Melting the Ice Ch. 02

"I didn't want to talk to you just because you're beautiful, and you are, so beautiful."

Her lashes fluttered and she glanced up at him.

Hayden dropped his chin and smiled on the same level as her gaze. "I wanted to find out what you were doing alone at that table. I wanted to know your name and ask you out."

"All before you even walked over?" She sounded incredulous.

"Yeah. Don't you believe me?"

She shrugged, meeting his eyes. "I guess I do. If you didn't, why would you have come over?"

"Right."

She studied him, as if trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. Hayden held his breath for several heartbeats until her face relaxed into a smile again.

"So in between our first meeting and when you took me home, what made you change your mind?"

Hayden blinked, taken aback by her question. "I don't understand."

She flushed and her eyes skittered away. "I mean, you said you wanted to ask me out. What made you decide to take me home instead?"

Now it was Hayden who felt the warmth creeping over his face. He chuckled and squeezed her hand before answering. "I don't know, Natalie. I just... we were talking and I was having a good time. Then we were sitting together and I... I..."

He tried to think of the right words. Nothing other than 'I wanted inside you so badly I couldn't see straight' came to mind.

Somehow, he didn't think that would impress her.

Hayden looked into her eyes and grinned when he saw the sparkle there.

She giggled and covered her mouth with her free hand. "I think I understand."

"Do you?" He was afraid he'd offended her again.

She nodded and squeezed his fingers in return. In response, all his blood fled his brain and gathered below his waist.

"I understand because it was the same for me, I think."

"Really? Thank God." Hayden's reaction was immediate and he felt embarrassed until Natalie laughed again.

"Well, now that we've got that straightened out, there was something else I wanted to talk about," she said as she patted his hand.

"Something else?" Hayden took a swig of his coffee, wincing when it burned his tongue. "I'll talk about anything you want, Natalie."

"You're so accommodating." There was a twinkle in her eye as she spoke and Hayden felt it like a punch to the solar plexus. "But I'm not sure if you'll like this."

Hayden lifted an eyebrow. "I'm sure I can handle it."

"I hope so." She paused and drew in a deep breath. "I want to date you, Hayden, and I want to start at the beginning. I want to forget about Saturday night and start over fresh."

When she stopped, Hayden studied her. He had a feeling he knew exactly what she was getting at and the tingling in his groin didn't like it. "OK," he replied tentatively.

The blush was back in her cheeks and her eyelashes fluttered as she tried to hold his gaze. "I hope you don't think this sounds too immature of me, but I don't want to rush into anything."

"I don't want to make you rush."

"So you don't mind if we... if we don't... that is, I really liked... what we did... on Friday," she stammered. "But I think... we rushed into that. I... I'd like to get to know you better before... before we... do... that again."

Her meaning sank in and Hayden nodded. Inside, his mind and body were screaming, No, no! Don't make me wait! But he was a gentleman. He hadn't been raised to push a woman into something she didn't want. "OK."

Natalie lifted a dark eyebrow at him and smirked. "OK? Really?"

Hayden gave a wry laugh and shook his head. He felt he needed to be truly honest with her. "No, not really, but I like you, Natalie. I'm willing to do whatever you want if it means I get to spend more time with you."

"I think that's the sweetest thing any guy has ever said to me." She looked flustered and Hayden felt her try to tug her hand away from his.

"I'm already sorry for when I have to go on another road trip." He ought to bring it up, to remind both of them of his career obligations.

"Oh yeah," she agreed with a nod. "Well, we can talk on the phone and see each other whenever you're in New York."

"You've given this some thought." Hayden felt ridiculously flattered by that and it took some of the ache out of desiring her so much.

"Of course I have. I told you, I want to keep seeing you."

For a long minute, they gazed into each other's eyes.

"So."

"So?" Her eyes were still twinkling at him and Hayden gave her hand another squeeze before releasing her. "Can I take you for that drink on Tuesday night?"

"You still want to?"

"If you and your friend can stay up that late, I'd like to."

Natalie nodded in agreement. "I'll have my cell phone with me. Should we wait in our seats or meet somewhere?"

"I'll try to be quick after the game is over and I'll call you when I'm done. Then we can figure something out."

"Sounds great."

Another silence fell and the ache eased out of Hayden's groin. It took some serious thinking about fungus and sea urchins to get his mind off of Natalie's naked body, but he managed it. They fell into casual conversation for a short while before Natalie said she had to get back to class.

"Thanks for the tickets, Hayden," she said as they walked outside the cafe.

"It's my pleasure." He turned to face her on the sidewalk. "So with this... starting over thing..."

"Yeah?"

"Can I still kiss you good-bye?" He shouldn't even be asking. His desire for her was so strong, especially since he'd already seen her rise and respond to his touch, if he kissed her now, it might be too much for him to deal with. Although, he thought with a glance at their surroundings. We're in the middle of the sidewalk in the middle of the day. Less risk.

"Uh, sure." Natalie sounded unsure but Hayden stepped close before she could change her mind.

He put one arm around her waist and drew her close, watching with satisfaction as her eyes widened a fraction as he lowered his head. Then her thick lashes swept low and Hayden brushed her mouth with his lips. She sucked in a breath as he touched her and he felt the gasp from his head to the soles of his feet. He slid a hand up to cup the back of her head as he kissed her.

Her lips parted and he swept inside, tasting the coffee she'd just had along with her own sexy flavor. It was intoxicating and Hayden tensed, wanting to drag her up against a building and do more than just kiss her. With great reluctance, he pulled away and smiled when she made a small sound of protest. Her eyes fluttered open and Hayden dropped a light kiss on the corner of her mouth before releasing her.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

She blinked, as if surprised to hear him speaking. She straightened her jacket and touched her hair, still snug in its ponytail. "All right."

"Have a good afternoon." He turned away before he was tempted to take her back into his arms.

"You too," she called after him and when Hayden glanced back, she was walking away.

Hayden blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. This was going to be harder than he thought.

***

"These seats are unbelievable!" Madison gushed as they walked down the steps at Madison Square Garden.

Natalie nodded, impressed with the tickets that Hayden had given to her. They were on the lower level, on one of the straight sides, just to one side of the players benches. She looked back and forth over the ice and smiled as she took it all in. She'd figured Hayden would get her some decent seats, but she'd never expected to be close enough to practically smell the ice.

The two women reached their seats and sat down, removing their jackets. They'd carefully chosen jeans and blue tops, since neither of them owned Rangers jerseys. Natalie looked down at her tickets to see who they were playing. At the time, she hadn't bothered to ask and she hadn't cared. She'd just been thrilled at the opportunity to see Hayden play.

A few minutes later, the lights lowered and music starting blasting from the sound system. Natalie and Madison clapped with the crowd and cheered as the Rangers skated onto the ice. Natalie's eyes sought and located Hayden, wearing the number 30. He skated around the ice, in the zone that was closest to where Natalie and Madison were sitting.

Natalie's heart was pounding as she watched the players circle and skate towards the bench. She was so excited for this chance to see Hayden play. It had been years since Natalie had watched a game, other than hitting the bar with Madison the other day. She had vague memories of her father cheering or clapping or even swearing colorfully as different plays took shape. Now, she didn't recall the plays, or anything much about the games themselves. Still, there was nothing like a live hockey game.

Soon, the game was in full swing. Their seats were so close to the ice that every time the players skated past, Natalie could feel the draft. She tried to keep her eyes on Hayden during the play but found her attention drawn away by the action elsewhere. The play went back and forth between both zones, with some frantic scrambles in the middle. Madison yelped the first few times or hid her face when the men slammed into boards, making the spectators around them laugh and clap her on the shoulder.

By the second intermission, Madison was trembling and Natalie was vibrating with excitement.

"I can't believe I agreed to this." Madison clutched Natalie's arm.

With a laugh, Natalie pried her friends fingers away and patted her hand. "It's almost over. Try not to freak out too much."

Madison lifted her face and smiled tensely at her friend. "Would you hate me if I didn't come out for drinks after the game?"

That hadn't been what Natalie was expecting to hear. "You don't want to come out?"

"I'm already pretty beat, and I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Natalie giggled and put an arm around Madison's shoulder, drawing the other woman close for a squeeze. "I understand. It's not for everyone."

Madison narrowed her gaze. "I thought this was the first game you'd ever been to?"

"It is."

"Then why are you talking like you know what people are into hockey or not?"

Natalie shrugged and faced the ice as the players skated out for the third and final period. "I guess I've decided that I like it."

Madison rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. I'm sure it has nothing to do with Hayden, either."

Natalie blushed but shook her head. "Not at all."

Even as she spoke, the big goalie circled close to their section and paused, turning his face towards them. Natalie bit her lip and lifted one hand in a feeble wave. She couldn't be sure, since his face was all but hidden behind his mask, but she thought he winked at her.

Maybe it's better that Madison wants to go home, she thought as Hayden continued on his way and took his place in front of the net. Then I'll have Hayden all to myself.

The thought brought a fresh blush to her cheeks. She'd been the one to suggest they take things slow from here on in, she'd been the one who wanted to start fresh. Hayden had been remarkably understanding and she had liked him all the more for it. So it wasn't smart to be thinking about having him to herself when it had been her idea to take things slow in the first place.

What kind of idiot suggests that when the guy is someone like Hayden?

The game started up again and Natalie soon found herself on the edge of her seat with the rest of the crowd. The score was tied and the final minutes were closing in. Natalie held her breath as a player from the Canadiens broke away from the rest. She was on her feet before she knew it, hand pressed over her mouth, as the forward flew towards Hayden.

Hayden came out of his net, crouched low, stick up and deflected the breakaway shot like it was nothing.

Natalie screamed, waving her arms in the air as the clock counted down and the players prepared for overtime.

"Holy crap," Madison exclaimed over the noise of the crowd. "What happens now?"

It was a man sitting behind them who answered and explained. "They play a five minute overtime period and if no one scores, they go to a shootout."

Natalie waited impatiently until she saw Hayden head back to his net. The players met in the middle of the ice, and overtime was underway. Natalie glanced at her friend at one point to find Madison covering her face and shaking her head.

"What are you doing?" Natalie laughed and tugged on Madison's arm. "You're missing it!"

"Just tell me when it's over. I can't take it."

Natalie laughed again and turned back to the ice in time to see Hayden make another unbelievable save. She didn't know much, and maybe she was a little biased, but Hayden was amazing tonight. He was making incredible saves and impressing the hell out of everyone.

As if he needed to. She glanced around at the enthusiastic crowd.

It was clear that he was a fan favorite, if the chants of 'Hay-den! Hay-den!' were any indication.

"Is it over yet?" Madison asked as the horn sounding the end of overtime went off.

"Uh, not quite," Natalie replied and watched the boards open at the end of the arena. An ice cleaner came rolling out and started down the center of the ice as workers moved the nets. "It's going to a shootout."

"What happens then?"

Again, it was the man behind them who explained. Natalie smiled and stifled a laugh as Madison listened, wincing as it was described. Three players from each team would have a chance to shoot. If they were still tied after three shots apiece, they kept going, taking shots until someone missed.

"You don't like the suspense?" Natalie asked when they faced forward again.

Madison shook her head. "How long do you think it'll last?"

"Not long. Hayden is King of the goalies," the man behind them replied and leapt to his feet to start chanting Hayden's name.

Natalie and Madison laughed and joined in the chant until the first shooter from the Canadiens started circling center ice. Unaware that she was doing it, Natalie leaned further towards the edge of her seat until she was on her feet.

The referee blew the whistle and the shooter took off with the puck towards Hayden. The Canadien deked left, swooped right, and shot the puck at Hayden's right side. Hayden moved with him, swatting the puck away. The crowd erupted in cheers.

The shooter for the Rangers took off down at the other end of the ice in another few seconds. Natalie held her breath until she saw the light go off behind the opponent's net. Again, the crowd cheered, nearly deafening her. She felt Madison clutching her arm but barely registered her friend's death grip.

Another shooter for the Canadiens took his place at center ice. Natalie swung her gaze to Hayden, resting his elbows on his knees as he eyed the shooter. The ref blew the whistle and Natalie held her breath as the shooter swung wide to the right side of the net. He darted in close and ice sprayed up as the puck snuck below Hayden's pads. The crowd groaned and Natalie covered her face with her hands.

The next shooter for the Rangers circled behind the logo at center ice and the ref blew the whistle. The crowd cheered as he approached, then held its breath as the puck left the shooter's stick. It found the back of the net and the crowd erupted.

"This is it!" The guy behind Natalie and Madison shouted as the third shooter for the Canadiens skated out to center ice. "If Lindgren stops this shot, the Rangers win it!"

Natalie stared at Hayden, watched him as he tapped either post of his net before crouching into his ready position. The referee blew the whistle and the shooter started towards him with the puck. Again, the crowd fell silent for a second as the player took his shot. Hayden braced his legs and swung his glove hand up, snatching the puck out of the air. The crowd went insane. Even Madison was swept up in the cheering and jumped up and down with Natalie. Hayden gave an excited fist pump and he skated towards his teammates who were pouring off the bench to celebrate the win.

"Oh my God." Natalie collapsed back in her seat as the crowd around them continued to cheer.

"Are you all right?" Madison peered down at her with a grin.

"I think I'm having palpitations," Natalie replied as she pressed a palm to her sternum.

Madison laughed and sat down next to her. Around them, the crowd began to quiet down and file out of the arena. Before leaving, Madison double checked that Natalie would be all right waiting alone for Hayden. Natalie assured her she'd be fine.

Almost the minute Madison walked away, Natalie's cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket.

"That was a fantastic game, you!"

Hayden's laughter filled her ear.

"I can't believe how amazing you were!"

"What, you didn't think I was any good before?"

"No, that's not what I meant," she replied. "To be able to see you play like that in person... it was just great, Hayden. Thank you so much for the tickets."

"I'm just glad I managed to get the win for you, Natalie," he said and there were a few hoots and hollers in the background.

"Are you in the locker room?"

"Yeah, and the guys are giving me a hard time. Shut up! I'm on the phone here!" he yelled to his teammates. Laughter rose and faded in the background. "I'll just move to another spot," Hayden grumbled.

Natalie laughed. "How long will it take you to meet me?"

"I should be about a half an hour."

They agreed to meet at an entrance near Natalie's section and hung up.

Natalie stayed in her seat for a little bit, watching the Zamboni circle the ice. When she got up and climbed the steps, there were very few people left. She'd been standing at the entrance for a few minutes when Hayden hurried up to her.

"Hi!" He gave her with a broad, sexy grin that made Natalie weak in the knees.

"Hi! Congratulations." She stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.

He raised an eyebrow at her as she stepped back and put a hand on her back. "That's it?"

She laughed and nodded. "You were expecting flowers or a sash?"

"I guess not." He glanced around. "Where's Madison?"

"She wanted to go home," Natalie replied, aware of the color that crept up her cheeks as she spoke. "The game was too much for her."

Hayden laughed. "Too much? What do you mean?"

"The noise, the body checking, the suspense." Natalie shrugged and turned with Hayden as he led the way outside. "She's more low key, I guess."

"Well, hockey isn't for everyone."

Natalie glanced over at him with a smile. "Right."

Hayden looked down with a crooked grin that displayed his dimples perfectly. Natalie shivered as she met his gaze and didn't flinch when he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Did you have a good time?"

"Oh yes. I told you it was a fantastic game."

Hayden chuckled and gave her shoulders a squeeze. "I'm so glad. We haven't had that intense a game since the season started." He stopped and peered down into her face. "Maybe you're my good luck charm."

"Oh no," Natalie protested and shook her head. "Don't pin that on me. I don't want to end up being responsible if you lose!"

"Ouch! You think we might lose?"

Natalie laughed and poked her elbow into his ribs. "Statistically speaking, you'll lose at some point this season."

Hayden rolled his eyes and tugged her towards the sidewalk where he could hail a cab. "I should expect a comment like that from a math major."

Natalie just laughed. It took a minute for Hayden to get a cab and he directed the driver to a nearby bar.

"Have you ever been to Walden's?"

"No, I've never heard of it."

"It's a great sports bar. Me and the guys like to go there on our off days, or after practices."

"You like to go to a sports bar? No way!" Natalie gave him a wide-eyed innocent look then broke into laughter as he tickled her the ribs.