Page 94 of Ice King

The way he laughed sent vibrations down my back to my legs, swirling into the wildfire building in my core. He sighed, cocking that handsome head. “You don’t want to find out.”

I chomped on the chip, of course breaking it in half, which he caught so quickly, I didn’t see his hand move. But I did watch as he used his seductive tendencies while licking his palm clean of the homemade sauce.

The way his fingers were white knuckled around the bottle of Corona, I could easily tell my sinful actions were getting to him. That had been my intent. Although he’d been doing the same thing all through dinner. Rubbing his leg against mine, at first apologizing while grinning like some kid.

After swallowing, I took another sip of my drink while he polished off his beer. The grin he wore almost as if a badge of honor was more of a powerful draw. And when he eased back against the darkened booth, swinging his arm across the chartreuse seat, my breath hitched.

“I can tell in that pretty head of yours that you have questions.” His voice was decidedly husky, a low yet intense hum tickling all my senses.

“I’m not going to lie that I’m very curious about your life.”

“You mean my wolf’s life.”

“The few times you’ve said anything about being a shifter, you’ve acted as if your wolf is an entirely different entity. You are one and the same.”

Ford took a deep breath, finally lifting his bottle as the waiter came by. When he motioned to see if I wanted another one, I finally put my foot down, covering my glass with my hand. “In away he is a different creature altogether. He rules a much more private place in my life.”

“Because humans can’t handle the alternative side of you.”

His dimples were even more evident with every grin. “Something like that. Imagine if I decided to shift right here in front of all these people, most of which are fully human by the way. What do you think their reactions would be?”

“You’re Ford Kendrick, the hot, hunky hero of the town. They’d take pictures and spread them far and wide on the internet; every unattached female and even some with longtime husbands will dare say they’ve had carnal relations.”

“You make it sound completely unappealing.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Would the doctor in training be jealous?”

I rolled my eyes. “Ha. I’ll never be able to afford medical school, but maybe. A teensy tiny little bit, but don’t let it go to your head.”

“I think you have me confused with someone important. These good people would run away in terror, hiding under their beds. Besides, I’m not a big deal here in town. You need to remember, I grew up here. Anyone over forty knows me as the mischievous kid, the one who played pranks and encouraged their kids to get into trouble. Which we did a lot.”

“So you were the resident bad boy?” I leaned as far as possible across the table, repeating the action of grabbing a chip and digging half into the guacamole. Only I selected the largest chip and slathered the piece with a heaping mound of sauce. Andbeing the brat he’d accused me of being, I smashed the chip into his face, smearing the dip.

His eyes registered shock, but that look swiftly drifted into plotting and planning. He was as easy to read as a book. One hot alpha romance book. He took his time munching on the chip while my thoughts drifted to whether I should tell him about the guy who’d stopped by the Velvet Roast.

Honestly, I preferred taking the time to confirm my suspicions before sharing that he was being stalked. We were in the process of mending a fence that I continued to be unsure how to deal with. Not about him being a shifter or even about the craziness that I was his mate, although that could give anyone nightmares. About whether we could keep doing this and if so, for how long?

He rolled his tongue around his lips, catching the creamy goo. Being able to read his emotions must be a gift. Maybe at some point I’d consider it a curse, but I did so enjoy being able to unsettle him.

Without thinking, I rolled my finger across his face. “You missed a spot.”

The man was quick with his actions, snapping his fingers around my wrist and pulling my hand to his mouth. Was there anything this man could do I’d not consider sensual? He was forceful with his movements, dragging me halfway across the table while taking his time sucking in my fingers.

The look in his eyes changed, drifting into something much hungrier than before. Of course he was doing so on purpose.

“That’s not going to work,” I mused. When he sucked even harder as his tongue danced back and forth, his teeth biting down, I squirmed in my seat.

Which was exactly what he wanted.

Another lacy thong soaked.

“What isn’t?” A slight but effective growl filtered into my ear while he ensured removing my finger made a popping sound.

“That. You can’t seduce me.”

“Wanna bet?”