Page 29 of Iceman (Speed Demons MC Virginia #2)

His fingers squeezed the back of my neck.

“Shh. Nothing’s gonna happen. I’ll wear a vest and take extra precautions.

We’re going to Virginia tomorrow. The club’s got better security than Fort Knox, and the town’s so small that any stranger who shows his face will stand out.

Colt’s team is putting together a completed profile, and we’re getting close.

In a way, I hope he does show so I can put a stop to his bullshit, and we can get on with doing everything we talked about.

” He held my face in his hands, his icy eyes boring into mine.

“It stopped being about the job for me the first night I was here. I wanna build a life with you, and by doing so, I’ll protect and love you unconditionally.

I’ll go to sleep lying next to you every night for the rest of my damned life, knowing our souls are tethered. ”

“Jacob,” I whispered huskily, my eyes shining with all the emotions his words had brought out in me. “I’m gonna put that shit in a song.”

He busted out a laugh before resting his forehead against mine. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from my songbird.”

My heart melted. “What’s your MC like?”

He lifted his head from mine and cocked an eyebrow. “Fuckin’ crazy.”

I grinned and breathed, “Awesome.”

Catalina’s voice floated across the kitchen. “Are you hungry, Jacob?”

He reached around my body and picked up his coffee cup. “Well, I dunno, Cat. Depends if you’re making tamales.”

She beamed at him. “You’re a good boy who loves his food.”

“Love your food,” he corrected her.

She beamed even brighter.

“Especially your tamales,” he added.

“Did tu madre make you tamales, Jacob?” she asked. “Is that why you love them?”

Jake's face twisted into a smirk. “No, Cat. My mom’s idea of cooking was throwing a frozen pizza in the oven or picking up a McDonald's on the way home from work. Pop-Tarts for breakfast and chips and dip for dinner were the norm for me growing up.”

Her brown eyes grew wide. She rested a hand across her chest and exclaimed, “ Dios mío .”

Jacob laughed. “Ma couldn’t cook, but Dad could. He made the good stuff. He barbequed most nights, and to this day, Pop’s gumbo is legendary. ”

Cat’s hand shifted to her heart, and she murmured, “ Gracias a Dios por eso .” Then she gave Jacob a knowing look and announced, “ Mi Santa makes good tamales. Your babies won’t have to eat Pop-Tarts.”

Jacob looked a little shocked. “You cook?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, a little. Cat taught me a few things.”

“Cat’s a fucking revelation,” a dry voice said from the doors. “Are you making tamales, babe? My stomach feels like my throat’s been cut.”

I turned to see Talia stepping through the bi-folds, sniffing the air appreciatively. “Is that Café de Olla I can smell?”

Cat gave her an indulgent smile. “Take a seat. I’ll fetch you some.”

Talia heaved her huge bag from her shoulders, dropped it onto the countertop, and slid onto a stool. “When are you gonna leave Saint and come to work for me, Cat?” She made a pouty face. “I wanna wake up to Café de Olla. ”

“I’ll never leave Santa ,” Cat said breezily, pointing a finger at Talia. “And you are too messy and have too many men.” She shook her head disapprovingly. “Every time I bring you food, I see a different boy. One in and one out. Every day it’s different.”

Talia grinned. “What can I say? So many men, so little time.”

“These modern girls,” Cat grumbled. “You need a good boy who’ll give you many babies.”

“What I need is a good, big, hard d?—”

“Talia!” I barked, cutting her off. “What are you doing here?”

She chuckled, throwing Catalina an apologetic wink. “The boys will be here any minute. We need a band meeting to discuss the latest development with weirdo stalker.” She gave a little shudder. “That photo was creepy as fuck. ”

I glanced at Jacob, who was leaning on the countertop, sipping Café de Olla without a care in the world.

“ Hombre loco ,” Cat announced, opening the fridge to pull out a packet of beef. “Crazy man.”

The sounds of laughter and footsteps drifted in from the backyard, and Sam and Boomer appeared at the doors.

“Morning!” Boom sang.

“ Hola, hijo, ” Cat called out. “ Café de Olla ?”

Boomer held his arms out and ran toward Cat, enveloping her in a bear hug. “Cat. I love you.”

“Jonny’s taking a swim,” Sam informed the room, jerking his thumb toward the pool just as I heard a loud splash.

I rolled my eyes. “That asshole better be wearing swim shorts this time.”

Jacob’s gaze hardened, his neck craning toward the glass doors.

“Bah!” Cat exclaimed. “Jonny J shows off.” She emptied the packet of beef into a frying pan, shaking her head exasperatedly. “Always with the pene. ”

Talia barked a laugh.

I chuckled.

Sam approached and flung his arm across my shoulders, pulling me in for a hug. His eyes softened as he studied my face. “You look pretty today, Saint. How are you coping with the whole photo thing?”

A low growl cut through the kitchen, and the air froze as Jake’s deep voice rumbled, “You wanna stop touching my woman, brother? Maybe take a step away?”

I peered around Sam’s body to see Jacob looking furious.

My throat worked .

“Just bein’ friendly, Iceman,” Sam drawled, but still, his arm left my shoulders, and he stepped back. “Saint and I are old friends.”

For a split second, I thought Jake’s head would explode.

“We go way back,” Sam insisted.

“How about you be a friend who doesn’t put your arm around her from now on?” Jacob bit out.

Talia chuckled, looking on with interest.

Sam held his hands up defensively. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Saint and I tried but decided to stay as friends.”

All my breath left my lungs, and suddenly the air felt like it had been sucked from the room.

“Come again?” Jake said, his tone deceptively quiet.

My heart sank.

“It was once,” I blurted out. “Years ago.”

“Wait,” Boomer interjected. “Did you two...? He glanced at Jacob, and his words faltered when he saw my guy’s murderous expression. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

Talia laughed.

Jacob glowered at Sam. “Stay the fuck away from my woman,” he snarled.

Cat smiled approvingly. “I like this. Un hombre debe ser un hombre . A man must be a man. Mi Carlos would be a big, jealous lion too.” Her smile widened, and she repeated to herself, “ Un hombre debe ser un hombre .”

Jacob’s stare slashed to mine, and I felt the chill hit me from three feet away.

Sorry , I told him with my eyes.

His lips thinned, but one corner of his mouth hitched slightly.

Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Oops .

“You better delete your Raya profile,” Boomer muttered. “Or your dude will have an aneurism.”

Another growl hit the ether.

“Thanks for that, Boom,” I snapped sarcastically.

“Yeah,” Jacob cut out. “You’d better delete your fuckin’ Raya profile.”

“Never once have I had a date from Raya,” I announced.

Talia brought her hand up to her mouth and coughed, “Liar.”

“Am not!” I wailed.

“I thought that was how you met Hunter,” Boomer interjected.

“No,” Tally interrupted. “I introduced Saint to Hunter.”

Boomer nodded slowly. “Right.”

“Will you guys stop talking about my dating life in front of my boyfriend?” I demanded, eyeing Jacob’s angry, flushed face. “He’s about to spontaneously combust. He doesn’t know you well enough to know what assholes you are when one of us gets a new partner.”

“He better get used to us,” Talia said. “He’ll be stuck with us in Virginia and then New York.”

Jacob’s icy eye beam rays suddenly became more powerful. He glared at Talia and snapped, “What?”

My body froze.

A slow grin spread across her face. “We’re going to Virginia with you. I thought a few days staying in a nice hotel on the Potomac River would be fucking awesome.”

Jacob’s stare never left her. “You’re not coming with us.”

“I am,” she argued. “So’s Boom, Jonny, and Sam. It’s already arranged. The boys’ bodyguards want to spend some time at the club before we head to New York, and we all need protection from the weirdo, creepy stalker, so I thought, two birds, one stone.”

Jake folded his arms across his chest. “Hendrix won’t agree to it.”

A grin split her big, fat mouth. “Your prez already did.”

Jacob’s face fell, and I thought for a second he was about to cry, but instead, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

Cat watched him go, and she slowly turned her head toward Sam. “See what you did? You never make a man like that jealous. You’re lucky he didn’t take his gun out and shoot you.” She began to mutter under her breath, “ Chicos estúpidos .”

Sam’s smirk was all the answer I needed, and my eyes narrowed on him in disbelief. “You did that on purpose.”

“Not on purpose exactly,” he muttered, his stare avoiding mine.

“That’s a shitty thing to do, Sam,” I snapped. “How would you like it if I did that to Jolie?”

Sam shrugged. “It’s over between us. She dumped me.”

My jaw dropped. “So you thought what? That you’d spread the misery? Well, it’s backfired because how the hell can you come to Virginia now? Jacob doesn’t even want to be in the same room as you.”

“Oh, come on,” Boomer interjected. “It’s not like he’s been a virgin in the last couple of years. Gambit’s been telling me about the Speed Demons’ club girls.”

Talia sat up straighter. “Club girls?”

“Club girls?” I echoed.

“Girls who hang around the club and fuck the brothers,” Sam explained.

Bile rose through my throat.

Cat let out a gasp, pulled her rosary from around her neck, and brought it to her mouth .

Talia’s grin widened. “Bikers have groupies, too? Awesome!”

At that moment, the bi-folds opened, and Jonny J wandered in completely naked, with water dripping from his body and his hand covering his junk.

He cleared his throat. “Did I hear somebody mention groupies?”

I looked to the heavens and let out a deep sigh.

Fuck my life.