Page 170 of Ice Darling
Panicked, I try to get up, and a steel band of an arm stops my ascent. I’m trapped.
“Renthrow,” I hiss, doing my best to peel his arm off. “Renthrow, get up.”
He grunts in his sleep.
I push at his arm again, fighting with all my strength. It’s no use. I’ve seen April break a stubborn lug nut with her bare hands, but I doubt even my boss could get Renthrow’s arm off me.
I wiggle my way up his body and look directly into his face. “Renthrow.”
“Mm.” His eyelashes flutter.
“Renthrow, Ren—Viking,let me go.” I run my fingers through his hair. “I have to go home now.”
His eyes open a smidge, and I silently rejoice.
“Cordelia.” A sleepy smile curls his lips. “You’re here.”
“Yes, I’m here, but I need to go?—”
His mouth smushes against mine. It’s a lazy, messy meeting of the lips that tells me he hasn’t fully awakened yet.
My skin sizzles with heat, and I know I shouldn’t, but I kiss him back. The air turns charged, and I press a hand against his cheek, bracing his face.
Though I want to close my eyes and melt against him completely, I’m aware that we could be discovered any moment, and that keeps me restrained.
Which is why I have my eyes open and see exactly when his hand slides up to my ring finger. The moment he feels my bare hand, clarity enters his gaze. His eyes burst open wide, and he knocks me clear off him.
I crash into the fuzzy rug, glad that I landed here and not on the coffee table. It would have hurt much worse.
“Cordelia!” He roars in concern.
I shush him, waving a hand up and down to silence him.
Hair a mess and a beard shadowing the lower half of his face, the gorgeous hockey player drops to his knee beside me, helping me up. “I’m sorry. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.” I pound my aching back. “Didn’t you recognize me?”
“I-I thought I was dreaming,” he admits.
I guess I know what Renthrow and I are doing in his dreams.
“Daddy?” Gordie’s voice calls faintly from upstairs.
I jerk away from him.
“Just a second, pumpkin. Daddy’s coming!” Renthrow says while giving me a wide-eyed look.
“Shoes. Shoes,” I hiss, hunting around for my footwear.
Renthrow crawls around the sofa until he locates my work boots. I grab them from him and tiptoe backward.
“Daddy, I heard noises,” Gordie says. Her voice sounds louder now.
I shove a finger at the stairs, miming to Renthrow. He gets my message with a nod and bounds off yelling, “It was nothing, pumpkin.”
I wait with my heart pounding and my shoes tucked close to my chest.
“Are you sure?” Gordie’s saying. Her feet are coming down the stairs.
