Page 71 of Heart on Ice

“Why would I care?” she snips.

I stare at her blankly. Why would she care? Has this been all one sided? I thought … shit. “You wouldn’t care if I left here after cooking you dinner and went to a sex club and slept with someone else.” Issy swallows and I can see it on her face she isn’t happy, but she can’t bring herself to tell me that. “I get it. You’re embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed?” she repeats.

“What else would you call it? Every single day I bring you to orgasm at work and then you waltz into your home as if what we did during the day never happened. I’m your dirty little secret, Issy, you’re so ashamed of yourself for wanting me again that you ignore it. I can’t, no I won’t be ignored anymore.” With that, I throw my napkin onto the table and walk out of the dining room.

There’s a soft knock at my bedroom door. “Come in.” I’m rummaging through my clothes wondering what the hell does someone wear to a sex club because if Issy doesn’t want me then I’m sure as hell not going to stay here and keep making a fool out of myself.

“Saint.” Issy says my old nickname. I still. Dammit. She’s playing dirty. I refuse to turn around to look at her. I hear her feet pad across the wooden floor until a hand lands on my back. “We need to talk.”

I turn around. “I think we do.” I offer her a seat on my bed, thankfully, I made it today. She takes it, and I notice she’s nervous as she picks at one of her nails. We sit there in silence, neither one of us knowing how to start this conversation we should have had a week ago.

“Would it hurt you if I went to the club tonight and hooked up with someone?” I ask her. Turning to look at her as shesits there contemplating my question. She starts to answer then stops and tries again, but nothing but a squeak comes out. “It would hurt me if you went after the week we had.” Slowly, Issy lifts her face to look at me, those chocolate eyes filled with so many unsaid words that I hope might spill from her lips. “Yes. It would hurt me,” she answers quietly.

Oh, thank goodness. Relief washes over me. I reach out and take her hand in mine and she lets me. “This week has been one of the hottest weeks of my life,” I confess to her.

Issy bites her bottom lip. “Mine too,” she says, unable to look at me.

I give her hand a squeeze. “Issy, look at me.” She looks up through thick lashes. Reaching out I cup her face. “Take me to Paradise and do whatever the hell you want to me.” Her hand squeezes mine.

“Saint.” She gasps.

Her using her old nickname on me is my undoing as I lean forward and rest my forehead against hers. “I want you, Issy. This week seems likes the filthiest foreplay I’ve ever had. Do you want me too?” I ask her.

“Yes, but …” of course there is a but, “this doesn’t mean anything. It’s just sex.” Not going to lie that stings a little, no, a lot, but the fact that she is putting sex on the table who the hell is going to say no to that.

“I understand.”

“I can’t risk anything more with you, Pierre.” There it is, the wall she’s put between us using my name. She may forgive me for what I did as kids but she’s never going to forget it. I resign myself to that fact. My life is in shambles right now, I’m not looking to date anyone anytime soon, so if all Issy can offer me is sex than I can handle that.

“I understand. Just sex,” I tell her.

She nods. “I think we can agree the physical attraction is still there.”

It sure is. But what she’s saying is the emotional connection isn’t. Guess I’m going to have to respect her wishes.So, you should. You never thought you would ever get Issy back in your arms. Are you prepared to give that up because she won’t give you a piece of her heart that you broke the last time she gave it to you.Point made. My thumb slides over her pouty lips. “It sure is.”

Next thing I know she is pressing her lips to mine and kissing me. She’s made the first move on me, catching me off-guard for a moment, but once my brain catches up, I’m kissing her back. My fingers dig into her hair as I pull her closer to me. She climbs into my lap and deepens the kiss.

“Fuck, Issy.” I groan as I devour her, a week’s worth of foreplay unleashing in a kiss.

“Shut up,” she hisses, pushing me backward onto the bed. I do as I am told not wanting this to stop. I roll her onto her side, her leg curls over my hip as my cock digs into her. Issy pulls away, we are both panting. “If we do this, there’s rules.” Whatever she wants. Yes.

“Rules.” I pant as my hand slides along her face, pushing her hair behind her ear.

“Yes. I think we need them.” Issy is protecting herself, I get it.

“Lay them on me,” I tell her, my eyes roaming over her gorgeous face.

“It’s just sex,” she states.

“We established that earlier,” I tell her.

“I won’t share you at The Paradise Club,” she adds.

There’s no way in the world I am going to sit and watch some other man fuck her. “I’m not sharing you either. Next.”

“This stops when you move out.”

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