Page 121 of Hot As Ice

He kicks me in the ribs and I scream, wrapping my arms around my middle.

“You fucking bitch,” he snarls. “Where’s your pretty boy boyfriend now, huh? I’ll have you dead and buried before he even gets here.” He grabs my ponytail and starts dragging me out of the bedroom.

“Fuck you, asshole,” I scream. Even if he succeeds in killing me, I won’t go down without a fight.

He laughs. “You know what? That’s not a bad idea.” He undoes his belt, and I cringe as I hear his zipper being pulled down. Just the sound makes me want to vomit. He has one hand gripping my ponytail and the other on his disgusting dick.

“I’m gonna make you choke on it,” he says, twisting his fingers into my hair and pushing my face toward his crotch. I go willingly, opening my mouth and biting down on his dick as hard as I can.

Joe howls, and it’s loud enough to wake the dead.

Yeah, I bet it’s not fun getting your dick almost bit off.

I grab his balls next, twisting them without mercy.

He falls to the ground, writhing in pain. Hysterical laughter bubbles up and bursts out of me as I stand up and stare down at him, feeling more powerful than I have in my entire life.

Holy shit, I can’t believe I did that.

I grab my phone off the floor. Hunter is still on the line. He never hung up.

“Hello? Hunter?”

“Baby, I’m almost there. Are you alright?”

“Um, I, yes, I’m fine. I think.” I gently probe my throat with my fingers.

“Stay on the line until I get there. Did you kick him in the balls? I heard him scream.”

“Um, sort of.”

“Kick him again.”

I suppress another burst of hysterical laughter. Joe is still writhing on the floor, his hands covering his crotch. Blood seeps out from between his fingers. I don’t know what it says about me that the sight fills me with glee.

“I’m here,” Hunter says into the phone, the sound of tires screeching in the background. Seconds later, the apartment shakes as he slams the front door open and rushes into my bedroom. He grabs me and hugs me tight, and his scent and warmth are a balm to my soul. I want to melt into the safety of his arms forever.

“Baby,” I whisper into his neck, and then the tears finally come.

“Shh,” he says, rubbing circles on my back. “It’s over.”

“He was strangling me,” I blubber, shaking with the sobs racking through my body. “I thought I was going to die.”

“It’s over, baby. You’ll never see this piece of shit ever again.” His voice is so calm. It relaxes me. The adrenaline slowly seeps out of me, my heart rate slowing down too. Hunter kisses my temple, the top of my head. One hand strokes my back while the other cups the back of my neck. I feel very tired all of a sudden.

I sag against him.

He seems to know exactly what I need, because he picks me up and takes me to the living room, setting me down on the couch. He unfolds the blanket we keep at the foot of the couch and covers me with it.

I grab his hand as he turns to leave. “Wait, where are you going?”

He crouches down so we’re eye-to-eye. “I’m not leaving you. Just need to make a phone call or two.”

“To who?”

“Don’t worry about that right now, okay?”

The dark, determined look in his eyes prevents me from questioning him any further. “Okay.”