Page 51 of When Love Takes The Ice

I hear Mads squeal next to me.

“Shit, I’m sorry.” I step back, looking at the redheaded woman who looks like she’s set to ball-bust any man within a ten-mile radius. She radiates that ‘don’t fuck with me’ kind of attitude in her black pantsuit, hair piled on her head, and thick-rimmed glasses. I can tell she means business, whoever she is.

“Tess!” Mads gasps next to me.

I guess I’m about to find out.

“Maddison.” Tess is eyeing me suspiciously, and I make no attempt to let go of her hand.

“Tess, this is um…” She looks up at me, and I smile, it soon turns into a grin as I look at Tess.

“I’m the new guy,” I say, sticking out my free hand, and her eyes round at the sounds of that.

“And I’m her boss, Tess Lane,” she offers, shaking my hand.

“Tess, this is Ashton. Ashton, this is Tess,” Mads says, finding her voice when I give her hand another squeeze.

There will be questions for sure, and I’m happy to answer every single one.

CHAPTER 11

Maddison

I stand there, agape. We’ve clearly both lost our minds, but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to resist him or what to say to my boss, who is now standing in front of us with a wide-spread grin.

I’m sure Tess has more than an idea about what has caused the flush in my cheeks. I expect it isn’t hard to grasp with someone like Ashton standing next to me. Though, I very much doubt she would suspect I’d just been dry-humping him in the room down the hallway.

I don’t know what has come over me, letting him take me into an unlocked room in the auction house where I will bid for my client’s dream home in the next fifteen minutes.

It definitely took my mind off things and left my body humming.

But still, it’s an equally good and bad start to our first meet. Good because I feel so damn alive around him, as though energy is pulsing through my veins of its own accord, and he puts me at ease effortlessly. Bad because I’m diving in head first, and I’m not usually inclined to be that way, or let a man lead me astray.

But he has the goods, and he’s funny and sweet. There is no doubting it, no escaping it. And I just had an orgasm withmy clothes on. I want to facepalm myself, thinking about being wrapped around him and jerking him off with my back pressed to the door.

“Wonderful to meet you,” Ashton says, shaking Tess’ hand.

She’s looking from him to me and back to him again, trying to get the gist.

“It’s great to meet you, too. Though, I did suspect something and now I see Maddison has certainly been keeping you a secret.” Tess feels the need to announce.

That earns me another internal facepalm.

“Is that right?” Ashton laughs, glancing down at me, his eyes shining in amusement. If that comment puts him out, he certainly doesn’t show it.

“I was keeping you all to myself a little longer.” I shrug.

He grins.

Tess shakes her head. “If we weren’t going into a bidding war for Maddison’s clients, Ashton, I would drill you for all the information under the sun.”

He laughs.

“By the way, I know my way around an ice rink.” She smirks, giving him a knowing smile. And there it is. I haven’t even said who he is. Clearly, I’m the last person to know who Ashon Rivers is when he isn’t on the ice.

“I’m happy to hear that.” Ashton grins.

It’s then I finally find my voice. “Since when?” I ask her, confused.

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