Icebreaker: A Novel (The Maple Hills Series Book 1)

HOW THE FUCK am I in more trouble than Henry?

She’s stomping around naked getting ready for bed, ignoring my existence. I can only imagine how she must be feeling, knowing once again Aaron is in the center of another fucking disaster.

I don’t even know what he said this time. Henry’s right though, I’m pissed because I should have done something weeks ago. I see why Anastasia wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, allow him room to grow and be the friend she believes he can be.

From the stories she’s shared about their friendship and the good times with him, I can understand her reluctance to cut him off. The problem I have is I know what he says behind her back, and she doesn’t. I made a choice, rightly or wrongly, and I’ve kept it to myself.

I’m selfish; I don’t want to be the one she associates with the hurt she’s going to feel. I don’t want to see her face drop when she realizes just how much of a prick the guy is.

Stassie was fast asleep in my lap when I heard the signature sound of shit going down. Fighting isn’t normally something we have to deal with at our parties; we all have enough of it during games, we don’t need that kind of shit in our downtime too.

Now we have Anastasia and Sabrina around all the time, the urge to keep the peace is much bigger. When I finally made it inside, Henry was pounding his fist into Aaron’s face, and Bobby and JJ were pulling two guys off him. I don’t even think Henry noticed they were there on him, and the second I got him off Aaron, he started on some other guy like a fucking douchebag.

I picked Aaron off the floor, not starting anything, just wanting him to leave, and he swung for me. He punches like a kid that’s never had a fight before in his life, but he got a good shot at my face and managed to split my cheek a little.

I’ve been hit harder by Sabrina when I’ve eaten the last of her favorite cereal.

Pinning him to the wall by his throat, the temptation to take out all my hatred was unbelievable. Feeling his pulse hammer beneath my fingers, my grip tightened, and his eyes locked with mine. He struggled against me as I threatened him, telling him if he ever came back here, I’d do something he’d finally have a reason to get me in trouble over.

Even in the heat of the moment, I’m not reckless enough to not see the trap Aaron was laying out. Skinner is itching to pull me up for everything; I can’t give him ammunition.

Stas huffs as she roots around my desk, moving books out of the way. Her routine is very specific, so I know she’s looking for her hairbrush, because brushing her hair comes after brushing her teeth. It’s amazing having the most predictable girl on the planet.

“I don’t mind if you’re ignoring me, Anastasia,” I tell her, watching her cute butt swish about. “Because I’m ignoring you.”

I hear a scoff, but she doesn’t bite.

“And I know where your hairbrush is, but I can’t tell you because I’m ignoring you.”

I expect her to run over here and jump on me, pin me down and demand the information. Maybe kiss it out of me? I don’t know. A guy can wish. She doesn’t though, not even close; she throws up her middle finger and keeps searching.

Her frustration is growing, so I’m biding my time, patiently waiting for her to cave. She looks over at me sprawled out on the bed, and I think she’s cracking, but instead, she works out where her hairbrush is and comes storming over.

Her hands land on her waist and her hip snaps to the side. “Stop staring at my breasts and show me your hands.”

“Hi, baby. Nice to hear your voice again.”

“I know you’re hiding it from me, and you’ve been watching me search for fifteen minutes knowing you’ve got it,” she grumbles, fighting hard to keep the smirk from her lips. She’s fighting her amusement with her frustration because she knows I’ve outsmarted her. “I hate you.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny because I’m currently ignoring you.”

She takes a step closer to me; close enough for me to grab and give her body a tug, causing her body to tumble into mine with an oompf.

“It’s behind the pillow, isn’t it?” My fingers dig into her sides until she’s squirming, squealing, and laughing, and I know I’ve got her back. “You’re so annoying.”

Her body is warm and soft against mine. She peers up at me with flushed cheeks and a relaxed smile. I brush the stray hairs from her face, kissing the tip of her nose.

She sighs and gently brushes underneath the Band-Aid on my cheek. “I don’t need you to defend me,” she whispers.

Her sassy, stubborn nature is what I’ve come to expect, but sometimes she blinds me with her vulnerability.

“I know you don’t, but you’re worth defending. Every cut, bruise, every single pang of anger or frustration. It’s all worth it. I’d throw my last punch defending you because you deserve to have someone be that person for you, and there’s no one more qualified for the job than me.”

Tears line the rim of her eyes, threatening to fall, but she blinks them away, sucking in a shaky breath. “Kiss me.”

I don’t need to be told twice, and when my lips meet hers, things don’t feel so bad. There’s something different about us, something deeper, something real. I can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now, knowing someone she cares about is betraying her trust.

“I promise I’ll tell you everything in the morning, okay?”

“Okay, bub.”

SHE’S ALREADY AWAKE when I open my eyes, and I wonder how long she’s been overthinking.

Promising to tell her everything is one of the things on my mind too. Her head is buried in my chest, legs intertwined with mine, and I’m not sure how I’m ever expected to wake up alone again.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

“The showerhead in your bathroom.”

My eyebrow raises. “Why?”

“High pressure. It’s my favorite.”

Finally realizing what she’s talking about, I climb out of bed, dragging her with me. Laughing loudly, I slap my hand down on her ass as she giggles away. She didn’t bother putting on clothes last night, so I dump her straight in the shower, under the warm spray, while I take off my boxers, stepping in beside her.

“Leg,” I say, tapping below my chest. She leans against the wall and looks up at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes, effortlessly lifting her leg. I grab the showerhead from the wall and turn it on, making sure the stream is on the most powerful setting. “Ready?”

She nods, teeth sinking into her bottom lip, hands running down my chest. I point the spray between her thighs, my own chest heaving with anticipation as her eyes roll back.

“Oh.” She moans, her fingers sinking into my skin. It doesn’t take long because the pressure is so intense. Her back begins to arch and she grips me tighter; I know she’s there, so I move the showerhead away and watch her face drop as her orgasm dwindles away.

She doesn’t say anything after a whine leaves her lips, which I’m pretty sure was involuntary, so I put the showerhead back, a bit farther away this time, and move it in tiny circles. “Nathan…” 

“Yes, baby?”

Her nails scrape below my belly button, sending a shudder up my spine. Her head is tilted back, mouth searching for mine. I grip her throat with my free hand and tug at her bottom lip with my teeth. She’s almost there again, her leg is shaking against my chest, voice desperate. “Please let me come.”

“Uh.” I move the showerhead away again. “No.”

“You’re torturing me,” she whines as I once again point the stream of water toward her clit and let her orgasm build. Finally tired of the anticipation, I let her leg drop to the floor and she whimpers. “Nate, please fuck me.”

“But I thought it was your favorite?”

Her arms link around my neck as she creeps onto her tiptoes. “I don’t like anything more than I like you. You’re my favorite.”

I scoop her up and turn off the shower, reaching for a towel to wrap around her as I step out. The second I lower her onto the bed, she rolls onto her front and sticks her ass in the air, cheek resting against the bed, head turned to watch me. How did I get so fucking lucky?

“I’m about ten seconds from getting back in the shower, Hawkins. Alone.” She hums, ass swaying side to side impatiently.

I slowly crawl toward her on the bed, taking my time, ignoring the arm that reaches out to make me move quicker.

“Such a pretty pussy, Anastasia,” I praise, running my cock between her folds, watching the goose bumps spread across her back when the tip nudges her.

“Hurry up and fuck it then.” She sighs when I line myself up. “Please.”

“So impatient,” I coo, holding onto her hips tightly as I plunge into her, gasping at how wet she is.

My eyes roll to the back of my head as she grips me so fucking tight. She starts backing up on me, her plump ass slapping off my hips as she fucks herself, breathy moans as she cries out.

“Shit, you’re perfect.” I groan, head falling back.

I sit back onto the heels of my feet and pull her body flush against mine, letting her sink down onto every inch.

“You’re too big.” Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Findɴovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“You can take it, though.”

I’m close. I’m so fucking close. The sound of her skin slapping against mine is second only to hearing her moan my name and seeing her play with her tits. I slip my hand between her legs and rub her swollen clit, using my other hand to tilt her head toward me. “Are you going to come for me?”

“Ahh.”

“Whose girl are you?”

Her eyes lock with mine, taking my breath away. “Yours.”

“That’s right, baby,” I coo proudly. “I’m almost there…”

She must see it as a challenge, because her movements become sloppy and rough as she slams herself down hard over and over. Her body is shaking, arms reaching behind her to sink into my hair and tug tightly. Then every inch of her tightens and she practically screams, “Nathan, oh my, oh fuck—”

That’s all I needed for her to tip me over the edge; my balls tighten and I fucking explode inside her, sweaty forehead falling to her shoulder.

I don’t want to let her go, but I have to because, as unbelievable as coming inside of her is, it’s messy and kind of ruins the moment.

“You gonna get me a warm cloth like they do in romance novels?” she teases.

“I can offer you some toilet paper and maybe a wet wipe if I have any.”

Tutting playfully, she awkwardly stands from the bed and waddles toward the bathroom as my cum runs down the inside of her thigh. “I’m going to start making you wear condoms again. You’re getting too big for your boots.”

“Stop telling me I have a big dick if you don’t want me to have a big ego!” I shout after her, smiling at the laughter that comes out of the bathroom. After she’d cleaned herself up, Stassie wanted to get back into bed and cuddle. Who am I to say no to that?

“So what does being your girl entail?” she asks carefully, finger tracing patterns on my chest.

I think about it for a minute, knowing how carefully I need to play this without fucking it all up. “It’s basically everything you already are and do, I just get to call you my girl without fear of scaring you off.”

“And what do I call you? I can’t call you my boy, that’s just weird.”

“You could call me that…or your boyfriend. Or whatever you want, whatever makes your little commitmentphobe heart feel comfortable.”

She’s quiet for a little longer than I’d like.

“It doesn’t matter what you call me, Stassie. Titles don’t matter because I get you regardless. I know I’m a bit full-on and I joke, but I want you to know I’ve never done this before either. I’ve never had a girlfriend and I’ve never committed to anyone. Three months doesn’t seem like a long time, but I’m a guy who knows when he’s sure. I’m sure about you.”

“I’m sure about you too,” she whispers, running her thumb across the cut on my cheek. “I know things have been messy and chaotic, and I’m grateful you’ve stuck with me through it all.”

I scratch at my stubble awkwardly. “I, uh, I think I’ve been to blame for a lot of the mess and the chaos, to be honest, baby. So I’m grateful you’ve stuck with me through it all.”

She’s quiet and pensive, but I just let her, giving her time with her thoughts. I’m starting to doze off when she clears her throat, “I’m ready to hear what’s been said about me. Can we get Henry?”

I’ve been dreading this, which is why I was willing to fool around earlier. She was clearly looking for a distraction, too, but maybe knowing will do her good. “Of course, I’ll go get him. Maybe put some pants on so he can, y’know, cope.”

She hits me softly on the arm and laughs. “I think we’re all underestimating Henry.”

I think she’s right.