On Thin Ice Ch. 01

"Come on, Z. You're the one who's leaving me alone for two whole weeks."

He groaned again but relented. "Fine. You pick the movie. Just don't make it some long, boring-ass, epic romantic-drama or anything. I couldn't take it."

"Hmm, that rules out Titanic and Pearl Harbor then..."

"Please, Meg. I'm begging you."

She laughed. "Relax. I'll figure something out that we'll both enjoy."

"Cool. OK, gotta run. See you tomorrow night."

"OK. Bye."

Meg hung up the phone and took a deep breath. It took a few minutes, but her heart rate came back down and she managed to get to bed with only a few stray fantasies rolling through her mind.

****

Zane had the movie and popcorn ready to go when Meg finished cleaning the kitchen following dinner the next night. It was Friday and she'd decided to leave her homework until later in the weekend. Zane had a game the following night and then he was gone until November 5th so she'd have plenty of time alone to get her work done. It would be so much easier without him around, looking the way he looked.

"Your teammates aren't going to stop in unceremoniously, are they?"

Zane scowled and shook his head. "They'd better not."

Meg laughed. "Why do you let them bother you? You know they're just trying to get a rise out of you."

"I know that." He rolled his eyes and grabbed the bowl of popcorn from her. "Maybe I just don't like having to share you."

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. She slouched on her side of the couch and wrapped the blanket around her legs. "Oh please. I don't need you going medieval on me, Z. I moved here to meet a guy, don't you know?"

Zane's head whipped around and popcorn dropped from his fingers. Meg laughed and reached out to pick up the stray pieces.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I've been single for almost two years. Don't you think it's time I get back into the field?"

Zane frowned. "We play hockey, not baseball."

"Fine. Shouldn't I be back in the game, get my stick on the ice and all the other clichés?"

He didn't answer.

Meg shrugged, taking his silence as compliance. She didn't think that it was jealousy. Zane had never been jealous. Why would he start now? She stifled a sigh. And why was she letting it bother her so much?

"Speaking of getting back into the game, I've been having a pretty good time with my rec league."

"Oh yeah?"

In spite of his lifeless tone, Meg went on to tell him about the games she'd played and about the women on the team.

"Most of the games are played at this arena near the school. It's sure convenient for game nights."

"You're really enjoying being back in a league?" Zane reached for a handful of popcorn without looking.

Meg held the bowl for him. "Sure. I don't want to end up out of shape. And it's a great stress reliever."

Zane nodded, his eyes on the television screen. Meg watched his profile and narrowed her eyes.

"That's the same reason I want to find a guy. Sex is another amazing stress reliever."

Zane gave a surprised snort and started coughing on his mouthful of popcorn. Meg burst into laughter and threw a handful of popcorn at him.

"I was just making sure you were listening to me."

He shook his head as he cleared his throat and picked up the stray pieces of popcorn. "I listen."

Meg tilted her head to one side and studied his expression. "You look pissed off. What's going on?"

Zane shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just tired."

"Well, we don't have to stay up." Meg waved a hand at the movie. "We can always watch this movie another night."

"I don't care about the movie." He rolled his eyes and gave her a sideways smile. "Maybe we could help each other out with the stress relief."

Meg stared at him until his words sank in. Then she felt a fiery blush spread across her cheeks and covered up her discomfort with a nervous laugh. When she glanced back at Zane, he was still grinning at her.

"What?"

He shook his head and shifted so that he was facing her. Meg eyed him and tensed when he moved closer.

"You're sure you want to find someone else to help with your stress, Meg?"

Meg's mouth went dry and she almost couldn't swallow the mouthful of popcorn she had. She stared at her friend, certain that he was joking. He couldn't possibly be serious.

Could he?

Then he was sliding his arm over the couch and down onto her shoulders. His thigh pressed along the length of hers and he moved his face closer. All she could see was the deep chocolate of his eyes and the wicked grin on his full lips.

"We're friends, right?" Her voice almost squeaked.

Zane's grin grew wider and Meg felt her heart give a lurch. He leaned his head closer and Meg thought for one unbelievable moment that he was going to kiss her.

Then he tilted his head and pressed his lips to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. His breath was warm and the revolting raspberry he blew against her skin made her shriek. His arms came around her to hold her still as she squirmed. He blew against her skin again and she jumped, desperate to get away.

"S-stop!" Why, why did he have to do this to her? She hated when he held her down and blew on her skin. It was not the way she wanted him to hold or touch her. All it did was get her way too worked up while he continued to have fun at the expense of her peace of mind.

Her entreaties were ignored and Zane continued to torture her. He was much too strong for her and she felt herself being angled backwards on the couch. The bowl of popcorn ended up on the floor and all the while, Zane kept his face buried in the crook of her neck.

"Zane! P-please!"

Meg struggled, her hands pushing on his shoulders and her heels dug into the couch in an effort to throw him off of her. He blew his breath out again in spite of her protests but it wasn't as strong this time. His weight on top of her shifted and when she felt his next exhalation, it was much softer.

Meg froze when Zane's lips moved over her skin. Her hands clenched in his shirt, drawing the fabric between her fingers. His hands slid around her back and one palm slipped beneath the hem of her shirt.

At the warm contact of his hand on her skin, she gasped and thrust her body up as hard as she could. He was caught by surprise and toppled to the floor. He muttered an oath when his arm bent at an awkward angle in the half-empty popcorn bowl but Meg didn't spare him a glance. She scrambled over the edge of the couch and stood trembling beside it.

"What the hell, Meg."

"What were you trying to do?"

When Zane met her eyes, she saw how his had darkened and a vibration slid through her body in reaction. She bit her bottom lip and fled the room. She couldn't deal with this. She couldn't handle Zane playing with her, not after everything she'd gone through in the past couple months.

She was in her room for less than a minute before Zane opened the door without knocking.

"What just happened down there?"

Meg glared at him. Anger was easier than the alternative. "You don't knock?"

"Don't avoid my question, Meg. What got into you?"

"What got into me? What got into you?"

Zane glared back and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're the one who started talking about sex as stress relief."

"It wasn't an invitation, Zane."

"I wasn't trying to-"

"It doesn't matter." She cut him off with a sharp hand gesture. "You know I hate when you do that to me and I don't feel like watching a movie with you anymore."

Zane's mouth fell open and his frown changed to a look of hurt. "Don't be pissed at me before I leave."

Meg rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She couldn't look at him when he gave her that puppy-dog look. It made her want to lie down beneath him again. "You're going on a road trip, not into a war zone. I'm tired, Zane. Good night."

There was no response. When she glanced over her shoulder, Zane was walking out of her room.

She let out a relieved breath and dropped her face into her hands. When Zane's footsteps hit the main floor again, she walked over and shut her bedroom door.