Page 47 of Ice, Love, & Other Penalties

I shrug. “Sorry, I wish I could make up a lie, but I don’t like to start our deal with lies, darling.”

“We don’t have a deal.”

“Just say yes, beautiful.”

We stare at each other. the air between us thick with tension.

“Indie, I’m begging you.”

She stands motionless, eyes locked on mine. “This is reckless. We shouldn’t do anything. In fact, you should fly your mother here or find another way to care for Myra. We need to stop now before things get too complicated.”

“They’re so simple,” I say, disregarding her concerns.

“Why? Why me, Ty?”

Her question is so simple, yet so complicated.

“I want you,” I say, my voice low and gravelly. “Your body. Your pleasure. Everything.”

I make my desires clear. This isn’t about hearts and flowers. There’s no romance involved.

This is raw need.

Primal.

An unyielding desire I need to satiate now.

Her eyes flash, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. So beautiful it makes my chest ache.

I step closer, crowding her space. She tips her chin up, gaze unwavering. My fingers trace her jawline, down the slender column of her throat. Her pulse flutters under my touch.

Leaning in, I capture her mouth in a searing kiss. A promise of things to come. She melts against me with a soft moan, her hands fisting in my shirt. Her hands, desperate and seeking, pull me closer, as if she could meld me into her very skin. My hands roam her back, feeling the curve of her spine under my fingertips.

The intensity of our embrace reaches its peak, a moment from which the only way forward is a gentle yet inevitable withdrawal. It is she who pulls away first, her hands against my chest firm yet controlled, conveying much without words. As she steps back, the sudden coolness of air sharply contrasts with the warmth we shared moments ago. Her breaths come quick and shallow.

Her eyes, wide and shining, lock with mine, filled with a mix of emotions—desire, fear, hesitation.

The playful smile that graced her lips just moments before now shifts to a complex look. There’s only a breath of separation between us; I bend, resting my forehead on hers. “Tell me yes,” I rasp.

She stares at me for what feels like forever until she answers by crushing her lips to mine again. Message received.

Her kiss leaves me reeling, my blood on fire. She arches up, seeking more contact. I oblige, my mouth finding the sensitive spot under her ear. She gasps, tangling her fingers in my hair.

“Ty,” she breathes, the sound of my name on her lips nearly undoing me.

My hands trail over her body, learning her curves. She writhes under my touch, soft sounds of pleasure escaping her. I capture them with my mouth, kissing her deeply.

I can’t stop, but I know I should before I fuck this up.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Indigo

Ty’s eyes bore into mine, his gaze intense and commanding. I feel my heart race as I struggle to find the words he so desperately wants to hear.

“Tell me yes,” he implores again, the rough timbre of his voice weaving a spell that I find increasingly difficult to resist.

I stare at him, unsure of everything.

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