Page 119 of Ice Devil

For now.

When I pulled our lips apart, she licked hers before taking a deep breath. “How was your day, darling?”

Laughing, I couldn’t help myself, shifting my groin back and forth across hers. The friction could quite possibly be a mistake. I could see the same longing in her eyes. “We should talk.”

“Yes,” she cooed while pushing me with enough force she was able to crawl out from under me. “We need to. Right after I put the final piece of my revenge tour in place.”

“Revenge tour?” While she returned to the other side of the desk and to her laptop, I craned my neck while remaining lying on the surface to see another wave of consternation on her face.

“I think it has a nice ring to it. When the new hockey season begins, your notoriety will be boosted so high, I’ll need to peel you off the ceiling.”

I folded my arms across my chest, staring up at the ceiling. “Well, here’s the thing. There might not be a new hockey season.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means both Ford and I have a meeting with our agent, the Hellions’ owners, our coaches, and my guess is their attorney next week. Trust me that you don’t meet with the entire group of people responsible for your career for praises.”

“They’re taking the cheating thing seriously.”

“That would be my guess. Plus, rumor has it that Bronco is incapacitated, possibly never to play again. Those assault charges just might be put into place.”

A slow, steady, and evil grin slipped across her shimmering face. “You should stop underestimating me. I was at that game. Remember? I saw exactly what happened.” She pressed up from the desk, leaning over me like a vulture. The prettiest one I’d ever seen.

“While I appreciate your determination in dragging Ford and me out of quicksand, need I remind you that not only are there real photographs of our sinful tryst, but also doctored ones? In this society, people will believe anything.”

“As I said, you underestimate me. We’ll need to talk about that.” She lifted her phone. “If there was anything decent about Matt, it was that he reminded me to take photos, documenting everything. Not only did I take a few pictures of the fight on the ice, I also hit record and created a video of the entire thing. And before you say anything, there are experts who can identify the truth from lies.”

I rolled over, getting in her workspace. “So you’re just going to release it?”

“Not without fanfare and I have the perfect idea. Just give me a couple minutes and I’ll go over the entire plan. We’re in this together. Right?”

When I didn’t answer right away, she narrowed her eyes.

“Why risk your career for me?”

“Why?” Sloane seemed confused I’d ask.

“Yeah, why. We barely know each other. We fight like cats and dogs. We live a couple thousand miles away from each other. That’s for starters.”

“Yes, yes, and yes, but you’re forgetting the most important reason I might be willing to put everything on the line to ensure you’re not railroaded into obscurity.”

“What’s that?”

“You just happen to be my mate.” With that, she walked away from the desk with the phone in her hand.

That was right. I was her mate.

Now what the hell was I going to do about it?

CHAPTER 25

Sloane

“Sloane Winters. My God. How long has it been?” James shook his head while extending his hand.

“Too long. You look amazing. Thank you for taking the time to see me.” I’d made the trip to Portland for one reason only. “How are your efforts on climate control? Are you still doing whatever it takes to save the planet?”

“My God, you remembered. Terrible. No one seems to care any longer.” He moved toward the plastic water bottle someone had mistakenly placed in the trash instead of the recycling container, making the basket as if an NBA star.