Page 39 of Ice Covered Heart

“You’re wearing the sexy gown, you aren’t coming off a horrible nightmare, and you’re standing in front of me, looking like the best thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” Absolute truth. “My dick is hard, and I need to get my ass in a cold shower, ASAP. Then we’ll start our mission.”

“I…” Her gaze fell to the sheets. The sheets currently over his waist. His dick.

“Cold shower,” he repeated. “I’ll shower. You start packing. I want us to hit the road to Florida as soon as possible.”

Her gaze whipped back up to catch his.

“Normally, I am all about being a ladies’ first kind of man, but do you mind if I hop in the shower first today?” Because he really needed a fucking cold shower. Hunter could not emphasize that point enough.

She pointed toward the bathroom. “Help yourself.”

Great. Fantastic. He shoved aside the sheets. Rose. Felt her gaze all over him. The front of his jeans were being stretched to the limit. The freaking zipper had to be leaving an impression on his dick. Shower. Get in a cold shower.

Right before he reached the bathroom, Shelby hurried over and stepped into his path. “Hunter…”

He caught the thread of longing in her voice. His self-control cracked. He’d held her for the last hour, not wanting to wake her, knowing she needed her rest, and it had been both heaven and hell.

He was at his limit. “You don’t want me right now.” Guttural.

Her hand rose and pressed to his chest. Skimming lightly over the scar that was far too close to his heart. He found himself leaning toward her, focused on her mouth. He wanted her mouth. He wanted to yank her up, push her against the wall, plunge into⁠—

His hands curled around her shoulders. Electricity burned through him at the touch. “You don’t want me now.” He eased her to the side. Stalked into the bathroom. Yanked on the cold water. He stripped and stepped right under the freezing stream.

Plenty of stories said that you couldn’t go home again. The places and the people always changed. But when Shelby and Hunter pulled up into the small college town of Hathaway, Florida, the city looked the same. Same main strip, maybe with one or two new restaurant additions. Same sprawling oak trees. Same swaying moss hanging on the branches.

The college was the same, too. Same, but different. Same layout. Same trees and bushes. Same statues. Just more buildings.

There were decorations on campus. And in the city. Banners up talking about the Fall Festival. Scarecrows and pumpkins dotting the scenery. Sure, it might be eighty degrees in the shade there, but people were still in the fall mood.

They’d been in this same mood years ago, when the attack came that changed Shelby’s life.

Night had fallen. It had taken all day to drive from New Orleans to Hathaway. Hunter had been the driver for their ride. They were in his big SUV. They’d stopped by his place in New Orleans long enough to grab a bag. He’d called a detective at the New Orleans PD, trying to get an update on the shooting.

No suspects. Zero leads.

Not the news either she or Hunter had wanted to hear but…

They’d hit the road. She’d been aware of him for every single moment of the trip. Aware of the tension between them. Aware of the fact that…

I wanted him this morning. I wanted to go into that shower with him. I wanted his hands and mouth on me.

But he kept pulling back. Why?

The SUV turned, and he drove the vehicle into a diner’s parking lot. A pang hit her because this was a diner she’d visited before, so many times. With Nate. With her friends. They’d get the booth in the back. Sit and laugh and order the endless pancakes…

“Figure you have to be starving.” Hunter’s deep voice. “We’ll grab some food and get settled in at the hotel for the night.” A brief hesitation. “This place all right with you?”

“I’ve been here before.” The light over the entrance blinked on and off. On and off. She swallowed. “The food is good.”

“We need to visit familiar places.”

Yes, they’d talked about that on the ride over. Visiting places from her past to see if any memories would be stirred up. When they’d driven past the college, he’d even taken her right in front of her old college sorority house.

Only the house wasn’t there any longer. It had been torn down. Probably for the best. Not like any of the new students would want to ever stay there. When blood had stained the walls and the floors, it hadn’t exactly created an inviting atmosphere. Not like new sorority recruits would want to go to the Murder House.

That was the name it had been given after the deaths.

Welcome to Murder House. Want to pledge with us? Hardly the stuff to attract newcomers.