Page 9 of Hot As Ice

I was feeling a lot braver before we got here. I thought doing this would be a breeze. Now, I want to hightail it out of here. “Maybe I shouldn’t bother him,” I say, biting down on my lip.

Becca frowns. “I know he looks intimidating, but he’s not going to bite your head off for going up to him.”

“Right.”

“C’mon, don’t chicken out. You got this.”

“Right. You’re right. I can do this.” Squaring my shoulders, I take a step toward Hunter’s booth.

three

hunter

ASHLEIGH OR KAYLEIGH, or whatever her name is won’t stop playing with my fucking hair.

I keep pushing her away and she keeps coming back, giggling, whispering in my ear about all the filthy shit she wants me to do to her tonight. I couldn’t be less interested.

I already know she’ll be a boring lay. Most of them are.

They pretend to be into rough play, but as soon as I start actually being rough with them, they turn all skittish. It’s exhausting.

Ashleigh or Kayleigh tugs on my hair again, whining in my ear that she wants to go back to my place, and I finally snap. “Enough,” I bark.

“I’ll let you do whatever you want to me,” she whines.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Oh, come on, Hunter.”

I ignore her and take a sip of my Coke, my eyes landing on two girls standing a few feet away. I recognize one of them instantly. It’s the beautiful blonde I had to rescue from that stupid prick last night. I have no idea what her name is, but her face is unforgettable. And she’s staring at me. As I watch, she takes a hesitant step forward. And stops.

Our gazes are locked, and I know I’m making her uncomfortable. I haven’t stopped thinking about her since last night. There’s something about her. I can’t quite explain it, and it chafes at me. And now here she is, as if I conjured her up myself.

Unable to resist, I crook my finger and beckon her towards me. She walks over as if in a trance.

I get up from my seat and push Ashleigh or Kayleigh aside.

“Hey there, princess,” I say as the beautiful blonde stops a foot in front of me.

“Hi.” She gives me a sweet, slightly crooked smile.

I stare at her, refusing to say anything else. My eyes bore into hers and she grabs a lock of her hair, twining it between her fingers. She looks back at her friend who mouths “do it,” then looks back at me.

I let the silence stretch, because this is the only interesting thing that has happened all night.

“Um,” she says. “I just wanted to thank you, um, for last night? I realized this morning that I, um, never did. So, thank you.”

I cross my arms and just look at her, loving the way she squirms. It’s fascinating what strategic silence can do to people.

“I owe you a debt,” she blurts, a blush staining her cheeks.

A debt? Well, well, well. Color me intrigued. I raise an eyebrow. “You think you owe me a debt?”

“You saved my life.”

This pretty little blonde thinks she owes me something for saving her from that disgusting motherfucker. How…gratifying. It presses all the right buttons inside me. The buttons that have made me obsessed with saving helpless women ever since I couldn’t save my mom as a kid.

I cock my head and look her up and down. She really does look like a fairytale princess with her big green eyes and soft blonde hair falling in waves over her tits. Her plain white tee and blue jeans mold to her curves in just the right places.