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“Why don’t you let me give you a massage?” “I’m okay.” “Yeah, I can tell from the way you’re sitting that you’re okay. Come on,” I said as I stood. “I’m sure you’ll feel a lot better by the time I’m done. I have magic fingers.” I waggled my eyebrows and got the first sort of smile I had ever gotten from her. “Fine, but nothing inappropriate,” she scolded. “Relax, it’s a massage, not a wedding invitation.” I followed her back to the bedroom, stopping in the bathroom for some lotion. She stood next to the bed, staring down at it and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s not gonna bite, you know. Take off your shirt and lay down.” “Take off my shirt?” “Yeah, you know, so I can give you a massage?” I wiggled the bottle of lotion in front of her to see and she hesitantly turned around and stripped out of her shirt. “It’s not like you didn’t already give me a show this morning. I’ve see a lot more than your back.” She didn’t say anything as she laid down on her stomach. I poured some lotion into my hands and gently started massaging her back. I couldn’t get a good angle, so I straddled her and groaned when my cock met her ass. It didn’t matter that this wasn’t at all sexual. My cock didn’t know the difference. I tried to think of something else, anything else, but the feel of her soft skin under my fingers and her sweet ass pressed against me wasn’t helping any. Slowly, I slid my fingers up to her bra strap and flicked the back open, moving the straps off to her sides, brushing her breasts in the process. She jerked slightly from my touch and her breathing stalled. Cursing myself for having volunteered to give her a massage, I tried to disconnect from her any way I could. I thought about the last mission I was on overseas and that got my cock under control real fast. I was so wrapped up in depressing thoughts of that day that I didn’t even realize that I had been massaging her back for over an hour. Soft snores came from where her head rested on the pillow and her dark lashes were spread out over her cheeks. I brushed the hair from her face and then shook my head. I had to get my shit together. I couldn’t be thinking about Lindsey in any way. Not even sexually. She was only going to be here until she could get her shit together and I didn’t do attachments. Still, looking down at her, I couldn’t help but want to hold her in my arms. To feel her skin against mine and sink inside her warm heat. But I was alone for a reason and it was going to stay that way.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lindsey
I WAS SO warm and toasty, snuggled up in this big bed. I had never slept so well in my life. This bed was like heaven. Of course, the warm body underneath me might have been part of the reason I was in heaven. I blinked open my eyes as I realized that I was in fact lying on someone and I had a feeling that the someone I was lying on was none other than Ice himself. Hard abs, gorgeous tattoos, muscled pecs, and…oh dear lord. He was hard. Morning wood had never looked so good. The thing I couldn’t figure out was how I was lying on him and why his arm was wrapped around me. And not just lazily, but full on gripping onto me as he slept. And my head was resting on his chest, right above his heart. I could hear every thump and his steady breathing beneath my cheek. And my hand, good God, my hand was resting below his stomach, just above his cock. If I moved my hand even an inch, I would brush against it. I wanted to. That was the confusing part about all of this. I wanted to wrap my hand around his hard length and feel his steel rod in my hands. I wanted him to come from my touch. But I didn’t understand why, when he had been such an asshole. Besides, I knew what a player he was. I could tell from the moment I met him that he was a pro at charming women out of their panties and I wasn’t going to fall for it. Although, right now I was awfully tempted. He shifted underneath me and I sprung into action, ripping myself away from him, only realizing when I pulled away that I was naked. What the hell? “Morning, princess. I see you’re nice and perky for me this morning,” he grinned lazily at me as he stared at my breasts. I covered them with my hands quickly, feeling the hard buds pressing against my palms. I glared at him, grabbing the sheet and pulling it up to cover myself. “Why am I naked?” I snarled. “I guess you don’t remember last night then. It’s a shame. You were magnificent.” “What? We didn’t…I would remember if…” But the truth was, I didn’t remember a thing after passing out during the massage. However, I do know that I had clothes on. “We could always go for round two, since you’re already naked and all.” I narrowed my eyes at him and scowled. “Obviously, if I don’t remember it’s because you didn’t do anything worth remembering.” “We could change that now.” He pulled the sheet away, exposing my breast and pinching my nipple. I could have stopped him. I should have stopped him, but I was too entranced by his ice blue eyes as they roamed over my chest. “Just two roommates fucking around. What do you say, princess?” The way he said it had me pausing. He stilled called me princess, his words dripping with disdain. He didn’t want me for any reason other than a good fuck and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was just messing with my head. I pulled back from him, pulling the sheet from the bed to wrap around myself and showing off his entire naked body in the process. He was hard and obviously serious about the whole fucking thing. However, I wasn’t going to be his play thing. I had too much respect for myself. “The only way you’ll be getting in my pants is if hell freezes over.” I stormed off to the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.
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I couldn’t deny that Ice, John, really did have magic fingers. My back didn’t hurt at all this morning and I was actually in a pretty good mood, despite the way I woke up. Maybe that was the reason I was in a good mood. I had woken up next to a gorgeous man that held me in his strong arms. That hadn’t happened in a long time. Hell, I don’t know that I had ever been with a man who had arms like John’s. “I cleared out my shit from a couple of drawers for you,” John said to me as I entered the kitchen. “Thank you.” I stood there uncomfortably, not sure what I should do. Yesterday, I felt like I had a purpose. Help clean up the house and make the man a good dinner. Today? What was I supposed to do? “Could I borrow your phone this morning so I can call my insurance agent?” “Sure.” He set his phone on the counter and slid it toward me. I took a step forward and snatched the phone. He smirked at me as he took a sip of his coffee. “I’m not going to mount you. Relax.” That’s what he said, but the way his eyes trailed over my body told me that he had at least thought about it. Well, so had I. Multiple times. Especially since this morning. I made a few phone calls, making sure that I covered all my bases, but everything was a waiting game until the investigation was over. I wouldn’t receive a dime until they could be certain that I didn’t have any part in the fire. I couldn’t tell them that I wasn’t even in town at the time because that would put a dent in Reed Security’s story. I still wasn’t totally sure what had happened, but I felt that I deserved some answers. I headed for the kitchen, thinking that if I made breakfast, maybe I could butter him up into telling me what had actually happened. I started some bacon and eggs and popped some toast in the toaster. I kept glancing over at John, wondering how the hell to ask him in a way that he would answer me, but every time I looked at him, he just raised an eyebrow. “Out with it, princess. I know you got something on your mind, so spit it out.” I flipped the bacon in the pan and then turned to him. “I think I deserve to know what happened. I’m not saying I need every detail, but I was taken from my home and I’ve lost everything. There were women that were hurt and you guys disappeared for about a week. Then we all just went back to our lives. Well, you did. So, I want you to give me some answers.” He considered this for a minute, studying my face. It was almost enough to make me break when his ice blue eyes narrowed in on me. Almost, but I held strong, refusing to back down. I needed to know. “A friend of my teammate needed help. When we gave it, we had two gangs come after us and our families. Those women you saw? They were taken because they belong to us. Maggie, you met her, she was tortured for information, but she held out as long as she could. She’s Cap’s wife and she didn’t want any of the other ladies hurt, so
she told them to take her instead. That she would have more information. Kate is a doctor. She’s Knight’s woman and he’s not exactly the type to sit by when someone goes after something that’s his.” “Are any of you?” I asked, not really needing him to answer. “Let’s just say he’s a little more…merciless than the rest of us.” I nodded, wanting to keep that information in the back of my mind. Don’t piss off Knight. Got it. “Vanessa is Cazzo’s wife, well, almost wife. She was pregnant. She lost the baby when they took her. The doctors didn’t know for sure if she lost the baby because of that, but it doesn’t matter. To all of us, they were the responsible and they needed to be taken out.” “Taken out,” I repeated. His eyes flashed, almost like he was begging me to challenge him in some way. “You got a problem with that, princess?” I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t a person that believed in taking your own revenge. I wasn’t sure if I believed in God. I had only been to church a handful of times in my life, but I had always felt that it wasn’t my place to decide someone else’s fate. I just couldn’t do it. I wasn’t even sure that I ever wanted to serve on jury duty. What if I put away an innocent person and destroyed his or her life? “That’s why you weren’t involved, princess. There are just some things in life that you’ll never understand or want to deal with. It takes people like me to do the hard shit and I gladly take care of it, as long as I’m sure I’m doing the right thing.” “I’m not…I wasn’t judging.” “Yes, you were. Don’t sit there and tell me that the way you were looking at me was anything other than disgust.” I shook my head. “That wasn’t what I was thinking.” He stood and walked over to me, standing right in front of me, so close that my breasts were brushing his chest. “Then tell me what you were thinking, princess.” His hand brushed a strand of hair from my face and slowly slid down my cheek. His eyes pierced my soul, begging me to understand, to know that he wasn’t a bad man. I already knew he wasn’t. Even if I didn’t understand his choices, I knew that he was a protector at heart. Look at what he had done for me. Sure, he kidnapped me, but it was for my safety. “I was thinking that I’m not strong enough to be the one to make those decisions,” I said quietly. “You would be, if you were put in the position of choosing between your life and someone else’s.” “I’ve never…” My breath hitched as the pad of his thumb ran across my lower lip, tugging it gently. His eyes burned as they stared at my lips. I wondered if he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to so badly, but why? He was so handsome and so strong, but it was more than that. It was the way he looked at me, like he wanted to show me who was in charge. “Be glad you’ve never been put in that position,” he said quietly. “It’ll fuck with your head and make you wish you’d never walked on this earth.” “Is that what you wish?” He shook his head slightly. “No, but I’ve known a lot of strong men that couldn’t deal with what they were forced to do. The difference is, they chose to fight. You’re too fucking innocent.” “I’m not-” “Yes, you are, princess. In every way that counts in this life. You don’t belong in my world. I’ve seen and done too much shit.” John always seemed so charming and full of life, but right now, he looked like a man haunted by demons that he had buried long ago. “What have you done?” I asked, hoping he would give me something. “I’ve killed men with my bare hands. I’ve…” He stared at me, almost like he was looking through me. It was like he was lost in his own head. I wanted to beg him to continue, to tell me what was hiding behind those eyes, but he took a step back instead and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Your bacon’s burning.” As I turned to the stove, he slipped out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with so many questions that I felt I might never get answers to.
CHAPTER SIX
Ice
AFTER I LEFT Lindsey alone in the kitchen this morning, I went outside and got to work on repairing what I could on the house. I was in no mood to rebuild right now. Sure, the house was going to need more work than it was worth, but rebuilding just wasn’t feasible right now. Some people were worse off than I was at the moment. It took all morning, banging on the house to pull my mind from the hell it had gone to after my conversation with Lindsey. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she was so naive when it came to the world. She lived in a bubble that I popped the moment I stepped into her life. She didn’t deserve to have been dragged into all this shit, but I couldn’t leave her either. She would have been killed and I would have one more dead body on my conscience. “Could you put some shorts on at least?” she groused at me from the doorway of the bedroom. I was ready to slide into bed, completely nude, the way I always slept. But then the princess walked into the room and had to open her big, fat yap. “No, I can’t. This is my house and I can’t sleep in clothes.” “You can’t or you won’t?” “Both,” I snapped. “I get too warm and this is my damn house and if I don’t want to sleep in clothes, I won’t.” “And if we weren’t sharing a bed, I would agree with you, but we are. The decent thing to do is put on some clothes.” “Guess what, princess. I’m not a decent guy that’s going to take your feelings into consideration. I am who I am and if you don’t like it, you can go find someone else to stay with.” “I would, but-” “I burned down your house. I know. You keep reminding me. And just to clarify, I didn’t personally burn down your house. In fact, there is nothing I did personally to you, except keep your ass from getting killed.” “Ugh,” she grunted at me. “You are so infuriating. Just stay on your side of the bed and I’ll stay on mine.” “That’s the plan, princess.” “And stop calling me princess. I’m the furthest thing from a princess that any girl could be.” I grumbled to myself as I threw back the covers and slid into my bed, sighing in relief that I was finally lying down for the night. I spread my legs like I did every night, trying to find the cool spots at the end of the bed, until I came across something that was way too fucking cold. “What the hell is that?” I shouted. “My feet are cold. You keep it like an ice box in here.” “So, put on some damn socks, woman!” “No, I can’t sleep with socks on. My feet sweat and then I get uncomfortable.” “So, it’s okay for you to sleep how you’re comfortable, but not me?” “You’re sleeping naked. There’s a difference between being completely naked and sleeping without socks on.” “For all I know, you could have some toe fungus and I could catch if from you because you don’t have socks on.” “Really? A toe fungus?” “People get them. I don’t know you. You could be one of those people that only changes their socks once a week.” “This coming from the man that couldn’t remember the last time he washed his sheets,” she snorted. “Hey, I work out of town a lot. It’s not like I sleep in my bed every night. And I always shower before I get in bed. It’s not like I’m fucking dirty.” “Sheets that aren’t washed regularly can cause acne. All that bacteria that lives in your bed can clog your hair follicles and your skin could break out.” “I have flawless skin. I’m not worried,” I said in irritation. “Do you know how many skin cells you leave behind in your bed?” She sat up and turned to me with a sneer. “You lose about 30,000 to 40,000 skin cells every minute. So, in an eight hour night of sleep, you would lose at least 14,400,000 skin cells that are just hanging out on your sheets.” “You have way too much fucking time on your hands if you figured that out and remembered it.” “Did you know that a third of your pillow weight can be made up of dead skin cells, bed bugs, and house dust mites and their feces? That’s all in your bed with you.” “Seriously, who knows that shit?” This woman was fucking crazy and maybe a tad bit of a hypochondriac. “I own a bed and breakfast. It’s my job to know this stuff.” “It’s still creepy.” “Did you also know that when you sleep you collect bacteria in your mouth? And then if you’re a drooler, that bacteria ends up all over your sheets. Just festering. In your bed.” I started to feel like bugs were crawling all over me and it started to make me squirm, even though I had just washed the sheets. “Technically, you’re doing the right thing by sleeping naked because the more you sweat, the more bacteria builds up in your bed and microorganisms love bacteria. But it’s still disgusting consid
ering that a stranger’s in bed with you.” “Is there a point behind this? Other than trying to turn me into a germaphobe?” “Also,” she continued as if I hadn’t said a word to her. “The average bed could have up to 1.5 five million dust mites. They’re less than a millimeter long, so you wouldn’t see them. But they feed on human skin and they produce allergens that can easily be inhaled while you’re sleeping. So, you should really not even make your bed because moisture builds when the sheets and comforters are all piled on top of one another and that’s the ideal condition for the little critters.” Seriously, I was feeling bugs crawling all over me now and this woman was just lying next to me as if she didn’t have a care in the world. How could she just lie there knowing all this shit? I kicked the covers off the bed and flung them to the floor. “I wouldn’t do that either. There are more germs crawling around on your carpet than on your toilet. When was the last time you vacuumed?” I quickly snatched the blankets off the floor and pulled them back up on me, though now I wasn’t sure which was worse. Having them on me with bugs in the bed or having them off me and freezing, but knowing they were getting dirtier on the ground. “You know, you’re a real fucking pain in the ass.” “Takes one to know one.” Takes one to know one, I mouthed in the dark of my bedroom. I had been reduced to mocking the woman in the dark. It was really clear to me that our current living arrangements weren’t going to work for too much longer. She needed that insurance money, fast, or I would be finding her a new home. Like one six feet under.
Ice: A Reed Security Romance Page 4