“Put her down.”
“Back off, Alec. You owe me one, and I’m calling it in.” Ice’s voice was muffled to her ears because of the blood draining to her head from hanging upside down.
“Sorry, Ice. Choose something else. I know who she is. Her brother hired us a few months ago to watch her. He let us go, but if I let you leave with her, he’ll destroy my business.”
“Then I’ll get you another one, but I’m not putting her down.”
“I’ll shoot, Ice.”
“No, don’t shoot him!” Grace shouted. If anyone was going to kill or hurt the cheating bastard, it was going to be her.
“Do you want to go with him?” Alec asked.
“No.” Grace heard the sound of a gun being cocked. “Yes. Yes, I want to go with him.”
“Move,” Ice ordered.
“Are you sure, Ms. Andrews?”
No, but she didn’t want Ice hurt either. “Yes.”
Alec must have moved because Ice started walking again.
“You’ve won, Ice. Now put me down.”
Ice kept walking through the backstage area, going out a steel door marked ‘exit’. As the cool night air struck her, Ice stopped momentarily then started walking again.
“If you don’t put me down, I’m going to vomit,” Grace threatened.
Ice went a foot farther before placing her on her feet next to his bike, reaching out a hand to steady her.
“Get on the bike.”
“I want to go home. If you have to talk, we can talk there. It’s too late to call CeCe, and I’m not going to bother Penni again after Jackal attacked her!” she snarled at Jackal as he and Ice’s other men returned to his bike.
“Don’t feel too sorry for that wildcat. She nearly chewed my lip off.”
Grace almost laughed at the damage Penni had ravaged on Jackal. His bottom lip was swollen and bleeding, and she thought he might even need stitches. His eye was swollen and already turning black and even his scarred cheek had new scratches with dots of fresh blood.
“Get on the bike, Grace. I’ll take you home.”
He must have expected to take her home because her helmet was strapped to the seat. Grace untied it, put it on, and then got on the back of the motorcycle.
“Go back to the clubhouse,” Ice directed his men before getting on and starting the motor. Grace had no choice other than to hang on to Ice as he drove her home. However, she didn’t press her body to his and only held on to his belt, touching him as little as possible.
The drive took Ice three and a half hours. Grace wanted him to pick up the speed, but for once, Ice kept to the limit.
Grace wanted to jump off the bike as soon as Ice cut the motor in front of her house, yet she was too stiff. Instead, she walked on jelly legs to her front door, unlocking it and hurriedly punching in her code on the alarm.
Ice closed the door and waited while her pets greeted her. The dogs sensed her upset and Bear lay against her, licking her face as Daisy leaned into her side as Grace rubbed her fur.
“It’s late, Ice. I don’t have anything to say to you. Please leave.” She buried her face in Bear’s fur, smelling the shampoo she had used to bathe him the night before.
Her eyes squeezed tightly closed at the memory of Ice helping her to bathe him. They had laughed and had fun as they had done it. She had laughed hysterically when Bear had peed on Ice while he had been toweling him dry and she had been shampooing Daisy.
“Grace, we’re going to talk. We can do it tonight or in the morning if you prefer, but I’m not leaving until we do.”
“Then I guess we do it tonight because you’re not staying.” She carried Bear to the couch, taking a seat and holding the little dog for comfort.
When Ice sat down next to her, Grace scooted to the end of the couch away from him. Grace made herself look at Ice and could tell he didn’t know where to start. “You should go. I’m sure your friends are waiting to have your birthday party.”
“There isn’t going to be a birthday party,” Ice said grimly.
“But there was.”
“Yes,” Ice confirmed he had known the men were going to have a party for him, and he hadn’t invited her.
“I wasn’t going to fuck Brandy.”
“Don’t lie. If you weren’t going to touch her, you would have told me about the party.”
“I knew the party would be wild, and I didn’t want you there. I wasn’t going to fuck her. I’m telling you the truth.”
“But you fucked her after you were with me.”
“Yes, several times before I met you, and one time before we had sex when I came down and it was raining,” Ice answered honestly.
Grace remembered that night. The steamy kiss he had given her before he left to go home had kept her awake most of the night. While he had spent the night having sex with the woman she had seen tonight in front of his club.
Bear licked her face again and Grace rubbed her face against him. “I’m not going to see you anymore. Whatever we had, it’s over.”
“Grace, if you want to yell, scream, or hit me, go ahead, but we’re not over.”
She lifted her face, and Ice winced at her expression. “I gave myself to you, Ice. I didn’t hold anything back.” A tear slid down her cheek. “When you said I was yours, I believed you. I… I thought that meant you were mine. I fell in love with you and told you things I never told my family. I want babies, but I was willing to let that part of being a mother go for you. I just wanted you.”
“Grace, I didn’t fuck her that night because I wanted her. Dammit, I was still hard from wanting you. My men expected me to fuck her. To them, whores are part of our life. They don’t mean anything.”
“Does she mean anything to you now that she’s the reason I never want to see you again? What would it mean to you if I fucked Jones or Stump?”
Ice’s face twisted in fury.
“Exactly. That doesn’t even begin to show you how I feel, because I would have never betrayed your trust.” Grace stood up. “I’m done talking. I want you to leave.”
“I’ll go but we’re not over.”
“We’re over and I’m not going to miss you.” Grace lied, wanting to hurt him as badly as she was. It failed. His cold expression didn’t betray a flicker of pain.
Grace waited for him to leave. When he would have reached out to touch her, Grace twisted away. Both Bear and Daisy were growling at him now.
“I’ll give you a few days. I’ll come by on Friday after you get off work.”
Grace didn’t respond, simply going to her door and opening it.
“We’re not over,” Ice said again, heading out the door.
“Ice.” He paused, looking back. “Happy Birthday.” Grace slammed the door, giving in at last to her anger. She then locked it and set her alarm.
Ice could come, but by Friday, she wouldn’t be here. Her parents were taking a brief vacation in Florida before flying down to spend a few days with her. She would get CeCe to keep her pets for her and fly down there instead for a few days. The college could find someone to take her classes. It was their fault she was in this position anyway. If she hadn’t been forced to teach that class, she would never have met Ice and had her heart broken.
“Back off, Alec. You owe me one, and I’m calling it in.” Ice’s voice was muffled to her ears because of the blood draining to her head from hanging upside down.
“Sorry, Ice. Choose something else. I know who she is. Her brother hired us a few months ago to watch her. He let us go, but if I let you leave with her, he’ll destroy my business.”
“Then I’ll get you another one, but I’m not putting her down.”
“I’ll shoot, Ice.”
“No, don’t shoot him!” Grace shouted. If anyone was going to kill or hurt the cheating bastard, it was going to be her.
“Do you want to go with him?” Alec asked.
“No.” Grace heard the sound of a gun being cocked. “Yes. Yes, I want to go with him.”
“Move,” Ice ordered.
“Are you sure, Ms. Andrews?”
No, but she didn’t want Ice hurt either. “Yes.”
Alec must have moved because Ice started walking again.
“You’ve won, Ice. Now put me down.”
Ice kept walking through the backstage area, going out a steel door marked ‘exit’. As the cool night air struck her, Ice stopped momentarily then started walking again.
“If you don’t put me down, I’m going to vomit,” Grace threatened.
Ice went a foot farther before placing her on her feet next to his bike, reaching out a hand to steady her.
“Get on the bike.”
“I want to go home. If you have to talk, we can talk there. It’s too late to call CeCe, and I’m not going to bother Penni again after Jackal attacked her!” she snarled at Jackal as he and Ice’s other men returned to his bike.
“Don’t feel too sorry for that wildcat. She nearly chewed my lip off.”
Grace almost laughed at the damage Penni had ravaged on Jackal. His bottom lip was swollen and bleeding, and she thought he might even need stitches. His eye was swollen and already turning black and even his scarred cheek had new scratches with dots of fresh blood.
“Get on the bike, Grace. I’ll take you home.”
He must have expected to take her home because her helmet was strapped to the seat. Grace untied it, put it on, and then got on the back of the motorcycle.
“Go back to the clubhouse,” Ice directed his men before getting on and starting the motor. Grace had no choice other than to hang on to Ice as he drove her home. However, she didn’t press her body to his and only held on to his belt, touching him as little as possible.
The drive took Ice three and a half hours. Grace wanted him to pick up the speed, but for once, Ice kept to the limit.
Grace wanted to jump off the bike as soon as Ice cut the motor in front of her house, yet she was too stiff. Instead, she walked on jelly legs to her front door, unlocking it and hurriedly punching in her code on the alarm.
Ice closed the door and waited while her pets greeted her. The dogs sensed her upset and Bear lay against her, licking her face as Daisy leaned into her side as Grace rubbed her fur.
“It’s late, Ice. I don’t have anything to say to you. Please leave.” She buried her face in Bear’s fur, smelling the shampoo she had used to bathe him the night before.
Her eyes squeezed tightly closed at the memory of Ice helping her to bathe him. They had laughed and had fun as they had done it. She had laughed hysterically when Bear had peed on Ice while he had been toweling him dry and she had been shampooing Daisy.
“Grace, we’re going to talk. We can do it tonight or in the morning if you prefer, but I’m not leaving until we do.”
“Then I guess we do it tonight because you’re not staying.” She carried Bear to the couch, taking a seat and holding the little dog for comfort.
When Ice sat down next to her, Grace scooted to the end of the couch away from him. Grace made herself look at Ice and could tell he didn’t know where to start. “You should go. I’m sure your friends are waiting to have your birthday party.”
“There isn’t going to be a birthday party,” Ice said grimly.
“But there was.”
“Yes,” Ice confirmed he had known the men were going to have a party for him, and he hadn’t invited her.
“I wasn’t going to fuck Brandy.”
“Don’t lie. If you weren’t going to touch her, you would have told me about the party.”
“I knew the party would be wild, and I didn’t want you there. I wasn’t going to fuck her. I’m telling you the truth.”
“But you fucked her after you were with me.”
“Yes, several times before I met you, and one time before we had sex when I came down and it was raining,” Ice answered honestly.
Grace remembered that night. The steamy kiss he had given her before he left to go home had kept her awake most of the night. While he had spent the night having sex with the woman she had seen tonight in front of his club.
Bear licked her face again and Grace rubbed her face against him. “I’m not going to see you anymore. Whatever we had, it’s over.”
“Grace, if you want to yell, scream, or hit me, go ahead, but we’re not over.”
She lifted her face, and Ice winced at her expression. “I gave myself to you, Ice. I didn’t hold anything back.” A tear slid down her cheek. “When you said I was yours, I believed you. I… I thought that meant you were mine. I fell in love with you and told you things I never told my family. I want babies, but I was willing to let that part of being a mother go for you. I just wanted you.”
“Grace, I didn’t fuck her that night because I wanted her. Dammit, I was still hard from wanting you. My men expected me to fuck her. To them, whores are part of our life. They don’t mean anything.”
“Does she mean anything to you now that she’s the reason I never want to see you again? What would it mean to you if I fucked Jones or Stump?”
Ice’s face twisted in fury.
“Exactly. That doesn’t even begin to show you how I feel, because I would have never betrayed your trust.” Grace stood up. “I’m done talking. I want you to leave.”
“I’ll go but we’re not over.”
“We’re over and I’m not going to miss you.” Grace lied, wanting to hurt him as badly as she was. It failed. His cold expression didn’t betray a flicker of pain.
Grace waited for him to leave. When he would have reached out to touch her, Grace twisted away. Both Bear and Daisy were growling at him now.
“I’ll give you a few days. I’ll come by on Friday after you get off work.”
Grace didn’t respond, simply going to her door and opening it.
“We’re not over,” Ice said again, heading out the door.
“Ice.” He paused, looking back. “Happy Birthday.” Grace slammed the door, giving in at last to her anger. She then locked it and set her alarm.
Ice could come, but by Friday, she wouldn’t be here. Her parents were taking a brief vacation in Florida before flying down to spend a few days with her. She would get CeCe to keep her pets for her and fly down there instead for a few days. The college could find someone to take her classes. It was their fault she was in this position anyway. If she hadn’t been forced to teach that class, she would never have met Ice and had her heart broken.
