Fire on Ice (Fire on Ice Series) (7 page)

“You know the motto:
do as I say not as I do
. I plan to practice that approach. Besides, I’m not going to be a clinical psychologist. I’m going into experimental psychology.”

“Is it bad that I don’t even know what that means?”

“No,” I said and hugged my sister. “Thanks for being here with me.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

As soon as I let my sister go, I could see Kian in the distance. He was walking toward us. He looked freshly showered and he was wearing tight fitting black jeans and a white Henley that was tight enough to show off his bulging muscles.

“There he is,” I said to my sister and I pointed toward
Kian. “And his name is Kian. You don’t have to keep calling him Kavanagh.”

“I kind of like it,” she smiled. “It makes me seem like a real hockey buff.”

I shook my head. “There’s nothing about you that makes you seem like a hockey buff.”

“
Don’t be a hater,” she joked.

As soon as
Kian spotted me, I could see a huge smile overtake his face. He was beaming at me and his glow warmed me from the inside.

“Oh, my God,” my sister whispered as
Kian got closer to us. “He could be the most gorgeous guy I have ever seen.”

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as
Kian approached. My sister was right. Kian was gorgeous. He seemed to get better looking every time I saw him.

Kian
opened his mouth but just before he could say anything, a petite red head bounded over to his side and grabbed him by the elbow. She was wearing the tightest and shortest pink skirt I had ever seen on a girl. The material barely covered her butt cheeks. And she had on a pink v-neck sweater that was so tight and so low cut, there was absolutely nothing left to the imagination.

Kian
immediately tensed when the red head touched him and I could see him swallow hard. The girl was hanging on Kian so possessively, I knew immediately that they were intimate with each other.

“Who’s that?” the red head spat as she flipped her head in my direction. The girl would have been attractive, pretty even, if she didn’t have on so much make-up. It made her look like a kid playing dress up with her mom’s face paint.

I could feel anger boiling up inside of me and I immediately knew it was more than just this situation. It was everything that had happened before, with Austin that I had never released.

I took a step toward the red head. “Who are you?” I spat right back.

I could feel my sister’s hand touch my elbow in an effort to rein me in but I was already too far gone to be pulled back.

I could see
Kian try to pull away from the red head but she was strong and held her grip on him. She even moved in closer to him and made sure to stick her ample chest out for my benefit.

“
Kian and I have a date tonight, don’t we, babe?”

Kian
looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die and part of me wanted to push him into that hole and throw dirt on top of him. I didn’t need his crap and I certainly didn’t need someone, who was clearly already taken, especially if he was taken by a girl who looked like she looked.

I didn’t want to be judgmental but the girl looked like a tramp.  

I glared at Kian. His normally brilliant blue eyes looked dull and deadened. And the smile he had when he saw me was reduced to a hard line on his face. It was as if the tramp had sucked all of the life out of him in one fell swoop.

“Is that true,
Kian? Do you have a
date
with her tonight?” I made sure to emphasize the word date to make it sound as dirty and sordid as I had a feeling it would be.

He didn’t respond. He just kept staring at me with his empty eyes. As mad as I wanted to be at him, the look on his face and his empty eyes broke my heart.

“When I agreed to come to your game, Kian, I didn’t realize you had a girlfriend.”

“I don’t,” he muttered so softly I could barely hear him.

“You don’t?” I repeated and looked at the red head. “Does she know that?”

“We’re not exclusive,” the red head said as if she was proud of the fact that she was sleeping with
Kian and probably the rest of the team.

The thought
of Kian being with her, touching her and kissing her the way he had touched and kissed me, made my stomach churn. I wanted to run and hide in the hole I had dug to protect myself from just this kind of thing. But I still had a few things I wanted to say to Kian.

“Are you sleeping with her?” I caught
Kian’s gaze and glared at him. He didn’t look away as I expected him to. He took everything I was dishing out like a man.

Kian
nodded in response to my question.

“When was the last time you slept with her?”

“Last week,” Kian said hoarsely like the words were getting caught in his throat.

When I looked over at the tramp, she gave me a self-satisfied little smile.

“Before or after we met?” I asked.

“Before,” he said.

“But she thinks you’re still going to sleep with her. Why is that?”

The red head turned so she could see
Kian’s answer to that question.

Kian
heaved a small sigh. “Because I led her to believe I might.”

I nodded. Even though I could have easily slapped
Kian I was so angry, I could see by the look on his face he was in enough pain.  I decided to take the high road instead.

In the sweetest voice I could muster, I said, “Thank you so much for the tickets. My sister and I enjoyed the game. I hope the two of you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

I turned to walk away but then I heard Kian say, “Wait.”

When I turned back around the tortured look on
Kian’s face nearly made me gasp. “Why did you leave the arena before the game ended?”

“I was hurt by a hockey player and being in that arena tonight reminded me of him. I thought you might be different but I was wrong. You’re just like him.”

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and I quickly turned away before the waterworks started. I could hear my sister’s voice as she said, “You’re a fucking asshole. Stay the fuck away from my sister, do you understand?”

Then she grabbed my elbow and led me back toward my dorm.  

Seven

Kian

I ripped my arm from Shawna’s grasp.

“Ouch,” she cried but I didn’t care. Everything was completely fucked. I wanted to blame her but it was totally my own fault. I should have told her at the bar on Thursday that I didn’t want to be with her anymore.

I had no idea why I didn’t. And I
had completely lost any chance I had to get the girl of my dreams because of it.

“Just stay away from me, okay?” I snapped.

“Don’t get pissy with me just because that rich bitch doesn’t want you. Like you’d ever have a chance with her anyway. Girls like that don’t date guys like you.”

I glared at her. I could feel my cheeks burning with rage. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Shawna crossed her arms over her protruding chest. I used to think her tits were sexy; now they seemed too big and too fake. Looking at her turned my stomach.

“You’re just like me. We grew up poor.
Barely finished high school. Basically raised ourselves because our parents were too fucked up to take care of us. Started having sex, drinking and using drugs before we were barely teenagers. A girl like that might date you for a while because she wants to have some fun with the bad boy from the wrong side of town. But then what? Do you think she’s gonna marry you? Take you home to meet mommy and daddy? Fat chance. And what about when she wants to meet your family? Where do you take her first? To the bar to meet your mom or prison to meet your dad? Get real. I’m the best someone like you is ever gonna get.”

Shawna reached up to put her hands on my chest and I pushed them away. Her touch made my skin crawl. “Just stay away from me, okay?” I growled.

“Come on, babe,” she cooed. “I can give you what you want.”

“You have no idea what I want.” I could feel my eyes burning into her.

She pointed her index finger at me and pushed it into my chest. “I know exactly what you want and I know you’re not going to get it. You have a big hard-on for Little Miss Thang but she’s never gonna give it up for you. I hope she leaves you high and dry and your dick falls off.”

“Real classy, Shawna.”

“Save it for someone who cares,” she spat back. Then she turned and marched away.

I exhaled the breath I’d been holding since Shawna pounced on me. She was right about a lot of things. She may have been right about everything. But one thing was for certain, I was determined to get Taylor back and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me.

***

I woke up in a cold sweat from what may have been the worst night of sleep in my life. I kept having dreams about reuniting with Taylor and just when I kissed her she turned into Shawna, who was laughing a hideous evil laugh.

I was hoping when I woke up, I’d realize that everything that happened with Shawna and Taylor outside the
arena was just a dream and that I’d still be dating Taylor.

But it wasn’t a dream and I didn’t have Taylor anymore. And I had no idea how I was going to get her back.

I tried to think about the few romantic movies I had seen in my life. What did those guys do to get the girl back when they completely fucked things up?

I needed some kind of grand gesture. Something to prove to her that I wasn’t the asshole she thought I was and that I was nothing like the jerk-off who had broken her heart.

I texted Runt to see if he was willing to help.

Runt:
Dude WTF? It’s still morning.

Me:
I need your help
.

Runt:
Now? I’m still in bed
.

Me:
When?

Runt:
Give me a few hours.

Me:
Meet me downtown
.

Runt:
Seriously? This isn’t some freaky religious thing. UR not going to make me go to church R U?

Me:
Just meet me downtown asshole
.

***

Runt
arrived wearing dark shades and a five o’clock shadow. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed and put on the same clothes he’d worn the night before.

“Dude, you look like shit,” I said. “Have you even been home yet?”

He shook his head. “Don’t talk so loud. I’ve got a raging headache.”

“Do you want to get something to eat before we start?”

He put his hand to his stomach. “No. Nothing to eat. Maybe some coffee.”

I nodded. “There’s a place right across the street.”

As we headed toward the Starbucks, Runt said, “I heard what happened.”

“What do you mean?” I was puzzled.

“I was with Shawna last night. And this morning. That girl is like the Energizer Bunny, she just keeps going and going and going.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What happened to Krystal?
”

Runt laughed. “Shawna has bigger tits.”

“Now you’re picking girls based on the size of their boobs?”

“A guy has to have some kind of standards for selection,” he joked.

“You’re a tool,” I said.

“Guilty as charged.”

We entered the coffee shop and I was surprised it wasn’t packed. There were only a few patrons seated in the far corner. We both got black coffees and headed back outside.

The air was cooler than I expected so I zipped up my hoodie and folded my arms over my chest. Runt didn’t seem fazed by the
chill in the air. I suspected it was because he was probably still a little drunk. 

“So what exactly did Shawna tell you?” I asked.

“First of all, she was royally pissed. You are totally on her shit list. You’re never going to get any more of that action. But hey, that’s just more of that sweet pussy for me.”

The fact that Runt didn’t see anything wrong with fucking a girl I had been with within the last few weeks bothered me but the fact that he was so open about all of the details bothered me even more.

“Maybe we can get to the part where she actually talked to you.”

“Yeah, right, whatever. She told me there was some rich bitch waiting for you outside the stadium and that you had the
hots for her. And then when she saw Shawna and realized Shawna was one of your hockey whores, she completely lost her shit. Then you went a little nuts and told Shawna to take a hike.”

I nodded.

“So, who’s the rich bitch?”

“Would you please stop calling her that?” I moaned.

“Fine, who’s the girl you’ve got the hots for? Is that better?”

“Marginally,” I said. “Her name is Taylor Thompson and she goes to the U.”

“Let me guess. You met her the night you talked me into going to The Twisted Kilt.”

I nodded.

“I knew we never should have gone to that place.”

“I really like her,” I admitted.

Runt actually laughed. “What the hell does that mean? You like her?”

“What do you think it means?” I shot back.

“You want to fuck her?” He was still laughing but I didn’t think it was funny.

“It’s more than that,” I said.

“What more is there?” Runt asked.

“Taylor is different. I just like being with her. I like talking to her and spending time with her. I want to get to know her better and I thought she wanted to get to know me.
Until last night. When I totally fucked things up.”

“Dude, if you want my advice,
don’t go down that road at all. You’ve never dated anyone that wasn’t like us. I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into to.”

Runt was half right. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I still wanted to go down that road. I
needed
to.

“I’m going to get her back,” I insisted.

He looked at me and his expression was serious. “And you really think you had her to begin with?”

It was a valid question. I thought about the way she looked at me after I kissed her. The way she touched her hand to her mouth and the way her eyes danced. Yes, I had her. Maybe not for very long but I did have her. And I was determined to do whatever it took to her get her back. I wanted to see her eyes dance again when she looked at me.

“I have a plan but I need your help.”

A few minutes later, we were standing outside the florist shop. It didn’t open until noon on Sunday so we still had a few minutes
to wait.

“What the fuck do you think I know about flowers,” Runt said as he glanced in the window.

“You dated a girl who worked at a nursery,” I reminded him.

“She gave me a few blow jobs and she wasn’t exactly talking about flowers when she was sucking my dick.”

“You know sometimes you can be a real asshole,” I said.

“Yesterday, you called me a dick and today
I’m an asshole? Which is it? They’re completely different body parts. You need to decide.”

A middle age woman unlocked the door and let us inside. “You boys look very familiar,” she said as she looked the two of us over. “Have you been in before?”

Runt shook his head. The woman seemed to have stunned him into silence, which wasn’t a bad thing.

“Do you like hockey?” I prodded and gave her my winning smile.

She gasped in recognition. “You boys are on the new hockey team? You’re Firestorm players?”

I nodded.

“Well, what can I do for you? I can give you a ten percent discount on anything you order.”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” I replied.

“Please call me Addie.” She gave me a huge toothy grin.

“Thank you, Addie,” I said. “There’s a girl I want to impress and I’d like some advice about what I can do to really make an impression.”

Addie clapped her hands together. “I have just the thing. It’s our Romance Special.” She pulled a brochure from under the counter and placed it on the top of the counter for me to see. “It’s a beautiful arrangement of yellow sunflowers, hot pink roses, Gypsy Dianthus and Solid aster. We also include a balloon bouquet with heart-shaped mylar balloons. The entire package is $99.”

“What do you think?” I asked Runt.

He shrugged. “It seems pricey. You must be really trying to impress this girl. I know how you are with money. You’ve been saving every cent you’ve earned for years. Even when we were kids and we washed cars on the street corner in summers and shoveled snow from people’s driveways in winter. I’d spend my money on cigarettes and booze and you’d sock every freakin’ penny away in your savings account. The girl better be worth it.”

“She is,” I assured him.

“It’s your money, man. If you think she’s worth it then go for it.”

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll take five of them.”

Both Addie and Runt gasped. “Did you say five?” Addie asked her eyes wide.

“Five,” I repeated. “Can you deliver them today?”

“I think we can manage that on such a large order,” she said.

Runt grabbed my elbow and pulled me aside. “Are you sure about this?”

“I need to do something big. I need her to know that I really care about her. I have to do it.”

“As long as you know what you’re doing.”

“I really don’t know what I’m doing at all,” I admitted. “But I’ve got to at least try.”

“Do you even know where the girl lives?” Runt asked.

I pulled a small piece of paper from my pocket. “I Googled her address. She has a suite in the off-campus apartments.”

Runt shook his head. “Dude, you’re in big trouble.”

“And you’re sure you can get these delivered today?” I asked Addie again.

“I’m sure,” Addie replied.

I took my wallet from my pocket and Addie rang up the charge. It was over $500 with the sales tax. I’d never bought a flower for a girl in my life and here I was spending over $500 on my first flower purchase. It seemed unreal.

As we exited the shop, Runt was still shaking his head. “Dude, I still can’t believe you bought the girl $500 worth of flowers. You’d better get laid for that kind of money.”

I stopped and glared at Runt. “That’s not what this is about, okay?”

Runt threw up his hands. “Whatever. I’m just glad I’m not hung up on some rich chick.”

I’d been saving my entire life for my sports bar. Nearly every cent I made as a hockey player went into my savings. But I didn’t care about the money. I would have given everything I had ever saved just for the chance to get Taylor back.

Hell, I would have given it all just to see her smile at me one more time.