Page 52 of Ice King

Only the heavy knock on the door dragged us from the evocative moment. I lifted my head as well as an eyebrow while she bit her lower lip. After that, she lowered her legs while I took a step away, each fighting laughter as we dressed.

After she fluffed her hair, she reached for the door, flashing a huge grin at the two women standing in the hallway. My wicked mind couldn’t help but wonder if what she’d tossed out to the woman in the parking lot had been validated by our filthy actions. If not, I’d have another chance to prove her right.

With my hand on the small of her back, I guided her back to the table.

But only long enough to pay the tab.

We weren’t finished yet. Hell, no. We were just beginning.

CHAPTER 12

Georgia

In the arms of a dangerous beast.

I had no idea why the saying had continually run through my mind while Ford had driven me home. Other than that since his outburst about what he’d assumed were my thoughts, a hundred questions had run through my mind about shifters.

How often did he shift and was it painful? My God, it had to be. Bones breaking. Fur sprouting. Jaws of steel replacing lips and teeth.

Did he prefer being a wolf? I would think so given how much he loved playing hockey.

And even ridiculous questions like wondering if he and his family had taken shifter vacations together. As if that mattered or was possible. Then again, I had no clue what was plausible and what wasn’t. How did a kid born with wolf blood running through his veins deal with being truly different than others in his class?

The questions lingered, waiting to be asked and answered, yet the longer I was around him and away from his egotistical world, the less they mattered. Their lagging importance had only a small part to do with the passion we’d shared less than thirty minutes before and more to do with Ford’s slow but deliberate ability to drop his guard. Allowing me to see the complicated, messy, yet emotionally strong man underneath.

Hearing the horrible news regarding the murder of a shifter troubled me more than I’d wanted to let on. I sensed his anger brimming below the surface, vibrations that had likely carried over into the scene in the bathroom.

He had a love for his family that was stronger than I’d ever seen, even more so than I’d had growing up with only my parents by my side.

During the drive, the conversation had been light, him explaining what locations I needed to visit in North Bend, what food I should taste, and what I could expect while watching the playoffs intriguing.

But not nearly as much as the swelling feelings that could become crippling if I wasn’t careful. As many times as I’d told myself I’d stay away from men altogether or only enjoy them on my terms, that promise had already been tossed aside. Surrendering to the passion didn’t bother me nearly as much as the strong, virulent connection that almost compelled me into feeling uncontrollable hunger.

We’d both experienced the same strange sense of awkward desire in the close quarters of his truck. Even though I’d kept myself pushed against the passenger door and he’d kept his hands to himself, the pull between us had remained fueled.

Now he was walking with me toward my house, determined to ensure I got inside safely. His hands were in his pockets, a full eight inches of air space between us, yet the pull was growing stronger with every step taken.

My hand was shaking as I slipped the key into the lock and once I’d opened the door, thankful I’d left on a light, I’d become determined to let him go.

And never to speak of the incident again.

The hot and heavy sex had bene nothing more but a blip in time, two people feeding unhinged hunger. However, I refused to call what had happened a mistake. We were both adults. We’d known what we were getting ourselves in the middle of, the line that would be crossed and the ramifications of doing so anyway.

So here we were, uncertain how best to end the night when it felt as if neither one of us wanted that to happen.

After tossing my bag onto the floor, I pressed my back against the open door, forced to lift my head simply to be able to look him in the eyes. He was even more handsome without his gear, if that was possible. Gone was the heavy arrogance fueled by his chiseled jaw and cold, cutting stares. While the Wolfman was part of him, there was also a spark of mischief, one that refused to let anything go.

Or maybe he was only that way around me.

“Thank you for bringing me home,” I said, doing nothing more than trying to fill the void.

“Sure. I certainly couldn’t allow you to walk on the street alone at night. Not when there are big, bad wolves out there.” He had hishand over me on the wooden door, leaning in while remaining completely in control of his space and mine.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“You act incensed when anyone questions their safety around shifters but suggest I should fear them without you being present. Which one is it?”