Vendetta Road

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Vendetta Road Page 13

by Christine Feehan


  “Your fingers and mouth need to be insured. Like for millions, Ice.” She pressed her fingers to her lips again, certain she really had blurted that aloud. “I think I might really have had a little too much to drink.” She was astonished, because alcohol, as a rule, didn’t affect her.

  Ice laughed, and this time, the others joined in. He kept walking in spite of the fact that she was very serious about them not going up to the main strip. Having his arm around her forced her to go with him. Or maybe she just went because he was utterly amazing. They had walked past the hotel where she was staying with Winston, but one street down, so she still felt relatively safe.

  “Ice, really, where are we going?”

  “Shopping. You need clothes. Panties, although most of them will end up in my pocket.”

  “Do you collect women’s panties?”

  There was a collective derisive snort and suppressed laughter from their entourage.

  “I’m collecting yours. Of course, since I’m going to be buying them, technically, they’re mine, right?”

  “Not if you give them as a gift,” she said.

  “Well, I think I’m just going to loan them to you, and you have to give them back whenever—or wherever—I ask for them.”

  Soleil laughed. That was intriguing. She could imagine him asking in all sorts of places, and she would give them up in every single one of them. Just the idea of it sent more heat rushing through her body. She loved being with Ice. She loved everything about him. She was more aware than ever that they were downtown, very close to those twenty-four-hour chapels. She had the prenup and he had his. She could get her lips around his cock and seal the deal. He would want her the way she wanted him . . . Why hadn’t she met someone like him before she’d gotten entangled with every loser that ever was born?

  Still, they hadn’t slowed down. If anything, they were walking faster. When she stopped looking down at the ground and managed to look up from her fantasizing, she realized where they were. This was the part of the strip that was equal to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Every store was a very high-end establishment. Worse, most would be closed this time of night. Did they plan on breaking into one of the boutiques? She might be contemplating going to hell for seducing him into marriage, but she drew the line at robbery.

  “Where are we going, Ice?” She tried to put demand in her voice, but the sound came out more like a squeak. In spite of her trepidation, adrenaline was beginning to rush into her system, mixing with her need for him. She wanted to push him against the wall and have wild sex right there. In the street. By that upscale hotel. She wished she had a screaming orgasm right at that moment to give her the courage to do it.

  “We’re heading just up the street. There’s a shop the girls always use. Alena called the owner for me, and she’ll be meeting us there to let us in so we can get you some clothes. You need a new dress for tonight and a few things for tomorrow.”

  Tomorrow? Ice used the word tomorrow as if they had a future. As if once they had sex he wasn’t hopping on his bike and heading off alone. Just like that, she was excited for what was to come that evening, what he had in mind.

  “Alena went off with someone for the evening.” Soleil gave a token protest, feeling she needed to say something. She was very aware of the tension between Alena and Pierce. It wasn’t going to be resolved easily. “She can’t want to come back just to make certain I have other clothing.” She started to protest further, to say she could make do with her dress, but it occurred to her she wasn’t even wearing panties. Ice had them. She could ask for them back, but she liked that he had them. They were hers. They’d been on her. She wanted him to keep them. If she did die tomorrow, something of her would remain with him.

  Her hand crept down to the hem of her dress at the backs of her thighs. It was a stretch, and Ice, who seemed to see everything, saw her tug at the hem. He immediately caught her wrist and pulled her arm up to circle his waist.

  “You’re covered, baby. Totally decent. And Alena is my birth sister as well as a fellow Torpedo Ink. Nothing is going to keep her away tonight. She’ll be at the shop waiting for us and she’ll stand with you, Soleil. Never think differently. Once we make this official, you’ll be her sister. She won’t take that lightly. Neither will Lana.”

  Sisters? That sounded so wonderful. Like in the real fairy tales, where all dreams came true. She loved that. She didn’t think too much about the word official because if she did, then she would have to ask. If she asked and he mentioned anything that had to do with prenups, she’d have to do the responsible thing and confess she’d gotten him a little drunk and deliberately seduced him, and the night would end. She wanted sex. At least once. Maybe more. Like dozens of times. She was taking a chance on messing that up.

  He tucked her back under his shoulder as if she belonged with him and continued walking down the block, turned down an alley and stopped three shops up. A light was on in the elegantly appointed boutique and he was right—Alena was waiting at the top of the three cement stairs. She appeared to be arguing with Pierce. He had his back to them, and Soleil could see he wore his Diamondback jacket. His club was reputed to be 1-percenters, and no one messed with any of them.

  As they neared the stairs, two men wearing Torpedo Ink jackets came out of the shadows to join them. One had his face turned away from her, the other was Savage.

  Alena smiled as Ice took Soleil straight up the stairs. “Sweet, brother, you pulled it off. I had my money on you all the time. You know a keeper when you see one.”

  Ice brushed a kiss on her cheek as she held the door for him. “Did you have any doubts?”

  He ignored Pierce completely, urging Soleil inside. Pierce shook his head and left, making his way down the alley. Soleil stepped into the cool little foyer that led to the inside of the store. The boutique was extremely high-end. Soleil knew clothes and what they were worth. She knew brands and designers. She’d had a lot of time on her hands and she’d spent it doing adrenaline-filled activities, frequenting art galleries or going through shops like this one, looking for one-of-a-kind, beautiful artworks of clothing.

  Ice bent his head close to her ear. “I was proud of you using your money for bets when you were playing darts with Alena, but in here, I pay. There’s no argument. It’s what I want, and you give that to me.”

  “Ice.” She hesitated and then lifted a hand to stroke the side of his face. She could fall head over heels for him. Just the way he made the statement to her sent her stomach somersaulting. “I’m okay with paying.” She always paid. She was used to it. If she was anywhere with anyone, they always expected her to pay. He was capturing her heart. Taking it prisoner. She was never going to get it back.

  “I’m not okay with you using your money when we’re together. When you’re with me, I pay unless we agree ahead of time. I’m not agreeing to that shit tonight. This is our night and you’re mine. I take care of you. That’s the code I live by, and you’re going to live by it as well. That means we live with whatever I can afford. You understand me?”

  Soleil knew she should protest and tell him all about her trust fund. She felt guilty making him pay for everything. On the other hand, it was a fantasy, one night she could be Cinderella, the princess he called her. He obviously needed to be the one to pay. She didn’t care about the money. She’d learned it didn’t buy her anything she needed—or really wanted. She’d felt jaded and sad until she met Ice and the Torpedo Ink members. She could live within his rules, especially knowing she had to give it all up the next day.

  “If you’re sure.” She found herself whispering, holding her breath. Waiting for his answer. He just seemed too good to be true. She’d paid her way from the time her aunt Deborah had died. After that, all the expenses that had been incurred had been paid from her trust fund. She supposed she shouldn’t blame her aunt Constance, but most parents supported their children. She’d been paying her way eve
r since.

  Ice gave her a smile that sent her heart pounding and blood moving through her body from her nipples to her clit. She couldn’t have that reaction every time he smiled. It wouldn’t be good to just attack him—although it sounded good. She only had one night. She needed to make the best of it, and didn’t Cinderella lose everything at midnight? Was it midnight? She glanced at her watch. Not yet. She still had time. For what? Seducing him? Trying to keep him? She couldn’t be greedy. She just had to have this one-night fantasy and go along with whatever he wanted because she wanted to be whatever his fantasy was.

  Ice took her hand. “Don’t like you wearing panties and bras, but figure you’ll be a little uncomfortable without them all the time, so we’ll start there.”

  She wanted to laugh and knew she was a little giddy from his attention and her unexpected reaction to the screaming orgasms. Or maybe it was the sex. Did getting off on just his mouth and fingers count as sex? She didn’t care. She followed him to the little table where exquisite lace underwear lay on silk.

  “Ice.” She glanced around, making certain no one else could overhear them. “I do have underwear at the hotel.”

  “You’re not going back there,” he said. His forceful tone set her heart pounding.

  She didn’t like upsetting him, and the thought of her going back there obviously did. She didn’t want to go back. The thought was terrifying. Panties weren’t worth facing Winston and whatever he had in store for her. She loved that Ice didn’t want her anywhere near that place—or Winston.

  He suddenly flashed that heart-stopping grin again, his blue eyes turning hypnotic. “And I like choosing sexy panties for you.”

  His hand dropped to her bottom. He seemed to like the shape of it because he stroked caresses over her cheeks before sliding his hand under her skirt and rubbing his palm over her bare skin. “I love to be able to touch you, princess. I like knowing we’re surrounded by people and I can run my hand up your thigh and use my fingers to see if you’re ready for me.”

  Soleil held very still, looking down at the pale blue lace in one of his large hands while his fingers sank into her. Instantly she was slick. His thumb strummed her clit and she gasped. His grin turned wicked.

  “I could get you off right here, baby,” he offered. “You’d have to be very quiet, so Alena’s friend, I think her name is Diana or something close to that, doesn’t realize what I’m doin’ to you. Wouldn’t want to make her jealous.” His grin was very wicked.

  She’d never heard anything so sexy in her life. His fingers plunged deep, teased and withdrew, only to slide deep again. She couldn’t stop her hips from moving, riding his hand shamelessly. She had to hold on to the table to keep from losing her balance as he teased her.

  “I love how you look when you’re close to getting off, baby,” he whispered, his voice as wicked as his grin had been, the lines in his face purely sensual. “You look so completely abandoned, so caught up in the moment, and when you look at me . . .” He shook his head. “You look like I’m a fuckin’ god and you’d spend your life worshipping me.”

  She knew it was true. She did look at him that way. How could she not? She couldn’t think straight with his fingers in her and the look on his face. Because he looked at her as if she were the sexiest woman alive. She would worship him. She’d never had anyone. If she had him, a man like him, she would never want to lose him and she’d give him everything.

  “I could look at you all day, just like this, your head thrown back, the light surrounding you, so you look like a fuckin’ angel while you ride my fingers. Sexy as hell, baby.”

  She loved his voice, how it had that velvet rasp to it that seemed to slide over her skin, stroking sensually and making her hot, fevered even. She knew she’d always have a response to him, whether it was his voice, his smile, his blue eyes or his fingers. Always. No matter where they were. She’d be slick and ready. More, she’d anticipate his touch. Crave it.

  She loved that he was willing to come into a boutique and choose her underwear. She’d never understood why men could be prudish about buying underwear. They liked taking them off yet couldn’t walk into a store and buy them? That didn’t make sense.

  She also loved that Ice wanted to touch her the way he did, wherever they were. She wanted to touch him as well and she hadn’t yet had the opportunity. Her gaze dropped to the bulge in the front of his jeans. Ice didn’t seem to be embarrassed by any kind of sexy act.

  “I think it would be unfair for you to get me off twice when I didn’t reciprocate,” she said daringly. Her breath was coming in ragged little pants, but she managed to get it out as an invitation—and she meant it. She really wanted to have him in her mouth, this wasn’t about seducing him—it wasn’t. She was certain of that. She wasn’t trying to get him to take her to a chapel. This was about giving him something unforgettable. A gift. She wanted his night to be as perfect as he was making hers.

  He studied her face for a few more moments, his fingers moving in her, his thumb circling and flicking until the blood pounded through her sheath and her clit was inflamed. Very slowly he pulled his fingers free and brought them to his mouth. She’d never seen anything as sexy as the way he sucked them clean. Her body was on fire, but it didn’t matter, not when he was looking at her like that. Possessively. With such intensity and focus she squirmed, rubbing her thighs together to try to reduce the fire between her legs.

  “You’d do that here for me?”

  She was mesmerized by him. She knew that. He leaned down and kissed her, sharing her taste, his tongue sliding suggestively along hers. When he lifted his head, still cupping her chin so she could only stare into his blue eyes, eyes that had come alive with a dark, dangerous lust, she nodded.

  “I don’t think it’s very fair that you’re still wanting when you took care of me. So yes, if you want me to, of course I’ll take care of you.” She bit her lip and then decided, the hell with it, she might as well tell him the truth. “I want to. I more than want to.”

  “Right here, in this store? In front of the window?” He jerked his chin toward the front of the boutique.

  She was certain he was testing her resolve. Little did he know she would have been on her knees in the bar for him. “Absolutely.”

  He slung his arm around her neck and pulled her into him. Tight against his chest. “You couldn’t be any more perfect for me, Soleil. Let’s get these panties and bras to Alena’s friend and then we’ll do a little more shopping. You’ll need a dress for tonight and some jeans and tees for tomorrow. I think we’ll manage to take care of the monster somewhere in all that.”

  He took her hand and curled her fingers around the thick length of him through the denim. Every step they took had her palm rubbing him. She put pressure on his cock as they neared the owner of the store. Just before they moved out from one of the taller displays, Ice let her hand go and she reluctantly dropped it to her side.

  Diana and Alena turned toward them. Aware she didn’t have any panties on, and her thighs and bare lips were slick with telltale liquid hunger, Soleil stayed very still beside Ice.

  The owner of the shop was a tall, very elegant woman. She wore her hair in a tight chignon at the top of her head. Gold and diamonds dripped from her ears. Her dress was a tight sheath, emphasizing her firm, high breasts and the curve of her hips. She was extremely slender, making Soleil feel chubby beside her.

  The cool eyes swept over Soleil dismissively and then she pounced on Ice, smiling at him, her eyes lighting up like a predator’s.

  “We’ll take these.” Ice sounded abrupt. “Looking for your jeans and tees. A jacket? Socks. You have shoes here?”

  “I do. I can take you into that part of the store if you’d like.”

  “Point us in the right direction and we’re good,” Ice said, turning away from her before she could engage him in more conversation.

  As they walke
d down the aisle toward the section of the store the owner had indicated, Ice took Soleil’s hand and brought it to his mouth. “Don’t like you feeling inferior to someone like that, princess. You’re mine. You’re my choice. That means I put you above any other woman. That should make you feel confident if you’re not already just by being you.” He stopped just out of reach of the lights. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m almost dripping because I want you so much,” she admitted. “I think I might be a little tipsier than I thought I was. And I’m letting you pay for my clothes.” She was used to going into boutiques as Soleil Brodeur, a woman of extreme wealth. She was always dressed in the hottest designer clothing and given deference when she entered a store. She didn’t know how to act as Ice’s chosen babe for the night.

  “I love that you’re ready for me. That you’re so attracted you’ll let me touch you or eat you whenever I want. Do you know how rare you are? I never want to give you up.” He dropped to his knees and yanked her legs apart. “I’ll make sure you’re clean and you don’t have to worry about that superior bitch. She wouldn’t know how to fuck a real man if she ever got one to go near her. The girls spend tons of money in here, so when I said she was their friend, I meant she wants their money any way she can get it.”

  His tongue slid up her thigh. She closed her eyes and held on to his shoulders. Her legs were shaking. She threw her head back and let herself feel. Just feel. Every stroke of his tongue. His breath. His lips. She had to open her eyes again to look down to watch him. Who could resist the sight of him on his knees?

  Soleil found she couldn’t stop herself from pushing her fingers into his thick, blond hair. The strands were platinum, gold and a thread of silver. It was unique just like him. She closed her eyes again and let him take her away from her life. Far, far away. She didn’t care if everything she was doing this night was considered wrong by anyone else. Tonight, this man was making her feel alive. Packing everything she had ever wanted or needed from a man into one night. Ice. He was so giving, so unselfish. It shocked her that a man could be the way he was.

 

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