Page 21 of Ice Cold, Red Hot
Suddenly her eyes were on mine—dark, angry. “Why do you even care?”
Fuck. I didn’t. I couldn’t care. I needed to walk away. “I don’t care.”
Celeste made a scoffing noise in the back of her throat.She didn’t believe me either. “Then go away, Shepherd.” She pushed past me into her apartment, and I followed her in, glancing around to make sure Nat wasn’t in the living room.
Celeste dumped her bag onto the round table near the window and then looked up, realizing I was standing there immobile in the center of the living room.
“You don’t get to do this,” she said, her voice lowering and the vaguest hint of … what? Defeat? Exhaustion creeping in.
I moved closer, desperate to be near her, to keep her close to me, even if it was just to fight. She was inches away. “Do what?”
“This.” Her voice shook. “You don’t want me, but you don’t want me with anyone else either. It’s not fair.”
I blew out a breath. Almost a laugh. “You think I don’t want you?”
Celeste’s chin lifted as she looked me in the eye. “You ghosted me.”
My voice was practically a growl. “I had to.”
“No. You chose to.” She said this like the words broke her heart, and took a step back, turning away.
I reached for her, grabbed her wrist. Again.
She froze.
This time I didn’t pull her to me. I didn’t hold her wrist like it was something I owned, something I could break. I held it like it was the most delicate and beautiful thing in the world.
Because it was.
Because she was.
It was as if neither of us breathed.
Silence spread out like a living thing between us, crouching, waiting.
My voice was hoarse when I said, “Say you don’t want me.”
I could feel her pulse hammering beneath my fingers. I waited.
“Say it.”
Celeste didn’t speak, but she didn’t pull away, either. I took a step closer, leaning down to let my bottom lip brush the shell of her ear. A ragged breath ripped from her throat.
“That’s what I thought,” I said.
She moved so suddenly I had to steady myself as her lips crashed into mine, her arms wrapping around my neck, and her body crushed hard against me.
All my defenses crumbled, all the reasons why I couldn’t touch her, couldn’t have her scattered like ashes as Celeste’s hands pushed up under my shirt, skimmed the skin of my back like fire.
I held her to me like a prized possession I was terrified to lose, like a dying man clutching his one chance at life. Our tongues fought a battle, pushing and circling, our lips and teeth clashing for dominance as our breaths came hot and furious.
My hand slipped down to cup Celeste’s ass, and I groaned at the perfect way it filled my palm as her leg lifted, wrapping mine. I dropped my mouth to her jaw, biting, tasting, kissing every bit of her skin from the curve of her mouth to her clavicle. When she moaned softly, I almost lost it.
I’d been imagining her since the first time I’d met her, reliving every breath, every touch since the first time I’dbeen lucky enough to have her in my bed. And now? Having her again? Being this close to her, every part of her saying “yes” to me? I was struggling for control.
“Bedroom,” she whispered, making not a single move to break away from my vise grip on her body. I complied, lifting her and holding her against me as I turned us to the door across the living room. Her legs wrapped my waist, and I could feel the heat of her against my stomach.
Inside her room, I shut the door with my foot and then leaned back against it as Celeste kissed me like I was the only man she’d ever dreamed of.
