Page 56 of Ice Cold Christmas

She could not move.

Victor closed the space between them with hard, deliberate steps.

“I am not an easy man, Melody.”

She wet her lips. “Yes, I got that impression.”

The faint lines near his mouth deepened. “Once, you loved me despite that fact. The rest of the world thought I was a cold-blooded, dangerous bastard. But you still loved me.”

Her boots pressed harder into the floor as she found herself leaning toward him. Drawn, no, pulled, to him.

“I will get you to love me again. No matter what it takes. I did it before. I can do it again.” An absolute vow. “Though I am probably fucking scaring you to death with my obsession?—”

“I thought I didn’t matter to anyone,” Melody cut through his words. “Days passed. Weeks. Months. No one came for me. I didn’t think anyone looked.” It had been like the whole world forgot her.

“I looked. You will always matter to me.”

She believed him. Something seemed to break apart inside of her. She could almost hear the shattering. Maybe it was the ice around her heart. The ice that had trapped her for so long. Because she’d been locked away. In so much pain and all alone. So sure that no one had cared. That she’d been forgotten.

As she forgot everyone and everything.

But this man—this man had never forgotten.

She surged toward him. Her hands grabbed his shoulders. She pulled him down and his mouth locked onto hers. And it was the same—the very same way it had been the last time they kissed. Desire blasted through her blood. A white-hot need and burning lust that obliterated the cold. Her tongue slipped into his mouth. Tasted him, and when he growled for her, the rough, primitive sound just made her want him all the more.

Right then. Right there.

His fingers curled around her waist. But he didn’t haul her even closer, as she wanted him to do. Instead, his grip tightened, and his head wrenched up as he took that sexy mouth of his away from her. “What are you doing?” he rasped.

She’d thought it was obvious. “Fuck is your favorite word,” she reminded him.

His eyes narrowed.

“So fuck me right now, Victor. Fuck me?—”

He lifted her up and carried her to the bed.

Chapter Fourteen

“Are you listening to me? The bitch is back. She waltzed back in here like nothing had ever happened!” The words rushed out. “And Victor flew her to Richmond in a chopper. The bastard took a freaking bullet for her and then just flew out of here.” A quick expulsion of air. “The sheriff and his deputies are searching the estate now. Bullets were fired into the study. They almost hit her. One did hit Victor.” Grazed him. Hadn’t slowed down the bastard at all.

“The shooter is long gone.”

So confident. And…

No surprise. There was zero surprise or reaction to all the news. “You already know all of this.” Well, hell.

“The shooter was mine. Extra eyes that I wanted on the estate.”

Why would extra eyes need to be on the estate? “Why?” Then, almost fearful, “Don’t you trust me?”

“I trust you completely. It’s the assholes around you who are problems.” A pause. “You trust me, too, don’t you?”

Maybe.

“My watcher reported when she arrived. I told him to take her out before she caused trouble.”

“Well, your watcher missed her. Whoever he was, he’s a colossal screwup. I’d get rid of him.” Because now, evidence could be left behind. Maybe evidence that was currently hidden by the snow, but snow always melted. “They found a smashed-up truck not far from the estate. I was…worried.” I thought that maybe you’d been out there. That you’d come to the estate. Seen her, freaked the hell out, and taken that shot yourself.