Page 47 of Heart on Ice

Pierre sees red, and he’s moments away from losing it. I quickly get up, rush over, grab his hand, and link it with mine as I crouch down beside him out of sight of the screen. He looks down at me for a moment, and relief floods his handsome face. I nod and let him know it’s going to be okay. Don’t show that man an ounce of hurt.

“Right, well, I think we have gone off topic,” Steve, Bill’s lawyer jumps in.

“After this display, the response we will hear is that you are letting Pierre go and paying out his two-year contract. He will give you the copies of the video and will never speak about the reason for leaving,” Marcus says.

“I could turn your life into a living hell if I wanted to.” Bill sneers into the screen.

“And I could just retire,” Pierre snaps, which stuns Bill. “I would put in effect my retirement clause to make sure that you never ever win the cup.”

“You fucking little …” Next thing we know Bill’s screen goes black.

“Um, yeah, so we agree to your terms, Pierre. We think this is in the best interest of the team, and we wish you well. I’ll send through the contract right now.” With that, Steve disappears.

“What the fuck was that?” Jordan says.

I let go of Pierre’s hand and stand up, dusting myself off.

“That man is vile. I’m sorry you had to bear witness to that,” Marcus says to Pierre.

“I kind of hope his wife finds out and divorces his ass,” Jordan adds with a chuckle.

“At least you’re free of him,” Marcus says to Pierre, who hasn’t moved from his seat.

“Guys, um, do you want to give us a moment,” I say to them as I notice Pierre is on the verge of another panic attack.

“Yeah, we’ll get back to the office and officially start letting everyone know you’re a free agent,” Marcus says, giving me a sympathetic look, as does Jordan, as they make their way out of my home.

“Hey, are you okay there?” I ask, crouching down in front of Pierre again. He shakes his head. I push open his legs so that I can wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tightly. “It’s over. You’re free,” I tell him. He stiffens against me, unsure about the touch, but when I squeeze him again, he relents and hugs me back. “That man is an asshole. He did you a favor taking your problem off your hands.”

“My problem?” he mumbles.

I lean back and look up at him. “Kitty.”

The frown on his face flattens and he bursts out laughing. “Kitty.” He shakes his head. “He really did.”

“Karma will be coming for Bill Reeves, don’t you worry. His display today was him showing how much of a small cock hehas,” I tell him, which makes him smile. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Pierre reaches out and cups my face. “You saved me from having a panic attack in front of that man.”

“I noticed.”

Those hazel eyes shimmer as he looks down at me. “Thank you,” he says. My stomach does somersaults with the way he is looking at me like I did something extraordinary.

“It’s what friends do,” I tell him, while still captured by his gaze. Flutters rain down across my skin the longer he looks at me with those intense eyes. My heart thumps in my chest. Here I am on my knees between his thick thighs, his large hand caressing my face while he looks at me as if I just saved his life. Slowly, he leans forward, oh no, is he going to kiss me? My heart ramps up to warped speed, my mind blanks, but I’m unable to stop what is about to happen until he stills and places his forehead against mine.

“Thanks, friend,” he says softly. His warm breath brushes against my skin, sending goosebumps all over it. A throbbing ache ignites between my legs, one that has lain dormant since the last time he touched me.

“Anytime,” I whisper back to him, but neither one of us moves. His hand moves from my cheek and slides along my throat until it reaches my collarbone, his thumb sliding back and forth against my skin. I swallow hard because I’m unable to move from the position I’ve gotten myself into, and there’s a small part of me that doesn’t want to move.

“I like seeing you on your knees, Issy,” he whispers into my ear as his hand tightens around my throat.

“Pierre,” I try to say his name as a warning, but it sounds needy.

“Yes, princess.” He groans, his fingers stay tight around my throat as he makes me look up at him. “Fuck, I know I shouldn’tbe thinking these things but seeing you like this …” Those hazel eyes trail over me and I feel it on my skin like a tender caress. We shouldn’t be doing this. I should be putting a stop to it. “… Issy, you have me so fucking hard.”

“I know, it’s pushing into my stomach.” My answer surprises me as I bite my bottom lip.

“I’m trying to respect your boundaries. I’m trying to make a go at being just friends, but ….” His hand tightens, and a shiver runs through me.

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