Melting the Ice Ch. 01

"That's the spirit!" Dave exclaimed and clapped Hayden on the shoulder.

"Those two chicks went to the ladies room," Sidney said, jerking his chin in the direction of the booth.

"How do you know?" Hayden asked.

"I just know about these things. When they come back, they're going to come by our table."

Hayden shook his head and smiled. "I'm almost afraid to ask how you know that."

"I just do." Sidney gave him a wide grin. "When they do, we're going to talk to them and one of us is going to go home with one of them."

Hayden's eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. "Are you serious? You want to make a bet on taking a woman home?"

"Why not? It's why we're here, isn't it?"

Craig held his hand up. "Uh, it's not why I'm here."

"Me, either," Brad added with a smirk.

Sidney shook his head at them. "You guys are so boring."

"Aren't you getting a little old for games like this, Sid?" Hayden asked as the waitress stopped by their table. They ordered another round of drinks.

"You're never too old," Sidney replied when the waitress was gone.

"Some of us are," Brad said.

Sidney shot him a narrow look. "Please. You're younger than me."

"And yet, I'm still old enough to know better," Brad shot back.

Hayden and Craig laughed. Sidney was older than Hayden and the goalie had to agree with Brad. He hadn't come out tonight with the intention of hooking up. That's not to say he wasn't willing if the opportunity presented itself. However, he wasn't about to make a bet with Sidney just to create an opportunity.

Unless it was the cute brunette stopping by their table.

Hayden turned back around to look towards the booth. The dark-haired woman was still there, still alone. She was no longer scribbling on her table but she was frowning at something. Hayden made a decision.

"Well, if you guys are going to be making bets and keeping those women busy..." he said as he slid off his chair.

The waitress appeared just then with a tray of drinks. Hayden thanked her and grabbed his beer. "I'm going to keep their friend company." With that, he turned and walked towards the booth. Someone at his table whistled at him as he walked away and he grinned as he approached the lone brunette.

"Excuse me?"

She looked over, distracted, and blinked in surprise to see someone standing there. "Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked.

The woman's eyes flicked over the thick crowd before coming back to his face. "Uh, my friends are supposed to be back in a minute." Her tone was apologetic, which gave Hayden hope.

At least she's not turning me down flat. He glanced over his shoulder. "Are those your friends?" he asked, gesturing with one hand at the tall redhead and shorter blond standing with his four teammates.

The woman's eyes followed his hand and widened when she saw them. She laughed and shook her head. "Yeah. Those are my friends."

Hayden looked back at her and grinned when he saw how her pretty smile changed her entire look. He'd thought she was cute before but now she was even more attractive. She blinked as she met his gaze and Hayden saw two pinpoints of color bloom in her cheeks. She had the cutest freckles all across her nose and cheekbones.

"I think they might be a while," he said. "My friend Sidney can be very persuasive."

"Oh yeah?" She lifted her eyebrows. "Should I go over there and warn my friends?"

Hayden shook his head. "No. My friend Craig, the older one there? He'll keep Sidney in line."

"Good to know."

Hayden met her eyes again, still grinning. "So... do you mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all. Looks like I have no one rushing to join me."

Hayden slid into the bench across from her. "I can't imagine why not."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, an attractive woman like you wouldn't be sitting alone for long."

She laughed. "As you've just shown me, I suppose."

"I suppose I have." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Her eyes widened and Hayden took a moment to appreciate the way they sparkled. They were a soft blue-grey color and she had the thickest, darkest lashes he'd ever seen on a woman.

"I love secrets," she murmured as she leaned forward as well.

"I just didn't want to listen to Sidney trip over himself to impress another woman," he said, nodding his head in the direction of his table.

Together, he and the woman looked over at his table. They both grinned when they saw the four hockey players and two women looking back at them. They all lifted their drinks in a silent salute before Hayden and his new companion started laughing.

"I'm Hayden," he said, stretching a hand towards her.

"Natalie." She shook his hand.

"What brings you and your friends here tonight?"

"It's sort of my friend's birthday celebration," she replied. "The taller one. She turned twenty-one this week."

Hayden lifted his eyebrows and sipped his beer. In Sweden, the legal drinking age in most places was eighteen, so that had been more of a celebration than turning twenty-one. Still, it had been a bigger deal than just going out with two friends on a Friday night. "No big party to celebrate?"

"No. We all go to NYU and this was midterm week. Even if she'd wanted a big party, there would have been no one who would have come."

Hayden nodded as he glanced at the tall redhead again. She was leaning close to Sidney and Sidney had a big smile on his face as they talked. The shorter blond woman appeared to be chatting with Craig while Brad and Dave held their own conversation. Shaking his head, Hayden turned back to Natalie.

"You go to NYU? What's your major?"

She grinned. "Math."

"Really? Wow, I don't think I've ever met someone whose admitted to that."

She laughed, the sound light and sexy as hell. Hayden shifted on his seat, surprised by his physical reaction.

"I'm not surprised."

"What will you do when you're done? Become a government code breaker or something?" Hayden asked, genuinely curious. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table between them.

"I think I'll become a teacher," Natalie told him with a shrug.

Her fingers moved on the table and Hayden glanced down to see a napkin covered with writing. No, not just writing but numbers and symbols.

"There are a few other options out there for a math major but I don't think I'd want to join NASA or become an engineer or anything like that."

"Would you be happy teaching math?" He shuddered inwardly at the thought. He'd barely made it through his math courses when he was in school. The thought of dealing with trigonometry and calculus for the rest of his life would be as horrible to him as blowing out a knee.

"I think so." She gave him a relaxed smile. "I love math. It sounds dorky, I know, but I like that math is the same no matter where you are. And I love that every problem has a solution."

Hayden grinned at her description. She made mathematics sounds positively romantic. He liked her already. Maybe she could come home with me and teach me about fractions, he thought with a wicked grin. Her smile faltered for a moment and she looked down, her dark lashes fanning against her cheek. Jesus. Hayden shifted again as his pants grew too tight all of a sudden.

"So what do you do, Hayden?" she asked, looking up again. Her fingers were still nervously working the scribbled-on napkin.

"I'm a hockey player."

She smiled and her eyes widened. "Get out! Who do you play for?"

He chuckled. It wasn't often that he wasn't recognized right away. That article in People magazine had given him a certain level of notoriety. "The New York Rangers."

"Really? That's so cool. I've never been to a game. I grew up in Buffalo and I didn't even go to a game there when I was a kid."

"So you don't know any of the major players then?"

She chewed her lip as she considered. "I've heard some names. Oborotenski? Is he on your team?"

Hayden laughed and shook his head. "No. Obie is usually doing his best to kill me."

Her eyes widened at his words. "Are you kidding?"

Shrugging, Hayden eyed her as he lifted his beer bottle to his lips. "Not really. I'm a goalie."

"And the players on other teams try to kill you?"

"Figuratively speaking."

"Sounds intense." She sounded like she was perhaps teasing him a little bit but he didn't mind.

"It is," he agreed, no small note of pride in his voice.

She smiled. "I'd love to see a game one day. My friend Louisa follows some teams and talks about it sometimes."

"Maybe you should come to the Garden for a game sometime."

"Yeah, right." Natalie settled back in her seat with a laugh. "In between school and all?"

"Sure."

Natalie narrowed her eyes at him but her full lips were still curved upward at the corners in a playful smile. Hayden couldn't believe how she was turning him on with just a look. He was going to have a difficult time getting up without embarrassing himself; and by difficult, he meant hard.

"If I got you tickets to a game, would you come?" he blurted, before she said anything else.

Her eyes widened a fraction and her smile changed. "There's a loaded question if I've ever heard one." She paused while Hayden tried to think of something clever to say in response. She leaned forward and rested her forearms on the table. "What exactly are you offering?"

Holy crap! His mind was reeling. From what she'd said, and from the look of her, she couldn't have been older than twenty-one, twenty-two at the most. Hayden had never, never, been turned on like this by a such a young woman. Not that he was terribly old, but there had to be a good seven years separating them. Yet, here she was, smiling at him and speaking like she knew all about the game.

Should I go ahead and offer? he wondered as he stared at her. I'd better say something soon or she's going to think I'm an idiot.

"Are you going to make me say it out loud?" he managed to ask, not surprised when his voice came out sounding a little rougher than usual.

She grinned and Hayden slipped out of the booth before he could over-think it. He moved to her side and held one hand out towards her. "You want to get out of here?"

She looked surprised as he moved but the smile never left her face. Reaching out, she laid her smaller hand in his and he was about to help her to her feet when someone appeared at his elbow. Several someones, in fact.

"Hayden!" Sidney exclaimed. "Are you harassing this woman?"

Hayden stiffened and offered an apologetic look to Natalie before letting her hand go and turning around. Sidney stood there with Brad, Dave and Craig, as well as the two women, Natalie's friends.

"Hey, Sidney." Hayden struggled to keep his voice even.

"Nat, move over so we can all sit," the redhead said, waving a hand in Natalie's direction.

Hayden took note of the look on Natalie's face and before anyone else could make things worse, he slipped into the seat beside her. Her eyes widened and she smiled weakly at him as they slid all the way over. Then Sidney sat down, somehow managing to turn and hold the redheaded woman practically in his lap. Across from them, Craig offered the inside seat to Madison before sitting down and leaving Brad and Dave to decide who got to sit and who had to stand at the end of the table.

Introductions were made all around and Hayden learned that the redhead was Louisa - the birthday girl - and the quiet blond was Madison, Natalie's roommate. Conversation was awkward for a moment and then Sidney said something that made everyone laugh. As everyone relaxed, Hayden turned his face to Natalie, squished against the wall.

"Are you all right there?" he asked, feeling terrible for all but pinning her beside him.

She looked flustered but nodded 'yes' to his question. Hayden didn't quite believe her. Their legs were pressed together from hip to knee and, even though Natalie was half-turned to face the table, she looked uncomfortable.

"Can I suggest a way to make us both more comfortable?" he asked quietly.

Natalie offered him a smile and he grinned back. Shifting, he slid an arm behind her shoulders and reached for her leg with his other hand. Carefully, keeping his eyes on her face the entire time, he curled his fingers under her thigh and lifted her leg until it rested over the end of his knee. She sucked in a surprised breath and Hayden choked back an appreciative sound when her full pink lips parted.

"Better?" he asked in a low voice. As he spoke, he trailed his hand over her denim-clad thigh and winked when she started at the touch.

"Oh yes," she murmured, not looking away from his eyes.

Hayden wasn't sure how long they sat there, staring silently at each other, but Sidney's harsh voice broke into their moment.

"Lindy." Sidney leaned forward until Hayden turned away from Natalie.

"Yeah?"

"You guys want a drink?"

Hayden glanced back down at Natalie. "What are you drinking?"

She gave a breathless little laugh and shook her head. "I think I'm done drinking for tonight."

"Nothing for us, Sid," Hayden told his teammate. "Why aren't you drinking anymore?" he asked Natalie as conversation rose around them again.

She lifted one shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise when she felt the warmth of his touch there as well. "I... I like to be... sober when I go home at the end of the night."

Her hesitant words made Hayden wonder if she'd had some bad drinking experiences already. "Have there been times when you haven't gone home sober?"

"Plenty of times!" she replied with a laugh. "And don't tell me the same thing hasn't happened to you!"

"Sure, when I was younger and before I reached the NHL," he confessed with a grin. "I'm like you now; I like to know who I'm going home with."

Her jaw dropped as his implication sunk in. Her mouth worked soundlessly for a moment, as if she was trying to speak but couldn't find the words. Hayden flexed his fingers where they were resting on her thigh and was rewarded with a shiver from her.

"I-I d-didn't... say that!" she managed at last.

"I know, but I did."

For another long moment, they stared at each other. Hayden was dimly aware of his hand stroking her thigh, going down to her knee and back up again, stopping just short of being vulgar. Her body was warm tucked up against him like she was and he shifted, wanting to feel more.

The rest of the bar faded into the background as they continued to look at each other, just look. Hayden watched her blue-grey eyes flicker back and forth across his face and he watched the way she nervously chewed on her lip or ran her tongue along the corners of her mouth. The way he was feeling at the moment, he'd embarrass them both by kissing her.

"How much longer do we have to stay here?" he asked, no longer caring if he sounded too forward or eager.

"How long will it take you to get us out of this booth?" she replied and Hayden laughed.

***

Natalie didn't consider herself the type of woman to go home with a man she'd just met. She'd done it a few times in her past, she couldn't deny that; three times, in fact. Now she was about to do it for the fourth time.

Louisa and Madison gave her equal looks of amazement and, before Hayden pulled her away from the table, Natalie stopped long enough to ensure both women would be able to get back to the dorm. Then she had no excuses as Hayden closed his hand around hers and tugged her away from the table.

They paused near the door so they could both pull on their jackets. Then Hayden held the door open for her and hailed a cab on the street outside. Once in the back of the cab, the driver turned to glance at them over his shoulder.

"Where to?"

Hayden glanced down at Natalie, who just stared back at him. He smiled and she was dazzled by his handsome face, yet again. "Would you like to go to your place?"

Natalie blinked, taking a moment to absorb his words. "Uh, I'm not allowed to have guys in my dorm room." She looked away in embarrassment. She was painfully aware of how young she must sound and hated that. "And I wouldn't do that to my roommate. We promised each other a long time ago to never bring guys back to our room." She risked a glance up at Hayden and was surprised to see his understanding nod.

He turned to the driver and gave him directions to another address. "Then I hope you don't mind coming with me to my place."

"Not at all," Natalie murmured and watched him from the corner of her eye as Hayden settled against the back seat.

She was still reeling from meeting this man. He'd appeared at her table in that crowded bar as if from thin air. She didn't even remember seeing him at the table with the other guys when Louisa and Madison had pointed it out to her. It was amazing to her that he'd chosen to join her over the chance to chat up Louisa. Louisa was the favorite among men, not Natalie. Natalie knew she had some appeal, otherwise she'd never have had those one-night stands, or her other relationships. She just didn't date a whole lot.

Now she was going home with some strange man for yet another one-night stand and she didn't even have the exam-in-the-morning excuse.

Not that I care, she thought, glancing up at him from under her lashes.

He was looking at her as well, a sexy, lop-sided smile curving his wide mouth. Her attraction to him had been immediate. He was tall, over six feet, with broad shoulders. His hair was dark and looked sinfully thick. She itched to run her fingers through the dark locks and push it back from where it fell across his forehead. His eyes, now shadowed by the dark interior of the cab, were a brilliant ice blue color and they absolutely sparkled when he smiled at her. He had several days growth of beard on his face and it was sexy as hell. He spoke with a faint accent but as he was a hockey player, Natalie guessed he was from another country.

"Where are you from?" The thought sprang to her lips before she could stop it.

His dark eyebrows lifted. "You really don't know who I am?"

Natalie shook her head. "I already told you I don't follow the NHL. I have some memories of watching with my dad when I was a kid but nothing since I was eight."

Hayden chuckled. "Well, I've only been in the NHL for four years. I was born in Are, Sweden."

"How old are you?" She was unable to keep her curiosity in check.

He looked older than her, that much was obvious, but he had one of those faces that looked mature. She guessed he might be about twenty-four or twenty-five.

"I'm twenty-eight. How old are you?"

Natalie flushed and looked away. She felt even younger and more inexperienced. What are a couple one-night stands to a guy like this?

His deep chuckle brought her gaze back around to his. "Don't leave me in suspense, Natalie. I told you, now you have to."

She exhaled and nodded, figuring it was fair. "I'm twenty-one. I'll be twenty-two in a couple months."

Hayden didn't say anything, just nodded and kept smiling at her. His focus on her was disconcerting and she tried to dismiss it as his nature; he was a goalie; after all. As he continued to study her, he leaned forward and slipped an arm behind her shoulders. Natalie told herself not to tense up and relaxed against his side when he gave her a gentle tug. He brushed his fingers along the line of her jaw. Natalie shivered, entranced by his bluer-than-blue eyes.

"I want to kiss you," he whispered in a husky voice.

His unabashed confession made Natalie smile and she tipped her chin up in silent invitation.

"You would let me? Here?"

Blushing, Natalie lowered her eyes and glanced towards the driver. He was oblivious, humming along with the radio and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "I don't think he'd mind," she replied, surprising herself with her words.

Hayden grinned and his face lowered. Natalie held her breath in anticipation, her body warming with each passing second. Then his lips were on hers and she let her eyes slide shut. For a long moment, Hayden just held his lips against her mouth, not pressing for more.