Ice Dreams Part 2 (13 page)

Authors: Melissa Johns

Madison
arrived back at her apartment around four thirty. She decided that she wanted to buy some new clothes. She hopped into the shower and shaved her legs. She ran her body lotion up and down her wet, bare skin as she finished getting ready for her dinner with Mike.

She wrapped the towel around herself as she walked into her bedroom. She opened her shopping bags and removed the new pair of cotton shorts and strapless tank top. She found the strappy heels to complete the outfit.

She finished getting dressed as she heard the knock on her door. When she opened it, Mike stood staring at her. “Wow.”

Madison
looked at him. “Is it ok? I wasn’t sure where you were taking me.”

“It’s perfect. You look stunning.”

She smiled as she grabbed her purse and left the apartment. She followed him down the stairs and out to his car. “What’s the plan for tonight?”

“I thought I would take you into town to this small beach bar. I think you will love it.”

She nodded. “Sounds great, I’m looking forward to it.”

Mike smirked. “I’m going out on a limb
Madison and say that you normally don’t wear an outfit like that.”

She looked over at him. “Why would you say that?”

He smiled. “Because you seem like a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl. Don’t get me wrong, you look hot! But, I think there is more to the story.”

“I’m sick of people thinking I’m weak. I moved here for a reason, to start my life. Well, I’m starting. Tonight.”

“I’m honored that I will be on your arm tonight and fighting away every single man who looks at you.”

She laughed. “I doubt it will come to that.”

He shook his head as he parked his car. “You need to find your confidence. Come on, I will prove it to you.”

They entered the restaurant and Mike pulled out her chair for her. She looked over the small bar and fell in love with the place. “It’s so rustic, I love it.”

“My friend owns it. I thought we could eat dinner and then head out onto the deck for a drink.”

She nodded as she looked through the menu. The waitress came over and read off the specials. Mike ordered the calms and she ordered the shrimp dinner. They talked about her family and she could tell that he was avoiding the Hunter topic.

The waitress delivered the food as she placed a drink in front of her. “It’s from the man at the bar.”

Madison
looked over and spotted an older man holding his glass towards her and smiling. She looked back at Mike as he grinned. “I told you.”

She shook her head. She pushed the drink aside as she ate her dinner. They continued to talk about his ex-girlfriend and how he ended up at the beach.
Madison enjoyed talking to him. It made her forget about her issues that waited for her at home.

The waitress cleared their plates and Mike paid the bill. He took her hand and led her out onto the patio. He ordered drinks for both of them as she looked around. She spotted gazes from several men that stood around her. Maybe everyone was right, maybe all she needed was a little confidence.

She looked back at Mike as he laughed. “What is so funny?”

“I see that expression on your face. I know you see all the glances in your direction.” He stopped and faced her. “If Hunter doesn’t see what he has in front of him. He’s crazy, plain and simple.”

“Maybe it is time for me to do something crazy.”

He looked concerned. “Like what? Please don’t strip and run around naked.”

She laughed. “I’m not crazy, Mike. I have never done anything out of the box. I’ve never lost my mind for that one second and threw caution to the wind.”

He grinned. “Well, let’s see it. How crazy can you be?”

She looked around and bit her lower lip. Her heart raced as she turned towards him and touched her lips with his. She could feel that she had taken him by surprise but slowly the kiss melted. He moved closer to her and sent his hand into her hair. She pulled back quickly, turned bright red and ran into the restaurant to hide in the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror and groaned. She couldn’t believe that she kissed Mike, her next door neighbor who she would have to see every day until she moved. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

She heard the door open as another lady walked into the bathroom. “Honey, are you ok?”

Madison
looked up and grabbed a paper towel to wipe her eyes. She nodded. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine and that gentleman outside of the door looks concern.”

“Oh God, I can’t go back out there.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong, did he?”

Madison shook her head. “No, I did.”

The stranger grabbed another towel for her and handed it to her. “Oh honey, we all make mistakes. It can’t be that bad.”

“I kissed him.”

She laughed. “Good for you, he’s hot.”

She smiled slightly. “He’s not my boyfriend, he’s my neighbor.”

“You only live once, honey. Enjoy it.” She turned and walked into the stall.

Madison fixed her hair and grabbed her purse. She opened the door and spotted Mike leaning against the wall.

He smiled. “Maddy, the idea of doing something crazy is to enjoy it, not run away afterwards. We will need to work on that.”

She smiled. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why?” he asked. “I’m not. You are a fantastic kisser.”

“But I cheated on Hunter.”

He grabbed her hand and led her back outside to a quiet area on the patio. “You did not. He left you without saying a word about your relationship. It was a friendly kiss, that’s it. I’m not pushing you back against the wall and running my hand up your thigh…” he trailed off as his eyes darkened.

Madison blushed again as she moved away from him slightly. “Can it be our little secret for now?”

He nodded. “Whatever you want but for the record, I love your wild side.”

She looked away and smiled. She needed to call Hunter as soon as she could. When they arrived back home, Madison thanked him for dinner and went into her apartment. She took a deep breath and collapsed onto her kitchen chair. She dialed Jessie’s number and filled her in on what had happened over the past twenty four hours.

“Maddy, are you ok?”

“I don’t know. Is this what the real world feels like because I’m not ready?”

Jessie chuckled. “You are stronger than you know. Once you talk to Hunter and figure out what is going on with you guys. You can move on from there. As far as the kiss, good for you, I would have loved to see your face afterwards.”

“I was so embarrassed, Jessie. Why did I do that?”

“Because you are trying to come out of your shell, I think it’s awesome. Hell, go kiss him again.”

“You are not helping!”

“Go call Hunter and call me if you need me for anything, ok?”

“Thank you, Jessie. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She ended the call and headed to the bedroom to change into her pj’s. She curled into a ball and reached for her phone again. She dialed Hunter’s number and waited for him to pick up.

“Hey
Madison,” he stated calmly.

“Hey. What’s the west coast?”

“It’s actually nice.”

“That’s good. How are the talks going?”

“My agent is happy.”

She noticed how short his answers were. She tried to get him to open up. “Hunter, our last talk didn’t go so well. I’m not sure where we stand.”

He was silent for what felt like hours. “I don’t know, Madison. I’m not good enough for you.”

“I don’t understand! Comments like that drive me crazy. I gave you every part of me and you dumped me.”

“I never meant to hurt you. I need to figure out what’s going on with me and where I will end up.”

“You can’t expect me to sit around and wait for you to decide if you want this relationship or not!”

Hunter paused. “No, I can’t ask you for that.”

Madison
started to cry as she stared out the window. “Are we over, Hunter?”

“I think we need to take some to see where our paths go.”

She chuckled. “So in other words, yes.” She got up and walked around the room. “See you around, Hunter.” She threw her phone across the room and stormed out onto the patio.

She sat down and put her head into her hands. She cried. She had given everything to him and now she’s in pieces.

“Hey, you ok?”

She looked up at Mike and shook her head. “He’s done with me.”

“Did he say that?”

“He needs to see where our paths will end up. I gave him every part of myself and he deserted me.”

Mike sighed and continued to look at her. “Maddy, let him work out his issues and he will come back to you. He will never find someone else like you.”

“Stop trying to cheer me up.”

He laughed. “Sorry, I’m a bastard like that. You will be ok, Madison. Believe me. It hurts right now but it will get better. This will make you a stronger person and when he returns maybe you will work it out.”

She stood up and opened the patio door. “I will see you around, thanks for listening.”

“Anytime Maddy, just knock on my door if you need me,” he said as he walked away.

She decided to head to bed. When she woke up in the morning, she would start her new job and continue to plan the big wedding. If Hunter wanted to shy away from their relationship then she would just have to win him back.

Story to be continued in ICE DREAMS PART 3