Page 46 of Ice Me Baby

“Well, she has me curious now,” Mac adds as he parks the car.

Dean climbs out and opens my door. He offers me a hand to help me out. I smirk as I slide my hand into his, allowing him to help me. He looks around briefly before leaning in to press a kiss on my cheek.

With a wink, he pulls back and whispers, “I’m going to win this bet, Ice Princess.”

His hand slips out of mine, and he begins to walk toward the crowded park. I can feel my cheeks heat as I catch Mac out of the corner of my eye. Our eyes meet, and he shoots me a teasing smirk and wink. “Good luck, Chérie. We plan to win that kiss.”

Like a proper gentlemen, he offers his elbow, and I slide my hand around his forearm. “I didn’t know a kiss was worth that much,” I whisper.

He chuckles softly as we head in the direction Dean went. “You have no idea what we’ll do to get a few moments with you, let alone a kiss, Chérie.”

“Noted,” I say, trying to get my flustered face back to normal before someone notices.

As we get closer, a wolf whistle rings out, and I look around to find Taz and Vicy making their way toward us. I can’t stop the giggle that bubbles up in my chest when they give me dramatically wide eyes and gesture wildly to me.

“Damn, Roe Roe! Who knew our favorite AT was so drop dead gorgeous,” Vicy says teases.

I shake my head with a laugh. “What does AT mean?”

“Athletic therapist. Much easier to say,” Taz answers for him.

I hum as Dean comes over to us, holding three beers. He hands one to Mac, who opens it before handing it to me. I smirk and accept it with nod to them both in thanks. Dean smirks before taking a swig.

“Elizabeth!”

I jerk around, looking for whoever said my name. When I see Perri, Merc, Gilly, and Fenni walking our way, I smile. Slipping my hand from Mac’s, I wave. “Hey guys!”

Perri is the first to greet me, and he leans in to give me a hug. Just a quick squeeze before pulling away. He gestures to his left and says, “This is my wife, Karen.”

I hold out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She waves a hand in the air but pulls me in for a hug. “There is no handshaking here, girl. We give hugs.”

I chuckle and hug her back, then she pulls away, allowing the others to greet me. Merc is next, giving me a quick hug before shuffling the two wiggling children out of his wife's arms. “These are my kids, Sebastian and Savannah”—he then turns a wide smile toward the woman beside him—“and this is my stunning wife, Cheryl.”

I wiggle my fingers at the kiddos, then hold my hand out to Cheryl. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

She chuckles and grasps my hand before also pulling me in for a hug. “Karen did say we are huggers, right?”

I laugh but hug her back. “I wasn’t sure if that meant everyone.”

She pulls back with a grin. “We’re a family, so that means we hug. If you are part of the Wraiths, then you are part of the family.”

My cheeks hurt from smiling so much as Gilly and Fenni greet me together. They each lean in to press a kiss to my cheek before pulling away. “Hope the guys aren’t driving you too crazy at the house,” Gilly says with a laugh.

“You know just how crazy they are, Maxy,” I say with a wink.

He grins and takes a step back for his wife to slip under his arm. “Liz this is my wife, Dannielle.”

I smile as I take in herverypregnant belly. “Congratulations! I’m not sure if you want a hug, but considering I was just told everyone is a hugger...”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Hugging a pregnant woman is always awkward.” She holds out a hand, and I take it with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth.”

“Liz is fine,” I say as I release her hand. Next, I turn to the woman under Fenni’s arm. I point to her. “And that must make you Samantha.”

She nods and holds out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Liz.”

A clap sounds from behind me. Releasing Samantha’s hand, I look over my shoulder to see Vicy cupping his hands around his mouth. “Let’s get this party started!”

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