Page 77 of The Devil's Ice

All through the night, Scars and Zoe turned and returned to each other… and they expressed their love with loud abandon.

Over and over again.

**

And of course, the loudest expression of love and joy and relief was heard when Wolf walked back into the conference room in the clubhouse – and he retrieved his cut from the chair at the top of the table.

In front of his cheering, clapping brothers, with his chosen family as witnesses, Wolf put it back on, feeling like he was sliding back into his real skin, feeling whole and powerful once more.

And reclaiming his place as President of The Road Devils MC.

Chapter Twenty-four

Three days later

But people can also love you quietly, without fanfare or noise; sometimes,thisis when love is the most powerful, and the most life-changing.

For the first time, Ice and Vixen were together in his bed. Ice was in boxer shorts and lying on his side facing her, holding her hand. She was all tucked up in her little pillow fort, looking warm and happy in one of his large t-shirts, if maybe a bit sleepy from their long shower together. That beautiful face was serene, those amazing eyes were his personal little night sky, those lips pink and slightly swollen from Ice’s tender kisses.

As he gazed at her, it occurred to him –yet again– that he knew everything truly important about this woman, everything that really counted. He had years of small details to learn, he understoodthat, and with a jolt, he realized that he wanted tohavethe years to learn them – he wanted yearswithher.

He wanted a whole lifetime together, for him to find out everything that made VixenVixen, to unroll the days and weeks and months that had somehow all added up tothiswoman. This brave, fierce, strong, sexy-as-all-fuck, incredible woman. The last woman that heeverthought he could or would be serious about – and now the last woman that heeverwanted to be with.

“Ice? You OK?”

He started at the note of worry in her voice, and knew why she was a bit unsure around him. He and Cain had returned just that day from disposing of Derrick Bale, and Vix had taken one look at him and known enough to not ask why the others had come back to Denver two days before … but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t concerned.

“Yeah, baby,” he said, tightening his grip on her small hand, gave her a reassuring smile. “Just thinking.”

“Ahhhh.” Vixen blinked at him innocently. “Isthatwhy you look like you’re in pain?”

“I swear,” he growled. “As soon as that neck brace is off in a few weeks, I’m gonna be making you pay for all these smart-ass remarks that I can’t do anything about right now.”

“You keeping a list, handsome?”

“Youknowit… and it’s getting longer by the day.”

“I just bet it is.”

They smiled at each other, and then Vix’s eyes widened at something behind him. He was already rolling over, every sense on edge, wondering what she saw, when she pointed at Ice's bedroom window.

“Look!” she said, clearly delighted and not at all worried about anything. “Snow!Lotsof it!”

He looked over his shoulder and sure enough, there were big fat flakes coming down, swirling in the wind roaring down from the mountains, illuminated white and bright in the moonlight. And as Ice stared at the snow, he was a bit surprised at his reaction. Or rather, hislackof reaction.

Normally, the sight of heavy snow made his heart sink way down into his stomach, because wild snowstorms and deep snowfalls meant that Christmas wasdefinitelycoming, and really fucking soon. Ice knew how calendars worked, of course, and so he knew that Christmas was in nine days – but since he’d learned over the years to studiously ignorethatfact, he’d kind of been on automatic pilot withthisChristmas too.

But seeing Vix all curled up in his bed, all thrilled about the snow that was sure to keep her housebound at his place for a week at least for her safety, Ice’s heartdidn’tsink at the thought that Christmas was almost upon him. In fact, he wanted to celebrate it for the first time in twenty-nine years – and he wanted to do that withher.

That was when he decided to share another big truth about himself; maybe the biggest one that he had.

“I’m going to go get something from the living room,” Ice said to her as he got to his feet. “Do you need anything from the kitchen? Some water? Green tea that I brought home special for you?”

“Did you really?”

“I did,” he affirmed. “I dropped into a mini-mart while you were having a nap, grabbed a few essentials.”

“And green tea is essential?”

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