Melting The Ice (22 page)

Ava flashed an irritated look at Macy, sometimes hating dealing with people who actually knew her.  When one had been friends with someone as long as she had been with Macy, it was impossible to fudge history to suit oneself.  “I don’t know.  Maybe I should consult the notches on my bedpost.” She snarled sarcastically.  Macy rolled her eyes.

“Don’t get pissy because you don’t want to answer my question.”  Macy retorted. “You know damn well what I mean so stop with the innocent act.  Seeing Ava Talbot compromise with a man is like seeing Halley’s Comet…it only happens once in a lifetime.” Macy snickered at Ava’s narrow-eyed expression, completely unconcerned with her friend’s displeasure.  Listening to Ava’s denials was an entertainment all its own. “You have kicked men to the curb over squeezing the toothpaste tube from the middle…”

“I have not!” Ava expression and voice were full of exasperation.  Macy shrugged.

“Maybe not that specifically, but I’ve seen you cut men off without a second thought for minor infractions that even teenage couples would be able to work through.”  Macy reached out and patted Ava’s hands, her voice softening. “All I’m saying is you care enough about Cian to compromise and give him a chance.  That’s huge for you!”  Ava felt her face heat with embarrassment but managed to meet Macy’s searching gaze straight on.  She was a grown woman and could admit when someone had a valid point.

“I know.” She said quietly, letting out a long sigh and sipped at her Sangria.

“Hey,” Macy teased, trying to lighten the mood. “This is a good thing.  I’m happy you have finally fallen in love with someone besides…” Ava choking on her Sangria effectively brought Macy’s words to a halt.

“
Love
?” Ava croaked out, her eyes wide with alarm. “I’m not in
love
with Cian!” she declared adamantly.  Macy gave her a pitying look.

“Sure you’re not.” Macy rolled her eyes as she came to her feet, laying her sunglasses on the tabletop and removing her cover-up.  Executing a perfect running dive, Macy left Ava alone at the table with her thoughts.  Ava replayed the conversation with Macy in her head, her mind in turmoil.  Macy had lost her mind.  She wasn’t in love with Cian Secord…
was
she
?  How was she supposed to know that?  She’d thought she loved Patrick and look how that turned out.  If what she had experienced with Patrick was love, she could go the rest of her life without ever having that experience repeated.  Her first instinct was to put the distressing thoughts to the back of her mind to be dealt with at a later date and think happy thoughts…like what she planned to do when she got Cian in bed later that evening.  She pondered thoughts of a naked Cian for a few pleasurable moments before giving up with a sigh of disgust.  It was impossible to enjoy her fantasy when her mind had him looking at her with pity.  Fine, she wasn’t Scarlett O’Hara and she had to think about this today.  Life would be so much simpler if she were a character in a movie instead of a seriously screwed up human being.  She forced herself to take a long, hard look at their…
relationship
, she thought with a mental wince at the word.  No other word seemed to suffice, though. What she had with Cian was different and…well…kinda…uh, special, her brain stuttered to a stop on that thought.  She thought about how she felt when they were together; happy, excited, content… and how she felt when they were apart; miserable, depressed, desolate… and the light begin to dawn. Oh my God…Macy was right.  She
was
in love with Cian…or something damn close to it anyway, she mentally quibbled with herself.  A cold finger of fear seemed to travel up her spine forcing a shiver out of her.  Why did it have to be him that made her feel this way?  She hated drama and knew that falling in love with him would result in plenty of it.  The twelve year age difference alone would always bring snide comments from some.  At best she would be called a Cougar…at worst a child molester.  Cian was a ridiculously good-looking man, built like a dream and so overtly male he drew female attention like bees to honey.  He didn’t even have to try.  She didn’t know if she could deal with all that went with that.  In her experience, truly good looking men were a pain in the ass to deal with because there was always another woman that wanted them and were willing to do whatever was necessary, without any regard for right and wrong, to get them.   Could she really trust him?  She would have to give that some serious thought.  Because if she couldn’t, they were doomed; there was no way she could live like that.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Glancing at her reflection in the rearview mirror, Ava’s lips turned up into a big smile; she had been smiling like that all day.  Not even an early morning meeting at Jason’s office with the private detective he had hired followed by another two hours with the accountant had managed to dim her mood.  After last night, she couldn’t imagine anything upsetting her; Cian had made her a very happy woman.  Her mind drifted back over the previous evening, the events running like a movie reel in her mind.  They hadn’t left Macy’s until around nine and after a long day of water, sun and Sangria they had both been pleasantly tired and more than a little tipsy.  They had intended to talk when they arrived at home but she had wanted to take a shower first.  She had no sooner stepped under the hot spray than she felt Cian’s strong arms encircle her waist and his lips at her throat.  That had effectively put an end to any conversation for the night other than groaning, moaning each other’s name and few other naughty suggestions and demands.  After the third time when they had finally collapsed together in her big bed, Cian had tipped her face up to his until his dark gaze bored into her sleepy blue eyes. “I love you, Ava.” He had stated softly with absolute conviction.  Her brain had frozen for what seemed like an eternity but had in fact only been a few seconds when she laid her hand against his cheek and heard herself say. “I love you, too.”  The words had rolled easily off her tongue.  Before she could have any second thoughts about her response, Cian smiled at her like he’d struck gold and captured her mouth in the sweetest kiss she had ever experienced.  The kiss had turned to passion and then they had discovered the difference between sex and making love.   He had shown her how he felt with his body making her feel like the most precious woman on earth until they had fell into exhausted sleep, their bodies wrapped close around each other.  She was up early for her meetings and he was up early, as he was most days for his mysterious morning workouts, coercing Max into joining him when he could.  He had almost made her late when she had stepped into her kitchen in a slim-fitting, sleeveless coral sheath, her wildly curling hair pinned up and contained for the most part and strappy high-heeled sandals.  Looking all rumpled and sexy in nothing but a pair of worn jeans riding low on his hips with the top button undone, he leaned against the counter, sipping at a cup of coffee.  His eyes had started at the tips of her toes and worked their way up, growing more bright with interest as they climbed.  His eyes had met hers when he reached out and snagged her by the waist, pulling her easily against him, a mischievous smile on his face.

“Good Morning.” He whispered against her mouth, his lips moving lightly over hers for a tender, coffee-flavored kiss.  When she felt his tongue teasing at the seam of her lips and his hands sliding beneath her skirt, she had laughingly wrestled free.  Of course, she was not suffering under any delusions that she could actually have gained her freedom without his full cooperation.  “Where are you off to?”

“I have an early meeting with my attorney.” She stated, sipping at the cup of coffee he handed to her.  He smiled at her and took another drink of his own coffee.  “We could go out to dinner this evening…”

“Actually I would like to stay in with you tonight.” He interrupted with a quick grin, looking uneasy for a moment.  “We have some things we need to talk about.” 

“Okay.” She glanced at her watch before setting her cup in the sink and giving Cian a quick kiss.  “I’m gonna be late if I don’t leave now.  I’ll see you after while.”  She grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

“Ava?” He called.  Looking over her shoulder to find him smiling at her, she raised an inquiring brow.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.” The words had her smiling brightly at him.

“I love you too.” She had responded, the words not surprising her nearly as much as when she had said them the night before.  That had carried her throughout the interminable meetings and now she just wanted to get home and see him.  She had driven her Vanquish today, loving the way her flashy little sports car hugged the winding curves.  The windows were down, the sunroof open and Creed was blaring from the speakers.  Her hair was blowing in the breeze while she and Scott Stapp sang about being a freedom fighter.  The chiming of the IPhone had her glancing down to see who was calling.  Seeing Macy’s name on the screen, she decided not to answer since she would be home within a few minutes.  She would just drive over to Macy’s before going home to see what she wanted.  No sooner had the call disconnected than it began ringing again with Macy’s name flashing on the screen.  Ava almost ignored the call a second time since she was within sight of the walls but fear that something was wrong had her hitting the button to connect through her speakers, shutting off the music.

“Hey Mace, I’m almost home…”

“No!” Macy shouted frantically.  “Ava, don’t come home!”

“What? Why?” Ava asked in confusion as she rounded the last curve before the gates. “I’m already here…what the hell?” Her voice drifted away when she saw the drama unfolding at her front gates.  Multiple news vans with satellite dishes on top and a large crowd of people with cameras on their shoulders or microphones in their hands had not only blocked the gates but the main road past their compound.  Locals trying to get home or to town were out of their vehicles, some giving interviews, some watching and some arguing with the news crews and various law enforcement who were trying to disperse the crowd.  Several state troopers were inside the gates consulting with an infuriated Mike who was waving his arms wildly at the encroaching crowd yelling questions and shoving their cameras through the wrought iron rungs.  Ava was dumbfounded as to why the media had gone on the attack again and it looked like more than ever before.  What could possibly have brought
this
to their door, she thought, a feeling of dread settling low in her stomach. The problem had always been the local media badgering them, not national media and damn sure not the gossip rags that seemed to be represented.  As soon as her car was spotted, the crowd surged in her direction, surrounding the vehicle.  Flashes were going off non-stop while the reporters yelled over each other to ask questions.  She couldn’t even make out what was being said at first.  The crowd was pushing against her car, shoving microphones through the open windows into her face while the flashbulbs blinded her.  All she could think about was hoping her car wasn’t getting scratched at first.  The state troopers were shoving their way through the rabid pack trying to get to her but it was slow work and suddenly, the questions being yelled at her started penetrating her brain.

“Ms. Talbot, what exactly is your relationship to Cian Secord…”

“How does your son feel about you sleeping with one of his friends…?”

“Did you know you were sharing Cian with Lani Mason…?”

“Are you supporting Cian’s drug habits…?”

“Are you sleeping with Maxime Brooks too…?”

She hit the gas as soon as the state troopers cleared a path and sped through the gates.  She was in a complete state of shock when she pulled up in front of her house.  Leaning her head back to rest against the headrest, she stared straight ahead through the windshield trying to make sense of what had just happened.  The local media had been fairly aggressive with them since they had won the money but nothing of this magnitude…and all they had asked about was Cian…and his
drug
problems
…and
Lani
Mason
?  The
supermodel
?  Who the hell had she let in her life?  None of it made sense.  She saw Macy rushing towards her, her face tight with anger and worry, but Ava couldn’t seem to get out of the car. 

“Ava, are you all right?  I called as soon as I found out what was going on…” Macy’s words faded away when Ava slowly turned her head to look up at her through the open window, her eyes haunted.

“What is going on?” Ava asked quietly, trying to maintain a tight rein on her emotions until she knew the facts.  Macy opened the car door and motioned for her to get out of the car.

“Come inside.” Macy coaxed gently.  The sick feeling of dread that had started at the sight of the press at her gates felt like it had grown inside of her until there was room for nothing else.  She slowly followed Macy into the kitchen.  Macy quickly poured Ava straight vodka and placed it in front of her on the table, alarming her even further.  If Macy was going to tell her something she was going to need Stoli to cope with, it couldn’t be good.  She didn’t reach for the drink, but just sat quietly waiting for Macy to tell her what the hell was going on.  Macy sat across from Ava, letting out a sigh of defeat when she met her eyes.  “I don’t know everything…”

“Tell me what you know.” Ava demanded softly.  Macy took a deep breath and launched into a factual account of what she had learned.

“Apparently Cian is a professional hockey player from Boston who was dating that supermodel, Lani Mason.  They got busted in Miami a couple of months ago for drug possession…”

“Oh my God…” Ava groaned and put her head in her hands, her emotions in complete turmoil.  She didn’t know if she was going to cry, yell like a crazy woman or a combination of both.

“The charges were dropped against Cian but the media has been stalking him.  The model is saying Cian didn’t get in trouble because he’s a professional athlete.  I Googled him and he’s like some hockey superstar.” Macy fell quiet and let Ava absorb the information.   After several minutes, Ava removed her hands from her face and reached for her drink, tossing the drink back in a couple of gulps.  Macy continued to regard her with concern, not knowing what else to say.  Ava stared at the table, incapable of further action while she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that everything she knew about Cian was a lie…and she had told him she loved him.  She was in love with a liar…again.

“How could I be so stupid?” Ava murmured, a single tear sliding slowly down her face.

“You’re not stupid…” The chiming of Ava’s IPhone startled them both.  Ava glanced down at the phone, seeing her son’s name on the screen.  In that moment, it hit her that her son had to have lied to her as well.  Her baby had let her blindly step into this situation.  She connected the call. “Jameson?”

“Mom!  I’m sorry.  I should never have lied to you…” Jameson’s frantic voice came across the line.  Ava felt like her entire world crumbling apart.

“How could you, Jameson?” Ava asked brokenly, more tears following the first. 

“Mom, I’m sorry…”

“I can’t talk to you right now.” She choked out, disconnecting the call as the door was thrown open and Cian came barreling in, Max close behind him.  He froze when his worried gaze settled on Ava setting at the table, tears running down her face.  The crushing pain of his betrayal settled on Ava, a sob catching in her throat as he warily started for her. 

“Ava…”

She came to her feet so suddenly, the chair she had been setting in overturned noisily.  She snatched the empty glass from the tabletop and hurled it at him, barely missing his head when he ducked.  The loud crash of the glass against the wall seemed to light the fuse on her rage. “Get out!” she screamed, the hurt and anger overwhelming her.  He looked from the broken glass to Ava, his expression pinched with worry and fear.

“Ava please…let me explain…” He entreated, his eyes beseeching her for understanding. 

“Explain how you made a fool out of me?” She choked out, her blue eyes blazing with accusation as the tears continued.  He was furiously shaking his head in denial, but she ignored him. “Or are you going to explain how you used me…”

“I never used you.” He said his voice low and urgent. “You have to believe that…”

“Why would I believe anything you say?” Her mocking voice rang out. “Everything you’ve told me has been a lie from the beginning…”

“No!” He was adamant as he took another step towards her.  “I didn’t lie about everything…”

“You shouldn’t have lied about anything!” She shrieked as she backed away from his advancing form, putting the table between them.  He came to a halt, running his hand through his hair in agitation, his eyes pleading.