Page 39 of Ice King

The guy’s prompt response? “Go wolves.”

Almost everyone in the room laughed. They couldn’t care less which one of them was a shifter. As long as they won games.

“But I will tell you that we have a new champion in our midst with Ms. Wallace coming on board. She had a little run-in with a protestor today and the incident was caught on the news.”

Oh, he had to be kidding me. No. There was no way. Now I turned seventeen shades of crimson, heat washing over every inch of my body.

While half the team cheered, offering comments like ‘way to go,’ I was drilled by Ford’s dark stare.

The coach shook his head. “She’s a tough one so watch out for her. As far as Manitoba, we beat them then and we’re going to do it again. To do so, we need to be on our A-game. No excuses. No fights. No second guessing. Fall back on your instinct.” He caught my eye from where he stood, clearly fighting a grin. “One piece of good news to share. Our boy Ford Kendrick is off the injured list. He was cleared to play.”

There were immediate catcalls and shouts, applause from several of the players while it took Ford a few seconds longer to realize what had been said.

His face lit up in a way that made my heart sing. While the team crowded around him, I had a sense he was searching for me. I took the opportunity to slide from the room, taking a deep breath as I did. I had to admit that the energy of the players was infectious.

I headed into the massage room, eager to grab my things.

With my back to the door, I didn’t see anyone walking into the room, but I felt a presence, enough so a flash of goosebumps appeared on my forearms. For a split second, the old fear returned, the same one I had every time Hoffman had come home either unexpectedly or after he’d called, angry at something I’d said or done.

A lump formed in my stomach, growing exponentially and the periphery of my vision suddenly faded. I wasn’t given a chance to regroup before I was spun around, pulled into big strong arms, and without any additional warning, soft lips were crushed against mine.

The shock of having a stranger kiss me sent a full-scale attack from bottle rockets through my system. But it wasn’t just any stranger, but a man who’d entered my fantasy the night before. A shameful yet very sensual moment that had awakened me in the middle of the night.

I was so thrown I didn’t move right away, falling prey to the aggressive kiss that immediately turned wildly passionate.

I’d never had a man capture my soul at the same time he did my lips. He was rough at first, but the sweet moment of intimacygave way to a tender moment even as he pushed me against the wall. His hand found my cheek, holding me in place while his thumb brushed back and forth across my jaw. With the full weight of his body pressed against mine, I could clearly tell how excited he was.

His cock was long, thick, and throbbing, pressed tightly against my stomach while his tongue explored every inch of my mouth.

I found myself clenching my hand around his shirt, pulling him even closer if that was possible. His scent fueled the moment, filling my system as if the moment had turned feral. He took his time, tasting me as he would a forbidden fruit he couldn’t get enough of.

When he pulled away, our lips still dangerously close, we were both breathless.

His thumb continued to stroke me and for a few precious seconds, I allowed myself to envision what it would be like to go even further. Dipping into pure sin.

But my common sense finally kicked in and he could easily sense the change in my body’s reaction by how stiff I’d become. However, he didn’t seem interested in letting me go, his fingers held firmly in place.

“I have you to thank for the game. Don’t I?”

“Maybe,” I whispered. “But you did all the hard work.”

“Only because you forced me to.” His voice was decidedly huskier than before, low enough no one would be able to hear us.

Including a shifter.

Oh, wow. I’d just crossed over a line I’d promised myself wouldn’t occur. Yet I didn’t want him to leave, not just yet. Even with the closeness of our overheated bodies, I could see his smile shift into pure mischief.

When he kissed me again, I knew I could easily fall into the moment, allowing myself to toss aside all the promises made. But what would happen after the game or when he came to his senses that he was only attracted to me because I’d come through for him?

I pressed my palm against his chest, pushing him away. While he didn’t fight me, his mood shifted just like I’d seen a dozen or more times.

“Not good enough. Huh?” He backed away quickly, the emptiness from being exposed to the air more shocking than what had just happened between us.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not good enough for the highbrow society you live in. Is that it? Because I’m a goddamn wolf, you think I’m beneath you?” He stormed closer, his way of daring me to lash out at him.

I shook my head and you bet I planted my hands on my hips, even digging my fingers into them to keep from taking a swing at his pretty face. “You know what’s funny? I only found out you were a shifter a couple of days ago. Up to that point, I thought you were just a jerk. Lo and behold, you can be both.”