Page 5 of Surge of Ice

I go to the closet and shift through the clothes Evander had his staff buy for me. Most of it is in line with what I alreadywear: tank tops and jeans. But some of it is pretty out there. Frilly dresses, even some skirts covered in feathers. I steer away from them and select a white tank top and jeans. All the bras and underwear are lacy, so I just select a matching pair of black ones.

“I just wanted to let you know that even though I can’t be there with you guys today, I’ll be with you in spirit.” He looks nervous, rubbing at his palm.

“Of course you will be,” I say, flashing him a smile as I lay my clothes out on the bed. Except, his nervous energy remains. “But I feel like there’s more than that. What’s up?”

His dark eyes find mine, and now I’m sure of it. He’s upset about what’s going on. “I just wish I could be there, Sam. You need me. You need the Dragon Pack.”

I go straight to him and grab his wrist and put it next to mine. Our matching tattoos with the little dragon and the words “Dragon Pack” stare back at us. “We’re a team. Just because you aren’t physically present doesn’t mean you aren’t with us. You’re a part of the team. You know I’d be completely lost without you, especially with the two alpha-idiots.”

Pulling him into a hug, I breathe deeply his scent of books and soap, then sigh. “I’ll never get over how good you smell.”

“You keep saying that,” he says, his voice deeper than usual.

I pull back a little and dig my hands into the back of his hair. When I start rubbing, he groans, and I smile. He always did love when I massaged his head and neck.

“You’re going to be here, back at base, working with the scientists and figuring out ways of helping us. That’s valuable.”

His eyes close, and his body relaxes. “I am. Dr. Abigail has been knee-deep in all the information they’ve gathered from testing your dragon and human forms. She thinks she’s close to some breakthroughs. I’m going to help her.”

“See,” I say. “You’ll be here helping. You don’t have to be a dragon to do that.”

As I stare at him, I have a memory of us in the ice. Of us kissing. I don’t know why the thought pops up in my mind, but it does, and then it lingers in the shadows of my mind. I try to shake it away.The kiss was just two frightened people trying to calm each other down. It was a kiss between friends. That’s all.

I pull away from him and his eyes flash open. Going to the bed, I look down at my clothes then give him the “turn around” motion.

“Me? Turn around?” he asks, looking surprised.

“Yes.” I tug at the top of my towel.

His gaze moves to the towel, and then he spins around in an almost panic. I want to laugh. Granger has seen me naked before. Yeah, we were little kids, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he saw me now.

I drop my towel and pull on the little lacy pair of black underwear. “Evander’s employees picked out all my clothes. For some reason, they seem to think I only wear porno underwear. I’m dying for a white cotton pair rather than these tiny lacy pairs. They don’t cover my ass at all, and I constantly feel like my pussy’s just going to fall out of them.”

“Sam…”

“No, seriously. The scrap of fabric for the front is like a drawstring. It’s almost like not wearing any underwear at all.”

He runs his hands through his hair, his back stiff.

I pull on the bra. “And the bras are insane. They’re completely see-through. This isn’t like a nip slip, it’s like you can see the whole damn thing. Seriously, does this look appropriate to you?”

He doesn’t turn. “Are you trying to get me killed?”

“Killed?”

“Do you know what Aydan and Evander would do if they knew you were getting my opinion on your lingerie?”

I snort. “Who cares what they think?”

Moving around so I’m standing in front of him, I wait until his gaze lands on me and his eyes widen. “Seriously, what do you think?”

He doesn’t say anything. Just stares. And stares.

“Okay, I know I was exaggerating a little bit. I wouldn’t have shown this to you if my pussy was really falling out of my underwear, but do you really think this is appropriate?”

To my surprise, he takes a stiff step away from me. Leaning down, he whispers, “Go put some clothes on.”

The tone in his voice makes me dart around him and hurry to my clothes. It wasn’t anger, but maybe a warning. A warning of what, I’m not sure, but I heed it anyway, dressing in a hurry.

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