Breaking Through The Ice Ch. 04

Thank you again to everyone who's followed along with Drew and Mina so far. I'm glad you're enjoying it – and that you're being so patient. ;)

One thing I wanted to mention here, just in case you don't all check my profile page, I have a new blog where I'll be posting all my story updates and publication news from here on out. The website is listed in my profile so please, if you're interested, check it out.

Also, several people have asked about the "Ice" stories that have been removed from my site. Again, this info can be found on my profile page. I also have information about that at my blog site, if you visit me there.

Thank you for your time and now back to our regularly scheduled program. :)

Take care and happy reading.

M. ;)

****

"What's with you, bro?"

Drew looked over at Carter, who stood by the coffee pot. It was the morning following the team's loss to division rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the morning before Mina was to come over to cook them dinner.

Is it wrong that I care more about Mina coming over than the loss last night? he asked himself before he frowned at his brother's words. "What are you talking about?"

Carter scoffed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "You've been moping around here all morning. Don't tell me it's because of the game."

Drew scowled. "No, but thanks for bringing it up."

"No problem." Carter grinned and at Drew's continued frown, he rolled his eyes. "Come on, Drew. What's going on? I'm going to work, cleaning up after myself. What else do you want me to do?"

Drew blinked, taken aback by his brother's comment. Here he'd been worrying more about his burgeoning relationship with Mina and Carter thought he was mad at him?

"Carter, it's not you."

Carter raised his eyebrows and moved around to sit at the kitchen table. "If the next words out of your mouth are 'it's me,' I am so out of here."

Drew laughed and sat down across from his brother. "I'm sorry if I've been cranky lately but I've had some things on my mind."

"Like...?"

Drew shrugged. "Like work and traveling and you. I won't lie and say I'm not worried about you but it's not all about you."

"Good." Carter sipped his coffee and narrowed his eyes at Drew through the steam rising above the rim.

Drew glared back at him. "What?"

"Nothing."

The brothers fell silent after that and Drew rubbed his chin. He reached for the newspaper and scanned the headlines. He gave up after rereading the same article several times without recalling a thing and tossed the newspaper down.

Carter laughed. "Chill out. You're off today, I'm off, Mina's coming over and you know you're always more relaxed when she's around."

Drew opened his mouth to retort but nothing came to mind. He shrugged and pushed himself away from the table, Carter's laughter ringing in his ears.

As Drew wandered down to his office, he thought about what Carter had said. He hadn't lied; being around Mina did relax him. And she stirred him up like no one else he'd ever known. Ever since the last time they'd seen each other, when they'd been alone in his car and he'd wanted to take her clothes off, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.

They'd talked on the phone a few times since that night. She'd called to let him know how her first day at the country club was and had asked how things with Carter were going. Even as his body had reacted to her voice and laughter, his mind was eased by the way she listened and offered support. He liked to think he did the same for her but he could never be sure.

Tonight would be interesting, to say the least.

As promised, Mina knocked on the front door at four. She carried two bags filled with food and laughed at Drew's expression.

"I had to bring everything I'd need," she explained. "I didn't know what you'd have or not."

Drew nodded even as he took one of the bags from her and carried it into the kitchen. Carter followed him with the other bag, leaving Mina to pull her jacket and shoes off.

"What have you guys been up to today?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen.

Carter shrugged and stood to her left as she began to take supplies out of the bags. He watched her place everything on the kitchen table, interest sparking his gaze. Drew frowned at his brother and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I just hung out, watched TV," Carter said. "I haven't had a day off since I started working so it was great."

"And you, Drew?" Mina's eyes lifted to Drew's face and she smiled.

Drew felt his temperature rise at her look but he managed a responding smile. "The same for me. No practice or meetings today so I just did my workout and not much else."

"Good for you guys." Mina turned her attention back to the bags. "You don't want to spend all your time working."

"What are you making?" Carter asked.

Mina grinned. "You'll see."

Both brothers groaned, neither being the patient type. Mina just laughed at them and asked where the cutting board was. Carter pulled it out for her while she put on the apron she'd brought with her.

Drew took one look at her when she had it tied on and clenched his jaw. His mind swept over every possible scenario that could play out in the kitchen. If he was alone with her. Which he wasn't.

God, this is going to be a long damn night.

He was right, for the most part. He felt like an outsider with Carter and Mina in the kitchen. Carter seemed extra chatty and Mina more than willing to talk about what she was doing as she prepped the meal. Drew sat down at the kitchen table and occasionally participated in the conversation but for the most part, he just watched Mina.

She has no idea how sexy she looks in that damn apron. Drew let his eyes drift over her bottom and up to where the strap rested against the bared skin of her neck. She has no idea that she's torturing me.

He gritted his teeth and tried to focus on something else. The smell of the food cooking hit him a few minutes later and his stomach gave a loud rumble.

"Any chance of a sample?" he asked.

Mina turned around with a grin. "You're hungry?"

He returned her smile. "Hey, what'd you expect? I'm a growing boy."

Carter snorted and threw a smirk over his shoulder. He stood at the stove, stirring some sauce in a pot at Mina's direction. "I'm the growing boy. You're more like the old man who didn't say no to that last piece of pie."

Mina burst out laughing as Drew's jaw dropped. He picked up one of the dinner rolls in a basket on the table and chucked it at Carter's head. Carter complained and Mina kept laughing even as she picked up the roll and tossed it in the garbage.

"All right, all right. Settle down, kids." She walked over and rifled through one of the bags. "Here, munch on this."

Drew stared at the carrot in her hand. "Really? You haven't got anything...heartier?"

Mina lifted an eyebrow and shook her head. "It's all for dinner. This was going in the salad but I'm sure we can live with the sacrifice."

Drew laughed. "Thanks, Mina." He reached for the carrot and closed his fingers around hers. "And thanks for coming over. I'm happy to see you."

"M-me too."

He found her stammer endearing and gave her hand a little tug until she was forced to move a step closer to him. Then another, and another until she stood between his legs. He stared up into her face and smiled when he saw her cheeks color with something other than the warmth of the kitchen.

"I can't wait to spend some time with you. Alone."

The color in her cheeks deepened and she bit her bottom lip. Drew narrowed his eyes at the sight and reached up with his free hand to touch her face. Her eyes widened but she didn't pull away as Drew ran his thumb in a light caress over her lips.

"Uh, you guys know I'm right here, right?" Carter's voice drifted over to them.

Drew dropped his hands, feeling flustered. He had forgotten his brother was in the kitchen with them. He'd been so intent on Mina that everything else had faded to the background. Mina turned around with a hand to her cheek and returned to Carter's side. Drew watched them but after that moment with her, he didn't mind watching her talk and laugh with his little brother.

Dinner turned out to be a simple meal of chicken stir-fry and toasted garlic rolls. For dessert, Mina made a raspberry mousse cake that Carter couldn't get enough of. Carter raved about Mina's skills and grilling her about how she'd learned one technique or another. Drew had never seen his brother so animated.

"That slicing thing with the zucchini, that's gotta be something they taught you in college," Carter said.

"You know, it's strange to think back on it." Mina leaned her elbows on the table as she thought about Carter's comment. "But I have a hard time remembering what I learned at BIC or with my mom." She smiled and Drew couldn't help but notice the soft look that came into her eyes when she talked about her mother. "My mom wasn't a trained chef or anything but she'd cooked and baked all her life for her siblings and then for my dad and us kids. She learned all kinds of short cuts, just out of necessity, and whenever I spent time in the kitchen with her, I learned the same things."

"You mean that slicing technique?" Carter leaned forward.

Mina shrugged. "I think that was her. So much of what I do is habitual and I don't even think about it when I'm doing it."

"Like when I play," Drew added. "I'm not thinking about the puck and my stick and the other guys, at least, not specifically. I'm just doing what I do and I know that's how I make it work."

"Right." Mina smiled across the table at him. "It's just second nature."

Carter let his breath out and frowned. "I wish I had that kind of talent."

"With what?" Drew asked, curious about his brother's enthusiasm. He'd never seen Carter so interested in a subject.

Carter shrugged. "I don't know. Anything. When I was at Boston College, everyone kept asking what my major was going to be and everyone I talked seemed to know exactly what they were going to do."

"You didn't?" Mina asked.

Carter shook his head. "When I was younger I wanted to be a hockey player like Drew."

Drew blinked, surprised. "You did?"

"It was pretty obvious early on that I didn't have his level of skill." Carter grinned at Drew. "I was lucky to stay upright on skates half the time."

Drew chuckled as he recalled winters of Carter tagging along after him to the neighborhood rink.

"Then for a while I wanted to be a doctor like dad," Carter added. "But before I got to high school I knew that was too much for me. I didn't like the idea of working with blood and broken bones all day long." He shuddered and let out his breath on a sigh. "And then I finished high school and going to college was just what everyone was doing. So I went."

Drew sighed. "For less than a year."

Carter turned to him with a frown. "Yeah. I told you I didn't fit in there. It wasn't right."

"No, it was your partying that wasn't right." Drew raised his eyebrows with a smirk. "If you'd actually attended class and studied, you might have found something you liked."

"And I wouldn't be here?" Carter asked.

"Right." Drew nodded in agreement.

Carter's expression turned stormy and he jerked back in his chair to stand up. "I'm done. Thanks for dinner, Mina. It was great." With that, he stalked from the kitchen and stomped all the way upstairs to his room, where he slammed the door.

Drew looked over at Mina, mystified. "What was that all about?"

Mina gave him a half-smile and stood up to clear the dishes from the table. "He thinks you don't want him here."

Drew snorted. "Well, I don't, not really."

Mina flashed him a look over her shoulder as she carried the plates to the counter.

"What? I don't. I meant it; he should have stayed in college."

"Whether or not you agree with his choices, they're made, Drew. You can't change things now." Mina turned on the taps over the sink and looked around. "Where's your dish soap?"

Drew got up and pulled the bottle out from under the sink. He leaned a hip against the counter beside her as the sink filled up with water and suds. "You think it's a good thing that he's here?"

Mina glanced up at him and shrugged. "I don't know about it being a good thing, but again, it was his choice to leave school and he is here."

"But why do you think he's mad now?"

"Because you said you don't want him here."

"I don't! College is where he should be at nineteen years old."

Mina sighed and shook her head. She pulled her hands out of the soapy water and turned to face Drew. "Did you listen to a word he said, Drew? He doesn't know what he wants to do. He hasn't since he realized he couldn't follow in your footsteps."

Drew frowned as he thought about what Carter had said. "Not everyone can play hockey."

Mina lifted an eyebrow and smirked as she turned back to the dishes. "Not everyone has a big brother in the NHL that they worship."

Drew froze, stunned by Mina's words. "You think he worships me?"

"It's obvious that he used to. Whether or not his feelings about his big brother the pro athlete are the same as they were when he was a kid is something I couldn't tell you." She paused and glanced up again. "I think it's clear that he still looks up to you, which is probably why he chose to come here instead of taking off on his own."

Drew mulled over Mina's words and took the towel she handed him without protest. They were silent as she continued to wash and clean up the kitchen and he dried the dishes and put them away. After that was done, Drew suggested they watch a movie.

Mina's eyes went to the clock over the stove and color stained her cheeks. Drew remembered then that they were alone in his kitchen and his body's reaction was instantaneous. He took a step closer to her and put his hands on her waist. She sucked her breath in through her teeth and Drew grinned.

"Thank you, Mina. For everything. Dinner was fantastic and you're so smart, especially when it comes to my brother." Drew paused and shook his head with a rueful smile. "I don't know how you do it."

She smiled. "It's a gift."

"Yes, you are."

Her smile disappeared and she looked away. "It's getting late. I should go."

"It's only nine. Come watch a movie with me."

Without waiting for her response, he took hold of her hands and tugged her into the living room. He pulled her down to the couch beside him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he reached for the remote control. After a quick search, he found a movie – some comedy – and turned to Mina with a smile.

She stared back at him, her eyes wide. As he stared at her, scanning her face from the wispy bits of hair that had escaped her ponytail to the bottom of her round chin, she drew in a shaky breath. Her tongue came out to sweep across her bottom lip and Drew's eyes were drawn to the movement.

What happened next felt as natural as breathing, as if they'd been doing it all along. Drew slid his hand over her cheek and pressed his fingertips to the base of her neck. His arm tightened around her shoulders and Mina tilted her chin up at his gentle urging. Their eyes never left each other's as he brushed his lips over hers.

It was just a brief touch, that first contact. Drew felt her rush of breath against his lips and his mind misted over as if he'd just slammed back a bottle of whiskey. The next kiss was harder and the last clear thought he had was how she tasted of raspberries.

****

Mina let her eyelids fall when they suddenly felt too heavy to keep open. Drew's lips moved over hers and she opened her mouth on the second pass of his tongue over her bottom lip. His tongue sank into her mouth and she could have sworn she heard him groan.

After that, she was lost to the heady taste of him and the feel of his hands on her body. She reached up to grab his shoulders, her fingers closing into fists in his shirt. Drew's hand moved on her neck and Mina twisted in his grasp, lying back over his arm with her head propped on the back of the couch.

Mina worked her arms up to link her hands behind his head as Drew dropped his hands to grab her hips and pull her closer. All the while, his mouth twisted on hers, taking the kiss deeper and muddling her senses. His tongue stroked alongside hers and a whimper escaped her. Drew's mouth moved down, trailing kisses over her chin and down the side of her neck.

"Oh God."

The words fell from her lips and Mina squeezed her eyes shut as Drew found a sweet spot on her neck and sucked. Her fingers flexed against his chest and his lips stopped moving against her skin. Mina froze, afraid she'd done something to break the moment. Drew lifted his head and dropped feather-light kisses over Mina's nose and closed eyelids.

"Open your eyes," he whispered, his breath warm on her lips.

Mina bit her lip but did as he asked. She was rewarded with a heart-stopping grin and a wink. Drew pressed his lips to hers and didn't look away from her eyes. He kissed her again, never shifting his gaze. Mina felt her body warm from the top of her head to the tips of her toes at the look in his eyes.

It was hungry.

Mina shuddered and Drew chuckled, kissing her again and again until Mina's fingers clenched in his shirt. Then she was sliding down the couch and Drew was shifting to lie with her. He kissed her hard, his tongue sliding over her lips before delving inside. Mina let him in with a tiny moan, her jaw going slack. Drew sucked her bottom lip between his teeth and gave her gentle nibbles there. Breath hissed through her teeth at the sensation and her eyelids fluttered closed again.

"Look at me, Mina."

His voice broke through her daze and Mina caught her breath before opening her eyes. He was staring down at her, his broad body all but blocking all the light from her. He loomed large over her and his face was dark but she wasn't frightened. No, the shiver that rippled through her body was a reaction to the weight of him on her legs, her stomach and against her ribs.

As she stared at him, he didn't move. She could hear his breath coming harsh through his lips and his hands were tense where they rested against her hips. His eyes were shadowed but she could see enough of him to see the muscles in his throat work as he swallowed.

Biting her lip, Mina lifted her chin and stretched herself from top to bottom. Her move shifted them on the couch so that Drew's thigh slipped between hers. Drew became even more still, if that were possible, and Mina couldn't help but smile.

Some distant part of her mind reminded her that they'd only met a couple weeks ago. That she hadn't been with any man except Lawrence. That she should feel nervous and had always felt nervous with men, because of her self-image, her lack of experience and her overall shyness. Instead, her desire for Drew made her feel brave and attractive.

Maybe it's the look on his face right now, she thought. A look that was dark and filled with intent.

He would make love to her right now if she let him.

"Mina–"

She stopped him with a kiss and when she drew back, he would have tried to speak again. She lifted her hand and traced her fingertips across his lips. Her action stopped him from saying anything. His eyes said it all.

Then he kissed her again and this time he was ruthless, demanding and she gave in to it. He thrust his tongue into her mouth as his hands moved on her sides. Just as his fingers made hot contact with her bare skin, he pushed into her with his hips and she felt his arousal against her body.

Oh yes! Mina only mouthed the words but Drew must have known what she was feeling because he moved like that again, and again, until they were both thrusting and pushing like a pair of teenagers discovering their bodies for the first time.