Page 3 of Ice Cold Christmas

“You love me.”

With her entire heart. The heart he’d accused her of not having. But he hadn’t said how he felt. That was Victor. Always keeping things close to the vest. Always spinning and plotting. She could never quite figure him out. Truth be told, maybe that was part of his appeal. She liked a man with some mystery about him.

“They’re going to rush back to the party,” Victor warned her as he watched her with his intense gaze. “That was Trey and Eleanor.”

Eleanor was her stepbrother’s secretary. She was also one of the biggest gossips to ever grace the planet. Trey was a VP of accounting and Eleanor’s current flame.

“If they saw your face, they’ll say I’m fucking you. I don’t want that gossip spreading. I’d rather tell the world I’m marrying you.”

He had the ring again. He’d plucked it from his pocket.

“You are not my secret.”

She stared at the ring. “They didn’t see my face.” He’d been in front of her. Blocking her. Protecting her? The ring gleamed. She reached out for it.

And realized that Victor was holding his breath.

Her fingers paused in the air. “Why do you want to marry me?”

“Because you’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

He was the only thing she did want. Melody took the ring. Slid it onto her finger. “How about that? A perfect fit.”

“Melody.”

She eased out a breath. “I’m going home. I want you to follow. I want you to make love to me all night long. And I want you to tell me, over and over…how much you love me.” There. Done. She’d said the words. Put it all out there. The ring was a light weight on her finger.

No more secrets.

She smoothed her hair. Nodded. “Don’t keep me waiting.” She brushed past him. Headed for the door. She couldn’t face the big crowd again. Not that night. She wanted Victor. Away from everyone. No interruptions. No whispers.

She didn’t look back as she left the boardroom. She retrieved her coat and her bag, and a fast elevator ride had her in the parking garage. Her fingers pressed the remote for her vehicle, and the lights flashed on her blue Benz. She slid inside. Pulled the door shut.

And then her shaking fingers curled around the steering wheel. Her gaze caught the ring. The beautiful, wonderful ring. Three diamonds. So gorgeous. I am going to marry Victor. He is going to say that he loves me. We will be happy. No matter what rumors she’d caught. No matter what the detective who’d come to see her a few weeks before had said, how he’d tried to make her fear Victor, no matter?—

“Start the car.”

Melody jumped because that rasping voice had just come from the back seat of her vehicle. She started to spin around.

But something pressed to her temple.

“This is a gun, Melody. I can blow your brains out here and now, or you can start the damn car.”

Trembling, heart nearly bursting from her chest, she started the car. But her wild gaze swung toward the bank of elevators. She’d told Victor to follow her. He should be appearing. He would help her. He would?—

“Victor sends his regards,” the rasping voice told her. “Drive the fucking car.”

The elevator dinged. Cursing, Victor hurried out. He’d been delayed. He should have been in that parking garage much, much sooner, but Melody’s dick of a stepbrother had held him up. Dario had jumped into his path. Demanded to know Victor’s plans.

My plan is to go fuck your stepsister. Then to marry her. But he hadn’t said those words. Too many eyes had been on them. Too many ears listening. So he’d bullshitted about the company. Developments. Expansions. Then he’d rushed the hell out of there.

Now he was in the garage, and automatically, he searched for the blue Benz. Melody’s car.

Already gone.

His jaw locked. He marched forward, pulling out his own keys and hitting the button to unlock the sleek black car that waited.

He’d meet Melody at her place. He’d fuck her all night long. While she wore his ring. And tomorrow, they’d tell the world that they were getting married.