Romance Reflections on Ice

Cassia glared at Kyle, crossing her arms over her chest. "Really? Because it looks like you were getting busy on my couch, in my apartment, when you knew I could be home any time."

"You said you were going to the game."

"Which ended over an hour ago." Cassia threw her hands up in the air. "I can't believe this."

Kyle's expression darkened as Tyler reached for his shirt, turning it right-side out before pulling it over his head.

"You're just freaking out because it's Tyler."

"I'm freaking out because you were about to have sex in the middle of the living room." Cassia covered her eyes with one hand. "Look, Kyle, I've dealt with your video games, and you not picking up after yourself, but this is a serious breach of privacy."

"Yeah, mine."

Cassia dropped her hand and pointed at her brother. "No. You could have been doing this in your own bedroom. Instead, you chose to start getting naked on my couch."

"You wouldn't care if I had a woman in here."

Cassia's mouth dropped open. "Is that what you think? Seriously?"

Kyle dropped, his expression full of that familiar Morgan belligerence. Behind Cassia, she heard Dylan shift on his feet and turned. She'd almost forgotten he was there. Reaching out, she took his hand and glanced over her shoulder at Kyle.

"Don't think we're done here."

Kyle said nothing as she led Dylan out of the apartment and closed the door.

"I am so sorry about this."

Dylan smiled and put his arms around her. "Don't worry about it."

Cassia warmed in his embrace, her cheek on his shoulder, for a moment before lifting her head. "I was having a really good time up until then."

He chuckled and nodded. "Me too." He bent his head to steal a quick kiss. "But there's always tomorrow. Or the next day."

Cassia dropped her head to his chest with a groan. "I wanted it to be tonight."

His hold tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head. "Me too."

They didn't say anything for a minute. Then the silence was broken by a shout from inside the apartment and the door yanked open beside them. Cassia pulled away from Dylan as Tyler stormed out.

He barely looked at them. "Good to see you again, Cass."

"You too, Tyler." She reached out one hand to stop him. "I hope you're not leaving because of me."

He shook his head and Cassia was surprised to see his eyes glassy with tears. She'd known Tyler for ages. He'd been one of Kyle's closest friends in high school. Obviously closer than even she'd thought, though that still wasn't as much of a shock as how she'd found them inside, on her couch.

"I've gotta go." He pulled his arm from her grasp, shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked down the hall.

Cassia watched him go before turning back to Dylan. "I should go talk to Kyle."

Dylan nodded. "Of course. I'll call you tomorrow."

"OK. Good night." She lifted up on her toes to kiss him once more and then let him go.

Back inside her apartment, she walked down the hall and pounded on her brother's closed bedroom door.

"Go away."

"No. We need to talk, Kyle."

There was some incoherent grumbling from inside before the door opened. Cassia reeled back on her heels when she saw the tears on Kyle's face.

"Kyle, what on earth..."

"I'm sorry about your couch."

Cassia didn't know what to say. Kyle scrubbed at his face and Cassia reached for him then. He was her little brother after all, and by far the most sensitive of all the Morgan kids. She'd always been there for him when he was hurting and she wasn't about to stop now.

"What happened?"

Kyle shook his head, unable to reply for a moment. At length, he pushed her away and walked over to his bed. Cassia followed, perching on the end of the bed, and waited for Kyle to explain.

"Tyler was embarrassed and wanted to apologize to you."

"Well, he was always the most polite of your friends."

He shot her a look that she returned in full measure. She may be sympathetic but she wasn't going to let him off the hook yet.

"I said how I knew you'd freak out and that's why I didn't bring him in here when he first mentioned it earlier." Kyle looked away. "I knew you'd probably be home any minute."

Cassia's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me? Are you saying you wanted me to catch you and Tyler on the couch?"

He shrugged. "Sort of. I thought it would be the easiest way of coming out."

Cassia covered her face with one hand. "Kyle, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say."

"What? It's stupid that I'm gay?"

"No." She dropped her hand and glared at him. "It's stupid that you thought you couldn't just tell me."

He met her glare for a second before his face fell and he looked away. "I'm sorry."

Cassia sighed. She wanted to reach out and hug him, because she couldn't even imagine how difficult this must be for him. He was lashing out, and acting defensive because of the situation. And possibly because of whatever else he and Tyler had just fought about.

"Well, Tyler was mad because he thought I'd already told you."

"Why would he think that?"

"Because it's what I told him."

"Oh, Kyle." No wonder Tyler had been so upset. "He must be so embarrassed. You have to apologize to him."

"I know."

"Like, now, Kyle. He can't have gone far."

"He's probably halfway home by now."

Cassia stood up and grabbed her brother's phone off his nightstand. She tossed it on his lap. "Then call him. He didn't deserve that."

"I didn't do anything that bad."

Still a stubborn Morgan male. Cassia rolled her eyes and walked past him to the door. "You lied to him and then used him in your weird attempt to come out to me."

When Kyle didn't respond, she turned at the doorway. "And for the record, I don't care if you're gay, straight, or into animals. You're my brother and it's never OK for you to have sex on my couch."

He looked over then, a tiny smile quirking his lips. "Animals?"

She shrugged. "To each their own. Call Tyler. We can talk in the morning."

With that, she closed the door and left him alone.

She washed up, brushed her teeth, and went into her own bedroom, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she went. As she flopped onto her bed, she texted Dylan to apologize again for their aborted evening.

The phone rang a second later.

She put the phone to her ear. "You didn't have to call."

"I'm still driving so it's easier to call than text."

"Good point." She sighed, rolling to her back. "I'm sorry about all that."

"Don't worry about it. How's your brother?"

"He's upset, and probably feeling like an ass." Cassia gave him a quick rundown of what Kyle had told her. "I hope they can work it out. I've always liked Tyler."

"High school relationships don't always last forever."

Cassia could hear his turn signal in the background. "That's true. Mine didn't."

"You had a high school sweetheart?"

"Sort of. We dated and went to prom together."

"I see. And was your prom everything a traditional prom is meant to be?"

Cassia laughed. "Are you asking if we did it at prom?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me."

"As a matter of fact, we didn't." Cassia smiled. Why she didn't mind talking about this sort of thing with Dylan, she didn't know. She didn't care, either. She just enjoyed talking to him, about everything. "It was later, right before he left for college."

"How long were you together after that?"

"Oh, maybe a couple months. We broke up when he came home for Thanksgiving that year, but I wasn't all that upset. You kind of expect it not to last, especially considering the distance and our ages." She left out the part when that old boyfriend had come home from college, saying he couldn't see himself with someone like her anymore, not when he'd been surrounded by so many hot co-eds and that she didn't know what she was missing by not having gone to college herself.

"I suppose you're right." There was a pause and then Cassia heard the engine cut out.

"Are you home already?"

"Yeah. There was no traffic." There was the sound of his door opening and closing.

"It's your turn. Tell me about your prom."

"Well, we don't really have prom. Not like you do here, but I only went with a few friends, no dates."

"You didn't have a high school sweetheart?"

"Not really. I dated a little bit, but nothing lasted for long."

"Why doesn't that surprise me."

Dylan chuckled. "Yeah, it really shouldn't."

"You probably spent all your time playing hockey, thinking about hockey, and studying to make sure you got into college."

"Pretty much. Plus, girls are complicated."

"You don't have to tell me that." Cassia laughed. "I am a girl and didn't even know what was going on half the time in high school."

Dylan laughed with her. "Hey, do you have plans for tomorrow night?"

"No. Why?"

"I think it's time we do have that date I mentioned."

Cassia grinned, even as she warmed through at the thought of going on a real date with Dylan Samuels. Not a pretend one where they'd be worried about everyone watching them. "What did you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet, but how about I come pick you up at seven?"

"Sounds great."

They chatted for a few more minutes before Cassia started yawning repeatedly. After all the excitement of the night, she was exhausted. She fell asleep, her dreams a weird mixture of hockey and shooting stars that looked like the Dallas logo.

Dylan arrived at her apartment at six fifty-three and ran into Kyle on his way up the stairs.

"Hey, Kyle. How are you?"

Kyle stopped. "All right. Look, I'm sorry about last night."

Dylan waved a hand. "Don't even worry about it, man. I'm just sorry we interrupted you."

Kyle blinked, clearly taken aback by his response.

Dylan grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "No one wants that."

After another moment, Kyle burst out laughing. "You and Cassia are so perfect for each other." He continued on his way with a wave as he disappeared out the door at the bottom of the stairs.

Dylan watched him go, feeling hot under the collar. Then he cleared his throat as he walked up the rest of the way and knocked on Cassia's door.

"Hi." She opened it with a harried smile, wrapped in nothing but a towel, her damp hair all over her shoulders.

Everything Dylan had been thinking a second ago vanished when he saw her. Pretty much every thought he'd ever had went up in smoke.

"I'm sorry. Work ran late and I just got home twenty minutes ago." She turned to walk away. "Come on in. I'll be just a few minutes, I promise."

She disappeared down the hall before he had even walked inside. His heart started to pound as he turned and closed the door. What he wanted to do was lock the door, follow Cassia to her room, and yank that towel off her body. He didn't think he had the courage for that. Instead, he listened to the sounds of her moving around her room, her closet opening, something else banging, and her muffled oath that followed. All the while, he paced through her living room, alternately staring out the window and checking her collection of books and movies on the shelf.

He ended up on the couch, his head thrown back against the cushions and his eyes closed. He could still hear Cassia moving around and hoped she'd appear, fully clothed, soon, so he could stop picturing her in that damn towel.

"Dylan?"

"Yeah?"

Footsteps sounded and the couch dipped beside him. He kept his eyes closed, even as Cassia touched his arm.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm just trying to focus."

She laughed. "On what?"

He hesitated, his heart skipping a beat or two when she ran her hand down his arm until their hands were linked. Oh, to hell with it. "I'm trying to keep myself from jumping on you like a horny sixteen-year old."

When she didn't respond, he opened his eyes. She was looking at him, her lower lip caught between her teeth, and those amazing grey-green eyes dancing with amusement. "Was it the towel?"

He chuckled. "It was everything, Cassia."

Her fingers tightened around his before she ran her hand back up his arm. She played with the button at the top of his shirt. He found that he really loved it when she did that. Then it popped open and she undid the next one. When her hand slid across his bare chest, Dylan swallowed hard and put his hand over hers.

"You want me to stop?"

He shook his head, unable to look away from her perfect eyes. He wanted to never not have her close enough to touch again. But he'd come tonight with the intention of doing this right, taking her out, treating her to a great meal, making her feel special.

She shifted up onto her knees, and leaned over him, a wicked smile on her beautiful face. Her hand moved on his chest again, her fingers rubbing over his skin until he shuddered.

"Because, I can stop, if you want."

He shook his head again, incapable of words. More of his buttons parted, until his shirt was hanging open to his waist. There was no way he could disguise what was going on below his waist either. But Cassia didn't look away from his face. She continued to stroke his skin, leaning against his shoulder.

Enough of this.

Dylan lifted his hand, pushing his hand into her still-damp hair and pulled her face to his. His tongue parted her lips and she moaned into his mouth, her hands coming up to his shoulders. Her surprise dissolved as he took the kiss deeper, and he dropped a hand to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer.

Every single one of her curves felt incredible and she was so warm and soft in his arms. One of her legs slid over his until she sat in his lap, her fingers sliding into his hair, the scrape of her nails on his scalp making him shiver.

He pulled back, breathing hard, and stared into her flushed face.

"What?"

He shook his head. "I was just thinking... we're on the couch."

Cassia laughed and nodded, looking around them. "We are. I can keep a secret if you can."

Dylan followed her glance and shook his head. "No. We should get up."

Her smile dimmed but she pushed off of him, rising to her feet. He could see that she would have walked away but he grabbed her arm and headed down the hall. She let out a breathless little laugh that he loved and followed as they walked into her room. Dylan slammed the door and turned, hauling Cassia into his arms.

No, the couch just wouldn't cut it. Not this time.

Inside the privacy of her room, he didn't hesitate. He kissed her, drinking in all the little moans she let out and sliding his hands up and down her sides until he had her ass in his hands. She felt so good pressed against him. In another few seconds, Dylan felt his knees shake and he turned, pressing her back against her bed.

Their kiss broke with a gasp, and Cassia stared at him. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed, and those amazing lips were damp from his kisses. Dylan brushed her hair back over her shoulders and moved his hands down to the hem of her shirt. He lifted it without a word, and she raised her arms, letting him slide the shirt right off over her head. Not looking away from her eyes, he undid the button on her jeans before hooking his thumbs over the waist and pushing them down her legs.

That she was letting him do this was as much of a turn-on as her kisses. He wrapped his arms around her again, brushing her lips with his until she teased him back with her tongue.

"Get on the bed."

She blinked, and he could only assume she was as surprised as he was by the command. She did as he asked, pulling herself into the center of the bed, while Dylan watched and kicked his shoes off. Then he followed, reaching for her bra, divesting her of it as fast as he could. Her giddy laugh was stopped by another kiss and he let himself sink into her, his hand running up and down her naked side to the only strip of clothing left on her. Taking hold of one side of her panties, he pulled and sat back on his knees as he slid the fabric down her legs. Then he tossed them over the side of the bed, and looked his fill. He stared at every inch of her, starting with her toes, and traveling up her legs, his mind and everything stalling out when he got a little higher.

"What are you staring at?"

His eyes darted to her face, which was pink. He leaned over her, putting his hands to either side of her head.

"You're beautiful." He may have a degree in literature but at the moment, words failed him.

Her eyes dropped and she bit her lip. He kissed her face, her cheeks, her nose and the corner of her mouth before she turned her head to catch his lips with hers. He obliged, for the moment. He wanted to keep on kissing her for a good long while. But he also wanted to see what she'd do if he kissed other parts of her.

The thought drew his attention away from her luscious mouth and down her throat as she lifted her chin. He reached her chest and spent a moment just stroking one hand around the curve of each breast. The more he touched her, the heavier her breathing became, and the more she trembled under him.

It was a heady feeling. Cassia wasn't shy or restrained. She spoke her mind, she knew what she wanted, and he was just lucky that it was him.

His circling caresses brought his touch closer to the taut nipple in the center and he bent his head, licking in circles while she arched off the bed.

"Jesus, Dylan..."

He grinned, doing it again and again until she had her hands clenched in his hair. He lifted his head, still laving one delicious nipple as he did. She looked down at him, her eyes dark.

"You have too many clothes on."

"Naw." He sucked hard for a second, loving the reaction he got. "You just have too little on."

She laughed, a weak, breathless sound, that had him moving his mouth lower. He trailed kisses down her stomach to her navel, and placed a gentle love bite to the curve of her hips. She jerked in his hold, one leg coming up to brush against him. He looked up at her face as he pushed that leg aside and slid lower.

He stroked his tongue from the bottom to the very top, ready to die of happiness at the sheer taste of her. She was so warm, so silky sweet in his mouth, that he was a mass of sensation and he hadn't even taken a single piece of clothing off. When he licked her again, pausing to swirl his tongue around that singular spot, Cassia let out a cry and her hand came down on his head as she twisted away from him.

"Cassia?"

"Oh God, Dylan." She covered her face with both hands, her shoulders shaking.

Terrified that he'd done something wrong, Dylan moved up and gently pulled her hands from her face. "What's wrong?"

She wasn't upset though. She was laughing. "I'm just..." she paused to catch her breath. "This is going very fast."

Dylan squeezed his eyes shut, feeling like an ass. He rolled to his back beside her, flinging an arm over his face. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed."

"What?" She sat up beside him but he couldn't look at her. So long as she was naked, he wasn't sure he could control himself. "No, Dylan. That's not what I meant."

When he didn't move his arm, she pulled it away, her mouth curved in an impish grin. "Dylan, stop. I just meant that I wasn't expecting this from you so soon."

Dylan felt his ears heating and let out a short laugh. "Neither was I. I guess we both underestimated your powers."

"My powers?" She threw herself down on his chest, still naked and feeling incredible. "What powers?"

As she spoke, she played with the first button on his open shirt. He swallowed when she moved on to run her fingers across his chest. He held her around her waist as she worked her way down his shirt, parting it and sliding a hand over his stomach. His muscles jumped at her touch and she made a contented little noise that he quite enjoyed.

"I like having special powers." She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his chest, just below his collarbone, then another, closer to his chin, all while her hand stroked his stomach, slow strokes, up and down. "Special powers over a hockey player, no less."

As she bent to kiss his neck again, Dylan caught her against his chest, holding her tight. Yes, she had special powers. The kind that made him feel like he could do anything in the world, all because she let him do them to her.

Using his weight, he rolled her onto her back again and loomed over her. He grinned when he saw her eyes widen as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it over his shoulder. He lowered himself, nudging her thighs apart with his shoulders, until he was back where he wanted to be.

"Now, where were we?"

They were in her bed, and she was stark naked. And Cassia couldn't believe what Dylan -- shy, unlucky with women, Dylan -- had done to her with his mouth. She stayed there, trying to catch her breath while Dylan stood up beside the bed, his hands working at his belt, his hungry gaze never moving from hers.

She watched him as he pushed his pants down and stepped out of them. Then she pushed herself up to her knees and threw her arms around him as he stood at the edge of the bed. His mouth came down on hers, their tongues gliding against each other.

Shy Dylan no longer. The thought made her grin and he pulled back to look into her eyes.

"What are you smiling at?"

She shrugged one shoulder, loving the way their bare chests felt against each other. "Everything, Samuels."

He chuckled, a deep sound that made her shiver. She was rapidly discovering there were many ways he made her shiver, the most recent being what he'd just done to her. At the memory, she felt heat rush to her face and she pressed her cheek to his shoulder.

He stroked her hair with one hand, his other holding her around her bare waist. Between them, she could feel the evidence of his desire, still wholly at attention.

Could this be happening? Had they really gone from the occasional conversation over pie to full-bodied need and heated desperation in less than two months?

Dylan brought her face to his, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss that made her ache for more. As if sensing the need in her, he dropped his other hand to her leg and tossed her onto her back on the bed.

She laughed but was silenced when he crawled over her, spreading her legs with his body as he did. Her breath caught when she felt the hard ridge of him brushing against her overheated core. He slid a hand along her thigh, pushing her leg to one side and stroking a finger along the back of her knee.

"Dylan..." Cassia didn't even care that she sounded like she was begging. She was. She wanted this, wanted him, so much more than she ever thought she would.

Gone was the uncertainty and boyish charm. He was all man as he took hold of her wrists and pinned them to the bed beside her head. He pressed his mouth over hers, stealing her breath and rubbing his entire body along the length of hers. Cassia twisted beneath him, loving the way he held her down and took control. She loved his lips on hers and the taste of him, as much as she loved the way he brought a hand between them to stroke her, driving her to the edge with just a few moves.

Then he was inside of her, driving every coherent thought from her mind. She cried out at the first, full rush of sensation as he drove in, pulled back, and thrust again. He released her arms to brace himself over her and she clung to his neck, arching off the bed like a bow. He dropped his head, his hot breath on her neck before he kissed her there, drawing his tongue up to her ear, where he clamped his lips around her ear lobe.

Cassia moaned, turning her head to one side, not sure if she wanted to escape the overwhelming feelings he was giving her or beg for more. He was turning her inside out. Dylan trailed kisses along her jaw, stopped to nibble on her lower lip before he grasped her thigh and lifted it, pushing himself deeper inside. Their lips met again in an explosive kiss, as she dug her nails into his shoulders. Her climax shot through her veins and she cried out, twisting in his arms, trying to catch her breath.

He pressed her down into the bed, moving faster, sliding back and forth, prolonging the dizzying sensations. His mouth was open on the skin of her neck and he was breathing hard, a second before he came apart in her arms. A groan wrenched out of him and his hold on her thigh became almost bruising.

Cassia gasped when he turned his head and kissed her neck. She felt so sensitive, over every inch of her skin, and wondered if she'd ever feel like herself again.

After what may have been hours, Dylan moved off of her, flopping onto his back, his chest heaving. Cassia stayed where she was, rolling her head to look at him. He turned his face to her and they grinned, identical sated, silly grins.

He rubbed a hand over his stomach and Cassia watched the motion with avid interest. The man was a work of art. Those abs, that broad chest, and those arms... she now knew how strong he was, and she didn't mind letting him take over. Not at all. Her heart skipped a few beats at the thought. How could she possibly want more already?

At the sound of his voice, she met his eyes again. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Cassia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The thought of having to drag herself up and get dressed so they could go for dinner was almost painful.

Dylan reached out and pulled her to his side, bending his head to kiss her forehead. "Why don't we order in?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, falling in love with him in that instant, and scaring the life out of herself in the process. "Dylan Samuels, you are my hero."

He chuckled, kissed her again, and slid off the bed to search for his phone. She eyed his backside and bit her lip as she pressed her face into a pillow.

Get a hold of yourself, woman.

He sat on the edge of the bed, tapping on his phone while reaching his other hand out to stroke her backside. "What do you feel like? Chinese?"

"How about pizza? Kyle and I ordered Chinese a few days ago."

"Sure. What's the nearest place?"

Cassia told him and he called the number that came up on the website. After a few minutes, the pizza was on its way, and Cassia dragged herself out of bed. She walked over to the closet, feeling Dylan's eyes on her the entire way.

He continued to watch her as she pulled on sweatpants and a tank top. "Why are you getting dressed?"

She turned to him with a smile and crossed to stand between his legs. "Because we can't answer the door without clothes on."

Dylan nodded. "Good point." He didn't move to get dressed himself, instead wrapping his arms around her middle. "This wasn't exactly what I had planned for our first date."

Cassia laughed and draped her arms on his shoulders, her fingers playing in his hair. "No? This is exactly how I pictured it."

"Seriously?"

She laughed again at his expression. "Well, it's how I pictured it ending, at least."

"I see." His eyebrows shot up. "If I'd known that, I'd have asked you out the first day we met."

"Gawd, all you guys are the same, aren't you? It's all about sex."

Dylan nodded, his smile wry. "Yup. It's all I care about. That's why I've had more pie than I should, and went to that cookout with you, and gave you this..." He lifted the tiny pie from her chest. "All I wanted was to get in your pants." As he said that last, he pushed the elastic waist of her sweatpants down, planting hot kisses to the skin he revealed on the way.

Cassia smiled as she looked down at him, barely keeping herself from crawling onto his lap. "Well, it worked. You got in my pants."

When he looked up again, his blue eyes were full of mirth and he rose to his feet, wrapping her in his arms. "Technically, I didn't get into your pants. I got you out of them."

"You really want to argue semantics?"

He shook his head. "No. I really want to do it again."

She grinned until his stomach emitted a loud rumble, making them both laugh. "Soon, Dylan. Very soon."

"Unless Kyle comes back."

Cassia shook her head. "He's working the late shift. He won't be home until one or two in the morning."

"Excellent." Dylan kissed her. "That gives me plenty of time."

"Plenty of time for what?"

"Two or three repeats."

Cassia's eyes widened and Dylan kissed her again. "At least."

"I'm impressed, Samuels."

"Not yet." His hold dropped to her butt and he squeezed. "But you will be."

When he released her, she let out a breathless laugh. Leaving him to put on his clothes, she walked down the hall, her mind reeling.

A short while later, they snuggled up together on the couch, watching some movie that neither of them paid much attention to.

Cassia loved how she fit against his chest while they sat, his chin brushing her forehead when he spoke.

"What were your plans for tonight anyway?" She trailed her fingers over his chest and down his stomach.

He made some noise in his throat and put his hand to her wrist to stop her movements. "What?"

She let out a soft laugh. It was his own fault for leaving his shirt hanging open. She tilted her head back to look at him. "Your plans? For our date?"

"I'm going to keep it to myself for now. Might still surprise you some other time."

She pressed her cheek to his chest. "You surprised me tonight." And she'd surprised herself, with the revelation of her feelings the last thing she'd have expected.

His arms tightened around her. "I think I'm ready to surprise you again."

She laughed and continued to laugh, until he picked her up, carried her to bed, and got in her pants.
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