Melting the Ice(44)

            “Of course. You two have fun and be safe.”

            “You, too.”

            Stella laughed. “Honey, I’m always safe.”

            “Later, Trick,” Drew said.

            Trick dipped his head and smiled. “Later.”

            Trick threw an arm around Stella and they headed out the door.

            “Surprised?” Drew asked.

            “About what?”

            “Stella hooking up with Trick.”

            She took a sip of her club soda. “Not in the least. Stella knows what she wants and goes after it with a vengeance.”

            “Jealous, then?”

            She laughed. “No. Well, maybe a little. She’s very confident and always has been.”

            “You’re always confident. It’s one of the things I like most about you.”

            She took another drink. “I wasn’t always that way.”

            “Yeah? When were you ever not confident?”

            “Like . . . always.”

            “You were bold enough to come after me in college. I liked that so much about you. So many girls back then . . . I mean they were bold, but not in the way you were.”

            She leaned back against the stool and swiveled around to face him. “Care to elaborate on that one?”

            “Yeah. They flirted, but they expected me to be the one to do the chasing, to ask them out, to coax them into bed. It had to be my idea, you know? It was nothing more than a game. But with you, it was so different.”

            “Don’t remind me.”

            He laughed. “No. It wasn’t like that. At least not for me. You were like the only drop of water in a desert. You stood out to me because you were so fresh and so beautiful. There was no pretense with you.”

            “You do realize I was drunk off my ass that night.”

            “So? You were honest. You didn’t slide up to me and rub your breasts against me, and then act all innocent. You boldly asked if I’d take you to bed.”

            He saw her grimace, knew that memories of that night made her uncomfortable. But he wanted her to have good memories, not bad ones. “Carolina, I loved everything about that night. I still remember every minute of it.”

            She lifted her gaze to his. “So do I.”

            “But how do you remember it?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “I remember it as a hot, sweet night where this beautiful young woman propositioned me and gave me a gift I’ll never forget. She was so sweet, so innocent, and yet oh, so sexy. And we spent an amazing night together, a night I’ve thought about a lot over the years.”

            She took a deep breath, looked away for a few seconds, then met his gaze again. “For a while I tried not to think about it at all. I felt like I’d made a mistake. I was so heartbroken. But that was youth, and fantasies. After a while I got past it. And yes, I do think about that night.”

            “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

            “I know you are.”

            He signaled to the waiter, who brought the tab for him to sign. He grabbed her jacket and held it for her while she slid her arms in. They headed outside and he hailed a taxi.