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“If I’m wet it’s because I was so scared that I peed myself,” she informed him, that rose-red blush still burning her cheeks. “Does that make you feel like a real man, Ice? To hold down a woman half your size and use her like a rubbing post?”
Ice cocked a brow. “What’s a rubbing post? Is that a real thing?”
Indy couldn’t stop a giggle. “I don’t know. It sounds like a thing. It might be a thing for macho dogs like you when you don’t have a female handy.”
Ice rumbled out a laugh. “Why would a dude rub himself on a rubbing-post when he has two perfectly good hands to deal with the situation?”
Indy shrugged. “Well, what if he’s tied up. Like you were not so long ago.”
Ice frowned. “You have a pretty narrow opinion of men if you assume that a dude’s top priority would be to get himself off on a damn rubbing-post while he was tied up.”
Indy giggled again. “Based on the evidence presented, it appears that you were certainly in dire need of a rubbing-post while tied up.”
“Why would I need a rubbing-post when I have you?” Ice whispered, the grin breaking wide on his blood-crusted face, his frame breaking down along with it, his eyes now communicating what Indy could hear loud in her heart, sense deep in her soul, see clear in her mind. He leaned in and kissed her once, a quick smack on the lips. “Dammit, Indy. I can’t hold my frame around you. Just can’t stop the grin from breaking through. Fuck. This shit just got real complicated. There’s obviously a big part of me that believes you.”
Indy closed one eye and scrunched up her face. “Wait, so there’s still a part of you thatdoesn’tbelieve me?”
Ice took a breath, sighed it out, shook his head. “There’s a part of me that knows I’m compromised, Indy. A cold, logical, dispassionate part of me that says I’ve crossed a line, brought feelings and emotions into the mix, muddied the waters, that I can’t trust myself to be objective anymore, that I should pull myself off the mission.” He swallowed hard, his grip on her wrists tightening for a flash. “Except I can’t do that either. Can’t just walk away from you now. I’m fucked, Indy. For the first time in my life I feel like I’ve lost my frame of reference, am in over my damn head on a mission.”
Indy blinked, swallowed, blinked again. She didn’t know how to respond. She felt something too, something warm and wonderful. But at the same time there was a cold, logical voice in her own head too, just like the one speaking to Ice.
Except Indy’s voice of reason whispered that she’d found a vulnerability in him and she needed to exploit it.
Her common sense told her she could take control of this game, manipulate this man to her advantage.
Except she didn’t want to do any of that.
And she desperately hoped she didn’tneedto do any of that.
Because she was vulnerable too.
Because she’d crossed a line too.
Because she’d made a choice too.
Made it when she stayed in this room.
Made it when she kissed him back.
Made it when she came like that waterfall.
That waterfall down which she was still tumbling.
With nothing to grab onto but him.
“Listen, Indy,” he said now, his gaze sharpening again, the mood darkening again. “This is bigger than just the two of us. If Benson finds out I’m compromised he’ll pull me out and send someone else in. Hell, for all I know, Kaiser’s already taken this mission back from Benson. And that’s if Kaiser even knew Benson sent me in to begin with. Shit, there are still so many unknowns. Where’s my damn phone?”
Indy stared up at him, her mind spinning from the sudden change from levity and laughter to dread and trepidation. Now she remembered that Ice was still bound by his ankles, tied to the bathroom pipe. He couldn’t reach his knife, couldn’t reach his phone.
Sure, his hands were free so maybe he could wrench himself free or unscrew the pipe. Hop over to the bed and get his knife to free his ankle-cuffs.
But not easily.
Those military-grade plastic ties were designed to be unbreakable without a blade or serious leverage. It would take time for him to break free.
Which meant Indy could still run.
And maybe sheshouldrun.
