Page 50 of Icebound

“That’s the point.” I snatch it out of the air and eat it myself. “You better be getting on your knees for these women and thanking them.”

He grabs another chip. “Trust me. I returned the favor. Three fucking times. Eating pussy’s hard work. My tongue’s still sore.”

“Stop cursing,” Patty says. “My daughter’s first word is not going to be f-u-c-k.”

Cruz puts away the groceries we got for fish tacos because he gets an eye twitch if someone so much as sets a drink down without a coaster.

“Look, I’ll try to control myself, but I can’t make any promises. Asking me not to curse is like asking me not to jack off.” Cruz wiggles his dark brows at me. “Maybe Phil can help me out next time. I’m sure we’d have fun playing together.”

I pick up a foam football and hurl it at him. “She’s not a fucking toy, Cruz.”

Patty groans. “Language!”

Cruz snatches it out of the air. “I know she’s not a toy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t play with her, unless… you want her?”

“I don’t want her,” I lie, like that will convince my brain.

“I deep-throatedly disagree with that comment,” Cruz says.

“What’s that even mean?” Patty smashes a blueberry, letting Betty eat it off his finger.

“Whole-heartedly didn’t feel like a strong enough word choice.” Cruz shrugs. “Does this mean Phil’s fair game?”

My hands ball into fists. Cruz doesn’t take anything but hockey seriously, and they clearly get along great because they’re the same age. Nina can make her own decisions, but I don’t want those choices shoved in my face like a win from our biggest rival.

I dart my eyes to the closed bathroom door before striding over to Cruz. He’s tall, but I’ve got an inch on him, so I make sure to look down. “I’m only going to say this once. I know you’re friends, so I’m asking you to do this for me. Find someone else.”

He flashes me a wicked grin. “Damn, look at your face. This is gonna be a hell of a lot of fun, isn’t it?”

A door shuts, and we snap our heads to find Nina striding out of the bathroom in my massive sweatshirt that goes to her thighs. Some feral part of me purrs like my cat at the sight of her wearing my clothes.

I like that image a little too much.

Cruz spots Nina, and with a quick wink in my direction, he wraps her in a bear hug and swings her around my living room. A sharp stab slams through me, so I focus on Betty slapping her highchair table.

“Phil! It’s so good to see you, pretty girl. I’m a little offended you didn’t keep tabs on me after high school, but whatever. I’ll let it go this time.”

If he calls her pretty girl all night, I’m shoving that entire bag of chips down his throat.

Nina's small grunt of surprise is muffled against his chest, and in a move that makes me want to bodycheck Cruz into the boards, she jumps up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“Micah Cruz, look at you, you got huge! And fine, you can call me Phil. That’s better than pretty girl.”

Nina sucks in a breath when he pulls her closer, and I have to look away because that has me thinking about the breathy noises she made in the kitchen.

I scrub a hand over my jaw, but nothing’s going to erase that moment. I’m not even sure I want it to leave my head, until I remember she’s a year younger than Cruz, and then I want to punch my brain for having the thought.

Cruz finally sets her back down, and smirks at me over her head. “You know, in brighter lighting, you kind of look old enough to be her dad, Tremblay. I think it’s the gray that does it.”

Patty throws the foam football at the back of his head. “Don’t be a d-i-c-k.”

“Yeah, don’t be an asshole. Rhode’s still young.” Nina drops onto the wooden barstool next to me, squeezing my shoulder. I lurch away like her touch is an open flame. Her hands might as well be with the way fire rushes to my dick.

“You know who’s younger?” Cruz smiles down at her with a glint in his eyes.

Glaring at him, I grip the leg of the stool and pull her closer to my side, so Cruz gets the point. The loud, slow scrape echoes through my apartment. Chicken scatters across the rug. Even Betty quirks her little head at the noise.

Nina pushes her gold glasses up her nose. “Was that really necessary?”