Icebound: Chapter 18

That husky rasp in Rhode’s voice sends a shiver trickling down my spine. He seems completely relaxed, but there’s something different about him, something darker—something that might suck me under.

Rhode struts down the hall like he’s ambling through Centennial Park, looking nothing like the brutal player I witnessed during the game. His dark hair glistens under the fluorescent lights, calling out to my aching fingertips.

To touch him.

To know he’s okay.

My throat tightens every time I picture him crashing on the ice, but the rational part of me realizes he’s been playing for years, decades, even.

He doesn’t need me worrying about him, so I shove thoughts of his painful winces away, choosing to focus on his suit that’s a little too tight for his broad shoulders.

Rhode twists a knob, lets a door swing open, and gestures inside like he’s leaning over my shoulder at a French patisserie, his voice a soft murmur in my ear as he asks which decadent pastry I’d like to savor .

I’m not sure if that’s an invitation or a command, but either way, I’m sure of my decision—I want a taste of him.

I float into the moonlit office on autopilot, not bothering to turn on the lights. There’s a fern, some jerseys, and a desk. I’m proud I even noticed the plant with the man towering by the wall of trophies like sin reincarnate.

The slatted shadows from the blinds cast a lattice over his rigid jaw. Rhode shuts the door with a gentle click, sealing us inside.

Together.

Alone.

He flicks the lock.

Sliding his hands in his pockets, he leans against the door, regarding me. His casual posture does nothing to hide the tension in his body. I fold my arms, drinking in each of his subtle movements.

He moves with the slow elegance of a predator, but I’ve never been prey. His blue eyes roam over my body, darkening to navy pools.

Something’s swirling in his gaze that I can’t see, but I want to know what’s in his depths. “What’s wrong? I was worried about you after the game, so I stayed. I hope that’s okay. Micah said it’d be fine.”

“I don’t want to talk about Cruz right now.” He loosens his patterned tie with tiny purple flowers and undoes a button on his collar. One. Two. He misses the third. “Everything’s fine.”

I narrow my gaze on the muscle fluttering in his jaw. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem mad.”

He jerks his head. “Not angry.”

“Jealous then?” I tease.

That’s the only other emotion that would explain the hard look on his face, but I regret the words instantly when he doesn’t laugh. If anything, his scowl turns murderous .

His loafers click on the tile as he steps toward me. Another step. I move back until my ass hits the glass desk, making me jump.

He saunters forward until the gap between our bodies shrinks to a sliver. Rhode anchors his hands on either side of my hips, caging me against the desk.

With slow fingers, he lifts my glasses from the bridge of my nose, and places them on the desk. His gaze drifts over my face. Eyes, nose, lips.

Always coming back to my lips.

For a moment, I want him to capture my mouth in a brutal kiss, but he doesn’t. His eyes clamp shut like he’s thinking hard about some answer. “Yeah, I’m jealous as fuck. I don’t like seeing you in Cruz’s jersey, and I’m struggling not to rip it off you right now.”

His words steal all of mine, so the only thing left is a gasp.

Using his knuckle, he coaxes my chin up, and up. “I can’t get you out of my head, Nina. I’ve been lying to you, and to myself. Sorry, but I’m tired of pretending like I don’t want you. I can’t do it anymore, but I need you to tell me what you want because if it’s not me, I need to leave. Right the fuck now.”

He wants me.

Rhode Tremblay wants me.

“You really want me?”

“No.” His fingers tighten on the desk, but he doesn’t move to touch me. “I fucking need you.”

I won’t get his mornings and vows, but that’s okay because I don’t want a ring. It’s reckless, and he’s all wrong for me, but I never cared much about being right. I’m not sure I care about anything other than the feel of his lips right now.

“Nina? Talk to me. Tell me what you want.”

His tie dangles between our chests. Leaning forward, I wrap the floral fabric between my fingers and tug him closer .

The tip of his nose skims mine, and only then do I drop my hold. “I know we want different things, but I don’t care about any of that. I don’t even care that we’re in someone else’s office. I want you, even if it’s only once.”

“Thank fuck,” he moans, squeezing my hips. “Alright, here’s how this is gonna go. I know you don’t like surprises, so I’m telling you right now what I want. First, I want to bend you over this desk and slap your fine ass for wearing another man’s jersey. Next, I want to lick your pussy until your voice is hoarse from screaming my name, and then, I want to shove my cock so deep inside you that you’re all I feel.”

His filthy demands sink into every crevice of my body, making it pulse with each wicked word. Everyone handles me with extra care, but not Rhode.

I tangle my fingers in his hair, relishing in the soft strands. “Okay, but I have one condition.”

A corner of his mouth lifts, revealing that one taunting dimple I’m tempted to flick my tongue against. “What’s that?”

I reach into my purse, pull out a condom I shoved in there, and flick it between my fingers like a coin. “You better be screaming my name too.”

He plucks the wrapper from my hands. “I have a feeling I’ll forget all other words besides your name once I’m inside you.”

He shudders out a breath, and then his hands move up my waist, fisting the jersey like he’s trying not to yank it off my body. With a swift motion, he raises the hem, lifts it over my head, and tosses it onto the vinyl flooring.

I stand there in black leggings, my bare breasts exposed, and suddenly, I feel like more than my body is being laid bare. His gaze sweeps over my chest, fixating on the glint of my nipple piercing in the moonlight.

He squeezes his eyes shut like I’m the one making him suffer, but then, they fly open. The blue in his gaze burns like a searing flame about to consume us both.

Rhode bends down and sucks my nipple into his hot mouth before gently tugging on my piercing so a hint of pain mixes with the pleasure. He releases a low, sexy groan, then flicks the metal.

Every swipe makes my body pulse until he releases me with a wet pop. “I’ve thought about this piercing so much, I could probably cross-stitch your tits from imagination.”

“Let’s be honest, no, you couldn’t.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he says before drawing the moisture around my sensitive skin with the rough pad of his thumb. “There’s no recreating you.”

Something swells in my chest, but I can’t tell whether it’s anticipation or another emotion. It’s making it hard to breathe. I moan when his teeth graze my skin, and whatever sound I make seems to detonate something inside Rhode.

In an instant, he starts fumbling with his belt. The click of the buckle cracks through the silence, and then he throws it across the office. It lands somewhere with a loud clang. The sight of his hard erection jutting out in his pants sends a rush of desire through me. I reach out, aching to touch him, but he captures my hand, stopping me.

“Not yet,” he breathes out in a gravelly voice. “I’m a man, not a god. I can only handle so much when it comes to you, and right now, I need to make sure you’re nice and ready for me.”

His voice is velvet-laced with temptation, like how I imagine Satan greets someone through the fiery gates of hell.

With a smooth pull, he lifts me by my hips, sets me on the desk, and slides my leggings down. His lips part as he stares at my open legs with my pussy exposed to him.

The longer he looks, staying silent, the more nerves fester inside me. His unreadable expression casts a shadow of uncertainty over my racing thoughts.

I snap my thighs closed.

He yanks them back open. “Don’t you dare go shy on me when your pussy’s the prettiest fucking sight I’ve seen. Why’d you do that?”

Blood rushes to my face. “I know you’ve um, been with a lot of people, and it’s fine. You can’t control your past…”

He presses his lips to my inner thigh. “I’ve never wanted anyone more than I want you right now, Nina.”

A gentle warmth radiates through my body, dousing some of my nerves. “I want you too, but I have a hard time um, coming that way, so you don’t have to do that. It takes a while because it’s hard for me to relax sometimes. I get in my own head.”

He gives me the most lazy, arrogant smirk I’ve ever seen on a man, but something about seeing that dimple puts me at ease. “I don’t care if it takes five minutes or five years to make you come on my tongue because every second I get to spend with my head buried between your thighs is pure fucking bliss.”

Well, that’ll make a girl feel better.

Slowly, he flicks his tongue out and, in one fluid motion, licks all the way up my slit. The warmth from his mouth has my head falling back. Rhode moans against my clit like he’s enjoying this just as much as me, and for the first time, I let myself relax.

He slips a finger inside me, and my body responds on instinct. I arch my back, seeking more.

I want him deeper.

All of him.

The cool hardness of the desk is a pleasant contrast to the way his fingers draw deliberate, slippery circles around my clit, and I focus all my attention on that motion, letting myself feel the rough pad of his tongue as a simmering ache builds inside my core. A raw moan scrapes through my throat.

“That’s it. Take as long as you need,” he murmurs, hot breath warming my center. “You’re such a good girl.”

“Don’t call me that,” I snap, breathless.

“What?” he challenges, looking up from between my thighs. “Girl?”’

“No.” I lick my bottom lip. “Good.”

He nips at my inner thigh. “You’re my naughty girl, then. I like you a little mean, anyway.” He continues licking me, winding up my orgasm, but he’s relaxed. Unhurried. The man’s taking his damn time. Gritting my teeth, I dig my fingers into his hair and yank his head up.

“Rhode,” I command. “Stop teasing me.”

He flattens his tongue right over my clit. I jerk.

“What? Told you I could spend eternity with my tongue in your pussy. You’ve got to be patient, Nina.”

He chuckles darkly at the hint of frustration lacing my voice. “I think teasing you is my new favorite thing. Tell me what you like,” he says as his thumb starts moving against my clit in a different rhythm, faster. “Is this what you need?”

“No, I need more.” I lift my hips for him. “Please. You’re so good at this.”

“Fuck, that’s hot.”

My words seem to set something free in Rhode, and he starts devouring me. I don’t know what I’m begging for, but he figures it out.

A stream of incoherent noises escapes both our mouths. His teeth graze my swollen clit, making me jolt beneath him, but he captures my hips with his firm hands. He curls a finger inside me as he sucks. Beads of sweat prickle on my skin as he moves faster, studying my body.

He takes note of every gasp .

Marks when my legs tighten around his head.

Tracks each ragged moan that falls from my lips until sparks explode through my body, and I’m crying out his name.

Rhode Tremblay is one dedicated student.

I’m loud, and I just can’t find it in me to care as he looks up at me with wet lips. “Do you like me eating your pussy like it’s my fucking career? ‘Cause I do. You taste so damn good.”

Panting, I come off that ledge of pleasure and shift my gaze down to where his head’s nestled between my thighs. “Do I really taste good, though? Be honest.”

His mouth tugs into a wicked smile, and his tongue darts out. He languidly licks me in one smooth stroke, but Rhode doesn’t stop there—no, he doesn’t.

With deliberate slowness, his tongue traces a wet path up my stomach, circling my nipples, all the way up the column of my throat. A vein pulses in his neck the closer he gets to my lips, and then, he licks right over them. He only stops when his nose brushes mine, hovering over me in the glow of the moonlight as he traps me under his massive body.

“No, you’re right,” he murmurs against my mouth, a moment before his teeth catch my bottom lip in a sharp bite that makes my clit throb. “You taste like the worst kind of temptation, and every comeback out of that pretty mouth is draining my willpower.”

Lifting his palm, he playfully slaps my ass. The sting blooms into a delicious heat that ricochets through my body.

“You spanked me,” I gasp, a little shocked, but also surprised by how much I liked that.

“I warned you I’d smack that fine ass of yours.” He massages me, soothing the pink skin. “And you deserved it for thinking you taste anything other than mouthwatering. Now, wrap your legs around me because I’m about to fuck you like how you deserve to be fucked, so you’ll need to hold on for this one.

”

“How do I deserve to be fucked?”

“Good and thoroughly.”

He undoes his zipper, pushing down his pants. His midnight eyes lock onto mine like he’s gauging my reaction, and I give him a firm nod. I’m not about to stop this from happening. In one fluid motion, he lowers his briefs, releasing himself—hard and ready. My mouth waters.

Using his teeth, he tears open the condom and rolls it onto himself. Rhode grips my knees, lifts me, and swings us around, slamming us into the office door. The blunt head of his cock nudges my entrance, and I clutch my legs around his waist, clinging to his solid shoulders. I’m struck by how needy I feel, how desperate I am to have him inside me.

“Are you ready for me, Nina?” he asks, gripping his cock as he rolls the head over my clit.

“Stop talking and fuck me already.”

He groans, and in one smooth movement, he pushes into me, each delicious inch by inch, and connects us. Our breath mingles as we both exhale in relief.

He fills me completely.

He’s big, but we fit better together than I thought. We’re not quite puzzle pieces, but we’re pieces in the same puzzle. Rhode hasn’t even started moving, and he’s already too much.

He digs his fingers into my ass as he holds me up. “Fuck, you’re tight.”

My eyes almost roll back into my head. “Move, I need more.”

His chest heaves against mine like he’s trying to hold himself together. “Just… Give me a second.”

Rhode’s grip’s almost bruising, but I love the feeling. He sucks in a deep breath, then he pulls back out. Then in again, then out. His ass clenches with the movement, and the wet slide of him has me whimpering .

His lips graze my ear. “You feel so good around my cock, Nina. Too good, if I’m honest.”

“Good because you feel incredible inside me.”

“It’s ‘cause I’m big, right?”

“I’ve had bigger,” I lie, nipping his earlobe.

“You little liar.” He slaps my ass again. Harder this time, but I like that he’s not gentle with me. “No, you haven’t, but we all know skill’s more important.”

“Oh, yeah?” I lick the shell of his ear. “Prove it, Tremblay.”

He thrusts into me, deep and rough, while using his grip to pull me down so he’s buried to the hilt. Then he really starts moving.

Slowly at first.

Then faster, and faster.

Circling me in that delicious motion. He slides in and out at a rhythmic pace that has me trembling around his cock.

I dig my nails into his firm ass. Every thrust pushes me harder against the door. He’s relentless. My breasts bounce against his chest, and I can feel his heartbeat pulse inside me as we glide together on a current I’ve been trying to catch my whole life.

Throughout it all, Rhode holds me up, never letting go. Each thrust is more punishing than the last, but I love his roughness, the wet feeling of his cock moving inside me.

We fuse ourselves together until there’s not an inch of space between us, and every upward jerk of his muscular hips hits my clit in savage strokes. We’re a filthy symphony of breaths and gasps, and the noises we make will play on repeat in my dirtiest dreams.

I tug his hair, a lot. He bites my neck, a lot.

Our lips never touch, but his heart beats against mine.

“Harder, Rhode,” I moan. “Please.

”

He growls into my neck, pumping his hips faster. “Dammit, Nina,” he says my name like a curse.

Good. I’m cursing him for becoming the blueprint for all my future sexual encounters.

He presses my wrists over my head, imprisoning them between his palms. It’s a testament to his brutal strength that he’s able to keep holding me with one hand.

He asks if I like that too. Another yes.

No one’s ever done this to me before, and now, no one will be able to do it again without me thinking of Rhode. He touches me like it’s the start of an ending. Maybe he doesn’t see this going anywhere past this room, and the idea stings, but I keep it to myself because I don’t want to ruin the moment.

He picks up his pace, and his thrusts become urgent as my thighs grow wet with need. The heavy, frantic slapping of skin drowns out our cries.

Our noises are indecently erotic.

He’s able to reach places inside me I never knew existed. He pushes into me so deep that I don’t know if I’ll ever get rid of him.

“I can’t, it’s too much, Nina. I want you there with me. Please, tell me you’re close. If not, I’m so fucking sorry ‘cause I’m about to lose it with you.”

“I’m there,” I pant. “I’m right there with you.”

Knowing Rhode is just as out of control as I am detonates a second explosion of ecstasy inside me. Everything in me tightens and coils, then loosens all at once.

I bite my lip in a futile attempt to keep my cries from escaping as pleasure courses through my body. Rhode doesn’t even try to quiet his groans as he pours himself into me. I’m lost in him, questioning whether I’ll find my way out.

He collapses against the door in a heavy heap, still holding me up, but I’m grateful for the weight, otherwise, I might float away. His cock twitches inside me, riding out the last spasms of his orgasm.

A light sheen of sweat coats both our bodies, but we stay connected as the blazing wildfire from before softens to glowing embers.

“That was…” I wander off into silence. Words float between us, invisible in the space we share. “What was that?”

He releases a gravelly chuckle and then kisses my cheek, not my lips. Throughout it all, he never once kissed my mouth. “Hell, if I know, but I liked it. I liked it a lot.”

“Yeah, I liked it too.”

Like is an understatement, but with his past, I’m sure Rhode’s used to things like this, but not me. He’s my exception.

Rhode slowly lifts me off his cock and sets me back down on Earth. It’s only then that I realize the office is a mess with books strewn around the floor.

He strips off the condom and, with a flick of his wrist, flings it past the trash can. It soars through the air, landing with a heavy thud on Micah’s jersey—streams of his release splatter over the navy fabric, painting it white.

My mouth drops. “Nice to see chivalry is alive and well. You ruined my jersey.”

“I might act like a gentleman, but I won’t fuck you like one.” His lips curl into a smirk that’s all roguish mischief. “And I think that’s only fair now that you’ve ruined me.”

Our lips pull up at the corners, and something passes between us. It’s not made of love, but it’s still worth keeping. Except, it feels like a wisp of smoke.

Soon I’ll be another person on his list of exes, and he’ll be the hockey player I had sex with in an office. This moment—our moment—will be reduced to a short story we tell to new loves. I’ll leave for Argentina, and he’ll build his perfect family. A lump forms in my throat .

If I can’t have Rhode, I’m glad I left my mark on him because I think he’s ruined a little piece of me too, and suddenly, I don’t know if one time is going to be enough.

There’s a knock on the office door.

“Get dressed and wait here. Let me check who it is.” Tugging up his pants, Rhode opens the door so a sliver of light slashes through our moonlit haven.

“What do you want, Cruz?”

“Hey, old man, what have you been up to? Cross-stitching?” Micah’s teasing lilt comes through the door. “Nice to see my evil plan to get you to pull your head out of your ass worked. Morgan’s asking for you, so tuck your tiny dick back in your pants. Party’s over.”

“Morgan?” I wrap my arms around my exposed chest, a knot swelling in my stomach. “Who’s Morgan?”