Chapter 19
Lily
My heart stutters as Shade looks at me like a skilled predator sizing up his lunch. I hold his gaze just long enough to check that he’s not going to suddenly burst into laughter. He’s deadly serious. He wants me to run.
Do I feel safe in this moment? Absolutely.
Has my body been copied in on the message?
Judging by the adrenaline running through my veins, definitely not.
It takes only a fraction of a second to assess my situation and plan my escape.
We’ve been walking uphill, and if I’m going to stand a chance of making it more than a few steps in this snow, I need to head downhill.
The problem is, Shade is blocking my chosen exit.
He lurches towards me – the bastard wasn’t even going to give me a head start – but I don’t step back like he’s expecting, I move to the side.
As I twist my body, I shove him hard in the ribs.
He’s over six foot and solid muscle, but my misdirection unbalances him. He’s laughing as he stumbles.
And because he’s still laughing, I extend my lead as I run, slip and slide down the hillside, following the channel we’d carved through the snow on our climb.
When I reach a particularly steep spot where Shade had been chivalrous enough to pull me up, I turn sideways and force myself to take smaller steps.
I chance a look upwards, and see Shade closing in.
He’s not running by any means, but he’s making up ground.
“That’s not fair, you’ve got longer legs!” I shout at him.
“Your legs are just fine,” he calls back. “Especially when they’re wrapped around my shoulders.”
I wait until the ground levels off before I chance another look back. Damn, he’s close. “You wish!”
The cold air burns my lungs as I pick up speed again.
“Shit!” Shade cries out, and I hear a thump as he lands in the snow at the bottom of the incline.
I bark out a laugh. “You should watch where you put those size thirteen feet!”
I use the short reprieve to adapt my plan. I divert from the path we’d cut through the snow, and turn at an angle towards dense forest. Hiding behind the widest trunk I can find, I scoop up a handful of snow and pack it into a ball.
Shade stops at the point where I turned off the path. I can hear him panting. “I hope I haven’t tired you out, Lily.” He doesn’t raise his voice. He can see from my tracks that I’m nearby.
I step out from behind the tree, hand raised.
“I’ve not given up the fight yet, Reid’s brother.
” Shade’s eyes flare and I can’t tell if it’s because I’m flaunting the little tidbit of information he let slip, or if it’s the snowball that comes hurtling towards him.
It’s not a perfect shot, I was aiming for his chest, but his face would have been my second choice anyway.
As Shade splutters, I start running again. There’s no chance of me getting lost. Shade will find me. Except I can’t hear him anymore. I leap behind another tree, make another snowball, and chance a look in his direction. Nothing.
Unease creeps over me. I think I preferred the sound of his boots crunching snow to the eerie silence. My eyes dart from tree to tree. Where is he? He has to be watching me, so I throw my snow ball in his general direction, hitting nothing but shadows. No response.
I make a run for another tree, and as I round it, a handful of snow slaps into my face. My mouth was open and I’m spluttering in shock as strong arms rope around my waist and I’m hoisted off my feet.
“Looks like I win again,” Shade growls. “Now give me my prize.”
I don’t have a chance to respond before I’m face down in the snow. I rise up on all fours, and wipe melting snow from my eyes as Shade drops to his knees behind me. I scoop up a handful of snow to lob at him, but he manages to dodge the loose clump of snowflakes.
“You’re going to pay for that, Slayer,” he warns, grabbing hold of my pants.
I could lie flat, twist away, or even crawl to make it more difficult for Shade to take his damn prize, but instead I lift my ass. He can’t see my smile, but it’s in my voice when I say, “It didn’t even touch you.”
“I’m talking about the direct hit before,” he grumbles as he takes off his gloves and yanks down my pants to expose my ass to the frigid cold air.
I snigger. “Yeah, that was good.”
There’s a sharp slap on my behind that makes me gasp in shock. My head snaps back. “Shade!”
He rubs the pink handprint on my ass cheek. “Not sorry.”
I forget to be angry just at the sight of his beaming grin. He should smile more.
His eyes stay on mine as he slides down my panties to where my pants are gathered around my thighs. He uses a knee to press them to the ground, effectively using my clothing to pin me in place.
Icy fingers slide into the warmth between my legs, and I jolt from the shock. I drop my head and pant.
“Are my fingers cold?” Shade asks without a hint of concern.
“Yes!”
Shade chuckles. “I’ll have to see what I can do about that.”
I look back just in time to see him scoop up some snow. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Lily, you should know by now that I love it when you challenge me.”
“I mean it,” I insist. “Do not put that snow anywhere near me.”
“And she begs too,” he croons, but he isn’t looking at me. He’s patting the snow tightly into a ball. “Today just got even better.” His eyes snap up to mine. “You might want to take a breath for this.”
I do take a breath, one that I intend to use to berate him, but the air leaves my lungs in a scream as Shade presses the snowball to my back. The shock of cold has my back arching, but he grabs my jacket, making sure I can’t escape as he moves the snowball lower.
“Damn you, Shade!”
“Damn us both, Lily,” he agrees.
As Shade trails the snowball down the crack of my ass, it starts to melt immediately.
Water follows the groove downwards, tickling past my tight hole.
The trickle is tolerably warmer by the time it reaches my pussy, and the sensation isn’t unpleasant.
My insides clench as the melted snow drips between my legs.
“Looks like you’re getting wet for me, Slayer,” he chuckles.
Lower and lower the snowball moves until the fire between my legs sizzles where it meets the cold sting of ice. My hips buck and I grind my teeth as Shade slides it along my center. I can’t tell if I’m shivering from cold or shuddering with pleasure.
As I clench my thighs, Shade trails his weapon of choice back up along the crack of my ass. “Now, where else does she feel the cold?”
I groan, but I don’t object as he slides the snowball around my waist to my abdomen. My body tenses as he creates a cold trail beneath my ski jacket and sweater. He extends a cold pointer finger as he reaches my breasts, and pulls down the cup of my bra.
I mumble expletives under my breath.
“Want me to stop?” he asks.
I shake my head, and just as I’m gritting my teeth, he rubs the rapidly shrinking snowball over my nipple.
As I go to rear up, Shade wraps his free arm around my waist and presses his hips to mine to keep me locked in place as he trails what’s left of the snowball to my other breast. It’s little more than melting clumps of snow as he slips his fingers into my bra and plays with my other, equally hard nipple.
Shade lifts us both up onto our knees, my back to his chest. “Are you ready for me to warm you up now, Lily?”
“Yes,” I say as I pull off my gloves with my teeth.
I slip my hands around my back and seek out his zipper. My fingers are quickly numbing with cold, but I manage to get inside his pants, then his boxers. I wrap my cold fist around the steel rod of his erection, and it’s Shade’s turn to hiss.
“Sorry, are my hands cold?” I ask innocently.
“You’re a damn menace,” he growls, bending me over again.
I hang down my head, and as I look back through my legs, I see Shade push his pants down to his knees. I shiver as I wait for him to grab hold of me again, then watch his legs rocking slightly.
“Are you stroking yourself?”
“Just warming my hands for you,” he replies pointedly.
My bare hands are in the snow, and I look at my discarded gloves. “If you take much longer, I’m going to–”
I don’t get to finish that thought because Shade’s hand is between my legs. Admittedly, his fingers are warmer than they were before, and I rock against him as he slides his pointer finger through my center to my clit.
Pursing my lips, I hum out my pleasure as he draws circles around my swollen bundle of nerves with the perfect amount of pressure. My back arches as I welcome the heat that’s building between my legs and coiling around my core.
When he flicks his finger over my clit, I rear back, seeking him out. “I need you inside me,” I moan.
“Good, because I need to be inside you.”
His hand withdraws, then I feel him run the head of his cock down the crack of my ass. I push backwards, and he seats himself at my entrance. He grips my hips as he slips inside me an inch, stretching me and warming me, but not filling me nearly enough.
I splay my hands on the slippery ground so I can take what’s coming.
And then his cell phone starts ringing. His grip tightens on my hips and I think he’s going to ignore it, but then he lifts a hand off my hip.
I turn to look over my shoulder. “Shade, no. You can’t stop,” I plead.
He doesn’t look at me as he slips a hand into his inside pocket. “I just need to check who it is.”
Personally, I don’t care who the hell it is. I slide back further onto his cock, and squeeze the walls of my pussy hard enough to make Shade groan. He felt that, but he still checks his damn phone.
He meets my pleading gaze. “Sorry, I have to answer it,” he says with clear regret as he pulls out of me.
Before I can come up with a counter argument, he connects the call. “Hey,” is all he says in greeting as he shuffles back so he’s no longer kneeling on my pants and I’m free to move.
I’m trying to decide if I should wait in this position, or get up when Shade makes the decision for me.