Breaking the Ice by Esme Taylor
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Hettie
I always loved coming to the Bookshop on the Corner. It’s more like a book cave. I guess you could say it makes my inner book geek very happy. Every nook, cranny, and surface had books filling them. Lou always took great care in making sure she stocked local and independent authors who’d self-published alongside the popular, mainstream books.
After locating and purchasing my new copies of all Spenser’s books, as well as three other random ones that had caught my eye and the map I needed to plot out any secret mentions of our coastline I found during my research, I settled down in a comfy red leather armchair in the corner.
I placed my new books and the map on the small table next to me and pulled a notebook from my bag so that I could take notes. Lou, who was training her new employee, saw me when I came in. Since she was too busy to talk and I needed to get started on my research, I told her I’d find a corner and she could come and find me when she had a few moments.
◆◆◆
I didn’t know how much time had passed as I read through Spenser’s first book, making notes about the details. The book was about a man, desperate to find his true love. He dreamed about her every night, but he could never see her face and he didn’t know where to find her. One night she talked to him in a dream. She told him that she was waiting for him ‘somewhere up high, where the sky touches the sea and wishes fall into the water’.
Our hero awoke early the next day, leaving his house, his farm, and his life behind in search of his true love. The man walked for weeks until, on the edge of exhaustion, he found himself standing on a high cliff looking out over the sea. That’s when the words from his dream came flooding back.
This must be where the sky touches the sea. But where do wishes fall into the water?, he wondered. Searching frustratedly, he found nothing.
He sank to the ground next to a giant oak tree and closed his eyes, dreaming once again of his faceless love who whispered to him throughout the long, cold night.
When he woke the next morning, the sea was flat, and it was hard to see where it ended and the sky began. But as he looked out, he noticed a tall shape he hadn’t seen yesterday. As he neared the cliff’s edge, he realized it was a well. A place where wishes fall into the water, he thought, throwing the only thing he had in his pockets into the deep walls––a priceless gold coin. He listened closely as his wish hit the water.
Our hero waited for his one true love to appear for the next ten years, but nothing happened. Screaming at the sky in frustration, he claimed that true love didn’t exist and blamed the gods for his heartbreak. And just like gods liked to do, they responded with a tremendous storm.
Thunder and lightning crashed all around him, as giant waves smashed onto the beach near where our hero lived. He watched helplessly as boats crashed into the rocks, breaking them like tiny wooden toys.
Suddenly, he saw the body of a woman in the shallow waves and ran in to save her. He pulled her to the safety of the beach, pushed her long wet hair from her face, and––well, you can figure out the rest.
Five years after the man and his one true love had met in the storm they were walking together on that very same beach with their three children, when his youngest pulled a solid gold coin from the sand.
He ran, excited to show his papa what he’d found. The man immediately recognized it as the one he’d offered to the gods all those years ago. When he turned it over, his wife’s name and the names of their three children were written on the other side. He gasped, showing his wife.
‘I told you we were written in the stars by the gods. I would have walked the earth and waited a lifetime to find you.’
◆◆◆
I pulled the book into my chest and sighed. That last sentence always got me. It just goes to show that even when love feels lost or unobtainable, all you need to do is trust that it’s coming. After all, according to Spenser Johansson, all of our stories are written in the stars.
If only it were that easy, my pessimistic mind countered. If only you could write your own love story and have it become reality. The thought was intriguing. Maybe I should write my own happy ending into a book and see if it comes true. I laughed at the ridiculousness of my thoughts.
Grabbing my highlighter, I began making notes in the book that might help me to identify if it was based on our local area. I mean, a wishing well on the edge of a cliff couldn’t possibly be that common, could it?
Now that I was reading the story again, it felt so much more familiar. And not just because I’d read it before. There was something in the tone and the setting that made me feel at home. I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed it before.
An hour later, the book was littered with notes of places I thought sounded local. Exhausted and in desperate need of a glass of wine, I packed my bag with my notes, books, and the map, and went to hunt for Lou.
◆◆◆
“Can you keep a secret?” Lou asked quietly, staring into her glass of wine as we sat at our favorite bar in town, enjoying more than a couple of drinks. We had been having a great time laughing about her newfound weekend freedom.
“Of course. Do you have gossip, Lou? Tell all.”
“I mean it. You can’t tell anyone. Not even Heather or Max. And definitely not Reid, Promise?”
I nodded, taking a sip of my wine, waiting for her to speak. Lou is normally an open book, so hearing her say she has a secret is kind of a big deal.
“I think I might have met Billy before.” She paused a moment, waiting for my reaction. Rather than saying anything, I simply looked at her wide-eyed while waiting for her to tell me more.
“Do you remember the masquerade ball last year at Thomas’ grand opening? You know, the pirate, the lift, the night?” she asked, blushing at the memory of that evening.
Of course, I remembered. Thomas had thrown a party to celebrate the opening of Lanton House and there was a problem with the electrics. Lou, dressed as a very hot-looking Red Riding Hood, was stuck in an elevator for hours with an unknown man dressed as an equally hot pirate. According to her, they ended up having the most amazing, mind-blowing night of her life. The only problem was neither of them had removed their masks. Which meant she had no idea who he was. He’d left a real mark on her, and she’d not been able to forget about him. In fact, she hadn’t been with anyone since.
I nodded.
“It was Billy.”
I gasped, having not seen that one coming. “What? Your perfect pirate night was with Billy? Reid’s Billy? Boxer Billy. How do you know?”
Lou laughed. “I’ve replayed that night over and over in my head. Way too many times to count. I mean, it’s in the bank for those lonely nights when it’s just me and my vibrator. His voice, his smell, the scar on his wrist, his lips… it’s him, I just know it. The problem is that I don’t know what to do about it, now that I know who it is.” She drained her wine, and I leaned in for a hug.
“I mean, do I tell him who I am? What if he doesn’t want to recreate the magic? What if I’ve built it up in my head and we do it again and it’s not as perfect? What if he thinks I’m easy because I make out with strangers? Or worse yet, what if I’m wrong?”
“And what if it’s better?” I countered. “What if he wants you and just couldn’t find out who you were? What if he’s your Happily Ever After? Lou, you need to go get your man. You’ve not been able to stop thinking about him for a year. Perhaps this is fate’s way of giving you both a second chance. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you’re afraid.”
Blimey, I’ve spent way too much time today reading love stories, I inwardly groaned.
“You deserve a happy ending, Lou. You deserve someone to love you for you. Or, at the very least, you deserve a few more hot nights you’ll never forget,” I added as I kissed her on her cheek.
“You’re right! I can’t be that close to him again and not tell him who I am. My nipples were so hard from just sitting near him last night. I legitimately thought I’d take someone’s eye out.” I burst into laughter because it was such a Lou thing to say.
“That’s what I like to hear. Now, go get your pirate. And I promise I won’t say a word about this to anyone. However, I want an update when you’ve finally talked to him.” I glanced at my phone and noted the time. “Right, well, I best get home and hope I don’t get murdered in my own bed,” I half joked with a nervous smile.
“Call me if you need me, Hets.” I laughed because I knew she would be the last person I would call in a crisis. I’d be dead before she even got to me. She’d have to put her makeup on and check her hair before she even left the house, but I loved her for offering.
◆◆◆
When I finally got back home, my mind was spinning. Everything from my week with Reid, to the wine I’d drank, to my day spent in romance novels had me completely exhausted. But not so much that I didn’t want to speak to the one person who had been on my mind all day.
He answered on the first ring.
“Etta, are you okay?” Reid’s low voice reverberated through the phone, awakening the army of butterflies that had taken up residence in my stomach.
“I’m good, Viking. I just wanted to hear your voice. Did you have a good day?”
“I managed to get some work done, but I’ve missed spending time with you. Fuck, I wish I was inside you right now.” His words made me instantly wet.
“Etta, switch me to a video call,” he demanded. I did as instructed, his face popping up on the screen of my phone. Although I loved seeing him, his face on my tiny screen just wasn’t enough. I needed him with me.
“Reid….” Before I could say anything else, he spoke, cutting me off.
“Take off your clothes, Etta. I want to see you.” His firm tone told me that he had no intention of taking no for an answer. I should have been nervous or embarrassed, but I wasn’t. In fact, I was excited.
Leaning my phone against the fruit bowl that was sitting on the table in front of me, I stood and peeled off my clothes while standing in the middle of my living room, leaving me in just my underwear. My mouth watered as I watched him do the same… only he wasn’t wearing underwear.
Seeing his cock standing at attention between his thick thighs did something to me. I licked my lips, remembering the taste and feel of him in my mouth. I watched with bated breath as Reid propped his phone up on something so I could see all of him when he leaned back on the sofa.
I felt the rush of arousal pool between my legs as I watched him.
“Take off your bra,” he instructed. Without hesitation, I reached behind my back to undo the clasps, allowing it to fall to the floor. “I wish I was there so that I could make your nipples hard.”
“What, like this?” I replied as I rubbed my hands over my breasts, pulling and twisting my nipples.
“Fuck, Etta.”
“You like? Why don’t show me how turned on you are, Viking? I want to see you touch yourself.” I was shocked by how brazen I was being, but I was also loving this newfound confidence.
“Touch yourself. I want to watch you, Reid,” I repeated.
As I watched this beautiful man touch himself for me, I fell a little further. The way he trusted me and was willing to do anything to make me happy… I’d never felt like this before. Slipping my hand into my cotton panties, I ran my fingers over my swollen bundle of nerves while watching Reid palm his erection with one hand, the other thrown over his head in a relaxed position.
I watched as Reid’s strokes increased, his breathing growing more erratic. I circled and flicked my clit with my fingers, my pace quickening as that familiar sweet sensation began to build. I closed my eyes, desperate to be in his arms.
“Fuck, Etta, you’re stunning. Show me how wet you are for me.”
I slipped my finger inside myself and gasped at how wet I was. He wasn’t even in the same room as me, but my body was reacting as if he were. Pulling my finger out, I proceeded to rub the wetness over my nipple. A low groan fell from his lips as my nipples hardened even more in response.
“Imagine that’s me, Etta. Imagine it’s my hands, my cock, and my tongue claiming your body.” I bit my bottom lip as I continued to circle my clit, my stomach tightening as my orgasm built.
“I can’t wait to be inside you tomorrow. But for now, I want to watch you fall apart before I cum all over myself.” His words pushed me over the edge, and with my eyes fixated on the screen of my phone, I came hard while standing in my living room wearing only my panties. I moaned his name while watching him keep his promise, covering those perfect abs in his pleasure.
◆◆◆
Once we had both recovered from our phone sex… a first for both of us, it turned out, Reid put his phone on speaker while cleaning himself up. Making my way into the bedroom, I quickly changed into my pink sleep shorts and vest top before returning to the video call. I yawned as I climbed into bed with my phone, laying it on the pillow as if he were there with me.
“Etta?”
“Mhhhmm,” I mumbled, exhaustedly.
“Do you have to do this again anytime soon? Nights away from each other? I’m not a big fan. You’re meant to be with me. And that’s exactly where I want you.”
“I’m not really a fan either, Viking. Let’s avoid them at all costs. Besides, I miss your giant arms around me.”
“Is that all you miss, Etta?”
“How about I show you all the things I’ve missed when I see you tomorrow?”
“Is that a promise?”
“Absolutely,” I murmured as another yawn escaped me.
As I was falling asleep I’m sure I heard him speak, but I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming. “I can’t wait to have you back where you belong, Etta. With me.”
I must have been dreaming.