Melting The Ice

by Amy Leigh Napier

  “Cian, no!” She cried out plaintively, her tone entreating. “He’s not worth it. Let him go.” He moved to shake free of her hold, but she stroked her hand softly over his arm, her words soft and soothing. “Please Cian, just let him go. I’m okay.” She felt a strong sense of urgency to stop Cian from doing further damage to Drew, not that seeing him get exactly what he deserved wasn’t a pleasure, but she didn’t want Cian in any kind of trouble for defending her. His big body stilled, though she could feel the tension coursing through his body like electricity through a live wire. For a moment, she feared her touch and words were not gonna be enough. He exhaled harshly and dropped his fist. Instead, he grabbed the front of Drew’s shirt and yanked him up until they were face to face.

  “If you ever come near her again, I’ll twist your dick off and feed it to you, got it?” Cian gritted out succinctly between his teeth. Drew’s petrified gaze locked with Cian’s enraged eyes, his face a bloody, mangled mess. When he failed to answer, Cian shook him like a dog with a rat between his teeth. “Do you understand me?” he bellowed into Drew’s face. Drew’s head bobbed frantically up and down in agreement. Cian shoved him hard into the side of the car and stepped back beside her, reaching out with a long arm to tuck her against him. She sagged against him, weak with relief that Cian had released Drew without inflicting further injury and hoped that Drew had enough sense to cut his losses and leave it alone. They watched in silence while her date eased gingerly into the driver’s seat and roared away in his now dented Corvette.

  Cian started up the walk to the front door, pulling her along with him, his touch gentle despite the fact she could feel his body almost vibrating with rage. Once he had her inside and locked the door, he maneuvered them into the large family room at the back and gently eased her onto the plush cushions of the overstuffed sectional sofa. She watched mutely as he filled two tumblers with ice and straight Stolichnaya. He carried them over to the sofa and putting one in her hand, he dropped to the sofa beside her and drained his glass in two gulps. She took a sip of the smooth vodka feeling the fire of it pass smoothly down her throat, spreading a warm glow in its wake. He didn’t say anything; just leaned back against the cushions and watched her sip at the drink. After a few sips, she felt calmer and able to form words into sentences again. She watched him, her eyes wide and vulnerable. “I have never been so scared in my entire life.” She said so softly he almost didn’t hear her. She watched his hand tighten into a fist and the muscles in his jaw work. “That’s never happened to me before. I didn’t know what to do.” She sat there staring into space for a few moments before her eyes narrowed and she leaped to her feet, startling him when she immediately started pacing back and forth. “That sonofabitch! I can’t believe he had the nerve to call me a cocktease! Like I gave him any encouragement at all.” She scoffed. She slapped her hand against her forehead and took another sip of her drink. “He kept trying to get his hand under my skirt at the restaurant between dropping names and soliciting my legal business. How many times do you have to remove a guy’s hand from your thigh before he gets the picture?” she continued her rant, her eyes flashing with anger. “I even turned my face when he tried to kiss me goodnight! That’s when he went psycho. He had six hands and I was trying to get far enough away from him to knee him right in the nuts…” she trailed off as she stopped in the middle of the room and slowly turned to face Cian, the anger leaving her eyes as suddenly as it had appeared. Her gaze softened. “I knew I wasn’t strong enough to make him stop…and then you were there.” She whispered.

  She set her drink on an end table, slowly crossing to where he lay back against the cushions quietly watching her with enigmatic eyes. It was impossible to tell what was going through his mind. She stood in front of him, taking in the sight of his absurdly handsome face and mouthwatering body. She stepped out of her peep toe pumps and reached behind her, pulling her zipper slowly down. She slipped the straps from her shoulders, one at a time and watched his hot eyes follow the path of the little black dress as it slowly slid down her body, leaving her in nothing but a tiny pair of black bikini panties and a matching strapless bra. His eyes glowed with an inner fire when they moved back up her body to meet her eyes. She gave him a slight smile, her own blue eyes blazing with heat as she watched the growing bulge in his shorts. Her gaze recaptured his when she moved forward to straddle his thighs. He laid still, his eyes dark and mysterious, watching her settle her knees on either side of his hips and lower herself onto his lap. She lightly ground her pelvis against his erection and heard his breath catch. She moaned at the increased friction, her head thrown back, eyes drifting closed for a moment. Her heavy-lidded blue eyes opened to gaze into his as she rolled her hips against him again. His hands came up to settle on her hips and gently held her immobile.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” He questioned huskily. Her smile bloomed across her face, amusement momentarily lighting her eyes.

  “Oh yeah.” She breathed. She leaned down as he leaned up and their mouths met for a hair-singeing kiss, their tongues tasting and touching as all the pent up passion from the past month exploded between them. They groaned into each other’s mouths when he lay back, pulling her down to sprawl across his chest, his hands running up and down her back. She gasped when his big hands slid inside her panties to grip the cheeks of her rear and rocked her against him, his mouth ravishing hers. She couldn’t remember ever wanting anyone like she wanted him right now. The month of fighting her desire for him and denying her body the relief only he could provide made the feelings coursing through her body all that much stronger. His hands slid up her back to unfasten her bra, tossing it aside before filling his hands with her breasts. His fingers lightly plucked at her nipples while his mouth worked its way down the side of her throat. She couldn’t stop herself from moving against him, her breath coming in harsh pants as his lips continued down her body. She’d never been much on being dominated by her bed partners but when she found herself suddenly pinned beneath Cian on the sofa, her body thrilled to his touch. He removed his fingers from her nipple and replaced it with his hot, wet mouth. His lips and tongue teased at her nipple before sucking it deep into his mouth. Her back arched off the sofa, her hands entangled in his silky, dark hair, holding his head to her breast. His fingers plucked at the other nipple before he switched up.

  “Cian, please…” she begged on a breathy moan when his mouth continued down her stomach to the waistband of her bikini panties. His lips and tongue spread kisses along the lacy edge, barely dipping under to tease at the covered skin. Her moans grew louder when one of his hands slid between her thighs to teasingly rub back and forth against the damp crotch of her panties.

  “Damn, Baby, you’re so wet for me.” He whispered against her stomach as his hands slid her panties down her hips and thighs in what seemed like slow motion to her. His movements were slow and languid as if he had all the time in the world but she was in no mood to wait. She wanted it hard and fast and told him so in no uncertain terms. His head rose from where he was spreading kisses along the top of her mound and a devilish grin spread across his handsome face. “You’re not gonna rush me, Ava. I’ve been waiting for this too long.” He said in a low growl. His hands spread her thighs wide and she felt the tip of his tongue slide up the swollen, wet fold between her legs before lashing against the tiny bundle of nerves at the top. Her hands moved to grip the fabric of the sofa cushion as he tormented her with his mouth, making her gasp and beg for him to make her come. Her arousal built quickly out of control and when he plunged two fingers deep inside her body she got exactly what she wanted. Her orgasm hit her like a runaway freight train tearing through her body. She cried out his name, her body bucking beneath his mouth and fingers while he held her down with his other hand against her stomach. She felt like liquid fire was splintering inside her body and the waves kept washing over her. He stayed with her until the contractions around his fingers slacked off before sliding back up her body. His tongue plung
ed into her mouth, letting her taste herself on him as he shoved his shorts down his thighs. She was still recovering from her first orgasm when he hooked her legs over his arms and spread them wide. She reached between them to grasp his hardness, her fingers not quite meeting as she guided the jutting length to where she needed him most. They both groaned loudly as he worked his way inside until he was fully seated, holding completely still to let her body adjust to the heavy invasion. Her hands gripped the rippling muscles of his back as he began to thrust slowly in and out of her body, pulling almost all the way out before plunging back in hard. Their mouths were locked together, and both were moaning and groaning with every thrust, their tongues imitating the movements of their bodies. He broke the kiss to pull back and watch her face while he drove into her tight, slick sheath.

  “Cian, please, please, please…” she begged, her head tossing from side to side. He wrapped her legs around his waist and gripping her hips in his hands, increased the tempo of his thrusts, pounding into her so that she was screaming his name on every stroke. The first orgasm with his mouth had been spectacular but in no way compared to the orgasm that tore through her body as his hard thrusts pushed her over the edge. It started between her legs then seemed to burst, completely swamping her in sensation as her body convulsed around his, milking his driving penis. Three more hard thrusts and Cian let out a loud shout as his orgasm poured from his body into hers and collapsed over her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  He barely managed to catch himself on his elbows to keep from crushing her with his entire weight while he tried to recover from the mind-numbing orgasm that had just ripped through his body. He didn’t know if he would ever move again. Her body felt so good with her legs still wrapped around his waist, her hands lying limp against his back where they had just a few moments previously been digging into the muscled expanse while she had screamed his name with her orgasm. She had come hard and the muscles of her tight sheath had milked him dry until there was nothing left to give. Both of their breathing was slowly returning to normal when his sluggish brain reminded him of the events leading up to their lovemaking. Her uninhibited response had short-circuited his brain, he thought ruefully as he rose up on his arms to look down into her beautiful face. Her long sooty eyelashes rested against her cheek, her full lips red and swollen from his kisses, her face and neck abraded from beard burn. He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips, lingering to sip at her for a moment before pulling back to gaze into the sparkling blue eyes that were smiling up at him. He grinned back at her, dropping a kiss on the end of her nose. “I was going to ask if you were okay, but that smile just made that unnecessary.” He said his voice low and husky. Her smile widened, her arms sliding around his neck to pull him down for a long, slow kiss. He was surprised to feel his body showing renewed interest when her tongue tangled erotically with his. He broke the kiss, pulling back to go for round two when he saw her slight wince of discomfort. Feeling a twinge of guilt for practically pounding her into the sofa, he gently eased out of her, her inner muscles still gripping him tightly. “I’m sorry, Baby. I should have been easier with you. I got a little carried away…”

  She giggled, her hands locked loosely around his neck. “Don’t you dare apologize! The only thing I’m sorry about is that we waited so long.” He smiled down at her.

  “You waited so long.” He agreed teasingly. She lightly smacked his shoulder. “Seriously, I was beginning to think you were never gonna give in.” She rolled her eyes. “Why did you have to be damn near sexually assaulted at your front door to want to be with me?” She burst out laughing at his sarcastic question.

  “Watching you kick Drew’s ass turned me on.” She slowly stroked her hands down his chest, lightly running her fingers through the mat of dark hair, grinning cheekily.

  “Is that right?” He quirked an eyebrow at her. She gently tugged at the hair on his chest drawing a quick wince from him.

  “Yeah, there’s just something about seeing a guy’s face bounce off the top of a Corvette that gets me going.” He leaped off the couch and bending down swooped her up off the sofa and tossed her over his shoulder. “Hey!” she protested, only to feel his hand smack her ass as he took off up the stairs, laughing.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ava lay beside Cian’s sleeping form staring at the stars through the skylight over her bed, her mind going a million miles a minute. The recent sequence of events kept running like a Powerpoint presentation on repeat. She felt like the rug had somehow been jerked from under her feet and it had left her momentarily shaken. When she had first awakened in the dark wrapped around a sleeping Cian like he was her own personal body pillow, all she’d felt was sleepy, sore and very satisfied. Her body had been so sated and drained from their lovemaking; the first explosive time on the sofa, the slippery, raunchy sex in the shower and the slow, sensual lovemaking in her bed. Sex with Cian was damn near a religious experience. The man had serious skills. He had brought her to orgasm so many times she had lost count. She generally preferred to be in charge but he had a primal, dominating side to him that made her quiver inside like an untried virgin. By the time he’d finished with her, she’d been more than happy to submit to his demands especially when she realized he wanted nothing more than to please her.

  “Let me touch you.” She’d begged him breathlessly when he had pinned her hands to the mattress, his hardness buried inside her. A soft, knowing laugh had rumbled out of his chest and ignoring her pleas he had continued to slowly thrust in out of her, their bodies sliding against each other from chest to knee. He hadn’t released her hands, but leaned down to kiss her neck, his tongue teasing the tender cord. She had undulated against him as his lips had moved gently down her neck, quickly having discovered her weakness. Her neck had always been a hotspot for her and he exploited it at every opportunity. “Oh God,” she’d moaned. “Please Cian…” the loud gasp involuntarily escaped when he’d sucked the skin directly beneath her ear lightly into his mouth, his lips, teeth and tongue driving her out of her mind while he continued his measured thrusts, her hands still pinned above her head. He had kept at that pace until she had cried out his name loudly, begging him. The orgasms had swept through her like a tidal wave, coming one after the other until he had joined her in his own, the hard pumping of his hips driving her up the bed. Only then had he released her hands but all she had been capable of by that point was holding on for the ride. When he had rolled to her side and proceeded to drape her across his still bellowing chest, she had collapsed in a boneless heap and fell asleep on top of him.

  Waking up to the sound of his heartbeat against her ear had been disconcerting when her mind had cleared enough for her to start thinking about the implications. She didn’t make a habit of sleeping with her lovers after the sex was over. Actually, she preferred to sleep alone. Of course there had been guys over the years that had slept over at her place and it hadn’t been a big deal but even when they had spent the night, she’d never cuddled with them while they slept. Both times she had slept with Cian, though, she had awaked to find them wrapped around each other and it filled her with a sense of unease. He hadn’t stirred when she’d carefully separated herself from his hard, warm body and moved to the other side of the massive bed. She’d been laying there gazing blindly through the skylight ever since. She wasn’t even sure how long she had been at it she was in such a state of shock. Nothing about their situation made her comfortable. She’d always been practical and sensible. Sure, she’d hooked up with a few guys in different locales around the world for the last few years but she had never hooked up with anybody in her small hometown. That should have been her first warning that her normally black and white existence was steadily moving into the gray. Then finding out he was Jameson’s friend and she had been out to dinner with his parents on several occasions had pushed her further from her ethical center. She’d allowed him to stay in her home, lying to herself when she had foolishly believed she could resist him. He’d been co
mpletely up front with her about what he wanted from her and how he planned to get it. And damn, if she hadn’t fell right in with his plans. He’d left the time and place of her downfall to her so she couldn’t even claim he had seduced her. She’d been the instigator, dropping her clothes and climbing on top of him. She had lusted for him for weeks and truth be told, watching him defend her honor against Drew had sent some kind of inexplicable thrill through her body. He had been so gentle with her after sending Drew packing, taking care of her, letting her vent. All that chivalry added to the weeks of wanting had been lethal to Ava and her will to resist had fled.

  No matter how many times she told herself sex with Cian was of no more consequence than any other of her men over the years, she didn’t believe it. She was irritated with herself but even worse, on some level she was petrified. She’d never been comfortable going against her principles; she’d now violated so many, it had left her on shaky ground. A lot of people would have said she didn’t have a moral bone in her body but that wasn’t the case. There had always been lines she didn’t cross believing that actions were either right or wrong; no middle ground. Her moral code may not be on par with good Baptists like her parents but she’d always lived her life in a way she could look at herself in the mirror and be at peace. That it was a man and Cian in particular that had pushed her into this moral quagmire unnerved her completely. She had always prided herself on her control and ability to do the right thing. She couldn’t name the times she had self-righteously talked about weak people not being able to control their urges. Oh, how the mighty had fallen, she thought.