Born of Ice

That admission made him instantly hard again. What is wrong with me? I’m becoming hopelessly addicted.


The sad thing was, he didn’t want a cure. Especially not if it meant giving her up.

Alix loved being in his bed. The scent of him, masculine and powerful, lingered on his sheets. She wanted to bury her nose in it and inhale the warm delightful smell for days. The silky softness of the sheets moved over her naked body and made her feel feminine.

Desired.

Things only Devyn had ever made her feel. And there in his bed, he made love to her until she was breathless and spent.

When she was sure her body would never work again, he pulled back to look down at her. “All this has made me need a shower.” He smiled, then got up and walked into the bathroom.

She growled at the sight of his perfect butt as he left the room.

A few seconds later, the water came on, and it wasn’t long before he came back holding out his hand for her to join him.

In an instant they were in the shower, water pouring over their bodies and kissing so heavily, Alix wondered if she’d die from the mere pleasure of being around him.

But what a way to go. She could imagine no better death than drowning in his kisses.

He tangled his fingers through her wet hair and lifted her up and against the shower wall. Before she knew it, he slid himself into her. Slick from the shower and hard as a nail.

“Do you know what you do to me?”

Devyn looked at her with a gaze so intense, it was a wonder she didn’t break under the weight of it. Then he drove himself into her over and over until they both came.

They spent the rest of the shower bathing each other. It was amazing how tender Devyn was as he washed her hair. Taking extra time to condition and rinse it.

It was pure heaven.

Caring.

He even massaged her shoulders as the water’s warm rivulets moved over their bodies. This was it. She could die happy now.

They finished up the shower and made their way back to the room.

As he dressed, he raked another hungry look over her body that made her shiver. “I could still eat you up, but I’ve spent way too much time already being distracted. I’ve got an enemy to trace.”

And she had duties to attend. So she kissed him and watched as he left her alone in his room.

She finished pulling her clothes on and froze as she realized what they were in for.

Merjack and Whelms wouldn’t be satisfied until Devyn was dead. They were like madmen who couldn’t be won with reason or intellect.

Devyn was going to die.

And most likely so would she.





CHAPTER 10


Devyn stood outside the galley, watching Alix and Omari attempt to cook something together. Manashe ran between them, looking for dropped scraps while they laughed and worked. Alix’s eyes twinkled in a way that made her entire face glow.

And Omari . . .

He was open and happy—something Devyn hadn’t seen in a long time. They had music playing in the background and every now and again, Omari would spin her around to the beat of it.

“W-w-wait!” Alix said excitedly as she dipped a spoon into the pot. “You have to try this.” She held it up for him with her hand cradled under it to catch any spills.

Omari opened his mouth and let her feed him. He moaned as he savored it. “Oh, my God. Who made it taste like that? You or me?”

“Definitely one of us. We did good, I think, and I’m happy to let you have the credit for it.”

He grabbed another spoon to eat more and some of it dripped on his chin.

Smiling, Alix picked up a napkin and cleaned it off—like a mother would.

Something inside Devyn clenched as he watched that. The one thing he’d always wanted to give Omari . . .

But his son was too old for a mother, and when he looked at Alix, he saw a lot more than just her kindness.

He saw a future that he wanted her to be a part of.

You are out of your effing mind.

Yeah, he was, and it was the most unlikely of sources who made him that way. A slip of a woman who was a strange mixture of competence and insecurity. More than that, he could still smell her sweet scent. Feel her touch on his skin.

What had she done to him? And in such a short time, too.

He’d never been the kind of man to let his emotions rule him. Even with Clotilde, it’d taken a year before he’d felt like this toward her.

Yet with Alix . . .

He wanted to be with her. To hold and protect her. She awoke something deep inside him that he hadn’t even realized was asleep.

And as she turned to catch sight of him and smile, his body erupted again—even after their hours of play. It was like every nerve ending inside him was attuned to her.

Like every part of him begged for her.

Omari turned and grinned. “Hey, Dad, you’ve got to taste what we just did. It’s actually good.”

Manashe barked his agreement.

Moving to join them, he allowed Alix to grab a new spoon and feed him like she’d done Omari. The moment the sauce hit his tastebuds, he groaned. “That is good. What did you two do?”