“Eat that, Ice,” she said rudely.
He blew her a kiss. “Love you so much, little sister.”
Alena narrowed her eyes and started toward him.
“Quick, babe,” he counseled Soleil. “Get as much food on your plate as possible and then protect it.” He scooped up several healthy servings of the various dishes and heaped them on his plate and then hers. “She’ll yank our plates away and toss them in the garbage. She’s famous for that, and we’re not missing out on her food.”
“I wouldn’t throw Soleil’s plate away,” Alena clarified. “Just yours.”
He refrained from pointing out he was only telling her the truth. He kept moving down the line until both of them had plenty of food and then he found a table for them to sit. Czar, Savage and Reaper joined them. He didn’t think anything of sitting with them until he felt Soleil’s hand stray to his thigh under the table. He’d chosen the corner table because it was mostly in the shadows and set a little distance from the others. He thought she might be more inclined to talk to whoever sat with them.
“How’s the kid, Czar? He must have been scared out of his mind.”
Soleil sat up straighter. “The kid? Someone scared a child?”
Ice wanted to curse. He shouldn’t have brought it up.
Czar, however, was as smooth as ever. “Blythe and I have four adopted children and we’ve just brought a fifth into our home. This boy’s parents were murdered in order for a pedophile ring to acquire him and keep him. No one would be looking for him that way. His life has been very difficult, so it will take time for him to trust his environment.”
Soleil looked as if she might cry. She glanced at Ice and then away, but not before he caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. His heart clenched hard. She really was compassionate. She seemed to feel the pain of others.
Czar leaned close to her. “Soleil, you’re gifted, did you know that? You take others’ emotions into you. Ice, you’re going to have to shield her from things for a little while, until we can get Jimmy to settle and feel safe.”
Ice knew that meant not to bring Soleil to his home for a little while. Everyone went to his home. Blythe was there. The kids were there. All of them were “uncles” to the four children. He wanted to meet Jimmy, the newest addition, the little boy they’d rescued in Vegas. He also had seen Czar work his magic on victims. He’d been doing it since he was a little boy and they’d been thrown down in that dungeon, broken, bleeding, and terrified out of their minds.
Ice nodded to show he understood. He ate, listening to Reaper and Czar talk about an upcoming run they were supposed to go on. He was looking forward to it. His bike. His woman. The open road. They were just getting settled, but he knew Soleil would go with him if he told her he wanted to go. She wouldn’t hesitate.
He leaned in to kiss her. She tasted the way Alena’s cooking did. Like love. Wincing at the word, he went back to eating.
“You’re right about her food, Ice,” Soleil said. “Your sister can cook better than any chef I’ve ever experienced. I’ve been around the world to some of the best restaurants and eaten great food, but this is amazing. When word gets out, she’ll have more people coming than she’ll ever imagine.”
He turned to look over his shoulder. “Alena, Soleil loves it. Says she’s eaten all over the world in some of the best restaurants, and your cooking beats them every time.”
Soleil nodded, looking over her shoulder as well. “It’s wonderful.”
Alena beamed. “Thank you, Soleil, that means a lot.”
“Since I had the good sense to get her drunk and marry her, do I get first dibs on the berry pie?” Ice asked with a quick, superior grin around the room at his brothers, and ignoring Soleil’s sigh of protest.
“Soleil can have the first piece,” Alena conceded. “You, however, after your nasty little crack, can wait.”
“I was giving you a compliment,” Ice protested, when the laughter died down.
Soleil leaned into him. “Is her pie that good?”
“Better than the food you’re consuming.”
“I was going to say I’d give up my piece for you, but after knowing her pie is that good, I’m going to have to keep it for myself.” She said it straight-faced.
Ice stared into her laughing, dark chocolate eyes. He watched her lips curve into a smile that lit up her entire face. Around him, laughter erupted, but all he could see was Soleil. He pulled her hand to his mouth and bit down on the tips of her fingers. Hard. She mock-scowled at him and yanked her fingers away.
“Ow.”
“You remember last night?”
She blushed. Appropriately. She nodded.
“That’s nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you when we get home.”
TWELVE
The house was quiet. Soleil could hear the ocean in the distance, as the waves swelled and then folded over, collapsing against rocks, stacks and cliffs. Beside her, Ice slept. He’d woken her only a couple of hours earlier, his mouth between her legs. It seemed to be his favorite way to wake her. He was the sexiest man she’d ever met. He seemed to need to touch her. To kiss her. To be inside her. She needed it as much as or more than he did, that affirmation that he wanted her, that he found her sexy.
When he looked at her, there was something stamped deep in his expression that made her heart pound. Possession? Lust? Affection? More than affection? She wasn’t certain, but she knew she wanted to see him looking at her like that every day. He clearly liked being with her. There was a part of her that feared he’d grow tired of her. She expected him to want to leave her for long periods of time, but he didn’t. When she was in the kitchen, making a mess of recipes, he was right there with her, laughing over the disasters and making them fun instead of letting her sit on the kitchen floor and cry over them.
She loved the sex with him. It was always an adventure. She had never felt sexy until she’d been with Ice, although she’d tried to be a few times. With him, his eyes were always on her with hunger, as if he were a wolf and she was his prey. She loved knowing his gaze followed her everywhere. If his friends came over, he had his arm around her or his hand on her. Sometimes he’d throw her up against a wall and have wild, crazy sex as if he couldn’t wait one more minute to be inside her. She loved when he did that.
That morning, sitting on the terrace, they’d had breakfast together. He’d sipped at his coffee, looked up with his amazing eyes, and instantly her nipples had gotten hard, forming twin peaks beneath her thin top. She’d worn no bra and he’d noticed. He noticed everything.
“Been thinkin’, babe. Great morning. Feeling good. You know what would make me feel even better? You takin’ that pillow over there and putting it just between my legs, crawling under the table and suckin’ me dry the way you do. You have an objection to that?”
He could make anything sound hot, but the way he looked at her, and the way he spoke, so raw, his voice already gravelly with need, there was no resisting him.
She immediately got up and positioned the pillow beneath the glass table top and then crawled under the table between his legs. Before she could touch him, he swept up her hair into his fist and looked down at her through the glass.
“Take off your shirt, princess. I like to see your tits, your nipples hard like candy and your lips stretched over my dick. Love the way you look. You’re so fuckin’ hot.”
She didn’t hesitate, although she was very aware she was outside with him and anyone coming up their drive might see her. Just the possibility made what she was doing even hotter. The nearest house facing them had terraces that wrapped around the house as well, but that house was situated to the side of them, providing a similar ocean view. Ice had told her Storm had bought the place but hadn’t yet moved in.
Her shirt on the ground, she was entirely naked. He put pressure on her head, tilting it back so he could guide hi
s cock to her lips. She loved the scent of him. The taste and weight of him. She loved the hand in her hair, the bite on her scalp. He caressed her breast, his free hand kneading and then tugging at her nipple until fire darted straight to her sex. Lavishing love on Ice’s body was so easy.
Soleil brought her hand up to her throat. She’d said she’d try with him and she was doing just that. She’d thrown herself into the role of wife. She had taken cooking lessons, and she utilized those as well as watched shows to learn more. She’d gone to Alena to ask as well, and every day Alena gave her a lesson. She enjoyed that. She’d learned how to make a bed from Ice. He always helped her in the morning. They had house cleaners come in once a week to thoroughly clean. Life was good. Too good. She didn’t trust it because Ice was fast becoming her world, and if she lost him . . .
She got up slowly and walked across to the windows to stare out at the ocean. In the dark, the white foam almost glowed. She touched the glass, feeling a little battered by her thoughts. She was falling in love. She knew she was. She loved everything about Ice. He seemed completely devoted to her. She knew he couldn’t be in such a short amount of time.
He was a gorgeous man. She’d been with him a few times to get groceries, and women stared at him. Sometimes openmouthed. He was that good-looking. He could have any woman he wanted. He might say he wouldn’t cheat on her, but why stay with one woman when he could have an entire buffet? She heard the talk of parties, of women all over him and Storm. So many wanting him. She didn’t blame them.
A soft groan escaped. She pressed her fingertips to her lips and turned away from the window, tears blurring her vision. She’d invested so much in him so fast, and she was going to get her heart torn out. Glancing at him, she hurried out of the room to the wide expanse of carpet overlooking the first floor.
At night, with the lights out, the house was different. It seemed much more ominous. Shadows played through the glass and danced through the great room. She went halfway down the stairs and sat, dropping her head into her hands. She hadn’t taken care of business. She needed to find a lawyer she could trust, and figure out her life, because, really, did she think a man like Ice would want her forever? She was a throwaway unless she was wanted for her money, and Ice certainly didn’t need that.
She didn’t realize she was crying until a sob welled up and she had to choke it down. She wiped at her wet cheeks over and over. She’d been called that by her aunt. A throwaway. She’d been told no one wanted her and if she wasn’t coughing up money, what was the point of caring for her? The worst was, Winston had said nearly the same thing to her when he’d been angry with her after a fund-raising event. He’d told her she was useless and that if she didn’t have the money, what man would be interested in her?
Soleil had been so hurt. She’d refused to talk to him and had cried herself to sleep. He’d been very apologetic and told her he loved her, but that she really needed to make more of an effort to do as he asked. It was such a simple thing to avoid those people he knew wouldn’t help further his career. Was that so much to ask? At the time, she’d been desperate not to be alone. She’d been alone far too much, and she wanted a relationship. She’d done everything she could think of to please him, and it hadn’t been enough.
Was that what she was doing with Ice? Doing everything she could to please him? Unfortunately, that was who she was. That was what she did. She loved pleasing the people she loved. She wanted them happy. That was what made her happy. She rocked herself gently, terrified of losing him. It wouldn’t be like losing Winston. She’d wanted out of that relationship. Losing Ice would just about kill her. She wanted to be with him.
He’d shown her his workroom he’d set up to make jewelry. It was kept locked and gems were kept in a safe. He’d laughed and told her before they’d come to Caspar, he’d made jewelry on the road and those same very expensive gems were just in one of the compartments on his bike. He’d been so free. Now, he was tied down to her. What did she really have to offer him? She was certain the explosive chemistry between them would wear off. Then what?
“Soleil?”
Her breath caught in her throat. He was at the top of the stairs. Ice. Her heart began to pound the way it often did when he was near. She turned her head slightly to acknowledge his presence, but she couldn’t stop the tears running down her face. She could only suppress the sobs, so no sound emerged.
He came straight to her, his body entirely naked. He seemed so at ease without clothes, as if he was more used to going nude than dressed. “Princess, what is it?” He sat down beside her, his arm sliding around her shoulders to pull her close to him.
She shook her head. How could she explain that she knew sooner or later he was going to want another woman? That he would see she was a fraud and didn’t know how to sustain a relationship? That he would grow tired of her and leave her? That he would see her attempts at pleasing him as desperation?
“All right, baby, cry it out and then we’ll talk,” he said. “But the stairway isn’t the best place to hold you.” He took her hand and tugged, forcing her to rise, and they went down together to the very comfortable seats in front of the fireplace. He sat on the couch and pulled her down to him, fitting her head on his lap as she stretched out. “That’s better, Soleil.” He stroked her hair, comforting her.
She let herself cry because there were so many things in her life to cry over. She wished she was a stronger person. She was learning, especially since she’d been with Ice. He liked her to make household decisions. The hand in her hair was soothing. He didn’t try to stop her tears, he just held her and ran his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp.
“I don’t know how to cry,” Ice said suddenly. “I lost that ability when I was a kid. Crying’s good when you need to do it. You can get to a place where anger and rage turn to ice. It builds and builds and gets uglier and uglier. So thick and dense it becomes like a glacier and then you’re frozen inside. You can’t cry. All you can do is tattoo fake tears dripping down your face to remind you that you’re supposed to be human when you know you’re not.”
He was talking about himself. Soleil’s heart clenched hard. Ice couldn’t cry. Her Ice. He spoke matter-of-factly, as if he wasn’t giving her something big, but she knew he was. Did he really see himself that way? Not human? Those teardrops, the tattoos, were one of her favorite things on him. She’d spent time kissing and tracing each one.
Soleil sat up slowly and framed his face with both hands. “Ice, you’re human. You’re a better man than anyone I’ve ever known.”
His incredible blue eyes searched her face as if looking for something. What? Whatever it was, she wanted to give it to him. Acceptance maybe. He seemed to like whatever he saw because he smiled. It was one of his slow, sweet smiles that he reserved only for her.
“Baby, you’re a fuckin’ miracle. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but you have no idea how glad I am that I found you. I saw you, you know. I was on the street when you were there with Winston. You were across the street, standing there in that sundress, looking like a million dollars.”
His hand dropped casually to his cock, fingers curling around it. He didn’t seem to notice and Soleil found that sexier than ever.
“My cock was as hard as a rock looking at you. Your tits in that dress, your little waist, those booties on your feet. Then you turned your back to me and took a few steps away. Your ass was swaying, and I couldn’t decide whether I was in love with your tits or your ass. Maybe both. Then that pussy Winston grabbed your arms and shook you. I wanted to rip his head off and throw it down the street for all the cars to flatten.”
She found herself smiling, because Ice could do that so easily, turn her world from tears to laughter. She turned her head and licked up his shaft as if that thick rod was an ice-cream cone. He caught her hair and pulled her head back.
“As much as I want your mouth on me, I want you to talk to me
. We’re in this together, and we fix the things that are wrong. Something’s wrong or you wouldn’t be sitting on the stairs crying at two o’clock in the morning.”
For some reason, the fact that Ice wanted to work things out rather than have sex made her cry all over again, but this time from hope. What man would do that? He loved when he was in her mouth. He often initiated oral sex in the strangest places, as if he couldn’t wait another minute to feel her mouth. He was equally in love with being inside her.
“You’re going to make yourself sick. You were done cryin’, babe. You’re safe. It’s dark enough. Tell me what’s upsetting you.”
“I’m not certain I have that kind of courage,” she admitted reluctantly. She knew he heard the hesitancy in her voice, because he tugged on her hair until she looked up at him.
“You’re the most courageous woman I know. You married me and committed to me. I was a stranger, yet you decided to make that leap of faith alone. You’re courageous, Soleil. The longer I’m with you, the more I know it was the right choice for us.”
She took a deep breath and let it out. She might be able to tell him the truth there in the darkness. But what if she did? She pressed her eyes closed tight. “Ice, I’m falling in love with you, and it’s going to hurt so bad when this all falls apart. So bad, I’m not certain I’d survive.”
There was silence. She could hear only the beating of her heart in time with a clock ticking loudly in the distance behind them. Probably the new grandfather clock they’d found together in one of the furniture shops they’d visited.
“Why would you think what we’re building is going to fall apart?” He chose each word with equal the care she had chosen hers.
Soleil couldn’t tell from his tone what he was thinking. Sometimes Ice retreated behind a wall and she felt she couldn’t get to him. It wasn’t often that it happened but when it did, that was another thing she feared. Another reason to think he was withdrawing from her.
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