Melting Away The Ice (THE ICE SERIES) (18 page)

Chapter
26 – Lucas

This past month had been the worst in my life. Since coming back from Canada, Sara had pushed me further away. With each conversation on the phone, she became more and more distant. I didn’t know what to do, so I called Ava and asked for her advice.

“Don’t contact her until she contacts you.
If after one week there is no contact then, meet her somewhere and make her decide if she wants you or not.”

“Will that work?” I asked her sadly.

“At least you will have your answer.” Ava was right.

I
took her advice and did just that. It was hard; I wanted to run, find her, and protect her from whatever bad was happening in her life. It was Max that would listen to me whine like a little girl and I couldn’t thank him enough for that. I knew that Rachel and he had gotten closer, but I hoped that he wouldn’t tell her how bad I was doing with this situation.

When Sara knocked on my door, I was surprised. I almost thought she would
n’t come. The last time I remembered feeling this bad was when I was in high school and there was a Father-Son skate and I was alone.

This was different
, though. Sara was the love of my life and she was someone that I didn’t want to lose. Nonetheless, I couldn’t force her to be with me. I had to let her go if she didn’t want to be with me.

I sat on my bed with my head in my hands.
I was saying a silent prayer that she would come to me, but if not, that I would be strong and let her go. My tears were on the verge of falling and I was not going to let that happen. I closed my eyes tight and took a deep breath.

I have to be strong, either way.

Then I heard my bedroom door open. I shot up into a standing position as Sara crossed the threshold.

“Sara,” I breathed in relief.

“Wait.” She held up her hands. “Let me speak first.” I nodded.

Maybe this is her goodbye
.

“Please, just listen
.” I nodded again at her. “I don’t know how well I will get through this, but I will try my best.” She walked over to my chair in the corner and sat down. I sat on the edge of the bed.

“It was three years ago. Rachel and I just graduated law school and landed jobs at a big law firm in the city. I can’t even begin to describe how excited we were. Rachel was working with the partner because she was way smarter than I was.
I was working with the other associates and trying to move ahead. There was a large case that one of the partners was working on and needed extra help. Rachel suggested me and I was called up.” Tears began to stream down her face, but she kept talking.

“His name was Jake Black. He was incredible.
He was an outstanding win record and had a bad boy look about him. Looking back on it now, I should have just ran in the other direction. There were a lot of rumors about him, but I was getting the attention I wanted so I didn’t listen to it. We worked on this case night and day for months. After we won, we all went out and celebrated. Jake and I became close that night and soon we were inseparable. Things moved fast. He was getting a divorce from his first wife so we couldn’t move in together right away. Once the divorce was final, we did live together, even though Rachel begged me not too. His first wife and he didn’t end on good terms, but I wouldn’t listen. I thought I was in love and I thought I found the security that I always wanted. It was about a year in that I realized how much Jake liked to drink and his temper was getting worst. He shoved me a few times but I overlooked it because he was drinking so much.”

My blood began to boil because I had an idea where this conversation was heading and I was not going to be happy about it.
I still had not said anything,
yet
.

“About another year in, Jake was getting worst.
One night he lost a really easy case. He had drank a lot and one thing lead to another and…,” she stopped and began sobbing. I couldn’t help myself; I got up and wrapped her in my arms. I picked her up and sat in the chair, putting her on my lap. She buried herself in my chest and just sobbed. After a few minutes she began again, still clinging to my shirt.

“He hit me, a lot. He
broke my jaw and my wrist. He badly bruised my face bad. The worst was,” she stopped and took a deep breath, “when he stabbed me and then he stuffed me in our crawl-space.”

I was on the verge of hunting this guy down and killing him myself.

“All those scars?” I finally asked.

“On my jaw and wrist are from surgeries. On my stomach was from where he stabbed me.” She looked up at me. Her beautiful green eyes were full of sadness and I just wanted to protect her. I held her tighter and rocked back and forth with her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked after several minutes of
silence.

“The truth is
, I still feel like I did something wrong from that night to make him flip out on me. I thought if I told you than you would leave me.”

“Are you kidding me, Sara?” She
shook her head. “You did nothing wrong. It was that asshole.” Sara nodded, but I don’t think she was fully convinced.

“Lucas, the other reason is, I am scared about loving you. That is why I haven’t said it.
I have horrible parents. You come from this loving home and I don’t think I fit in.” Tears were still streaming down her face.

“Sara, do you know how upset my family is right now because we were not talking? I thought my mom and Ava were going to come down here to help me get you back. Trust me, they never do that, ever.” I laughed and she smiled. “As far as loving me, you don’t have to be scared.
I am here and I not going anywhere now.” I picked her up when I stood up and sat her on the chair. I walked to my bathroom, grabbed some tissues and a glass of water.

“Lucas, do you think I could have a moment?” She nodded toward the bathroom. I nodded and stepped out
, then headed downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a beer. That was a lot to process in a short time. I still wanted to kill this guy more than anything in the world. Sara, so sweet and caring, should not be scared of him. I vowed to make sure that she was never hurt by him again. She deserved better.

I had just finished my beer when I felt her arms come around my middle and laid her head on my back.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey, beautiful
.” I felt her smile on my back. I turned around and looked at her. My jaw fell open. Her hair was down, her make-up was gone, and she had changed. She was wearing one of my dress shirts that I had hung in the bathroom. Even though her eyes were puffy, she was beautiful. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the stairs. I quickly set down my beer bottle and followed her. She took me all the way to the bedroom and gently pushed me on the bed.

“Sara
.” I was going to try and stop her, but she put her hand over my mouth.

“Don’t say anything.” She removed her hand and kissed me
, the most passionate kiss she had ever given me.

I ran my fingertips up her thighs. Her skin was soft and wonderful to the touch.
When I reached the top of her thighs, I realized that she was not wearing any underwear. Knowing that made me the hardest I had ever been. I gently grazed the folds between her legs. She jerked and smiled against my lips.

“I have missed you,” she said. Her green eyes stared at me as she stood up and backed away from my fingers between her legs. I smirked as I watched her bit
e her lip and began to unbutton my dress shirt she was wearing.

As she finished
, she let it fall to the floor. She stood in front of me and she looked so beautiful. There was nothing I wanted more at this very moment. She pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the side, then reached for my belt buckle. I stood up as my pants fell to the ground. She pulled my boxers down and without even a second’s hesitation put her mouth on my cock. I ran my fingers through her hair, gripping the back of her neck and I went deeper into her mouth. She moved faster, her tongue working me like nothing ever before.

I didn’t know how long I would last
and craved being, inside her after so long apart. She pulled me out of her mouth and I knew I was close to exploding, so I scooted back on the bed and lay down. Sara climbed on top and straddled me, easing herself down and moaning.

I loved the way she felt around me.
I couldn’t get enough of it, of our perfect fit. She rocked faster against me and I knew I was going to lose it. I sat up and rolled her onto her back. I pulled out of her and she whined. That sound drove me crazy in the best possible way.

“Lucas,” she begged.

“Say it,” I leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Say that you want me.”

“Lucas, I want you. I want you all the time
.” She rose up and kissed me. I slammed into her and she began panting, moaning. louder each time.

“C
ome for me, beautiful.” She raised her hips as she tightened and I felt her explode onto me. Two quick more thrusts and I did the same.

We laid there
, still as we caught our breath and slowed our pounding hearts. I rolled onto my back and she curled into my side. I didn’t think I could feel any better.

“You know I
didn’t get you over here for sex.” I looked down at her and saw her curly hair was everywhere.

“Mr. Sharp, did you not enjoy yourself,” she said in mock horror, trying to hide a smile.

“I never said that. I just wanted us to talk tonight. Though sex was definitely a bonus.” I laughed

“Lucas,” she said sadly, “I’m
sorry I pushed you away.” Her voice cracked and I didn’t want our moment ruined. I rolled her onto her back and looked right into her eyes.

“Don’t push me away again, Sara.
I don’t think I can take it.” I could feel my own tears forming, but I knew better than to let them fall.

She nodded. “I promise.
I will open up more, but I am still scared to say the words.” I saw the tear fall down her face.

“Hey, when you are ready
, you will say it. When you do, that will make me the happiest man in the world.” I smiled. “But, right now something else would make me even happier.”

She laughed as I settle
d in between her legs again.

Chapter
27 – Sara

I woke up to my phone buzzing. I reached toward it on the nightstand, but Lucas had a tight grip on me.

“If you answer that I will
throw you in the pool.” He was half asleep but still sounded sexy. I giggled as I was able to finally reach the phone and look at the display.

“Hello,” I said.

“Where are you?” Rachel yelled so loudly from the other end I had to remove the phone from my ear. “It is almost ten in the morning and you aren’t here.”

I laughed at her. “Calm down, I will be there
-,” Lucas took the phone from me.

“Rachel, its Lucas
. Sara will be taking a sick day today.” I heard Rachel yell “Thank the stars” on the other end and then hang up.

“Do I
look sick? What if I have a hearing or something important to do today?” I asked as he tossed the phone back onto the nightstand.

“Do you?”

“Well, no, but-,” Lucas covered my mouth with two fingers.

“Then you can
lay in bed with me all day. However, I have to make a quick call.” He rolled over and I said a silent “thank you” to the hockey gods for creating this gorgeous man. His back muscles were tight and rippled as he moved. I noticed last night that his arms had gotten bigger and I loved it.

“Coach, it
’s Sharp. Yeah, I’m sick, not practicing today. Great thanks.” Lucas threw his phone on the other nightstand and rolled back over to me.

“I need you,” his voice was low and sexy, “in the shower.” Just like that I was whisked away in his arms. I could
n’t help but laugh.

After we really did shower and ha
ve shower sex, Lucas gave me a pair of his shorts and shirt. I didn’t have anything here, but being in his clothes felt good. I made my way downstairs, where I saw Lucas in the kitchen cooking breakfast. His hair was still damp and he was wearing gray sweats and a black t-shirt. He looked amazing and I could feel my body aching for him again.

“Hey, beautiful, coffee is done if you want some.” His voice brought me out of my ogling. I nodded and felt my cheeks get red. I walked over to the coffee pot and fix
ed myself a cup, then I sat down at the table when Lucas placed a plate in front of me. I didn’t even realize how hungry I was until that moment. As usual, Lucas was done with his food long before I was.

How does he do that?

He got up and cleared his dishes away as I hungrily finished mine. Soon, I was finished too. Lucas cleared my plate and made me another cup of coffee as well as one for himself before sitting back down at the table. He had a serious look on his face.

“As much as I enjoyed all the sex we have had in the past
eighteen hours, we still need to finish our talk.” He looked deep into my eyes and I nodded.

“You have questions, don’t you?” It was his turn to nod. “
Okay, I will answer anything you ask.” I knew that it was time to come clean, and I wanted too. Last night was hard to relive in my mind, but with Lucas holding me, I was able to get through it. He deserved the truth, and I was tired of being scared. Jake was not in my life anymore, Lucas was. Jake could not control my life anymore; it was my turn.

“Who found you that night?”

“Actually, it was Rachel who found me. We were supposed to go out that night and she came over. She heard me moaning in the crawl-space and called the police.”

“Was he caught? Or, is he still in jail?”

“He isn’t in jail, anymore.” I saw Lucas’ face lace with anger. I reached over and grabbed his hand. “They caught him and charged him. However, he made bail. He still works at the law firm, but just small cases. I have a restraining order against him and he can’t come within one hundred feet of me.”

“So, there will be a trial
, right?”

“Yes, his trial is set for the middle of December.”

“December? What day?” I could already see Lucas was thinking of his schedule to make sure he will be there.

“Lucas, you don’t have to be there. Rachel will be with me. I know that you have games and commitments.” I gave his hand a squeeze.

“When, Sara?” He asked more firmly.

I sighed, “All-Star Week.” I knew that it was All-Star week because Rachel told me.
She also told me that Lucas goes to the All-Star game and has every year since his rookie year. He was popular with the fans.

“That is perfect. I am off that week.” Lucas face lit up
.

“No
, you are not. Rachel told me that you go to every All-Star game and I won’t let you miss this one because of me. I already feel bad that you missed today’s practice. By the way, will you get in trouble?” I didn’t want Lucas’ to get in trouble because of me, especially if it would hurt his career.

“Don’t worry about me.
I can miss one year of the All-Star game and besides, I’m not sure if I got picked this year.” He shrugged like he was unsure. I arched my eyebrow at him. Everyone knew he would be picked.

“Lucas, you are going, period
,” I said firmly. Again, Lucas just shrugged.

“So, he is the reason you left the firm. That is why Rachel and you started up yours.”

I nodded. “I was still in the hospital when Rachel went down there and gave every person a piece of her mind. She found out that they were not going to fire Jake and just put him on ‘leave’.” I air quoted and Lucas’ became angry again. “We started our place when the firm gave us a very nice severance package. Then Rachel found my apartment and moved all my stuff. She made sure our offices were locked tight and hired Charles to watch the doors. Rachel then asked Charity and Betty to come with us and they agreed.” Lucas was taking it all in when I finally asked the one question that I was scared to ask.

“So, how mad is your family at me?” I
looked down because I felt ashamed of my behavior, especially to his family.

“My family is
n’t mad at you at all. They were concerned, mainly, especially Mom. It was Ava who gave me the advice not to call all last week and that almost killed me.” He ran his hands through his hair. I giggled. “What?”

“That is a classic girl trick to see if a guy likes her. Plus, it almost killed me too.” I smiled sadly at him.

“Okay, how about this.” He stood up and took my hand for me to stand. “We go out and spend the whole day together. Anything that you want to do, we will do it. No plans, no schedule, nothing but the two of us.” He put his forehead on mine and bit his lip.

“You are supposed to be sick, Mr. Sharp.” I reminded him.

“That’s right, I am. I guess that means we will be spending all day in bed.” He got a wicked grin on his face, threw me over his shoulder, and headed back upstairs.

We spent the rest of the morning, afternoon
, and part of the evening in bed. We made love, talked, made love again, and talked some more. It was the single greatest day of my life. Lucas was perfect in every way. He listened to me and treated me like a princess. I felt bad that he had missed practice, but I was overjoyed that we were together.

I still had
n’t told him that I loved him and even though I did, I was scared. He was what I needed and wanted in my life, but I could not say the words. Looking back on the past month, I realized that I was miserable beyond words without him.

As I lay on his chest, I
looked up at him to see his eyes were closed. He was so handsome in every way imaginable. I didn’t know how long I stared at him when he opened his eyes.

“That is a little creepy, beautiful.” His voice was still sounded gruff and sexy.

“What?” I used my mock shocked voice.

“Staring at me while I rest
.” He wrapped his arm around me tighter.

“Well, I was just thinking how cute you are
.” I touched my finger to his lips. He smiled and kissed my finger.

“Since you put it that way,” he laughed. “Though I have to say I am hungry.
Sex with you takes it out of me.” He shifted to roll out of the bed and get dressed.

“Ha
, ha!” I said with sarcasm. “You don’t think I am hungry, too?”

He shrugged and a small smirk came across his face. “You should be
, as much of a work out that you got.”

“Ha
, ha!” I said again. I got up and put on Lucas’ shirt and stretched out my arms. My legs were still a little wobbly and I was a little sore, but it was worth the ache. I could feel Lucas staring at me, and when I peeked over, his blue eyes were full with desire.

“First dinner, th
en dessert,” I said as I walked passed him. He laughed. I was beyond blissfully happy