Page 44 of Ice Rebel

Maybe that was another beast I was thinking of.

“Don’t keep me waiting, babe,” he said almost casually. “Take ‘em off or I will.”

“You mean these?” I pointed to my jeans.

“I mean everything.” While he tugged on his other boot, hopping across the floor to keep his balance, I reached behind me, unfastening my bra. Since I wasn’t much of a drinker, it was entirely possible the wine had offered me courage because I was interested in doing a little strip tease of my own.

I cupped my breasts so the material wouldn’t fall, easing one strap down while he was still struggling with the boot.

“Fuck me,” he muttered, now with a brutal yank that pitched him backward against the door. He didn’t care, pushing himself off and tossing the footwear.

As soon as he walked closer as if he was going to interrupt me, I shook my head, even throwing out one arm. “Bad boy,” I tsked and wagged my finger. “If you want to see anything, you need to behave. Can you do that?”

“Me?” he asked, swaggering closer. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.”

“You gotta pay to play.”

My comment had him grinning like a kid. While he remained where he was, he decided to continue teasing me by unfastening his jeans, pulling the flaps away and even tugging the dense material down by a few inches.

I’d be damned if the big fat label ‘Calvin Klein’ on the elastic of his briefs didn’t catch my eye. Wow. My mouth was watering all over again, diluting the coppery taste of his blood.

I wiggled my hips before turning around so my back was to him, finally shimmying out of the bra. I repeated his earlier action, holding the bra out to the side and swinging it back and forth.

When I dared look over my shoulder, I was certain he was about to lose all sense of control by the way his chest was rising and falling. His expression was concentrated, almost stern, but he was definitely paying very close attention.

I did a little provocative dance like a stripper, swiveling my hips while allowing my arms to float through the air. I did so again, a little bolder this time, but given I was also a bit clumsy when a single drop of alcohol hit my system, I almost got tangled in my own feet.

What I didn’t expect when I finally managed to turn around was for him to take a tackle run at me like a defenseman, only for football instead of hockey. He swept me off my feet before I even had time to laugh, which I did when he not only tossed me over his shoulder, but slipped me down his back so he was holding me aloft by my calves.

“What are you doing?”

“Where’s the bedroom?”

“What?” I struggled in his hold, swinging my body to try to see what was happening. While my hair was dangling in my face.

“The bedroom?”

Apparently, I didn’t answer him quickly enough because in another surprise move, he shifted, tossed me in the air so I twirled at least twice and landed in his arms like a cradled baby.

I was so stunned my mouth was hanging open. “How did you do that?”

He wasn’t taking no for an answer, moving with long strides toward the bedrooms. The condo was cool because the central portion was the huge living room with a kitchen and half bath, another room as a bonus and two wings that included two ensuites.

“Baby, I have many hidden talents.”

And wouldn’t you know, he’d chosen the wrong hallway.

“No! Other side.”

His grin was sheepish, backing up instead of turning. “You don’t want to christen your roommate’s bed?”

“Since I don’t know her very well, uh, no, thank you. Especially since I wouldn’t mind experiencing all your hidden talents.”

“I’ll warn you and you get only one warning. Be careful what you ask for.”

“Oh, should I be scared?”

So dramatic. He kicked my bedroom door open, storming in as if he owned the place. “Yeah, lady. Very scared.” So true to his form, before he reached the bed, he threw his head back and howled. What was he doing, calling his wolves?