Fire & Ice (The Locklaine Boys #1) (24 page)

Holy shit
.

The breath froze in my lungs and my body locked up completely. Had she really just said what I thought she said? Had I heard her right?

She’d just told me she loved me.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room and Pepper’s breathing remained the same slow, steady pace. She was still dead to the world. I had to tamp down the part of me that wanted nothing more than to wake her up and demand to know if she really meant it, because the truth was, I was fucking gone for the woman. I hadn’t planned on falling in love with her. Hell, when this whole thing started I didn’t even
want
to. But as I got to know her,
really
got to know her in a way I never had before, she just fit. Pepper molded into my life so seamlessly it was as if she’d been created for that sole purpose alone. She fit me in every way I could possibly want a woman to, and then some.

I would have expected the realization that I was in love with my best friend’s sister to scare the living hell out of me, but as I held on to her, the feel of her heart beating against my palm, I felt a sense of calm I’d never experienced. It was the very same peace I saw on Dex’s face every time he looked at Wendy; the same changes Rowan made when Navie came into his life. That calm was written on their faces, carved into their bodies. It was something you could see with the naked eye. I never thought I’d experience that euphoric feeling my friends seemed to bask in. And now that I held it in my arms—literally—there was nothing in the world that scared me more than the thought of losing it.

“FUCKING SHIT, SON OF
a whore!”

I shot up from a peaceful sleep at the sound of Griffin’s bellowed curses coming from another room followed by what sounded like every pot and pan in his kitchen hitting the tile floor.

It took me a few seconds to get my bearings. I hadn’t remembered falling asleep the night before, let alone getting into Griffin’s bed. Sunlight filtered through the thin, drawn curtains of the bedroom, setting everything in a cheerful golden glow—the feel in the room a complete juxtaposition of the foul language streaming in from the hallway.

“Holy mother of cock-sucking bastards!”

Well that was creative
.

Climbing from the bed, my overused muscled cried in pain from the workout they’d received the night before and a broad grin spread across my face at the reminder of the earth shattering floor-sex. Griffin was wild on a regular basis, but last night he’d taken it to a whole new level.

A level I’d enjoyed very,
very
much.

Grabbing his discarded button down from yesterday off the floor, I slipped it on and made my way down the hall, stopping once again at the photo of Dex and me at my graduation. In everything that had been going on with us, it had completely slipped my mind to ask Griffin about it.

I heard another loud crash that made me jump, then an angry, “That’s it! I’m declawing your ass! You’re lucky she likes you, or your devil-ass would be on the streets!”

I tried my best not to laugh, I really did, but as I rounded the end of the hallway and entered the kitchen, the sight of big, bad Griffin in a showdown with a little ginger cat was just too funny.

“You look like you’re a second away from shooting her,” I teased as I made my way to him, stood on my tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. “Good morning.”

“It was,” he grumbled as he pointed at PJ with a black plastic spatula, “until Satan over there decided to fuck with me while I was trying to make breakfast.”

“Aw, poor baby,” I cooed teasingly as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You were going to make me breakfast?” It was then that I noticed the carton of broken eggs and two skillets scattered across the tile floor. There was a box of pancake mix dumped onto its side on the island, its contents sprinkled all over the place, the light-colored mix coating the dark counter in white. On top of that, when I pulled from his arms to start cleaning up, I noticed tiny beads of blood building along a bunch of small red scratches on his arms and ankles.

“Shit,” I whispered, taking his arms and inspecting the scratches. “She
really
doesn’t like you, does she?”

“Feeling’s mutual,” he grumbled. I looked away from the cuts to see him mean-mugging PJ who was sitting on the kitchen floor, bathing her paw without a care in the world.

After cleaning up Griffin’s scratches, slathering them in antibacterial ointment, and tidying up the kitchen, it was evident that the eggs and pancakes were beyond salvaging. Luckily, I dug around in his pantry and hit the jackpot.

A box of oatmeal crème pies.

With freshly brewed coffee, it was the breakfast of champions.

It was still too early and I wasn’t yet caffeinated enough to contemplate the fact that Griffin’s house contained not one, not two, but three boxes of oatmeal pies and a brand new hair dryer.

It was official; I wasn’t falling in love with Griffin Locklaine. I’d never fallen out. I was ass-over-elbow, in stupid love with the man who’d broken my heart once already. I’d been a fool to think I could have entered into
any
kind of relationship with him and not lose myself completely. The damage was already done. I just hoped history didn’t repeat itself.

Needing the extra sugar boost, I began unwrapping another pie after shoving the last bite of the first one I’d been eating into my mouth. Aware of the silence encompassing the room, I looked up to find Griffin staring at me, a strange expression on his face.

“Whaa?” I asked through a mouth so full my cheeks were puffed out.

He watched me for a few seconds before announcing, “I’m gonna tell Dex about us.”

The sharp, startled inhale I sucked in at his surprising words caused me to choke on the remaining food left in my mouth.

“What?” I snapped once Griffin pounding on my back managed to dislodge the bite and I got my coughing under control.

“Don’t you think it’s time, Pep? I don’t know about you, but I’m over all this bullshit sneaking around.”

“But… I mean… are you sure? You know that conversation probably isn’t going to end well. Are you okay with that?” My heart was beating so loudly I was sure Griffin could hear it. I worried about his answer, but the question had to be asked. I knew what he was potentially risking by being with me, and in the past, it hadn’t been worth it to him. That fear that I’d fall short once again still clung to life in the back of my mind.

“Hey,” he said softy, his palms coming up to cup my face. “I’m positive. If he gets pissed that’s on him. It’s not going to change what’s happening between you and me.”

“And what, exactly is that?” I asked in an unsure whisper as his eyes pinned me in place, making it impossible to look away from his ice blue gaze.

“If you don’t know, then I really need to step up my game,” he smiled blindingly before leaning in and kissing me. It wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but as I melted into him, losing myself in his taste, I couldn’t find it in me to care.

I’d worry about it later.

A million hummingbirds were going crazy in my belly once he ended the kiss. “Okay, if you’re sure,” I said in a soft, breathy voice, feeling a little hazy from the effects of his lips on mine.

“Oh, I’m sure,” he growled. “I’m also sure that if you don’t wipe that sexy-as-hell, blissed-out look off your face I’m cuffing you to my bed for the rest of the day.”

“Is that supposed to be a deterrent?” I grinned wickedly, suddenly loving the idea of being tied up and at Griffin’s mercy. A startled, yelping laugh bubbled up my throat when he hauled me up and tossed me over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold before stomping toward his bedroom.

My nerves from just seconds earlier completely evaporated as something much more enjoyable took its place, sending a heated tingle through my blood stream. As I stared at his delectable ass from my perfect vantage point, I could only hope his stamina held out.

SHIT. I WAS SWEATING
like a whore in church. I tried to play it cool, tried not to fidget as I sat at my desk right across from Dex, but I felt like a goddamned virgin on prom night. When Pepper and I had discussed it the day before, it all seemed so easy. The image in my head of how the conversation would go played out so smoothly I’d convinced the both of us it wasn’t going to be a problem. Now that the time had come, the confidence I felt earlier was nowhere to be found.

“You know,” Dex started, his attention never leaving the paperwork he was filling out. “You keep staring at me like that, I’m gonna have no choice but to think you’re in love with me.”

Son of a bitch.
Of
course
the bastard noticed I kept looking over in his direction. With a heavy sigh, I pushed the paperwork I’d been pretending to work on for the last half hour away—while I wasn’t busy trying to gauge my partner’s mood—and focused across the expanse of our desks.

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I tried my best to sound cool. “You want to grab a beer or something after work?”

“Shit,” he grumbled, finally putting his pen down and looking up at me. “You
are
in love with me, aren’t you?”

“
What
?”

Dex’s hands came up in a placating gesture. “Look, dude, I’m flattered, really. You’re a handsome guy. I mean, if I went that way maybe I could see us… you know… but I’m all about the ladies. Well, not
all
the ladies. Just Wendy. But you get what I’m saying—”

“Jesus Christ!” I cut in. “No. Stop! Just… stop talking, okay! I’m not in love with you. God!”

Shockingly, Dex didn’t look relieved. He actually looked kind of upset. “Why not, asshole? I’m a total fucking catch.”

“Because I—” I started, then realized just how ridiculous our argument was. “Are you seriously talking about this right now?”

“You started it,” Dex shot back, sounding a little butt-hurt over the whole exchange.

“Look,” I sighed, wanting desperately to get us back on track. “There’s something I want to talk to you about so I just wanted to know if you had time to grab a couple beers after work. There’ll be no declarations of love, even though… you’re a very handsome man.” I cringed slightly at that, but I figured what were friends for, right?