Thawing Ava by Selena Illyria Page A

encouraged her to stay away from him, although if he had warned her off, Ava wasn’t taking his advice. Brice was happy they had cleared the air. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to risk getting hurt, but at the same time, he wondered if her ex had anything to do with her refusal to just dive in and explore their attraction. Brice wanted more than just sex—that much he knew—and all he could do in the situation was keep telling her that he was serious.
    He snuggled into her warmth. It felt right having her in his arms. When this babysitting period ended, he didn’t want to let her go, but how to convince her? That was the question.
    He had a new sense of direction and a hunger. Brice wasn’t going through the motions anymore. Watching old footage had shown him just how badly he’d played these last few months. What a selfish bastard he’d been. He couldn’t believe anyone on the team hadn’t tried to kill him, although would he have noticed their hostility toward him? Probably not.
    His head had been so swathed with his own issues he wouldn’t have taken account of any change in the air. He wasn’t lonely or aching, and now he knew why she’d never called him.
    Brice ignored the throb in his cock. When he wasn’t thinking about hockey and the upcoming game, his mind wandered to Ava and all the things he wanted to do with her. They’d spent nearly ninety-six hours together, and he didn’t mind one bit. She fit like a glove. He was sure his parents would love her. That’s if they could stay in town long enough to meet her and not just fly in for charity and social events.
    He knew his parents loved him and his siblings, but sometimes their absences made him feel as if he had been abandoned. Brice had turned to hockey to fill in the gap. It hurt to see how close Davis was with his parents. James and Josie had always treated Brice like family, but it wasn’t the same. There was still a hole inside his heart. Now that he had Ava back in his life, some of that pain had faded.
    When the loneliness and issues started, he hadn’t turned to his brothers or his teammates. He’d wanted to deal with it on his own. Now the team thought he needed a babysitter to keep his libido and alcohol consumption in check. He flexed his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her nape. Fate had been kind to him; she’d brought back Ava in his life. For that he could be grateful. As his eyelids slid closed, he wished it was after the game and they were celebrating a win.
    * * * *
    His alarm blared to life. He groaned and yawned. It was too fucking early. Enveloped in comfort and warmth, he tried to ignore it, but the blasted thing kept beeping. He opened one eye and looked over to the window. Dawn had barely made a dent in the inky-blue din. Thin streams of gold, orange, and red hung low in the atmosphere, making way for day. With a sigh, Brice slipped out of bed and stretched before he opened the curtains fully. He got dressed in sweats and headed down to the pool for a few laps and then to hit the gym. He loved being so alone and able to work out in peace. The other thing he loved: waking up with Ava in his arms. She hadn’t even stirred when he got out of bed. Her features had been so peaceful and relaxed, open and beautiful, the makeup worn away. She wouldn’t like that some of her eyeliner and lip gloss had been smeared on the pillow, but he didn’t care. He preferred her with very little to no makeup at all, like she’d been in college. Ava was a natural beauty.
    As he did laps, he turned over his current situation. His hockey game was improving and would only get better—that was good—but sleeping alone left him horny and frustrated. Sure, that could be used in the game, but he doubted he could function with so much sexual frustration swirling within him. He and Ava had been open and honest with each other, and now he wanted to act on it. She trusted him enough to tell him her needs in the bedroom, but he