On Thin Ice Ch. 03

They kissed, tongues tangling and lips sliding together. Meg scratched his shoulders and bucked her hips up against his. Zane pressed her down into the bed, fighting for control. He didn't want to just plunge into her like last time. He wanted to savor every moment but Meg's little noises and writhing body were making it hard for him.

"Zane, please..."

Her moaning plea was too much.

Zane brought his thigh up under hers, spreading her open for him and then he broke from their kiss to look down at her. She met his gaze and slid her hand down his chest and stomach. He reached for her wrist to stop her but she was too quick. Her fingers wrapped around him and he almost choked on his next breath.

She stroked him, her palm hot on his skin and still he couldn't look away from her dark eyes. She held him captive and the smile playing around her lips made him want to kiss her. But while she had hold of him below, he didn't want to move. It was a sweet dilemma and he'd happily stay in this very position for hours if she let him.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, she was lifting her hips and guiding the head of his cock towards her opening. Zane groaned and brushed her hand out of the way. He held himself still just inside her and gave her a wicked grin when she started to breath harder.

"Still cold?"

She narrowed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "Yes. I'm freezing."

Zane sank into her with a joyful laugh. God, he loved this feeling, this sensation of being enveloped and accepted. Meg wrapped her arms around his shoulders and arched under him, drawing him even deeper inside. Zane turned his head to kiss her and she met his lips with an eager passion that stunned him. Then he propped himself over her on his elbows and brushed the hair back from her face when he kissed her again.

She moaned into his lips when he moved his hips against hers and he felt her hands slip over his shoulders to cup his butt. She urged him forward, begging silently for him to go deeper, to move faster.

But Zane remained in control. He was over that first burst of sensation that came with their joining and now he was ready to make her crazy.

He broke away from their kiss and trailed his lips and tongue down her neck. He moved his hands to cup her breasts and lifted his head to watch the swift rise and fall of her chest. She wasn't looking at him. Her head was pressed back into the pillows and she was biting her lip as he continued to move so slow inside her.

Stroking her full breasts, he teased his way closer to the tips. Another helpless moan fell from her lips and Zane lowered his head. He traced the outline of her nipple with just the tip of his tongue. She arched under him, pressing her body to his and he parted his lips to suck the entire peak into his mouth.

Meg scratched at his shoulders again and Zane growled against her body. She stilled at the sound and he felt her body trembling as she fought to catch her breath. All the while, Zane kept his pace the same and he knew it was driving her insane. She moaned and clawed at him, arching and bucking in turns.

Zane lifted his head to watch her face as he increased the speed of his thrusts. She caught her breath and her mouth opened on a silent cry. He drove deep with one stroke and then gave her a few shallow strokes. Her fingers clenched on his shoulders and then fell from his body. She scrabbled for purchase on his bed sheets and Zane grinned.

Mission accomplished.

Now he could give in to his raging desires. He buried his face in her neck and reached down to hook an arm under her knee. He drew her leg up alongside him and angled his hips for a deeper thrust. She cried out and shuddered and Zane opened his mouth on her neck to lick her. He pushed again, going deeper and he nipped her skin when he did it again.

"Oh God, Zane!"

Her cry was accompanied by the wild pulsing of her body and Zane crowed in triumph. He knew he could make her crazy, he knew he could make her feel what he was feeling.

He dropped her leg and started to move faster. He couldn't control himself any longer, not with her body clamping down around him and draining all his will power. He pumped hard and fast, planting wet, open-mouthed kisses to her throat, chin and mouth. She kissed him back, her arms coming back to circle his shoulders and they rode the high together for what felt like hours.

At last, Zane lay himself alongside her and tucked her against his body. She made a move as if to get up but Zane grumbled in his post-coital haze and a breathless giggle came out of her.

"You're not going to let me go?"

Never. Never, ever going to let you go.

"Sleep," was all he said out loud.

Meg tensed at first and then relaxed. Zane let his breath out, not having realized until then how afraid he was that she would leave him. He wanted to sleep with her, through the night, just once. Even if she wasn't ready to admit that what they shared, and what they'd just done, that wasn't just friends with benefits.

****

Meg felt more than a little guilty when she snuck from Zane's bed before he woke up the following morning. Her body was still warm from his touch and all they'd done the previous night. After falling asleep the first time, he'd woken her sometime during the night and made love to her again. She shivered as she recalled the sensation of waking up to his questing fingers and the erection pressing into her backside.

She crept across to her bedroom and rubbed her face as she tried to reorient herself. It was a few minutes before her alarm was set to go off and it really was a miracle that she'd woken up anywhere close to it. After waiting up for Zane after the game and then waking up in the middle of the night, she was exhausted.

It's going to be a long day at school.

She pushed the thought from her mind and gathered her clothes for the day. As she climbed into the shower, another stab of guilt pinched her. Between her week, with school and the last hockey game before the Thanksgiving weekend, and Zane's full schedule of practices and games, they probably wouldn't see each other before she flew home to Minnesota.

Her parents had surprised her by sending a plane ticket so she could fly home for the holiday weekend. She was grateful but her first thought had been of leaving Zane alone. Of course, he wouldn't be entirely alone. He'd mentioned a while ago that the team captain liked to invite all the guys on the team who didn't have family nearby over for Thanksgiving and they had games all weekend anyway.

Still, this would have been the first holiday they'd have spent together and she felt guilty for sneaking into his bed last night instead of telling him the truth.

Maybe I could call him from work tomorrow, she thought as she rinsed her hair out.

Later at school, she was still worrying about what his reaction would be. She was distracted in class and Nikki asked her what was bothering her when they had lunch.

"Nothing's wrong."

Nikki gave her a pointed look and leaned forward. "I think I know you well enough by now to know that look on your face."

Meg gave a nervous laugh. "What look?"

"That look." Nikki pointed and grinned. "Like you've just realized something and you don't know how to let yourself believe it."

Meg's heart skipped several beats and she caught her breath. Nikki lifted her eyebrows and Meg could feel the heat wash over her face as she considered her friend's words.

Was that it? She was feeling guilty because she knew deep down that this thing between her and Zane was more than what she'd made it out to be?

She shook her head and picked at the straw sticking out of her juice box. "I don't know, Nikki. I don't even think I know my own name most days."

Nikki laughed and patted her arm in comfort. "Don't worry. You're a smart lady. I'm sure you'll figure it out." She leaned forward again and glanced around before speaking in a lower tone. "Just don't wait too long or you might miss out."

Meg narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Miss out on what, exactly?"

"Do you really need me to tell you?"

Meg held her gaze for a moment before caving. "God, you're right. I'm so pathetic!" She dropped her face in her hands with a melodramatic moan.

Nikki laughed again and moved closer to give Meg a hug. "You're not pathetic. I told you before that I have never even come close to your situation before. I think you're doing remarkably well, considering."

"Considering what?" Meg lifted her head.

"Considering that Zane Pritchard is one fine piece of a-"

"OK!" Meg threw a hand up to stop her friend. "I get it. You don't need to say anything else."

Nikki's eyes danced and she gave Meg another squeeze before sitting back. Their conversation picked up again and they discussed their plans for the holiday. Meg was looking forward to going back to Minnesota, in spite of her worries over Zane's reaction. She missed her family and knew they were excited to hear all about her new job and living with Zane.

****

All too soon, Meg found herself frantically flying around the house as she gathered what she needed before Nikki drove her to the airport. Her flight left late on Wednesday night and she hadn't even had a chance to check in on the hockey game before she threw the last of her clothes in a bag.

The doorbell rang just as she was carrying her bag downstairs. She hurried over and flung it open to a smiling Nikki.

"Come in, come in. I'm not quite ready." Meg darted away. "I just need to find my heavy winter jacket and then we can go!"

"Relax! We have plenty of time to make it to the airport." Nikki stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

Meg hurried into the front hall, hauling her jacket on over her arms and threw Nikki a harried smile. "Almost ready."

"Relax, girl." Nikki laughed and stepped out of the way as Meg stumbled while putting on her boots.

"All right. I think I'm done." Meg straightened and glanced around one more time. Then she picked up her bag, grabbed her purse, and double-checked for her wallet and the plane ticket. "Let's go!"

They chatted on the drive to the airport and Meg had almost managed to push Zane out of her mind when Nikki brought him up.

"Can I ask why Zane isn't driving you to the airport?"

"He's playing tonight."

"Oh, that's right." Nikki shook her head. "I'm no good with schedules. Well, did you guys say good-bye last night then?"

Meg averted her face to hide her blush but Nikki caught her.

"Meg, please tell me you said good-bye to him."

Meg bit her lip and turned guilty eyes back on Nikki, who gaped at her.

"Oh Meg! You didn't even tell him you were leaving, did you?"

"I didn't get a chance to." Meg twisted her hands in her lap. "We've both been so busy for the last couple weeks and every time we have seen each other, we've...uh, we haven't been talking."

Nikki burst out laughing. "Right. I don't need details on that. I can't believe you're just running away."

"I'm not running away."

"Whatever you want to call it. He's going to be pissed that you just took off with no notice."

Meg groaned. "I know, I know. I'll call him when I get in later."

Nikki shook her head. "I won't say anything else about it then."

Meg was grateful for that. For the remainder of the ride to the airport, she couldn't get her mind off Zane. She thanked Nikki and hugged her good-bye at her terminal then hurried off to catch her flight.

The whole time, she tried to tell herself that she wasn't running away.

And even if I was, I have to go home on Sunday. It's not like I'm leaving the country.

It didn't do any good. As she boarded the plane, Meg knew she was making a mistake. But like everything else that had been happening lately, she felt like she was being swept away by something beyond her control.

****

The second Zane stepped into his house following the game, he knew something was wrong. It was quiet, which wasn't unusual, but it was a different sort of quiet. He stood in the entrance for a minute, just listening and then shook his head at his own dramatics. He shrugged out of his jacket and locked the door before heading upstairs to sleep.

It had been a brutal game and he wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Meg and sleep. He went to his bedroom, his mind replaying the worst highlights from the game. He recalled the crushing hit he'd taken early in the second period and cringed at his lack of scoring opportunities following that. Not that he'd been a scoring whiz in the first period either.

With a sigh, Zane stripped out of his clothes and tossed them in the corner before heading back across the hall. Meg's door was open and he frowned as he stepped inside. The room was dark, so he couldn't see anything until his eyes adjusted to the dim light coming in from the street light. That was when he saw her bed was empty.

Damn.

He wondered if she'd gone out with Nikki. Maybe to a bar to watch the game. He smiled and then climbed into her bed anyway. It smelled like her and he pressed his face to the pillows before making himself comfortable. His last thought before drifting off was to wonder how Meg would react to come home and find him in her bed.

He'd never know.

The following morning, Zane woke up feeling chilled. Reaching out, he hauled the blankets over his body and let out a deep breath. Then he recalled where he was and smiled before stretching an arm out to grab Meg. When he encountered nothing but empty bed, he opened his eyes.

What the hell...?

He sat up and looked around. The bedroom door was still ajar and there was no discarded clothing or any sign that Meg had come home. Throwing back the covers, Zane got up and checked his bedroom, where he threw on some sweats and a t-shirt. Then he walked downstairs to look around.

Still no sign of Meg.

"O...K..." He stood in the empty kitchen and looked around. That was when he spotted the note attached to the front of the fridge.

'Z, sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I just didn't get a chance to talk to you -- it's been such a busy week! My mom and dad surprised me with a plane ticket home for Thanksgiving. My return flight is on Sunday afternoon. Hope your games go well, I'll be watching! M.'

Zane stared at the note in his hand and clenched his jaw. Then he crumpled the piece of paper and chucked it across the room before stalking back upstairs.

She just left? Without a word, she just up and left the entire state?

OK, he'd known things weren't perfect but he didn't think that warranted running away to Minnesota. It pissed him off more and more the longer he thought about it. She'd left on a night when she knew he wouldn't be home and hadn't even bothered to call him. Sure, if the tickets were a surprise from her parents, she wouldn't have had a say in when the flight left, but she could have at least called.

Zane went into his room and changed. He had practice this morning and a game the following night. The captain and his wife had invited several of the single players over for Thanksgiving dinner that night, since so many of them didn't have family nearby. Zane had been ready to tell him no, thank you, and he would have spent the night with Meg, finally telling her how he felt about her.

Now, he wanted to go to practice and stay away from his empty house and the reminder that she obviously didn't care as much about him.

****

"I'm so glad to hear that your job is going so well, Meg."

Meg smiled at her mother, Joanna, as they stood next to each other in the kitchen. It was Thursday night and Meg was helping her mother with dinner. The house echoed with the sounds of the football game and Meg's father's cries. Mother and daughter exchanged a knowing look just as Meg's younger sister walked into the kitchen.

"Mom, can you make Dad shut off the TV?"

"Wendy, you know you could just ask him." Joanna turned to her younger daughter with a smile.

Wendy rolled her eyes and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. "I would if I thought he'd listen. You know what he's like when football is on."

"Do I ever." Their mother's exaggerated weariness had the sisters exchanging knowing looks. "You girls have no idea what I went through in our early years. You're lucky to be alive-"

"-Because Dad spent so much time watching football-" Meg interrupted.

"-He almost forgot to come to bed at night," Wendy finished.

Their mother gave them both a narrow look that made them laugh. Joanna curled up the towel in her hands and snapped it in Meg's direction. The younger woman shrieked and darted out of reach while Wendy looked on, still laughing.

"Just you wait, child." Joanna wagged a finger at Meg and tossed the towel back over her shoulder. "Your turn will come when Zane is too busy with his hockey to pay you much mind."

It was on the tip of Meg's tongue to say that Zane had never deliberately ignored her in favor of hockey but then her mother's words sank in. A fiery blush stole over her cheeks and she looked away.

"Whoa, Meg, you look a little shellshocked." Wendy tilted her head to one side as she gazed at her sister.

"Do I?" Meg touched her cheek as her mother's words echoed in her head.

"Holy shit!"

Joanna whirled around. "Wendy! Watch your language! You're not too old for me to take a wooden spoon to your backside."

Wendy ignored her mother and gaped at Meg who scowled in return. "You're freaking out over Zane!"

Now Joanna's attention turned to her elder daughter. "Zane? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened!"

"Liar!" Wendy pointed one finger at her sister.

"Wendy, shush!" Joanna took a step towards Meg. "Sweetheart, did you and Zane have a fight?"

Meg's jaw dropped. "What? No! I mean, we did, sort of, but it's not what you think."

Joanna reached out and patted Meg on the shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure whatever it is, you guys can work it out. I mean, you've been together this long, what's one little fight?"

Now both Wendy and Meg looked amazed. Joanna glanced back and forth between her daughters. "What?"

"Mom, you know Meg and Zane aren't actually together, right?"

Meg opened her mouth to say that wasn't true but stopped herself just in time. Not that it mattered. Wendy caught the expression on her face and hooted with laughter as she slapped her thigh.

"You guys are together?! That's fantastic."

"I don't understand." Joanna held up her hands to stop Wendy from carrying on. "You just said you had a fight?"

"Mom, really. Keep up!" Wendy rolled her eyes.

"Don't sass me, child."

"Wendy, take it easy." Meg sighed and moved around to sit across from her sister. "Mom, Zane and I have never dated."

Joanna frowned. "But you're living together."

That made Meg smile at last. "We live together, yes, but only because the place I found in Newark fell through. I told you about that."

"I remember." Joanna frowned and Meg recalled the way her mother had ranted over the phone when she'd explained about the scam. Joanna had been ready to call the FBI and demand that they investigate. "I remember what happened but I also thought Zane came to his senses and invited you to live with him because you two have been in love for years."

"Wh-what?"

Wendy started to laugh at Meg's expression. "Mom, they've never been together. They were always just friends."

Now it was Joanna's turn to roll her eyes. "I am aware of that, dear. That doesn't mean they can't also be in love." She faced Meg and laid a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Sweetheart, do you mean to tell me that you didn't know?"

Know that I'm in love with Zane? Hell, no. Meg shook her head, unable to speak the words out loud.

"Oh, Meg." Wendy shook her head and reached across to pat her sister's hand. "You must have been the only one who couldn't see it."