Breaking the Ice

Chapter 21

21

Samantha waited until they hit the street before turning on Bec. “What are you doing?”

Walking at pace, Bec didn’t waste time pretending she didn’t know what Samantha was talking about. “Someone has to give you two a little push.”

“No. They don’t. Nick and I are only temporary. Temporarily at Birdie’s. Temporarily working in a bookshop. We both have other bigger things waiting for us. We’re… friends and there’s zero point complicating that.”

“Apart from the fact the man is utterly gorgeous. He kissed you in an alley and ravaged you in an elevator. Even if you don’t end up together you have to have birthday sex with him.”

“Why? Because my bossy older sister said so?”

“No.” Bec bugged her eyes. “For the sheer heck of it.”

“That’s not a reason.”

“Okay, how about… so you can tell your grandkids about your best birthday present ever.”

“Well firstly, ewww and secondly, I actually have to have children first, remember?”

“Despite what your eggs are telling you, there’s plenty of time for that. But Nick’s only here until September. Don’t let him get away without having some fun. You’ll only regret it. Now” – she marched on with purpose – “c’mon, I made reservations at a wine bar, I could murder a Chardonnay.”

“It’s barely midday,” Samantha muttered, tripping along in her heels.

“It’s five o’clock everywhere on your birthday, babe.”

A point which Bec went on to prove as they shared a bottle over a long boozy lunch then indulged in two Margaritas each during a chick flick at the cinema. By the time the Uber pulled up outside Birdie’s at the allotted time, Samantha was fizzing. When she spied Nick dressed casually in olive-green chinos and a funky paisley button-down, the fizz turned to a dirty kind of hum coming directly from her eggs.

Not even threatening them with a contraceptive implant hushed the noise.

“Mmm, that is one fine specimen of man,” Bec said, blatantly ogling Nick.

Yup. He was. Every woman with a pulse walking by agreed. Including a cute redhead who stopped to fangirl, produced a pen for him to sign the front of her T-shirt then cozied up to him for a selfie. An intense feeling of possession rose like a vanquishing army and Samantha had to grip the seat to stop herself from storming out of the vehicle and pulling Nick away.

A minute later he climbed into the front of the Uber like people’s adulation was just a normal part of his day and greeted the driver before turning to smile at her and asking about their day. She knew it was a good thing he wasn’t some awful conceited jock who felt himself too good for his fans, and she’d definitely seen that in the shop, but his life was a little too surreal for her liking.

Bec chatted away about their birthday adventures and Samantha let her. Her sister was good at small talk which was handy considering she wasn’t able to string two words together at the moment. Between the buzz, the hum and that streak of possession, she was a little nonplussed.

But, with the first glass of wine and Bec’s entertaining chatter with the wait staff, Samantha soon relaxed. Add to that the fact that neither Bec nor Nic batted an eyelid when she asked for the dessert menu first and she was in birthday heaven.

“I’ve got a cake from Martha’s Teahouse at my apartment,” Nick said as she perused the sweet treats on offer. “We could have dessert there?”

“Oh yes.” Bec clapped her hands. “That sounds perfect,” she gushed and Samantha shot her a down , girl look.

An hour later, Nick watched Samantha trek through the restaurant to the bathroom. He couldn’t remember an evening of late when he’d had this much fun and he’d been wined and dined a lot . But so many of those events felt performative where this felt real. Real food – simple but perfectly cooked. Real company – not there because of who he was or what he might offer. Real conversation orchestrated by a true maestro.

Bec told outrageous stories about Samantha as a little girl and got him telling some of his childhood stories with six older brothers and the nagging, lingering awkwardness from the elevator he hadn’t been able to date away, finally evaporated as they all laughed and talked.

He hadn’t seen Samantha quite this loose and easy and he liked it. Almost as much as he liked how her hips swayed and the way her dress slid enticingly over all her curves. He sure as shit had no regrets canceling his date. He’d only been dating in an attempt to distract himself from the elevator incident, anyway.

“Okay, Nick. What’s going on with you two?”

Nick laughed as he returned his attention to Bec. “You’re a straight talker, huh?”

Bec grinned. “I’m a mom of four, I don’t have time for softly-softly.”

While he appreciated Bec’s style, he wasn’t quite sure how to answer. Or if Samantha would appreciate him talking about this to her sister. “We’re friends,” he hedged.

“Oh please.” She swatted his flimsy answer away with her hand. “Do you not see how hot she looks in that dress?”

“I did notice, yes. In fact” – he grinned – “I must thank you for removing that dress from my sight today. It was a little distracting.” Which was the fucking understatement of the year. He’d spent all morning wondering if he pulled the bow, would the whole dress just fall off her?

“Right, so…” Bec bugged her eyes. “You like her?”

Yes. He liked her. He wanted her fiercely and she fascinated him endlessly. But he wasn’t obtuse. “It’s complicated. We’re two people going in completely different directions and I can see why she wants to keep a boundary between us. She’s on a mission and I’m not in her demographic.”

“Nick.” Bec sighed. “I love my sister. Dearly. But this whole demographic, cheeping eggs thing is the dumbest plan she’s ever come up with. You need to save her from it.”

“She’s pretty determined.”

“So am I.”

It was Nick’s turn to sigh. “She’s right, Bec… in a couple of months I’ll be back in Canada trying to resurrect my career and she’ll be back on the corporate ladder. Sure, there are sparks but ultimately we’re just a weird missed connection.”

Being forced to explain it to Bec helped Nick really understand Samantha’s point of view – probably for the first time. He did want her in a way that was almost irrational, but he really liked her too and sex and friendship could get very messy. He’d be gone soon but Tetworth was his bolt-hole away from the weirdness of his celebrity and he’d like to keep coming back without having to move apartments.

“You two.” Bec shook her head. “What the hell am I going to do with you two?”

Nick chuckled at what he figured was Bec’s exasperated mom look but then Samantha arrived back at the table and the conversation was abandoned.

They stayed for another ten minutes with Nick just observing the sisters and their ease with each other. They were so different, physically. Bec was tall and thin, very straight up and down. Samantha was shorter and curvier. But they were alike in every other way and they clearly adored each other. It gave him a funny glow in his chest knowing that Bec was Samantha’s person and that she would always have her sister’s back.

“Well” – Bec checked her watch – “I’d better be heading off to the airport.”

“Oh but…” Samantha shook her head. “You have time to join us for cake.”

“I hate cutting it fine at airports. I’d rather get there early and not be stressed.”

Nick didn’t think he’d ever seen a less stressed person in his life than Samantha’s sister so he was pretty sure they were being played.

“You’ll do the birthday cake honors for my little sister won’t you, Nick?”

Okay, definitely being played. “Sure,” he said, suppressing a smile. “I even have candles.”

“And you’ll sing her ‘Happy Birthday’, right?”

Nick placed a hand on his chest. “Cross my heart.” He threw his napkin on the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll use the bathroom before we leave.”

Samantha watched Nick as he strode across the restaurant, her heart giving a mad little flutter before she turned on her sister who was looking at her like butter wouldn’t melt. “What are you doing?” she demanded. “Stop with the bossy mom thing.”

Ignoring her altogether, Bec just smiled and said, “When I call tomorrow, I want details.”

“ Bec! I can’t do this. We’re friends and he’ll be gone in a couple of months.”

“All the more reason to go for it, I say.”

“I don’t want him to feel any kind of responsibility toward me.”

“So, make it clear it’s a one-off. No strings. Not about your eggs. Or a baby. Just for you.”

Samantha swallowed. Right. “I don’t know how to ask for that.”

“Just… open your mouth. You’re a modern urban woman for goodness’ sake. Just say – Nick, how would you feel about no strings’ birthday sex with me?”

“And what if he says no?”

“He won’t. Trust me. And don’t forget – I need all the details!”

Samantha wandered around Nick’s living room nervously while he clattered in the kitchen. Birdie had told her he’d bought this apartment here in the same building as his grandparents his rookie year but she’d always wondered why he’d buy something in the crumbling part of Tetworth when he could have bought something posh and glitzy in the city. The evidence, though, was all around her in the scattered framed photos.

Nick and his brothers laughing at the camera, all dressed in seventies psychedelic shirts and flairs, with long, shaggy wigs like they were on their way to a fancy-dress party. Nick with Burt and Birdie as a teenager. Nick with his parents at what looked like his high school graduation. Nick dressed in full hockey garb clutching the Stanley Cup in one hand, the other slung around Birdie who was looking fit to burst.

Family.

Feeling suddenly restless at the thought, she wandered over to the old double-hung windows and absently watched the street life outside. A young couple stopped under one of the oaks, the guy playfully pushing the woman against the trunk and kissing down her neck.

Oh… get a room .

Suddenly everything went dark as the lights went out, and Samantha dragged her eyes away from the window to find Nick advancing slowly, illuminated by a cake ablaze with candles. He had eyes only for her as he sung her a surprisingly tuneful ‘Happy Birthday’.

Samantha stayed rooted to the spot. There was something so intimate about the scene she found it hard to breathe. As if he was the one pushing her against a tree and kissing her neck.

He finished the song as he drew level with her. The candlelight gave him a mysterious edge and he looked more pirate-like than ever.

“Blow ’em out, birthday girl.”

The candles blurred into one as tears pricked her eyes, but she dutifully leaned forward and puffed them out in one hit. The room became dark again and she was glad for it and the cover of candle smoke as she blinked away the moisture.

“Make a wish.”

She shut her eyes and wished Nick would throw the damn cake against the wall, sweep her up in his arms and take her to his bed. Demographically suitable or not. Smart or not.

She opened them a few seconds later, disappointingly with both feet on the floor. A sign if there ever was one…

“I have a present for you,” he said, still holding the cake as the ambient light from outside threw a low gloom over everything.

Sadly, there was only one present she wanted from him and Samantha knew this was it, her opening. All she had to do was ask. And hope like hell she hadn’t been misreading the chemistry between them.

“Actually, Nick.” Her voice was breathy in the semi-darkness, her pulse thrumming like tropical rain on a tin roof. “I was wondering if you might grant me a birthday wish, instead?”

He frowned, clearly not expecting this. “ Okay…”

“Just don’t say anything, okay? Not until I finish because otherwise I’ll chicken out or vomit and as you’ve seen me do that already, I’d rather not go there.”

His gaze zeroed in on her mouth. “Just say it, Sam.”

Samantha inhaled a ragged breath. Here goes nothing. “You told me once that you had a 100 per cent success rate… and I know that you’re leaving soon and you don’t want babies and that’s absolutely fine but you did tell me to knock on your door when I was sober and so… here I am… sober… reasonably, and I was wondering if birthday sex might be… doable.”

Silence filled the room, her proposition sparking between them like a live wire as Nick stared at her. And stared some more. As if he was formulating his let-her-down-gently speech.

Damn it – she’d blown it…

But then he gently placed the cake on the windowsill and yanked her close.