Thawing Ava by Selena Illyria Read Free Book Online Page A

to make her forget why she was there in the first place.
    Now she couldn’t stop thinking about him, about the shower and him calling her.
    She wasn’t sure how long she could go and not give in to her desires. He was pure sex walking and knew it. Put him in some leather pants, and she’d be a groupie at his feet begging him to fuck her, take her, tie her down, and spank her. Perry had thought her desires disgusting and unfitting for his girlfriend. She doubted Brice would allow her to ignore her needs. She didn’t want to say anything. Not only would it be inappropriate, but she didn’t want to deal with Brice’s rejection. Ava didn’t want to see his face as it scrunched up in disgust. How did you ask a man to tie you down or spank you? Would Brice look at her with less respect? She shoved those thoughts away.
    No use thinking about it when it wouldn’t come true . Couldn’t come true.
    He brushed past her, taking down pots and pans and opening drawers and grabbing cooking implements. Each encounter allowed her to feel his erection against her ass. A flare of heat bloomed in her belly and spread to her limbs and down her legs. She took a deep breath, then blew it out as she worked on making chicken soup. Ava thought about making crackers from scratch but didn’t want to go overboard. Besides the broth wasn’t for now; it was for later. She didn’t want it to seem as if she was mothering him. She did enjoy taking care of people, and it was clear he needed someone like that in his life.
    As far as she could see there were no pictures of his parents or family anywhere unless you counted his teammates. She thought back to that Christmas; she knew his family traveled a lot. They’d hardly been in town to see his collegiate games. From what he’d told her, they were close, but she didn’t think they were as close as she was with her family, before Perry.
    “Are you going to make homemade crackers too? I saw it done on some cooking show.” His query brought her back to the present. Was he a mind reader?
    “I wasn’t sure if that would be too much. Do you want cheddar or plain? You don’t have any cheese, so we’d need to go get some.”
    “We can do that. Are you gonna make noodles? I have a pasta maker if you want to use it. My mom gave it to me when I made the team. Thought it would encourage me to invite them over and cook.” He gave her a cheeky smile. He started to put together the ingredients for a sauce while he boiled water on the stove next to her pot of broth.
    “The broth is for later, so not right now. You don’t cook for your family? Have they seen this place yet?” She was genuinely curious. Had their relationship changed during the years? That would be nice.
    “Nope. They know the address. Between my mom’s charity gigs and my dad’s international law firm, they haven’t been able to come out. I don’t mind so much.” He shrugged, his face tight. “They may not make the games, but they do watch.” Sadness tinged his voice.
    Her heart ached for him. “At least they make the time,” she offered up. “I haven’t watched hockey in a while. I feel bad for not being more in touch with my family.” She didn’t mention Perry. Ava didn’t want to talk about that part of her life, not yet and not with Brice.
    “Why Florida?” He bent down to taste his sauce. She hadn’t asked what he was making. She assumed it was pasta for the carbs.
    “Job opportunity after college. My aunt lives there, and she owns a café. She offered to show me the ropes while I learned how to run a food-oriented business. I want to own a bakery one day.” Heat flushed her cheeks as she waited for him to laugh at her dream. Perry hadn’t been impressed, so he hadn’t encouraged her.
    “That’s awesome. Davis mentioned you were into food in college. Why didn’t you go to culinary school?” He poured noodles into the sauce and mixed it all up.
    She almost preened at his interest. “I wanted to have