Romance Melting the Ice

Several people stared as Natalie made her way through the building. Some of her friends and classmates tried to stop her and ask what she was doing all dressed up. Natalie was tempted to tell them to check the paper in the morning but she wasn't quite ready to announce to the world.

I guess, in a way, going to this thing tonight might be doing just that, she thought as she waved in passing at someone else.

Outside, standing beside a glossy black limousine, Hayden was facing the other way when Natalie approached. She bit her lip, taking in the broad shoulders filling out the dark jacket to perfection. Her shoes clicked on the sidewalk and Hayden turned. For a moment, Natalie's steps faltered.

He looked amazing in a black tuxedo with glossy lapels. He had a crisp white shirt on underneath and an expertly knotted bow tie. Natalie approached at a slower pace, drinking in the sight of him so perfectly epitomizing tall, dark and handsome. Her heart pattered and her stomach flipped.

This is going to be a long night.

He held a hand out towards her when she got close enough and she laid her fingers in his. He pulled her close and reached for the buttons of her borrowed coat.

"What are you doing?" She laughed and tried to bat his fingers away.

Hayden grinned at her and continued to undo her coat until it hung open. Then he dropped her hand to pull either side of the jacket apart. His eyes dropped from her face to take in her entire appearance. His expression was so intent that Natalie felt heat creep up her neck in seconds.

At last, he brought his gaze back to her face. His smile was still there, lopsided with sexy dimples, but the look in his eyes was different, darker, almost... predatory. Natalie shivered.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

He pulled on her coat until she took another step towards him. Bending low, he kissed her. It was just a brief touch of lips but it stole Natalie's breath. She was seconds away from suggesting they skip this event and go back to his place.

"You look pretty good yourself," she replied, her voice husky.

She froze as Hayden's hands moved and started to button her coat up. He paused several times, he gaze dropping over her body again, and it took all of Natalie's concentration to remain upright.

When she was all covered again, Hayden held the limo door open for her. She climbed in as gracefully as she could and smiled nervously when he got in beside her.

"Where is this event taking place?" Natalie was desperate to make conversation.

Hayden hadn't taken his eyes off of her since the limo started moving. His scrutiny was making her incredibly nervous. She wanted to believe that he was entranced by her but was almost afraid that he was disappointed, which she tried to tell herself was just ridiculous.

"Gotham Hall." He didn't elaborate and Natalie didn't know what else to say.

Reaching out, Hayden took hold of her hand and starting rubbing circles on her wrist with his thumb. Suppressing her shiver, Natalie looked out the window. The ride seemed to take forever and she hardly noticed the scenery passing by outside.

"Here we are," Hayden said and Natalie swung her head around to his side. He offered her a smile that Natalie thought looked strained.

Swallowing, Natalie nodded and climbed out after him. There were massive crowds in front of the building and photographers lining the stairs leading inside. Natalie was blinded by one flash and gasped in surprise. A moment later, she felt Hayden's strong arm circle her waist and he guided her towards the entrance. She let him lead her and was grateful when they escaped to the interior.

"I'm sorry about that," Hayden murmured as they joined the people milling around in front of the coat check area. "I should have warned you about the press."

Natalie laughed and shrugged, hiding her nervousness. "It's all right. I could have guessed on my own what it would be like. All you Rangers coming together, and the other movers and shakers who must be here tonight."

Hayden's eyebrows went up and he grinned. "Movers and shakers?"

Natalie nodded, caught in his blue gaze. Hayden chuckled as he reached for her coat, slowly unbuttoning her again. Natalie froze, unsure of what to do, which she knew was stupid. She could take her own coat off but found that she liked Hayden doing it for her, even though it felt terribly close to him undressing her in a room full of strangers.

He worked the buttons free and lifted his hands to her shoulders to pull the coat off. He stepped close as he removed it and Natalie caught a whiff of his sexy cologne. Underneath the manufactured scent was his own distinctive, masculine musk. She wanted nothing more than to bury her nose in his shirtfront and swallow him up.

She stiffened as the primal urge swept over her. Good lord. We're in a public place.

"Don't go anywhere," Hayden whispered, his mouth very close to her ear. He moved away with her coat before she could say anything.

She looked around, feeling self-conscious. She almost wished she'd brought a purse of some kind so she could at least make herself look busy. She was about to walk a few steps in one direction - just enough so that she didn't feel like such a bump on a log - when someone spoke from her left side.

"I didn't know they invited angels to these events."

Natalie turned and looked up into a vaguely familiar face. He was good-looking and from the half-grin, half-smirk on his face, he knew it too. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a skinny black tie and had one hand lifted towards her.

"I'm Sidney Abbott," he introduced himself.

Natalie could have burst out laughing. Here was the man who'd picked up Louisa at the bar a week ago and apparently passed on gossip about Natalie to Hayden. Obviously he didn't recognize her and Natalie didn't know whether to be insulted or pleased.

"Natalie Johnson," she replied, shaking his hand. Hey, I can be polite.

"I don't think I've ever seen you at one of these events before," he said, holding onto her hand just a little too long.

She extracted her fingers as well as she could without yanking her hand away. "That's because I've never been to one."

"Ah, a charity virgin." His blue eyes twinkled at her and his grin turned wicked. "I'd be happy to escort you inside."

Natalie couldn't believe how forward he was being. Never mind the fact that he obviously didn't remember her face or name from the bar last week, but he was assuming she'd come without a date. She wondered how many women he picked up this way.

"I'm sure you would be," she replied and smiled. "But I'm sure my boyfriend would rather take me inside."

His smile dimmed and he shoved his hand back in his pocket as he looked around. "I can't believe any boyfriend would leave someone who looks like you standing alone."

Natalie's spine stiffened at his tone. She was about to offer something scathing in return when she spotted Hayden moving back towards her. He was talking to another man at his side, someone else who looked familiar.

"You can tell him so yourself," she said with a chilly smile.

Sidney turned to look in the direction of her gaze. Hayden walked right up to Natalie and slipped an arm around her waist. His gaze fell on Sidney and Natalie could see the tension between them. On one hand, she liked that Hayden was feeling possessive at the moment, but on the other hand, she didn't want to be the cause of discord between teammates. She supposed there may have been some fallout on Hayden's end from the gossip Louisa had unleashed.

"Hey, Sidney," Hayden greeted his teammate. "You remember Natalie."

Sidney smiled at Hayden and then his eyes widened as recognition set in. He turned slack-jawed to Natalie who had to laugh at his expression. His eyes swept up and down her body before he smiled. "Wow, I didn't even recognize you."

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Obviously."

"Is this the woman you met last week?" the man on Hayden's other side asked.

"Yeah. Natalie, this is Lucas Samson," Hayden introduced them. "Lucas, this is Natalie."

"I'm very pleased to meet you," Lucas said with a grin as he shook Natalie's hand. He was very handsome, in a rugged sort of way. His nose had obviously been broken a few times but his deep blue eyes were twinkling in a friendly manner. "Hayden's told me a lot about you."

"Oh?" Natalie lifted her eyes to Hayden's embarrassed face. He winked at her and she smiled. "I think you and I should talk. Maybe there are some things I should know about Hayden."

Lucas laughed and let go of her hand to clap Hayden on the shoulder. "Lindy's a good guy, but there are some embarrassing stories I could tell you."

Natalie laughed with him and poked her finger into Hayden's side when he protested. She noticed Sidney watching them throughout this exchange. She glanced at him before Lucas suggested they all move into the main ballroom. The other two men agreed and Hayden moved to offer his arm to Natalie. She slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow and smiled as he led her into the next room.

"Wow, this place looks amazing," she said as she took in the grand ballroom.

The crowd was already thick and Natalie wasn't even sure how they'd all make their way through it.

"I see some of the guys there." Lucas pointed and they started to move in that direction.

Much of the night passed by in a blur for Natalie. She met several of the Rangers and their significant others. Hayden got her a drink right away and disappeared several times as he ran into different people. She was glad that some of the player's wives stayed nearby and kept her company.

"How long have you and Hayden been seeing each other?" Regan, Craig Darrow's wife, asked when they were left alone around the tall table at one moment.

Natalie blushed and fiddled with the stem of her wine glass. "Uh, not long. We met last week."

Regan was clearly surprised with that answer. "Hmm, to hear Lindy talk, you'd think you two had been together for ages."

Natalie laughed. "Why? What did he say?"

"Nothing bad, don't worry. He told me that you're at NYU and you went to your first NHL game this week. He also mentioned that you grew up in Buffalo, which surprised me since you have a Ranger as a boyfriend."

Natalie ignored the 'boyfriend' part. In spite of her words to Sidney earlier, she and Hayden hadn't discussed what they were to each other. "He told you all that?"

Regan gave her a knowing smile and nodded. "Hayden doesn't talk about himself a lot or the women he dates so when he mentioned you, I wanted to know everything. He seemed to enjoy talking about you."

Now Natalie felt extremely self-conscious. She downed the last quarter-glass of wine in one swallow and looked towards the nearest blackjack table. There were a few players there, laughing and talking together and Natalie's mind whirled as she took in the rest of the room.

What am I doing here?

Her eyes skipped over more blackjack and craps tables. She had hardly seen Hayden all night and now she was listening to the captain's wife telling her that he apparently couldn't stop talking about her. It didn't make sense. She shook her head and went to lift her wine glass to her lips but found it empty. She turned back to Regan and set the glass on the table.

"Would you be all right if I ran to the ladies room?" Regan asked.

Natalie looked up, hoping she didn't look like a deer caught in a truck's headlights. She nodded anyway and watched the other woman weave through the crowd. She wasn't alone very long. Sidney appeared at her left elbow with a smile.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

Natalie glanced at him with a tense smile and shrugged one shoulder. "I'm holding up just fine."

"You've been left all alone again." As he spoke, his eyes slid from her face down to her neckline. Natalie had to fight the urge to snap her fingers and order his gaze back above her chest.

"I suppose I am." She glanced around. "There's no shortage of people here."

"Just at your table."

Natalie narrowed her eyes at him. "If you're trying to say something, just say it. I detest innuendos."

"All right." Sidney brought his gaze back to her face and his lips curved up at the corners. He took a step closer to her and Natalie flinched at the touch of his hand on her back. "Would you like to come home with me?"

Natalie gaped at him. She was absolutely stunned by his proposition. Not only was he fully aware of who she was now, he also knew she was here with Hayden, his teammate. What kind of guy hits on another man's girlfriend?

Except I'm not technically Hayden's girlfriend, she added silently. At least, I don't think I am.

That didn't change the fact that she wouldn't go home with Sidney Abbott if her life depended on it. And as much as she wanted to grab his hand and throw it away from her body, she knew that would give him some kind of perverse pleasure. It might even encourage him; thrill of the chase, and all that garbage.

"I don't think so," she replied at last.

Sidney's smile tilted as he continued to give her a probing look. Natalie liked him less and less with each passing second. "Where has Hayden been all night?" His question threw Natalie for a moment. She'd been expecting another outright offer. "Every time I've looked over, he'd been nowhere near you."

Natalie bristled at his tone and took a step to one side. He moved with her, keeping his warm palm on the small of her back.

One inch lower and I'm kneeing him in the balls.

"He's been playing games and talking to people. I can't expect him to baby-sit me all night." Except that's exactly what she'd been hoping for. Judging from his reaction when they'd first seen each other tonight, she'd have thought he would want to stick close to her all night.

"He should know that he can't leave a woman as beautiful as you alone," Sidney said, oblivious to her coldness. "Anyone would think you're free for the taking."

Again, Natalie was stunned by his boldness. She didn't know what to say to get him to leave her alone and she was feeling more and more uncomfortable with him standing so close to her. Her biggest concern was how others might be viewing their exchange. To the unknowing individual, it might look like she was OK with his hand on her body and his lips so close to her face.

Maybe I should just knee him in the balls anyway. The thought brought a smile to her lips.

Unfortunately, Sidney interpreted her smile differently. He grinned and slid his hand all the way around her waist. He curled his fingers into her stomach and gave her a little tug. Natalie gasped as she felt his body connect with her side. She looked over, a biting insult on the tip of her tongue, when someone else spoke up nearby.

"Sid, what the hell are you doing?"

Both Sidney and Natalie turned to see Lucas standing there, glaring at his teammate.

"I'm just keeping Lindy's date company since he seems to have ditched her," Sidney replied, not moving away an inch.

Lucas crossed his arms over his chest. "You'd better get your hands off her before Lindy stuffs you in a garbage can." He dropped his gaze pointedly to Sidney's arm and Natalie took the opportunity to step away. She moved around to stand on the other side of the table, ignoring Sidney's insulted expression.

Lucas stepped closer and spoke to Sidney in a low voice. "What are you thinking? Hayden's your teammate."

"Hayden's the one who left his date alone." To Natalie, Sidney sounded like a petulant child.

Lucas snorted. "Because if he was with her all night, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself." He threw a wink in Natalie's direction, completely unabashed with his compliment.

Natalie flushed and looked away, her eyes searching the crowd for Hayden or one of the women she'd met. She felt woefully inadequate to handle this situation. The most drama she'd ever experienced had been the occasional fight with a girlfriend. It all made her feel even younger than she was, widening the gap she'd mentally created between her and Hayden.

"Look, Sid, I'm doing you a favor," Lucas said. "Go find another woman to hit on. You and Hayden have enough problems already."

Sidney rolled his eyes but walked away without another word. Natalie watched him go before turning a weak smile to Lucas.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Sid can be... difficult at times."

Natalie laughed and nodded.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"Uh, sure. White wine?"

"OK. I'll be right back. Try not to look so beautiful and maybe the sharks will leave you alone." He gave her a wink before walking away.

She didn't know him at all, but Natalie knew he was teasing her. She turned her attention back to the seething crowd and gave up on trying to locate Hayden. She did spot some of the women she'd met and she was about to move towards them when arms closed around her waist from behind. Warm lips pressed to the back of her neck and she shuddered, knowing without looking that it was Hayden. His scent swirled around her and she inhaled deeply, putting her hands over his arms around her middle.

"I'm so glad you came tonight," he murmured into her ear. Natalie could feel his lips just brush the outer edge of her ear.

"Are you?"

"Yes." He moved to one side, keeping his arms around her as he leaned one elbow on the table. He grinned at her, making her knees wobble with that one look. He reached up to brush a stray strand of hair off her cheek. "You look beautiful."

"You already told me that."

One eyebrow went up. "Is there a limit on how many times I can tell you how beautiful you are?"

Natalie shook her head, held captive by his blue eyes. She'd missed him tonight and as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she remembered her doubts about his absence from her side. She looked down and fiddled with a cocktail napkin on the table. "I've hardly seen you at all tonight."

"I know." He moved around to stand beside her. Natalie felt the loss of his strong arms from her waist. "I can't believe how many people have been stopping me to talk."

"It's because you're such a nice guy." She gave him a wry smile. "It also might have something to do with how good you look in a tux."

His grin turned wicked and Natalie felt her heart stutter. "You think I look good?"

"Didn't I already say that?"

He moved closer until his lips were a breath away from hers. All she could see were his sexy eyes, crinkling at the corners from his broad grin. "I guess I just like to hear it."

Natalie lifted her chin as her breath caught in her throat. Her eyelashes dropped low over her eyes and she waited for him to kiss her. She felt his warm breath on her lips and hers parted in anticipation. But he didn't kiss her.

"Oh good, you're back." Lucas' voice broke into their embrace.

Natalie's eyes popped open and she turned to see Lucas holding a glass of wine and a glass of some dark amber liquid for himself.

"Here's your wine." Lucas passed it over with a grin.

"Thanks, Lucas." Natalie reached out to take it from him, returning his smile warmly. He didn't hold a candle to Hayden, as far as she was concerned, but he was definitely one of the good guys.

"My pleasure."

Hayden watched their exchange in silence and Natalie felt him draw away, moving a step over. Then a few other players appeared, along with their dates. Natalie smiled at Regan as the woman approached with her husband.

They all chatted animatedly together for a while but Natalie wasn't drawn into the conversation. She was all too conscious of Hayden beside her, his body heat was palpable, and yet she couldn't help but notice the physical distance between them.

When Sidney stopped by the table, he took in their positions in a glance before offering Natalie a knowing smile and wink. Natalie looked away, bringing the wine glass to her lips, aware of Hayden's glance in her direction.

In another few minutes, all the players left the table. They had to go onstage for an auction, each one presenting an autographed, game-worn jersey to be bid on. Natalie was glad that the women stuck around the table as the guys paraded in turn across the stage, wearing the jerseys over their fancy suits and tuxedos.

After that was over, Natalie expected Hayden to return to their table. All the other players came back to claim their dates. Some moved away but a few stayed and Natalie smiled as they tried to draw her into conversation. She felt slighted again by Hayden's repeated absence.

Was she not enough company for him?

It was obvious to her that they still had a strong physical attraction to each other but the fact that Hayden had hardly spent any time with her tonight made her feel like that was all they had. It made her think that Hayden didn't want to spend any time with her unless they were making out, or more.

She looked at the couples around her table and felt Hayden's absence more with every passing second. All of a sudden, she wanted to leave. Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, she pushed her wine glass away from herself and looked around, trying to locate the exit.

"Are you all right, Natalie?" Regan asked.

Natalie looked over to see the older woman giving her a concerned look. "I'm fine. I just... I think I'm... I'm not feeling well. I think I'm just going to go."

"Oh dear. Craig, go find Hayden. Tell him Natalie's not feeling well."

Craig glanced over at her with the same concerned expression and Natalie felt like a jerk for lying.

"No, I don't want to drag him away if he's having a good time," Natalie replied, holding a hand up to stop Craig.

"Sweetie, he's your date." Regan reached over to pat her hand. "He's supposed to be concerned if you're not well."

Except he doesn't seem to be concerned about me at all. Natalie kept her thoughts to herself, knowing she'd just end up sounding sulky if she shared them with Regan.

"Can I see you out?" Craig asked. He looked like he wanted to find his teammate but since Natalie was so distressed, he also wanted to make sure she was all right.

Natalie nodded, tears pricking the back of her eyelids at the kindness being shown to her by two virtual strangers. Craig leaned close to his wife and whispered something in her ear before coming around the table to take Natalie's arm. They weaved through the crowd and out of the ballroom. Natalie got her coat from coat check and followed Craig out to the street. She expected to see cabs lined up around the block, but all she saw were limos.

Craig offered her a smile. "I'll see if I can find a cab. Don't go anywhere."

Natalie stood on the steps of the building, hugging her arms around her body. She was torn between indignation over Hayden's abandonment of her and guilt over leaving without saying anything. She hoped that Regan and Craig would find him and explain.​