The Ice-Breaker Ch. 01

Alex groaned and covered his face with one hand. "Can I change my mind?"

"Nope."

The tension in the room had decreased and Kaitlyn felt much more at ease as she popped the disc into her DVD player. "You want something to drink? Or eat? Do you eat after games?"

Alex glanced at his watch and shook his head. "It's too late for me to eat, but I'll have something to drink. What have you got?"

Kaitlyn walked into her kitchen and called out the options to Alex, who waited in the living room. He decided on an iced tea and Kaitlyn poured a glass for herself as well. Then they settled together on the couch and watched Agamemnon agree to go to war with Troy for his brother.

Kaitlyn wasn't sure at what point she felt Alex's arm descend on her shoulders. She leaned into him, forgetting her nerves from earlier. His body was warm under her cheek and against her arm and she felt her eyes growing heavy. Alex shifted against her again and his other hand came up to lightly stroke her arm. She shivered and closed her eyes when he did it again. It was such a soothing, warm touch that Kaitlyn fell asleep just as Achilles was refusing to join the Trojan War.

***

When she first opened her eyes, Kaitlyn didn't feel that anything was different. Quite the contrary; she rolled over and shut her alarm off, then rubbed the sleep from her eyes just like she did every morning. As she lay back against her pillows, she let the memories of her date with Alex sweep over her.

Then bolted upright as she recalled him coming home with her.

It all came rushing back then; the drinks at The Rose and Crown, the anxiousness about being alone with him in her apartment, the movie he chose...

Oh God, she thought, feeling humiliation sweep over her. I fell asleep on him! That thought was followed swiftly with, how the hell did I end up in bed?

As she pondered it, the toilet in the washroom across the hall flushed and she froze.

"Oh my God," she breathed and stared at her closed bedroom door. Is he still here?

Since there was no way to avoid the confrontation, Kaitlyn rose, grateful that she was still in her clothes, albeit slightly more wrinkled than the night before. She crept to her door and pressed her ear against it, trying to listen for Alex. It was quiet, except for what sounded like the drip of her coffee maker.

Well, he's just made himself right at home, she thought and smiled.

Drawing in a fortifying breath, she opened the door and shot across the hall to the washroom. When she stepped back out a few minutes later - hair and teeth freshly brushed, and her clothes straightened - she heard the TV on. She walked down the hall and found Alex reclining comfortably on her couch.

With no shirt on.

She stared slack-jawed at him for a moment, forgetting to say anything, let alone 'good morning,' or 'what are you doing here?'

"Morning, gorgeous," he drawled in his Newfoundland accent, smiling widely at her.

Lifting a hand to her somewhat neat hair, she smiled weakly at him. Her eyes flicked back to his broad chest before she looked into his face. He was grinning at her, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, surprised that it was the truth. She hadn't slept so well since her Christmas break. "You?"

"Not bad," he told her and glanced ruefully at her couch. "This couch isn't long enough for me."

Kaitlyn giggled. "No, I guess not."

"I didn't think of that that when I conked out last night," he said, bringing his eyes back to hers.

"Uh, yeah, about that..." she started and stopped, gnawing on a fingernail. "I'm... a little... confused."

Alex arched an eyebrow at her in question, his eyes still glinting wickedly at her. Good Lord, she thought, looking away. He has got to put a shirt on. "How did I get to bed?" she blurted.

"I carried you in there when you fell asleep on my arm," he explained.

"Oh." That's all she could manage.

"I considered changing you into your pajamas, but I didn't know how you'd react in the morning," he added and she blushed at the thought of him doing that.

"Yeah. Thanks for that," she replied. "Why did you stay?"

His smile dimmed and she wondered if she'd sounded too sharp. "I wanted to watch the rest of the movie but I fell asleep before the end. When I woke up again, it was three in the morning or something, so I just figured I'd been here that long already, I might as well stay until morning."

Kaitlyn nodded. It sounded perfectly reasonable. She wished his answer was something more along the lines of, 'I just wanted to be near you,' but she figured that was asking for too much at this point. "You found the coffee?" she asked instead.

"Yeah. Is that all right?"

"Of course," she agreed and turned to walk into the kitchen. It was the simplest way to get her eyes off his muscular chest. "I can't do much in the mornings without my coffee."

"I never used to drink coffee," Alex replied, following her into the kitchen. Thankfully, when she turned, he was pulling a shirt over his head. "Not until I came to Calgary."

"What, they don't have coffee in Newfoundland?" she asked, feeling more comfortable now that he was dressed.

He chuckled and shook his head, moving with her around the kitchen as she pulled out a couple coffee mugs, along with the cream and sugar. "I just never had a taste for it until I moved out here, that's all."

"It's definitely an acquired taste," Kaitlyn agreed. "I didn't start drinking it until I spent a few nights with my mom in the hospital. Then there was no choice but to drink it to stay up." She laughed as she finished speaking. She turned to see Alex studying her silently. "What?"

"Your mom... was in the hospital?" he asked, looking embarrassed about his curiosity.

Kaitlyn hadn't realized she'd mentioned it until he spoke and then she was the embarrassed one for oversharing, again. She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, a few years ago. She went through treatment for ovarian cancer."

"That's..." he hesitated and blew a breath out.

Kaitlyn rescued him from having to say anything; she knew how awkward it could be for some people to talk about it. "It was rough, yes, and difficult to accept with for a long while." She smiled and reached for the fresh brewed coffee. "She's in remission now and has been feeling good ever since."

"That's great, Kaitlyn," he said, sounding relieved.

"It is," she agreed and changed the subject. "Here's yours." She handed him a mug and watched him add his cream and sugar. She moved over after he walked back out to the living room and added her own fixings.

"What time do you have to work today?" he asked as they sat down on the couch together.

"Not until ten," she said and glanced at the clock on her wall. It was just past eight, plenty of time for her to shower and get dressed before having to leave. "Don't you have practice?"

He smiled sheepishly at her. "I overslept. I already called and said I'd be missing it today."

"Alex!" she admonished with a laugh. "Are you allowed to do that?"

"No. I'm not a senior player or anything and Coach wasn't impressed." He looked away and Kaitlyn thought she saw some color fill his cheeks. "I think the guys might have told him what I was doing."

Now it was Kaitlyn who blushed and looked away. She didn't want to think about the locker room talk if Alex had told his teammates about their date. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her coffee, burning the tip of her tongue.

"I'll leave after I finish the coffee," he assured her with a smile as he faced her again. "I don't want to get in your way."

She shrugged, the wild fluttering in her stomach starting up again. "I don't mind if you hang out for a bit. Since you're not working today, apparently." This she said with an arched eyebrow at him and he laughed.

"I'll go down there later, get in some practice on my own," he told her.

"Well, since you're here, maybe you should make breakfast while I take a shower," she suggested, meeting his gaze. That was a mistake. At her words, his eyes darkened and the muscles in his jaw worked. The fluttery sensation in her gut intensified and she swallowed her next sip of coffee with some difficulty. "I mean, if you want breakfast," she added weakly.

He nodded, not taking his eyes off her face. She felt very hot all of a sudden, and extremely uncomfortable. Jumping up, she hurried to the kitchen and dumped the remainder of her coffee down the sink. Turning, she jumped again when she saw Alex closing the distance between them from the kitchen doorway.

"Alex, I-" she started to speak but Alex stopped her.

He grabbed her by the hips and lowered his mouth to hers, swallowing her gasp of surprise. His tongue was strong as it slipped between her lips but she didn't mind his enthusiasm. She put her hands against his broad chest, shivering when she felt his muscles flex beneath her palms. Then, as quickly as he'd taken hold of her, he pulled away, breathing hard as he looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, though his smile told her he was anything but. "I've been thinking about doing that since I met you."

She laughed and shook her head, her thoughts swimming aimlessly. "No, you haven't."

"It's true!" he protested and kissed her again, softer this time. "I never lie. Ask my teammates."

She rolled her eyes but decided to give in on this point. "Well, I'm glad you got it out of the way then," she told him, keeping her tone playful. She smiled impishly when his eyes darkened. Carefully, she stepped out of his embrace and drew in a shaky breath. "I've got to shower. Make yourself useful." She waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the fridge and stove.

"You were serious?" he said, sounding bewildered.

Laughing, Kaitlyn nodded as she walked around him to head to the bathroom.

"You want me to stay for breakfast?"

"Why not?"

His handsome face split into a wide grin and Kaitlyn laughed again to hide her body's immediate reaction. She ducked out of the kitchen and vowed to spend as much time as it took in a cold shower to rid herself of these stomach flutters.

***

In spite of his excitement over being able to spend more time with Kaitlyn, Alex was less assured of his abilities to produce a decent breakfast. He stared into her fridge for a long while, chewing on his bottom lip.

"Can't go wrong with eggs and toast," he muttered to himself and scooped the egg carton out of the fridge.

He hadn't meant to invite himself to stay the night at Kaitlyn's place. He'd just been so comfortable with her relaxed against him on the couch as they watched the movie last night. Her hair had been so soft on his arm and she smelled so fantastic that he couldn't help but hold her close. Then, just as he'd reached up to cup her face and kiss her, she'd drifted off. He didn't even have the strength to be annoyed. Her breath on his face was warm and soft, and her face was so beautiful as she relaxed, that he was bewitched.

He'd let her sleep against him for a few minutes before deciding to move her to her bedroom. She hadn't moved or even blinked as he placed her in bed and drew the covers up around her body. He'd intended to watch the end of the movie, since he hadn't watched Troy in a while. Then he'd fallen asleep, her scent on that couch all around him.

He smiled as he recalled waking up in her living room. It had been disorienting at first, to say the least. He'd used the washroom and then indulged himself by peeking in on Kaitlyn. She didn't stir as he stood in the open doorway to her bedroom, watching her sleep. Her breathing was deep and even, and Alex had had to fight the urge to climb into bed with her. Somehow, he didn't think she'd appreciate the move. So he'd returned to the living room, stripped down to his boxers and slept with a knitted blanket covering him, her scent lending another dimension to his dreams.

Now, he couldn't believe she'd let him kiss her and still wanted him around for breakfast. The sound of water running reached his ears and he froze in the middle of her kitchen, eggs in one hand, butter in the other. He allowed himself to fantasize for a minute about her naked body underneath the hot spray of water. Then he swore under his breath and ordered his lower extremities to behave.

By the time Kaitlyn joined him in the kitchen again, Alex had himself back under control and was busy with scrambled eggs and hash browns.

"Smells great," Kaitlyn said as she walked into the kitchen.

Startled, Alex dropped the spatula and whirled around to face her. She laughed at his expression and moved closer, picking up the dirty spatula.

"You're lucky I have more than one," she scolded, her green eyes dancing.

Alex responded with a grin and tried to pull her close. She danced out of his reach and moved away with another laugh.

"I'll get you eventually," he growled in a mock menacing tone.

They chatted comfortably as he finished making everything and then sat together at her little kitchen table. When they finished, Alex noticed the time and felt genuinely sorry that they had to leave. It was almost nine-thirty and Kaitlyn had said she needed to work at ten.

"I'm glad you came to meet me last night," he told her as he pulled his socks and shoes on.

She straightened from doing up her own shoes and smiled at him. "Me too," she agreed.

"I have another game tomorrow night," he said as he pulled his jacket on. "But then I'm off for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Kaitlyn exclaimed. "I didn't think you guys got holidays like that in the middle of the season."

"We don't, but the Olympics start today," he said.

"Oh, right. I forgot all about those."

"Easy enough to do if you work twelve hours every day of the week," he replied with raised eyebrows.

She blinked at him and smiled weakly. "Well, I'm trying to slow down."

Alex felt like an ass as soon as he heard her apologetic tone. He reached for her, grateful when she didn't move away from him. Bending low to meet her eyes, he kissed her, watching her green irises disappear behind widening pupils. He kissed her again, adding a teasing stroke of his tongue before pulling away.

"Tease," she grumbled when he released her.

Alex laughed, truly enjoying this playful side of her. He waited as she gathered her purse and keys and then they stepped into the hallway outside her apartment. They walked together downstairs to the parking lot, remaining silent. At the front door to the building, Alex pulled her close again, sealing his lips over hers.

Every time he touched her, it got easier. He felt her relax a little faster this time and savored her sweet sigh. He swept his tongue into her mouth, toying with her and tasting every bit of her. He hadn't intended to take the kiss so deep but she was warm against his mouth and she made a little sound that had him growing hard inside his pants.

"Oh my," she murmured, looking up at him with a dazed look on her face.

Grinning, Alex gave her another quick kiss before holding the door open for her. He walked her to her car, grinning from ear-to-ear as she allowed him to keep his arm around her shoulders. As she bent to unlock the car, Alex watched her, drinking in the sight of how she moved and brushed hair from her pale cheek. As she straightened, he couldn't help himself; he stepped close and backed her against her car to kiss her again.

She squeaked in his embrace this time and he pulled back.

"What?" he asked, worried he'd inadvertently hurt her.

Smiling, she glanced down at her car. "The car is freezing!"

Laughing, Alex turned them around and leaned his own backside against her car. She laughed with him and willingly bent into his embrace when he drew her against him. He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth. She met his questing stroke with her own, her tongue sliding sensuously around his. He stifled a groan and squeezed his arms around her. Opening one hand, he stroked her side and moved lower, under the thick layer of her winter coat, until he felt the warm silk of her skin.

She jerked against him at the contact, breaking their kiss. Alex allowed her a single moment before closing his mouth on hers again. She clung to him, curling her fingers around the front of his coat and lifting herself onto her toes to kiss him back. Alex flattened his palm against her smooth back, running his thumb over her skin in circles. She moaned and licked the underside of his tongue with hers.

With a groan, Alex tore his mouth away, moving his hand lower to hold her just where her bottom curved from the small of her back. God help him, every part of her was too sexy.

"I should go," he said, his voice husky with desire.

She smiled and bit her lower lip. He stroked his thumb over her cheek, smiling when he noticed the color in her face.

"I should get to work, too," she agreed.

"So can I call you?"

She laughed and shook her head. Alex found himself holding his breath, never more afraid in his life than that moment, that she might reject him.

"You'd better," she told him and pulled his head down to her for another hot kiss. "I don't plan to stay up late tomorrow night for nothing."

Laughing, Alex kissed her again before reluctantly stepping away. He opened her car door for her and waved before walking to his own vehicle. He didn't bother turning the heat on right away. Instead, he sat in the frigid car, letting the cold air calm his body down. He hadn't reacted this way to a woman in a long time.

He liked it.