Ice Dreams Part 1 (5 page)

“I never realized how much attention I was getting. I was so wrapped up in my hockey routine that I just assumed that you were living your life,” Carter explained.

“I don’t blame you, Carter. I blame them. They could have learned how to manage two children but they chose to ignore me. During high school, there was one boy who asked me to a school dance and I wanted to go so badly but when I asked mother she said no. You had a hockey tournament that weekend and I was going to Aunt Barb’s so I wouldn’t be in the way.”

Carter sighed. “It is stuff like that. I can’t make it right for you. You will never have that moment again.”

Madison smiled. “I love that you are back in my life. After you left for college and you were drafted, I thought I lost you forever. They wouldn’t let me call you or write you. The excuse was always that you were too busy for me.”

“That’s not true, Maddy. Yes, I was a major dumbass during that time but I would have loved to see you.”

“Well, it’s all in the past and now I have to get ready for my first date.”

“I’m still not happy about this,” Carter groaned.

Alicia laughed. “Hunter wouldn’t dare upset you, Carter. Let her have some fun tonight!”

Carter nodded. “Have fun, Maddy.”

“By the way, Hunter called earlier and asked if he could help me plan your party tomorrow,” Alicia said.

“Really, he wants to help out?”
Madison asked.

“Yep, you are going to have the time of your life.”

“Can you help me get ready for tonight?” She asked.

“Oh my God, of course I will!” They stood up from the table and headed upstairs.

After Madison’s shower, she slipped on her new dress and watched as it fell into place around the curves of her body. Alicia also bought her a pair of strappy white sandals with a small heel that would bring her up to Hunter’s level. They found a white shawl that she could bring with her as the evening got cooler. Alicia applied her makeup and when Madison opened her eyes, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

For the first time in her life, she really felt beautiful. Her hands ran down the cotton fabric and she took a deep breath. Her brown eyes popped with the makeup that Alicia chose for her. She pinned her hair back and Alicia allowed her to borrow her diamond earrings and the matching diamond necklace which sat perfectly in her cleavage.

“Alicia, you have a gift for making someone look beautiful.”

She laughed. “It’s not hard when you are working with a natural beauty like yourself.”

Madison blushed as she heard the doorbell. She started to shake and felt her palms get sweaty.

“You are going to have so much fun tonight,
Madison. Just let go and enjoy yourself.” Alicia disappeared and headed downstairs.

Madison
grabbed her purse and looked in the mirror one more time. As she approached the bottom of the staircase she spotted Hunter waiting for her in the living room with a few long stem roses.

“You are breath-taking,
Madison,” Hunter said as he handed her the bouquet of flowers.

“They are beautiful. Thank you.”

Alicia came over and grabbed the flowers. “I will put them in water for you.”

Carter hugged her. “Maddy, this is the first time I’m seeing you as a grown woman. Where did my baby sister go?”

Madison smiled and looked back towards Hunter. He was dressed in a pair of khaki’s and a dark green polo shirt. “You look great.”

He smiled at her. “Ready?”

Madison nodded and said goodbye to Carter and Alicia. As they approached his truck, he opened the door and paused before he helped her inside. He didn’t say anything right away as his eyes closed briefly, when they reopened his eyes were dark green and focused on her. “You are so beautiful tonight, Madison. I just wanted to make sure you knew that. You have honestly taken my breath away.” He reached out his hand and helped her step up into his truck.

Her heart raced as she watched him walk around the front of his truck and step into the driver’s seat. She looked down at her lap and softly asked, “What are the plans for tonight?”

“First, I’m taking you to dinner and since you enjoyed the beach so much, there is a beach that I would love to show you.”

“Sounds great, I really did enjoy our walk last night. It was nice to talk and have someone actually listen to me. For some reason, I’m very comfortable around you.”

Hunter smiled at her. “I’m happy to hear that, I want you to be comfortable around me. It’s fun to get to know someone new. I just want you to enjoy yourself.”

When they arrived at the restaurant Hunter opened the door for her and held her hand as they walked across the floor to their table. She could see a few people recognize him and smile at her.  She tensed up slightly as he turned towards her and pulled out her chair. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, just nerves,” Madison explained as she sat down and watched Hunter take his seat across from her.

They talked with the waiter and ordered their meals. Hunter barely took his eyes off of her since had he picked her up from Carter’s house. “Tell me about your job,” he asked.

“Nothing really to tell, it’s a small office complex and I’m the assistant to the manager. We are small real estate broker.”

“Are you happy working there?” he asked.

“Happy? I’m not unhappy. It’s just a job to me.”

“What is your dream job?” he asked.

“I always wanted to help people. I thought I would go to college and become a nurse but that never happened.”

“Have you ever thought of moving somewhere different, away from your parents and starting over?”

Madison nodded as she took a drink. “Honestly, several times and now that I see how beautiful it is around here, I would really love that.”

They were interrupted by another group of fans as Hunter looked apologetic at her.

“Just a couple of autographs, I’m having dinner, ok?” he explained to his excited fans.

Madison
smiled as the fans received their autographs and left them to finish their meal. “It has to be thrilling to have to people love you so much.”

“I’m very lucky to have the career that I do,” Hunter explained.

As they ate, they continued their small talk. Madison learned that Hunter loved to fish and was a true outdoorsman. She loved his passion as he talked about his family and career. He appeared to be a very level headed man. He always had his goals in mind but he always wanted to have time to just enjoy his hobbies and relax.

As they left the restaurant, he drove along the ocean and pulled into a small deserted parking lot. He ran around the truck and opened the door for her. “Hunter, it says private beach.”

He smiled at her. “It’s ok. I’m friends with the owner. I told him I would be by tonight.”

Madison
grabbed his hand and walked down the pathway and onto the beach. Hunter quickly turned around and reached for her waist. His hands tightened around her and gently placed her on the small concrete wall.

“What’s going on?” she asked nervously.

“As much as I love these sandals, I don’t want you to ruin them or twist your ankle.” He said as he started to untie them.  She noticed his fingers lingering around her ankle as he placed her shoes next to her on the wall. 

She held her breath as Hunter moved between her legs and placed his fingers around her neck, holding her in place. She looked up into his eyes and saw them darken.

“Hunter, you don’t know how badly I want to kiss you right now but there is something I need to tell you.”

“What’s on your mind?” he asked as he leaned in closer.

Madison closed her eyes and whispered, “I’ve never been kissed.”

Hunter didn’t let go of her but pulled back slightly. “Open your eyes,
Madison.”

She opened them as he smiled at her. “You’ve never been kissed? Not even on a dare in grade school?”

Madison shook her head. “I was never in a situation that allowed me to have the opportunity.”

Hunter took a deep breath. “I really like you, Madison and Lord knows I want to kiss you right now but I don’t want to take this moment away from you."

“Are you saying that you wouldn’t be able give me a memorable first kiss?” Madison smirked.

“I would love to share that memory with you, but you need to say the words to me,” Hunter stated in a smooth sexy tone. "Tell me that you want me to kiss you."

She looked into his eyes and bit her bottom lip softly. “Kiss me, Hunter.”

He smiled as he slowly leaned in but stopped right before he reached her lips.
Madison closed her eyes and felt his lips lightly touch hers. Her hands gripped his chest as if she was bracing herself. She felt the pressure against her lips become more intense as her instincts took over. She felt him part her lips as she matched his movements. Her lips moved with his as her heart raced. His fingers moved into her hair as she felt his tongue play with hers. She surprised herself when she heard a soft moan escape her lips.

Hunter backed away and smirked. “Well, that's one for the memory books.”

She slowly opened her eyes and enjoyed him being so close to her. “Is that what all first kisses feel like?”

Hunter laughed. “No, I was in fourth grade and it was truth or dare game. It was over in two seconds.”

“I’m so happy that I waited.” She chuckled.

He smirked at her and helped her off the wall. “I couldn’t agree more.”

As they walked down the beach hand and hand, Madison smiled every time that a wave lapped over her feet. The cold water sent a chill throughout her body but she didn't care. As they rounded the bend, she saw the lit bamboo torches in the distance. She turned to look up at Hunter and smiled at the way his hair blow in the wind. Everything about him sent chills racing through her body. “What’s all of this?” she asked.

“My friend has a private bungalow and was nice enough to offer it to me tonight. It’s my secret getaway from the limelight.”

Madison grinned. “How many girls have you snuck away with?”

Hunter laughed wholeheartedly. “What a deadly question. Honestly, I have only brought one other girl here and that was my last serious relationship.”

“What happened?”

“People grow apart sometimes. She had a major problem with my busy schedule. When you date an athlete you have to realize that during the season, we are barely around.”

Madison nodded. “I understand that.”

“I’m sure you do,” Hunter paused and clearly wanted to change the subject. “Are you excited about your birthday party?”

She smiled. “For the first time in twenty years I can honestly say, I am.” She sat down on the padded bench and watched the water pour onto the sand in front of them. As she looked around she noticed a small table with some appetizers and two wine glasses. He had put some thought and effort into the evening and it warmed her heart. She felt him sit down next to her. “I heard that you helped Alicia with the plans.”

Hunter nodded as he sat down next to her. “You are going to have a blast,” he paused mid thought and looked at her as he reached for her hand. “I just want you to know that I don’t normally ask a girl out after about five minutes of meeting her. There is just something about you that I’m just drawn to.”

Madison reached for his hand and gently ran her fingers over his knuckles. She leaned over and kissed him lightly.

Madison
kept her eyes closed when she heard him whisper, “You are a natural born kisser. Feel free to do that whenever you want to.”

“I'm happy that you approve,"
Madison chuckled as she opened her eyes and caught him as he intensely stared at her. She felt her body temperature as it started to rise, everything about Hunter turned her on.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Hunter asked nervously.

Madison nodded slowly. “Ok.”

“Since you just experienced your first kiss, I assumed that you don’t have any experience when it comes to,” Hunter said as he stumbled over his words and looked away from her.

“Are you asking if I’m a virgin?” Madison asked nervously.

Hunter slowly nodded as he locked eyes with her again. His fingers traced her cheek lightly.

“Yes, of course I am. My parents never allowed me to go out nor have boyfriends. Everything I know I learned in school so I’m sure I don’t know anything. I read romance novels but,” Madison stopped talking and turned red.

“Hey, you can tell me anything,” Hunter said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

She continued, “I always dreamt that my knight in shining armor would come and take me away from my current situation. In high school I watched Jessie, who is my closest friend, go out on dates and tell me about her sex life but here I am about to be twenty one and I still haven’t experienced anything. I just feel very insecure as I sit next to someone who is experienced.”

Hunter stopped her. “Ok, number one, never feel insecure around me. You are so out of my league and deserve better than me, you just don’t realize it. Secondly, I’m very excited that you allowed me to be a part of this with you. If you continue to allow me to be in your life, I promise you, we go at your speed.
Madison, you are in the driver’s seat.”