The Ice-Breaker Ch. 02

Damn, he thought with a rueful smile. She's fallen asleep on me again.

He supposed he should be flattered that she was so relaxed around him that she could do this. Mostly, he was frustrated. He told himself that it was just a result of her working so much. They hadn't talked about it, but he still recalled her conversation with Joel that first night in the restaurant lounge. Still, he wasn't going to take advantage. Just as he had two nights ago, he carefully moved off the couch and lifted her into his arms, smiling when she barely stirred.

God, she's a heavy sleeper, he thought, figuring she could sleep through the apocalypse.

He carried her to bed and managed to nudge the covers out of the way with his knee. It was a less than graceful maneuver and he jostled Kaitlyn so badly that she woke, her dark lashes fluttering as he laid her down.

"Alex?" she murmured his name sleepily.

He crouched down beside her bed, smoothing her hair away from her forehead. "Yeah?"

"You can sleep here tonight," she murmured and yawned.

His heart leapt within his chest and he flicked his eyes to the other half of her double bed. Smiling, he touched her cheek and shook his head. "I don't think I'd fit."

"Oh," she sounded confused. "But I want to have breakfast with you again."

Oh, she meant I can spend the night at her place again, he told himself, kicking his mental ass for assuming too much. "All right, gorgeous. I'll sleep here tonight."

She smiled and her eyes closed. "Good night."

"Good night, Kaitlyn," he murmured and brushed her lips with his before rising.

He watched her sleep, her soft lips parting on a sigh and her entire body relaxing at once. Clenching his jaw, he forced himself to step back and leave her alone in her room. He shut the door and leaned against it, resting his forehead against the cool wood.

In all his life, he'd never have thought a woman could hit him this hard.

With a deep sigh, he walked back to the living room and the empty couch. His sleep that night was fitful, to say the least.

***

"I can't believe you made him sleep on the couch both times," Julia said to Kaitlyn as she reached for another piece of bread.

Kaitlyn, Joel and their friend Julia were having their monthly dinner together, the Monday following Kaitlyn's second 'sleepover' with Alex. Kaitlyn was fielding questions about Alex and had a feeling she'd be doing the same thing all evening. "I didn't make him sleep there," she replied. "He carried me to bed both times and then slept out there himself."

Julia and Joel exchanged a look and Kaitlyn sighed noisily.

"Maybe if you offered your bed, he'd stay there," Julia suggested with a smirk.

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes and lifted her water glass to her lips. "He's like ten feet tall, Jules. He couldn't fit in there even if he wanted to."

"What makes you think he wouldn't want to?" Joel asked.

Swiveling her head around to glare at her cousin, Kaitlyn shrugged. "He hasn't suggested it."

"Kait," Julia laughed and reached over to pat her friend's arm. "Alex isn't going to climb into bed with an unconscious woman. You have to try to stay awake and then invite him to bed."

Kaitlyn blushed but laughed along with her friend. After a second late night with Alex, she'd fallen asleep against his side. Just like the first time, he'd put her to bed and then slept on the couch. She had a vague memory of talking to him before falling asleep in bed but she'd been too embarrassed to ask him about it in the morning. They'd made breakfast together, since neither of them had anywhere to be first thing, and again, their conversation had been relaxed and easy. Kaitlyn was really starting to like him.

"Where is he right now anyway?" Joel asked. "I thought the team was off for the Olympic break."

"They are," Kaitlyn replied and set her water glass down. "They're still having practices to stay on top of their game. I think Alex went out with some guys from the team tonight."

"Well, with all the new players the Flames got in the past few weeks, it's no surprise that they're having regular practices," Joel said.

A few seconds later, the waitress appeared with their meals and they sat back to allow her the room to set everything down.

"I can't believe you're dating a Flame," Julia commented as they enjoyed their first few bites.

"I'd hardly call it dating," Kaitlyn replied with a smile. "Two coincidences and two late nights don't count as dating."

"Yeah, but there were also two breakfasts and some phone calls," Joel added, ignoring Kaitlyn's glare.

"Totally," Julia agreed. "Kait, if you want to get him into bed, you need to go on a real date."

Kaitlyn sputtered, nearly choking on her bite of steak. She reached for her water and dabbed at her running eyes with her napkin. "Geez, Jules," she wheezed. "When did I say I want to get him in bed?"

"You didn't have to say the words," Julia replied, winking at Joel who laughed.

"I'm not seeing him just to get laid, you guys," Kaitlyn told them, glancing back and forth between Joel and Julia.

"Then why are you seeing him?" Joel asked, leaning forward.

Kaitlyn shrugged, summoning an image of Alex laughing as they'd prepared eggs Sunday morning. "I like him," she replied and smiled. "He's funny and laid back. He's the complete opposite of me."

Joel and Julia exchanged another pointed look that Kaitlyn chose to ignore. For a short while, they all fell silent, concentrating on their meals instead.

"You want to know what I think?" Joel asked, breaking the silence.

Now it was Kaitlyn and Julia who exchanged a pointed look. "No," Kaitlyn said. "But you'll tell me anyway."

Joel raised his glass in a mock salute, smirking. "I think you should spend as much time with him over the next two weeks as you can."

Kaitlyn stared at him, wondering if he was joking. When he met her gaze steadily, she patted her napkin against her lips and set it down beside her plate. "How would I manage that?"

"Take a few days off of work."

Laughing out loud, Kaitlyn shook her head at her cousin. "You're crazy. You know what it's like for me there. I can't just up and take off a week."

"I do know what it's like there for you, and I know how hard you work," Joel agreed, reaching across the table for her hand. She let him take it, her eyes going from his strong fingers to his friendly face. "Which is exactly why you deserve some time off and now is the perfect opportunity."

Kaitlyn smiled at him, her eyes flicking to Julia's carefully neutral face before coming back to rest on her cousin's gentle brown eyes. "I still can't just take off, Joel. I need to make sure there's enough people to cover for me."

"So do that," he replied. "Go in to work tomorrow, rework the schedule for the next two weeks and make sure you get a few days off together."

"I can't-" she started to say but Joel cut her off with a sharp hand gesture.

"You will, Kaitlyn. You need this, and not just because Alex is off as well. You work too hard and if you didn't have to sleep, you wouldn't."

"That's not true," Kaitlyn mumbled, feeling her cheeks flame. Was she that pathetic? Always concerned about work and only work?

"I love you, Kaitlyn," Joel said, his voice gentle. "You deserve a break."

"I agree," Julia added from her other side. "If it weren't for this monthly dinner, I'd never see you." When Kaitlyn opened her mouth to protest, Julia cut her off. "Don't deny it. I know how much it means to you to do a good job, so I never complain. But I do miss you sometimes, Kait."

Kaitlyn looked again at Joel and nodded, pulling her hand from under her cousin's. "I know you guys mean well, but if I was going to take a week off starting tomorrow, it wouldn't be for some guy."

Joel grinned. "Well, that's great. Alex is just a perk then."

Kaitlyn couldn't help but laugh. As the meal continued, and the conversation turned to Julia's work on her master's thesis, Kaitlyn let her mind wander. She mentally tallied the schedule for the next few weeks and chewed thoughtfully on a thumbnail. Even though it wasn't necessary, most of the time she had the schedule done weeks in advance. She figured that way she'd have more time for the rest of her work.

I suppose I could change a few things around, she thought, watching the candle flicker at the center of the table. Casey has been asking for some extra shifts and Tara came back from her holidays early.

There was also the fact that she wanted a break. Never mind the fact that she'd been defending her lifestyle a few minutes ago, she'd loved Joel's idea of spending more time with Alex. When would they get another opportunity like this? He was a hockey player, traveling all over two countries for most of the year. If they wanted to get to know each other, this two week break in the NHL schedule was the best time to do it.

She'd die before she ever admitted that to her two best friends.

"What do you guys say?" Joel's voice broke into her thoughts.

Kaitlyn looked up to see him holding the dessert menu.

"Shall we split the Chocolate Avalanche?"

***

Alex tried to keep himself from pacing but he was nervous. Kaitlyn was on her way over and then they were going out on their first real date. He'd never been so worked up over a simple date before. He considered the fact that he and Kaitlyn had already spent time together; although, she'd slept through most of it. The thought made him halt his pacing and he smiled to himself, recalling her soft weight in his arms as he'd carried her to bed each time. Suddenly, he didn't feel so nervous anymore.

Just then, the doorbell rang and he gave his appearance one more look before answering the door. His breath caught in his throat and he heard the sudden rushing of his blood in his ears. It was so loud, he almost missed her words of greeting.

"Good evening, Alex," she said with a wide smile. She was wearing dark jeans, so dark they almost looked like black dress slacks. Her jacket was snug around her torso, revealing her alluring feminine waist. Silver jewelry sparkled at her ears and throat and her eyes all but shone like emeralds from her porcelain face. Color touched her cheeks, chin and the end of her nose as a result of the cool air. It all added to her appearance, making her the most beautiful woman Alex had ever seen.

"Hi," he managed. You idiot, he thought. You can do better than that. "Come in. I was beginning to think you'd decided to cancel."

Kaitlyn glanced at her watch and blinked. "Are you kidding? I think I'm ten minutes early." She looked up as she stepped inside, her smile curving enticingly at the corners. "I was worried you'd think I was too eager."

"No such thing," he scoffed. "Hasn't anyone explained how a man's mind works?"

She lifted her dark eyebrows and shook her head. "No. Please, enlighten me."

"Well, I don't want to offend you," he hedged, thinking that this wasn't how he'd wanted to start the evening. She had a playful glint in her eye so he figured it might be all right. "Women require more... effort to impress."

At his words, Kaitlyn's eyes popped wide open and she laughed. "I can tell this is going to be good."

Grinning, and encouraged by her laughter, Alex continued. "They expect the man to wine and dine them, buy them flowers, talk to them, share their feelings, give them back rubs, and all that."

Kaitlyn nodded as he spoke, like she agreed that all those actions were appreciated.

"Men, on the other hand, don't need that much to impress them," Alex said. He watched Kaitlyn, all too aware that they were standing close together in his small entryway. "All the woman has to do is show up naked and bring beer."

She burst into laughter at his words and Alex soaked in the sound. He willed his body to behave. She thought he was funny; that didn't necessarily mean she'd strip naked and run her hands all over his body right away.

It's always fun to fantasize, he told himself, grinning at her.

"I've never thought of it that way before," she said. "I feel like I've just discovered a secret to the universe."

"It's hardly a secret," he replied with a dismissive hand wave. "Can I take your coat?" he asked, realizing then that she was still bundled up against the cold.

Glancing down at herself, Kaitlyn shrugged. "I thought we were going out?"

"Yeah, but our reservations aren't for another hour," Alex said. "I thought we could have a drink here first."

"All right," Kaitlyn agreed and unzipped her jacket. Alex took it from her hands and hung it in the closet as she pulled her boots off. As she straightened and faced him, he saw that she'd lost several inches after removing her footwear. She followed his glance to the black boots and flushed. "I like wearing heels."

"I like them, too," he replied and then laughed at his own words. "I mean, I like women who wear heels."

"Good thing you clarified," Kaitlyn replied and walked into his front room. "This is a nice house, Alex. It must be fairly new."

"It is," Alex replied and went on to tell her about having it built in the past year. He took her on a tour of the main level, telling her the story of shopping for all his furniture in one store, on one day. She laughed as they paused in the kitchen and she admired the decorating.

"I'm surprised you managed to put all these colors together," she said.

"I didn't. The homebuilder set me up with a designer and they helped."

Alex led her up the stairs to his little media room and then on to his bedroom. She gazed around, making comments and smiling broadly when she saw the enormous bathtub in his master bathroom.

"I'm so jealous!" she exclaimed, enviously running her fingertips over one edge of the three-sided tub. It was one of those gigantic tubs that a person could practically swim in. Alex wasn't even sure why he'd selected it, not being a bath guy himself. Watching Kaitlyn's reaction made him glad he had it.

"Well, if you ever show up with my favorite beer, I'll let you use it," he suggested in a low tone, bending close to her. He laughed when her face colored and she worked her mouth to try to speak.

"I had no idea you were such a womanizer, Alex," she said as they moved back downstairs to his kitchen.

"I'm not a womanizer," he protested with a chuckle, offering her a drink.

They sat at his kitchen island, making small talk as Kaitlyn's eyes wandered over the walls of the kitchen.

"You have a great house, Alex," she said.

"Thanks." He was pleased with her compliment and glad that he'd suggested she come to his place tonight instead of the other way around.

"You could use some more decorations," she said, flashing a smile at him.

Chuckling, Alex had to agree. His walls were bare except for a clock across from them, and a framed picture of the Flames '08-'09 lineup that was upstairs in his media room.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked, sipping her drink.

"Practice in the morning and then nothing for the rest of the day. Why?"

"I think we should hit a few stores and find you something to cover the walls," she said, glancing around again.

"You'd want to do that?"

"Sure." She shrugged and downed the last of her drink. "Who doesn't enjoy spending someone else's money?"

He chuckled and finished his drink as well. "Don't you have to work?"

He was surprised when her cheeks colored and she looked away. "No. I'm off for a few days, actually."

"You didn't mention that you were taking a holiday."

"It was sort of... unplanned. I have to go in tomorrow morning just to check a few things but then I'm off until next Friday."

"Wow. More than a week off." He grinned. "That's great."

"Yeah," she agreed, her tone hesitant.

"What?"

She shrugged and fidgeted on her seat. "I just... I haven't had this much time off in... I don't even remember how long."

He nodded in understanding. A two week break in the middle of the hockey season was rare. At first, he hadn't been sure how he'd fill his time. Then he'd met Kaitlyn and it now felt as if all the pieces were falling into place. With her off work as well, they had seemingly endless days to spend together.

***

Kaitlyn told herself not to rush as she parked her car in Alex's driveway and walked to his front door. Their dinner last night had been great. She'd had so much fun talking and laughing with him. Then he'd pinned her against his front door, kissing her senseless for what felt like an eternity. When he'd released her, her knees were wobbly and her underwear was damp.

I'm not going to be able to hold out forever, she thought with a grin as she pushed his doorbell. The thought of surrendering to his kisses, of dissolving into the desire she felt around him, made her feel hot all over.

"Hey!" he greeted her warmly a second later, bringing her out of her passion-soaked haze.

"Hi. Are you ready to go?" she asked, stepping just inside his doorway.

He nodded and reached for his jacket. They were going shopping for artwork today.

"I'll drive," he said, grabbing his keys.

She rolled her eyes. "What a very male thing to say," she mocked and laughed when he chased her out of the house.

"Where are we going first?" Alex asked as he backed out of his driveway.

Kaitlyn suggested a few places and sat back as he directed the car towards the nearest mall to start. They chatted casually, Alex telling her about his practice that morning and Kaitlyn explaining what she'd done at the store.

"It feels like I'm abandoning my child in daycare for the first time," she confessed, smiling ruefully at Alex. She'd been very careful with her schedule on Tuesday morning after her dinner with Joel and Julia. Other than making sure the assistant managers and shift supervisors were up to date on everything, she hadn't needed to be there that morning. It had been a personal thing, to make herself feel more comfortable about not working for several days. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep herself from dropping by in another few days as well.

"It'll get easier," Alex assured her with a smile, reaching over to lay his hand on her thigh.

She suppressed a shiver at the contact, laying her hand overtop of his. When she felt him try to pull his hand away, she held on, keeping his hand where it was. She saw him glance at her but she kept her face forward, smiling as the warmth from his hand seeped through her pants.

Definitely not going to be able to hold off much longer, she thought.

They'd only known each other a short while but Alex ignited her body in a way she'd never felt before. It was foolish to jump into anything so quickly and she'd been holding off for that very reason. She wasn't the type of girl to date around, she never had been, and she liked Alex. She wanted to be sure they knew each other before taking that next step. Now, she didn't know if it was the time they'd spent together already, or her giddy sense of freedom at having nine days off that made her want to climb inside his clothes.

"What's going on in there?" Alex's deep voice broke through her thoughts and she turned her head to see him smiling at her.

"What?"

"I can practically see you thinking," he said and chuckled, the sound going straight through her. He squeezed his fingers on her thigh, sliding his hand infinitesimally higher. Kaitlyn let him, liking how his touch felt.

"I was just trying to think of what would look good on your walls," Kaitlyn lied and smiled at him. "You're going to want movie posters or something, aren't you."

He laughed and shook his head, facing forward as the light before them turned green. In another few minutes they were parked and walking into the mall. Kaitlyn smiled and gladly let Alex take her hand as they walked inside. She felt like she'd won the lottery and all they were doing was holding hands, like any normal couple in the city.