Page 87 of Big Daddy Christmas
With a roll of her eyes, she ducked back into the closet. “I didn’t lock you out. I just locked the door like a normal person. And I am not avoiding you. I just have things to do. Like dry my hair and get dressed, and you need a shower. We don’t have time for you to go all alpha male on me over a locked door.”
Rising from the bed, he moved to the doorway of the closet, blocking her exit. She paused just in front of him, her eyes wide in her unmade face. “Ice, seriously. We have to go.”
“Are you talking to Ace again?”
“What?” A laugh, sharp and bitter, burst out of her. “Why the hell would you even ask me that?”
“Because you were fine this morning and now you’re acting all cagey. If he’s contacting you again, I need to know so we can report it.”
“And so you can spank the daylights out of me?” she added dryly.
“Figured that part went without saying.”
“It does. But I promise, Ice, he hasn’t contacted me. I would have told you.” Uncertainty filled her eyes. “You believe me, right?”
If she’d been pissed, ready to fight, he would have gone toe to toe with her. But he was helpless against the hurt radiating off her. The anger drained from him, though worry remained, and his voice was far gentler than it had been when he spoke again. “Of course I do, baby.”
Relief flickered, banishing the pain he’d hated to see lurking behind the deep brown of her eyes. “Good.” Rising up on her tip toes, she pressed a quick, hard kiss to her mouth. “We really, really do need to get going. You still haven’t had a shower.”
Cocking a brow at her, he let the corner of his mouth curve. “And whose fault is that? You could have let me share, but you didn’t.”
“You have a point.” Her grin flashed, quick and full of mischief. “We’ve got all night for you to teach me some manners at the club. Deal?”
An image of her, squirming against a cross as he left his mark all over her body filled his mind and his cock stirred to life despite the fact he’d just come inside her not that long ago.
“Deal.”
Chapter 3
Silver
By some miracle, they made it to the hotel without him realizing anything was amiss. Probably thanks to the constant chatter she’d managed to keep up for the entire drive, something she hardly ever did, but that Ice seemed to put down to her excitement over the wedding.
Which wasn’t entirely a lie. She really was happy to see Lottie and Braden finally tying the knot. That just wasn’t the only reason her heart felt like it might actually burst inside her chest.
Outside the bridal suite, Ice pulled her up against him, pressing a hard, punishing kiss to her lips, hot enough to burn off some of the nervous energy pumping through her veins.
Lifting his head, he looked down at her through those heavy-lidded eyes. “You sure you’re okay, baby?”
“Promise. Just excited.” Again, not a lie. Just not the whole truth, either. Hopefully he’d forgive her for keeping her secret a little while longer.
But if he decided she needed to be punished, well, she wasn’t going to complain about that, either.
For a long moment, he studied her, his gaze roaming her face and her stomach clenched with worry. But then he nodded, a single sharp bob of his head, and the knots in her stomach unwound themselves. “All right. I’ll see you at the end of the aisle.”
“I’ll be the one in green.”
The smartass reply earned her a snort of laughter and another kiss before he released her and turned to make his own way over to the groom’s suite. When he disappeared, Silver dragged in a deep, bracing breath, doing her best to shake off the lingering nerves and reached for the doorknob.
Her friends looked up from their spots on the couch as Silver approached, their eyes going round with surprise, and the relief she’d felt just a moment ago gave way to uncertainty. They couldn’t tell, right? You couldn’t just look at a woman and know she was pregnant.
Right?
“What?” Stopping a few feet from the couch, Silver frowned. “Why are you all staring at me?”
“You just look… not like you,” Cordelia said, her head tilting to the side as she looked Silver up and down. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen you without makeup.”
Oh, thank fuck.
