stay that way for long around her.
She couldn’t even hold an ice cream cone for more than thirty seconds before it
transformed into a gooey mess. Luckily, it rarely took longer than that to
serve a customer.
Her unusual ability came with a few perks. Aside from being
a great conversation starter, it also gave her a natural immunity to the harsh
Minnesota winters. When everyone else in Blue Falls donned mittens, hats, snow
boots and parkas, she felt perfectly comfortable in a woolen shawl and long
pants. She still wore boots to keep her feet dry, but she could choose the
sexy, flimsy kind over the fur-lined military-style ones that were so popular.
“Okay, I’m off.” Ricki beamed an exuberant smile and pushed
open the door. At the last moment, she stopped and smacked her gloved hand
against her forehead. “I almost forgot. Not that you go back there anyway, but
there’s an ice man in the freezer.”
Chapter Two
For the second time that evening, Elle blinked in confusion.
“There’s a… what?”
Ricki laughed. “A man made of ice. It’s for the ice
sculpture competition taking place this weekend.” Her voice dropped to a low
whisper, and Elle had to strain to hear her over the whistle of the wind
careening through the half open door. “Liam Blackhawk needed a place to do his
magic. The location he chose had to be subzero, private, and protected from the
elements. I offered the freezer. And oh, yeah… he’s still in there.”
Elle’s jaw dropped. “Liam Blackhawk? The Liam
Blackhawk? And you weren’t going to tell me?!”
Mirth glowed in Ricki’s eyes. “Teenage crushes never amount
to anything, remember? Still, I didn’t want you to have a heart attack when he
came out.” With a wave of her hand and another one of those infuriating grins,
she let the door close behind her.
“Wait!” By the time Elle reached the door, Ricki had climbed
into her battered Honda.
Liam Blackhawk .
Oh, God.
Everyone in Blue Falls knew that name. He was the pride of
the town. They’d even renamed the high school from Washington to Blackhawk
High. Ironic, really, considering the man had earned his celebrity status by
crafting erotic sculptures. She supposed there were worse role models for kids
these days. At least what Liam did was actually considered art.
Only it wasn’t just art. It had to be magic.
His sculptures practically glowed. Brimming with detail,
rumor had it they worked as a potent aphrodisiac when anyone looked upon them.
Elle had never seen one up close, but she’d studied them online and in
magazines often enough.
Just recently, Time magazine nicknamed Liam “The
Medium Master.” She remembered that cover. The featured metal sculpture showed
a man lying on his back while a woman straddled him. His hands gripped her
hips. Her head was thrown back, her hair seeming to shimmer and move as it
flowed down her shoulders and over the length of her spine to sweep across the
man’s legs.
Strategically placed across the spot where their striking
anatomy joined, the headline read: Is There Any Medium Blackhawk Can’t
Master?
As for the man himself… Oh, God .
An appreciative sigh slid past Elle’s lips. The photograph
accompanying the article was more breathtaking than the sculptures. His
piercing blue eyes peered right at the camera, as though he could see right
through the lens and into the soul of whoever happened to be glancing at the
picture.
He’d worn black jeans that molded to his muscular thighs. A
navy T-shirt stretched across broad shoulders, highlighting the perfectly
sculpted curve of his biceps.
Oh yeah, Liam had definitely changed since high school.
They’d only been in the same class once in the four years Elle had attended
Washington High, but that had been more than enough. She almost failed History
because she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
At the time, she’d been dating someone. And just like her
boyfriend, Liam had also fled Blue Falls right after
She couldn’t even hold an ice cream cone for more than thirty seconds before it
transformed into a gooey mess. Luckily, it rarely took longer than that to
serve a customer.
Her unusual ability came with a few perks. Aside from being
a great conversation starter, it also gave her a natural immunity to the harsh
Minnesota winters. When everyone else in Blue Falls donned mittens, hats, snow
boots and parkas, she felt perfectly comfortable in a woolen shawl and long
pants. She still wore boots to keep her feet dry, but she could choose the
sexy, flimsy kind over the fur-lined military-style ones that were so popular.
“Okay, I’m off.” Ricki beamed an exuberant smile and pushed
open the door. At the last moment, she stopped and smacked her gloved hand
against her forehead. “I almost forgot. Not that you go back there anyway, but
there’s an ice man in the freezer.”
Chapter Two
For the second time that evening, Elle blinked in confusion.
“There’s a… what?”
Ricki laughed. “A man made of ice. It’s for the ice
sculpture competition taking place this weekend.” Her voice dropped to a low
whisper, and Elle had to strain to hear her over the whistle of the wind
careening through the half open door. “Liam Blackhawk needed a place to do his
magic. The location he chose had to be subzero, private, and protected from the
elements. I offered the freezer. And oh, yeah… he’s still in there.”
Elle’s jaw dropped. “Liam Blackhawk? The Liam
Blackhawk? And you weren’t going to tell me?!”
Mirth glowed in Ricki’s eyes. “Teenage crushes never amount
to anything, remember? Still, I didn’t want you to have a heart attack when he
came out.” With a wave of her hand and another one of those infuriating grins,
she let the door close behind her.
“Wait!” By the time Elle reached the door, Ricki had climbed
into her battered Honda.
Liam Blackhawk .
Oh, God.
Everyone in Blue Falls knew that name. He was the pride of
the town. They’d even renamed the high school from Washington to Blackhawk
High. Ironic, really, considering the man had earned his celebrity status by
crafting erotic sculptures. She supposed there were worse role models for kids
these days. At least what Liam did was actually considered art.
Only it wasn’t just art. It had to be magic.
His sculptures practically glowed. Brimming with detail,
rumor had it they worked as a potent aphrodisiac when anyone looked upon them.
Elle had never seen one up close, but she’d studied them online and in
magazines often enough.
Just recently, Time magazine nicknamed Liam “The
Medium Master.” She remembered that cover. The featured metal sculpture showed
a man lying on his back while a woman straddled him. His hands gripped her
hips. Her head was thrown back, her hair seeming to shimmer and move as it
flowed down her shoulders and over the length of her spine to sweep across the
man’s legs.
Strategically placed across the spot where their striking
anatomy joined, the headline read: Is There Any Medium Blackhawk Can’t
Master?
As for the man himself… Oh, God .
An appreciative sigh slid past Elle’s lips. The photograph
accompanying the article was more breathtaking than the sculptures. His
piercing blue eyes peered right at the camera, as though he could see right
through the lens and into the soul of whoever happened to be glancing at the
picture.
He’d worn black jeans that molded to his muscular thighs. A
navy T-shirt stretched across broad shoulders, highlighting the perfectly
sculpted curve of his biceps.
Oh yeah, Liam had definitely changed since high school.
They’d only been in the same class once in the four years Elle had attended
Washington High, but that had been more than enough. She almost failed History
because she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
At the time, she’d been dating someone. And just like her
boyfriend, Liam had also fled Blue Falls right after
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