought she’d do.

  As she stumbled against him, Peyton laughed and grabbed her waist. He took a couple steps, with her moving backwards until her back hit the tree.

  Ice giggled. “We have to go.” She said looking up to his face. His eyes were such a seductive grey she wanted to get lost in them.

  He licked his lip before bending down and capturing her mouth. He kissed her gently. His lips moving, unhurried, tasting. Ice closed her eyes and kissed him back. Every time he moved his head, the pressure on her lips intensified. She moaned as she tried to match his kiss. He cupped her head with one hand while the other slid up and her exposed stomach. His kiss intensified as he cupped her breasts. She heard his groan as he wrapped his hands around her back and then let them slide down her back. Peyton pressed himself against her as he slid his hands inside her jeans. Cupping her ass and feeling her cotton underwear beneath his fingers. Excited, he grabbed her butt and pulled her to him, lifting her a little.

  “We should go…. go…..” Ice broke the kiss. The intensity was making her head swarm. “We should put some clothes on and go….” She heaved. “Not in the woods.”

  Peyton released her and nodded. “Okay.” His voice was breathless as he looked her over.

  Ice nodded too and moved away and hurriedly grabbed her tank top and shoes. She was just a little shaken, his kisses had been intense, and she’d seen something in his eyes she’d never seen before. This was serious, this was getting really serious. And she was excited but scared. The anticipation was going to kill her. What would they do?

  Ice put on her tank top and fixed her hair, the best she could without a mirror. She slipped on her flip-flops. Turning around she saw that Peyton already had his shirt and shoes on, and was now leaning against the tree, watching her with his hands down the front of his shorts.

  “You ready.” She asked shyly making her way towards him.

  Peyton took one hand out and touched her arm. His hand was so hot she almost jumped back.

  “Let’s just wait a little while.” He said in a low voice as his hand left her arm and trailed down to touch her butt. He gently moved her closer and closer to him, all the while watching the space between them. The heat from his hand seemed to be searing through her body as he lifted her tank top a little and touched her midriff. Peyton spread his legs out a little and brought her against him. His other hand was still in his shorts and she felt it against her leg.

  “Are we gonna be late?” She asked.

  “Huh?” He was looking down, not paying attention. His thoughts elsewhere. Peyton finally took his other hand out of his shorts and pressed her more against him. This time she felt something hard against her belly, and she knew for a fact that it wasn’t his hand anymore.

  “Are we gonna be late?” She asked again.

  Peyton didn’t answer. He grabbed her thigh and lifted it a little bit to press against his own.

  Even through her jeans, she could feel his entire body was hot, not just his hands.

  Peyton licked his lip again and looked up at her. His eyes were the same dark grey from before, with that same expression.

  “You feel so good.” His voice was low and lust-filled. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to want to do this.”

  Do this? She blushed and her shyness returned full force. Ice reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Peyton’s hot hands went under her shirt and up her back to fiddle with her
bra snap.

  “Oh, look at the time 6:20.” She said trying to move away from him. Peyton didn’t look like he wanted to release her, but when she pulled back again, his hold on her dropped and she moved away. “We better go, if we want to get some food and get back in time for your mom to be out the house by 6:45.” She said cheerfully.

  Peyton looked at her seemingly disorientated.