House of Payne: Ice Read online

  He heard Sunny’s sharp intake of breath. “What?”

  “So, you pretty much got everything right. The only thing you got wrong,” he added, his voice hardening while his gaze remained locked on Claire’s, “is that I’m bad for your daughter. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, Sunny is the one who’s bad for me and my peace of mind, but there’s nothing I can do about that. No one can help who they’re attracted to. A person wants what they want, and that’s all there is to it. I thought you needed to know upfront that’s what’s going on between Sunny and me.”

  “You’d set fire to your own world,” Sunny repeated as if to herself. Behind that unreadable mask of hers, something began to churn as she took another step toward him. “Did you actually mean to say that?”

  “I meant every word I said, and you can bet I’m choosing my words very carefully. Because I didn’t come over just to give you my address,” he added, and his attention swung back to Claire. “The main reason why I wanted to come over was because of you, Claire.”

  Again he received an arched brow. “Really? Why is that?”

  “I wanted to look you in the eye so I could assure you that every thought and action I take boils down to one question—how will it affect Sunny?”

  Sunny’s mother offered a scoff. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

  “We both agree that I’m a selfish bastard, yeah? I told you—there’s only one way for me to be happy, and that’s if Sunny’s happy. Maybe you can’t believe in me, but I sure as hell hope you can rest easy believing at least that much.”

  “I don’t know that resting easy is something that can be done when it comes to the son of Damien Eisen.”

  At that, Ice’s grip on his temper began to slip even as Sunny stepped between them. “Mom, don’t go there. Seriously, don’t.”

  “I’m nothing like that sonofabitch,” Ice said very quietly, because the need to yell was almost breaking him in half. “Don’t think about dragging him into this conversation, because he’s got nothing to do with me, and he sure as hell has nothing to do with Sunny. I won’t allow that shit to ever happen. Don’t even think of me as that bastard’s son. God knows I don’t.”

  “It’s not that simple,” Claire returned, and he thought she’d take the hard-ass route all the way to the wall, when she surprised him by suddenly sighing and shaking her head. “But I do know you shouldn’t pay for the sins of your father. I also know my daughter is a grown woman who knows her own mind. And since she just assured me you were a changed man—and the man I heard speak now is definitely different from the man I knew years ago—I don’t see how I can stand in her way.”

  Slowly the tension in his muscles eased. “Good to hear.”

  “Just know this is your last chance to get things right, Atticus,” she added, her voice hardening. “That’s not a mother who’s giving you this warning. This is coming from a woman who knows how a fellow woman’s heart and mind works. I promise you with everything in me—you are on your very last chance. Don’t screw it up.”

  That was a warning he didn’t need, but he nodded and watched as Claire left the foyer, gently reaching out to squeeze Sunny’s hand as she passed. When they were alone, Sunny let out a loud, whooshing breath, like she’d been holding it for the past several minutes.

  “I have a question for you,” she said, sounding agitated even as he turned her way.

  “Yeah? Shoot.”

  “Remember that time when I told you I didn’t want you anywhere near my home? Or that you were persona non grata?”

  “That’s two questions.”

  “Or that you weren’t going to step foot inside this house because of drama issues?” The unreadable mask slipped from her face, and she stalked toward him with eyes so hot they threatened to burn the first layer of his skin clean off. “In all of that, what part did you not understand?”

  “I understood you perfectly.”

  “Then why the hell are you here?”

  “Because there’s something you don’t understand that I needed to take care of. Hopefully, though, I did take care of it, and now it’s done.”

  She was so damn cute when she was bewildered. “I can assure you, there’s very little in this world that I don’t understand.”

  Heh. “So I guess I don’t have to explain why I’m here, then.”

  She chewed on that for almost five seconds. “Okay, fine. I’ll bite. Why did you feel like you had to come here tonight, after I’d gone out of my way to tell you to steer clear? And don’t tell me it was to give me your address.”

  “Nah, but that was a pretty slick excuse. Almost as good as hand-delivering my designs.”

  She rolled her baby browns. “Trust me, it wasn’t. You’re remarkably awful at making excuses.”

  Whatever. “After that photo appeared in the paper today, the first thing I did was put myself in Claire’s shoes and think about how she’d react to it.”

  She stared at him like he was speaking another language. “Seriously? Out of everything in this world, the first thing you thought about my mom?”

  “Yeah. I mean, she’s going through a rough time right now. Sure, you’re all grown up, but you’re still her daughter, and her only child. That means she has to play both the roles of mother and father with you right now, and flying solo as a parent is something she’s never had to do before. I also know she loves you something fierce, because in her eyes you really are what she called you—a treasure.”

  Her face softened as she glanced after her mother. “I’m lucky she thinks that.”

  “She’s the lucky one, because you are a treasure and she gets to live with you. And because you’re living in such close quarters, I thought it was only fair to give her a chance to tell me exactly how she felt.”

  A corner of her mouth curled. “Like you said—clearing the air.”

  “Exactly. Life is so much easier when you cut lies and subterfuge out of the mix.”

  “Easier?” A huff of disbelieving laughter escaped her. “How can you call what she said to you easier? She tried to rip you to shreds.”

  “Tried and failed, mainly because she knows I understand where she’s coming from. All that matters to her is you. I get that.”

  That earned him a snort. “Do you, now?”

  “Yeah, I do, smartass. That’s why I wanted to give her the assurance, face-to-face, that you are the one and only concern I have in this whole damn world. The last thing I’ll ever do is bring harm or hurt to you, and I wanted her to know that.”

  Maybe it was a trick of the light, but he thought he saw a shimmer of moisture in her eyes. “So…you really were trying to lighten her load?”

  He nodded. “With everything Claire’s going through right now, the last thing I want to do is add to her stress. She needs to know you’ve got a man in your life who’ll do his damnedest to keep you safe. She needs to hear there’s someone in this world besides her who would do anything to protect you. Now that she knows where I stand, she can stop dividing her time worrying about you, and focus on the man she loves. That’s the least I could give her.”

  “That… was incredibly thoughtful of you.” She bit her lip as she stared up at him, and there was such sweet warmth in her eyes he couldn’t have looked away if his life depended on it. “Even if the things you said weren’t true, I’m grateful you tried to put my mother’s mind at ease. Thank you, Ice.”

  “Hold up.” In a heartbeat, he grabbed her hand and hauled her close. “Look me in the eye and repeat that.”

  “What part?”

  “The part about what I just said not being true. What didn’t sound legit to you?”

  “Um… all of it?”

  Fuck. “So you’re calling me a liar?”

  She made a little eek face. “It sounds bad when you say it like that.”

  “Yeah, because being called a liar is bad, Sunny. It fucking sucks.”

  “I certainly didn’t mean to offend you—”

&nbs
p; “How the fuck else am I supposed to feel? Every damn word I said was straight-up reality. I hate lies and dishonesty—people hiding their personal truths. Shit like that ruins lives.”

  A bitter sound escaped her. “You can say that again.”

  “Another thing you need to know is that I’m not stupid enough to pull that kind of shit with your mother. She’d sniff it out in a heartbeat, and I can’t afford to fuck up like that. Because what she said is true—this isn’t just a second chance. I’m on my last chance to get it right with you, so from now on I can’t put even a foot wrong. That includes lying, of any kind.”

  “But you’re not really happy only when I’m happy. I mean… You’re not, are you?”

  Jesus, she had to ask? “Sunny, I didn’t wake up this morning with a burning desire to buy a cat. But that’s exactly what I did. I bought a fucking cat—a cat that’s totally ignoring my existence, by the way—simply because that cat liked you, and you seemed to like it. If that doesn’t give you an answer, nothing will.”

  “Fair point,” she muttered, looking damn cute when she wrinkled her nose. “What about when you said you’d burn your world down if there was something threatening me? That wasn’t actually what yo—”

  “You know what, shut up.” To make sure she understood he was officially done talking, he captured her mouth with his and let the heat balloon between them. It was like magic, that ever-present spark that burst into an all-consuming wildfire every time they touched. To kiss Sunny was like kissing her namesake and God help him, he loved how she burned him alive.

  “Your hands.” Her lips broke from his but didn’t go far. They hovered near his mouth, as if she couldn’t quite bear to be fully separated from him. Beautiful. “Your hands, Ice.”

  “Yeah?” He bit gently at her lower lip, then licked the upper one. If she was going to tease him with her closeness, she had to pay the price. “What about them?”

  “They’re on my ass.”

  “So they are.” He gave those amazing ass cheeks a squeeze and groaned as his cock throbbed with increasing urgency. “Can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do that. When we’d go to the beach with our friends, you’d wear these skimpy little bikini bottoms with a frigging see-through shirt you called a cover-up—which by the way, it totally wasn’t—and all I could focus on was your perfect ass cheeks.”

  She shifted against him—not to get away, but with a restless hunger she couldn’t seem to hide. “You never said you liked my ass.”

  “If I stood around listing all the things I like about you, I’d never get a damn thing done. But I will say your ass is at the top of that list,” he thought it prudent to add, because really, there wasn’t a finer ass anywhere on the planet. “You know what else?”

  “What?” She sounded so turned-on and breathless it almost broke him.

  “I’d love your ass even more without any clothes getting in my way.”

  Her breath caught, and with those dark eyes locked onto his, he almost lost his breath himself. Then she nodded once, as if coming to a conclusion before she took a step back.

  Damn.

  “You said you came over in part because you wanted me to know where you live now, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Show me.” She took a deep breath, as if her boldness freaked her out, before she gave him a smile. “Take me to your place, Ice.”

  Hell, yes. “Get your coat.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “I knew you’d pick a place near the water.” Trying for a calm she was nowhere near feeling, Sunny headed through the open-plan, contemporary-styled space of Ice’s condo on Lake Shore Drive, and looked out the sliding glass door. “You have a great view of Navy Pier and the Ferris wheel. Have you been there yet?”

  “No.” Thanks to the night-darkened glass door in front of her, she was able to watch Ice toss their coats on a low-slung armless couch before turning in her direction. “I’ve been way too focused to go sight-seeing.”

  “Focused?” She kept speaking to the glass. Any minute now she’d find the guts to face him and act like what they were doing—what they were about to do—was no big deal. Any minute now… “On what? Your new job?”

  “No.”

  Oh God, he was coming closer. Close enough to touch. “On what, then?”

  “On finding a way back into your life. You’re the reason I moved to Chicago, Sunny. Not House Of Payne. You.” He slid his arms around her waist from behind while she stood there, stunned. He pulled her back against him until they touched in one long line, and she watched as he brought his mouth close to her ear. “But you know that, don’t you? Deep down, part of you has always known I followed you to Chicago.”

  “I…” Confusion made it impossible to answer, because he made no sense. If he’d wanted her, why had he made it impossible for her to stay in California? “Let’s put it this way. I never expected you to follow me.”

  “I would have followed you into hell if that’s what it took to be where I am now. Which is kind of what this frozen wasteland of a city fucking feels like to a SoCal native like me,” he added with a chuckle that feathered along her neck. “But there’s no other place on earth I’d rather be than right here. It’s where you are.”

  I’ll set fire to my own world and walk away from its ashes without a backward glance…

  She had no clue what that meant.

  …if I find out there’s something in it that could hurt her.

  But something told her Ice had meant every word.

  As insane as it was, she believed he’d do anything to protect her.

  She believed…in him.

  The uncertainty churning in her heart quieted, and the irrational instinct to hide from what was happening vanished. With a strange and beautiful calm she hadn’t felt since he’d popped back up in her life, Sunny turned in his arms to face him and let the feeling of rightness settle into every part of her soul. “That’s a good line you’ve got going there, pal, but here’s the thing—I don’t need lines.”

  “It’s not a line.”

  “Then you talk too much.” With that, she went on tiptoe to kiss him.

  He grabbed hold of her like he’d been waiting a century to do it, like his arms ached with their emptiness and he needed to fill them, like she was his one and only hope for survival. His lips fused hotly to hers even as he blindly walked her backward, not stopping until her calves hit up against the sofa.

  “Candlelight, satin sheets, flowers.” His mouth left hers to cruise down her neck, even as he worked on undoing her pants and shoving them down her legs. “Dreamed of this for so long, setting the scene when I fucked you. Wanting everything to be perfect. But all I need for that level of perfect is you.”

  “I hate satin sheets, and if I don’t get to feel you soon I’m going to lose my mind.” She was barely aware of talking; the only thing she knew was how her hands burned to touch him. His shirt came off, and she took a second to drink in the golden, sculpted perfection of his gracefully long torso, the colorful tattoos sleeving his arms subtly underscoring the powerful surfer muscles rippling beneath. She knew those tattoos as well as her own face, so that was why she paused long enough to run her hand along his shoulder, where a detailed sunset glowing in oranges, blues and pinks over an ocean had been placed.

  “This is new.” She thought she caught a glimpse of a face in the formation of the clouds, but then her sweater came off, and suddenly it was hard to focus on anything except his eyes on her. “It’s your work, isn’t it? Did you get it when you left California to symbolize your love for your home state?”

  “California’s just a place. That tat’s all about what matters most to me—a beautiful Sunny day.”

  Her eyes widened at the familiar nickname a moment before her bra loosened. Then it was gone and she was hauled up against him, torso against torso, flesh against flesh, and the delicious friction of it made her breath catch. A moan whispered from her as her nipples tingled and hot wetness surged bet
ween her thighs.

  Yes.

  “Too many damn clothes,” he muttered, and a thrill of excitement ripped through her at his almost unrecognizable tone. This was the voice of a man who was seriously turned-on. If she lived to be a hundred, she’d never be able to get enough of that voice. “That’s the problem with living up in fucking snow country. All these damn layers to get through.”

  “Think of it as unwrapping a present you’ve wanted for so—” Her throat snapped shut when he yanked her underwear off, then his own. “Long. Wow. Very, very long.”

  “Damn straight.” With the last of their clothing kicked aside, he pushed her back against the sofa and followed her down. She gloried in taking his weight while his mouth closed over a nipple and sucked hard, and his hands slid over her as if wanting to learn every inch of her by feel.

  “Ice.” Her eyes closed at the wave of pleasure his mouth created. Then she gasped when he slipped a hand between her legs, exploring her channel before delving a finger inside her.

  Wow.

  “So hot. So wet. Once I’m inside you, I’m never going to want to leave.” His breath feathered along her skin as he moved to sample her other breast, while his thumb landed unerringly on her clit. “How hot can you get before I take you, Sunny? Let’s find out.”

  Her answer was a broken little moan, because he was stroking her both outside and inside, compelling her to ride his hand like her life depended on it. Pleasure bubbled through her, deepening, folding in on itself until the tension was excruciatingly wonderful. It felt so good, that masterful hand of his, and she had no intention of being shy about showing her deep appreciation for his skills.

  But it could always be better.

  “Please.” She bit her lip as the pleasure intensified, sharpened. Bordered on anguish. “I need you inside me. Fill me, Ice.”

  “Can’t get enough of your taste. Of you. Now that I’ve got you under me where you belong, I don’t want to rush.” He moved to retrieve a condom from his wallet before returning to his rightful place between her legs. “You on birth control, baby?”