Page 24 of Blood on Ice

“Why would you want to do that?”

“For one thing, it’s profitable. For another, it’s a good way to keep you close. I want you safe. If you’re going to be mine, then I need to make sure no one has any reason to harm you.”

He was insane, psychotic. Why was I even considering this? I wanted to point out that if he cared so much he wouldn’t be charging me such an exorbitant fee for the money, but I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere with that, and the last thing I wanted was to be more beholden to him than the rest of his clients.

There had to be someone else who would at least lend me part of what I needed. I could call my friend for another name. If I signed this contract, I would never get rid of Vito, even after the debt was paid.

He was already stalking me, telling me I’d eventually give in to him. If I kept willingly seeing him, meeting him to makepayments, he was right, I would eventually give in. Despite what he was doing, I wanted him.

I stood, and Vito raised his brows.

“Thank you for the offer, but I will handle my problem another way.” I backed toward the door, and he held my gaze. I expected him to come after me and restrain me like he had before, but he didn’t more.

When I reached the door, he smiled. “You’ll be back.”

I yanked open the door and took off, half expecting him to chase me. Once I’d made it to my car, I sped out of there as fast as I could.

11

VITO

While Zeke read through the contract, I’d messaged one of our guards asking him to place a tracker on Zeke’s car.

I watched on my phone as Zeke left the parking lot and headed to the practice facility, waiting until the flashing dot stopped and stayed still to send him a text.

I miss you already.

When five minutes passed without a response, I assumed he was going to ignore me. Then, just as I was leaving for the arena with the contract tucked in my jacket pocket, my phone buzzed.

Stop texting me.

He might as well have begged me to text, to call, and to visit him. If he really wanted me gone, he’d ignore me. But he couldn’t stay away any more than I could.

Nice to know you miss me too.

I watched the screen. Nothing. A moment passed. Then pulsing dots appeared and finally…

No, I don’t.

Oh baby, you couldn’t make yourself clearer.

Stay away from me.

Impossible.

I pulled into a parking spot at the practice facility and headed inside to watch him practice.

The security guard eyed me as if he found me suspicious, but like most people, he didn’t have the nerve to question me. I was dressed nicely. I even made it through the metal detector with no problem. I would have been a lot happier to have brought my gun inside with me, or at least a good-sized knife, but I could do a hell of a lot of damage with my bare hands.

I sat as close as I could. I wanted Zeke to see me and know I wasn’t listening to his protests.

Practice was already going when I arrived. I’d waited long enough to ensure Zeke would be out on the ice. I settled into my seat and leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees as I watched him kneel on the ice, ass up in the air, pumping his hips to stretch his thighs. The position was obscene, and I hated that everyone else got to see him like that. But no one else would be there when I got to see him do it naked while riding my cock.

He shifted into a straddle position and pulsed his legs, opening them really fucking wide. That would be so useful.

Dammit. Now I was sitting there with a hard-on. I had to look at my phone and think about some boring accounting work myfather wanted me to do. Hell, thinking about my father was enough to make my cock forget how much it wanted Zeke. Pops couldn’t find out about us, at least not for a while.

You should tell Val.

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