Wild Tendy (IceCats Book 2)

by Toni Aleo

  I wrap my arms and legs around him, kissing his lips. “It’s okay. Amelia said that you guys got screwed and that power up shouldn’t have happened.”

  He shakes his head. “Power play, baby,” he corrects me before kissing my lips. “I really need to watch hockey with you.”

  “You do,” I agree as he presses himself into me.

  “Did you have fun?” he asks, chewing at my bottom lip.

  “I did. I ate the popcorn pretzel tree thing. Not bad.”

  “Told you.”

  I grin against his lips. “It turned me on, watching you.”

  He groans against my mouth. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yup,” I say, rubbing myself against his slacks.

  “Watching you there did something to me. I want you so bad.”

  “Do you?”

  “So fucking bad,” he murmurs against my mouth before kissing me once more.

  I fall into the kiss, feeling it all over. His hands find their way into my robe, untying it and cupping my sex. I arch into his hand as his finger slides between my lips.

  “Damn, you’re so wet.”

  “I want you.”

  He growls against my mouth as he rakes his teeth over my lips, nipping at my jaw before sucking on my neck. I want to moan so loudly, cry his name, but Callie is in the next room. He makes his way down my chest, kissing and nipping, driving me wild.

  “I’m freshly showered,” I mutter, and he bites my stomach.

  “Mmm, I love when you talk dirty to me.”

  I snort-giggle until his tongue glides along my stomach, licking at my belly button as he pushes my robe away, revealing my naked body. He kisses down my thigh to my knee before running his tongue back up my thigh and along the slit of my lips. I roll my eyes up into the back of my head as he continues the slow torture. I hold on to his shoulder when he moved the tip of his tongue along my lips. When he opens me, I arch up into his mouth, and he devours me. His tongue and fingers stroke me in all the right ways. When he slides his thumb into my pussy, I have to cover my mouth to keep from screaming. He presses his thumb into me harder, in and out as he flicks the tip of his tongue against my clit. I feel everything tightening, and soon, I break. I cry into my hand, gathering the blankets with my fingers as he sucks me into oblivion.

  I don’t feel him move or even undress. I’m lost. Completely gone. But then he is filling me to the hilt. One fluid motion, quick and hard. I grab ahold of his thighs as he pounds into me, holding me by my ankles with my legs up in the air. I look up to see he has no control on his face and he is taking what he wants. What he needs. And I am A-okay being on the receiving end. His body slaps into mine, and his cock feels so damn good in me. It’s so thick, filling me in all the ways I never knew I needed until I met him. His eyes are hooded, gorgeous, and sexy, and soon, he slams into me, a moan bubbling in his chest as his fingers bite into my ankles. He jerks into me once, then again, and finally, his head drops back as he fills me.

  When he falls onto me, I wrap my arms around his neck as my heart pounds with his. He kisses my neck, my jaw, and then my earlobe before bringing it into his mouth. I giggle softly and try to stop him, but I don’t really want to. He smiles against my jaw before kissing it once more. “Hey.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I didn’t wear a condom.”

  I wait for the fear. Anything. But nothing comes. “I’m on birth control.”

  He pauses for a second and then mumbles, “Okay.”

  It’s almost like he is disappointed, but surely he’s not. “Did you not want me to be?”

  “I figured you were, but it doesn’t matter either way.”

  “No?”

  “Nope. I like you a little bit.”

  I know what he is implying, and I’m surprised how much that pleases me. With a grin on my face, I ask, “Just a bit?”

  “Just a wee bit,” he teases, and then I turn my head to his.

  His grin grows as I demand, “Kiss me.”

  “Don’t have to ask me twice.”

  As we fall into the kiss, I’m aware I don’t know what the hell the future holds, but I’m starting to realize my future starts and ends with him.

  My alarm goes off at the butt-crack of dawn, and Nico groans.

  “Why? It’s early.”

  I chuckle tiredly as I cuddle into him. “Gotta get the bread in the oven.”

  “Screw the bread. People need to slow down on carbs anyway,” he says, and I laugh as I kiss his jaw.

  “But then how will I make money?”

  He kisses me. “You don’t need it. I’ll take care of you.”

  I snort. “Because I’m all for that.”

  “Damn it, why you gotta be a strong woman? Be a gold digger. It’s way easier.”

  I laugh loudly. “You’re insane.”

  He holds me closer. “Don’t leave this bed. I demand it.”

  “I’ve got to.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Sleep. I’ll come back up before I open the shop.”

  “Naked?”

  “So naked,” I say, kissing his cheek.

  He’s weird about morning breath, and I can’t blame him. Mine is awful. I head to the bathroom and get washed up before heading downstairs. Callie should be down in an hour or so, but I’ll get most of the work done. She’s been busting ass in school since competition season is coming up fast. She wants to get ahead because she’s an overachiever like that. As I get to work, a small smile plays on my face while the radio blasts the top hits. I’m dancing, singing, and having a great time. I know I have a hot man upstairs, and Callie is safe and healthy. I feel good. Really good.

  When I hear someone on the stairs, I look up to see Nico coming down in just his athletic shorts.

  “What are you doing?”

  He sighs ruefully. “I can’t have you down here working by yourself. I want to help.”

  Oh, this man explodes through the walls I try to keep up. “You don’t have to. You worked late last night. In and out of bed.”

  He sends me a flashy grin. “Yeah, but by working now, the reward is being with you.” My face breaks into a grin as he kisses my cheek. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Can you start cutting meat?”

  “Yup.” He puts on an apron and then some gloves before getting to work. I have to admit, I love working with him.

  “Callie said something funny yesterday.”

  He looks up from where he is cutting the roast beef. “I’m not surprised, but tell me anyway.”

  I smile. “She said you should move in.”

  I watch his body language and wait for the freak-out. His jaw gets tense and so does his back, but he’s thinking it over. I thought he would just yell out hell no, but he’s actually thinking. When he looks over at me, I give him a weak smile.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said it was kind of early.”

  I’m met with silence as he piles the meat onto a tray. He doesn’t look at me or even comment, and I find that I’m just watching him. When he glances over at me, he shrugs. “I mean, I already kind of do live here.”

  “I know.”

  “But it has only been three months.”

  “I know,” I say once more, sounding like a parrot. “But how does the idea make you feel?”

  When I’m answered with a grin, my heart soars. “Good.”

  I smile back. “Me too.”

  He nods slowly. “Okay.”

  “Okay.”

  We hold each other’s gaze. “So, am I moving in?”

  “I don’t know,” I say, and he laughs. “How about we just keep doing us?”

  He thinks that over for a minute. “Or we can start looking for a place to make ours.”

  My heart just about stops in my chest. “Really?”

  “Yeah, a bigger place because I don’t want to move again when we decide to have kids.”

  My eyes widen. “Wow. This conversation is real.”

  He nods. “Wa
y too real.” We grin at each other. “Maybe we should go back to just doing us? Together, though.”

  “Oh, totally together.”

  He nods, and I sigh deeply. “But after Christmas, start looking.” I meet his gaze once more. This is really real. “If you want.”

  “I do.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.”

  When the sound of a guitar starts on the radio, Nico looks over at the speaker and turns it up before holding his hand to me. “Have you heard this song?”

  I take his hand, and he pulls me in. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.”

  I love anything James Arthur sings. But “Falling like the Stars” is a beautiful love song.

  “It reminds me of us.”

  My heart tries to come out of my chest. “It does?”

  “Yeah,” he whispers against my lips. “And all I think is that I want to do what Chandler said, dance to all the songs that remind us of us.”

  I will not cry, but with so much emotion in his voice, I nod. “I’d love that.”

  So, slowly, we dance in the kitchen. As the music plays, I rest my head on his chest, not wanting to do anything else but this. Chandler was right; there is nothing better than dancing with the one you love at any time. Nico holds me close, kissing the top of my head until the music stops and my phone rings.

  “What the hell?”

  I move out of his arms. “I like my playlists on my phone!” He laughs as I grab my phone. When I see it’s Jaylin, I make a face. It’s really early. Why is she up? I answer the phone, “Hey. It’s—”

  “I know. Listen, I just got a fax from Dustin.”

  My stomach drops, and I clutch the phone.

  “He is selling the shop building.”

  And there it is—the other shoe.

  Everything stops, and my blurry gaze falls on Nico. I can’t even speak. A sob is choking me, and then I’m crouching down.

  Man, this isn’t a shoe that’s dropped.

  It’s a brick.

  To my face.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Aviva

  Nico comes to me, cupping my elbow. “What’s wrong?”

  “Someone wants to buy the shop.”

  There is no reaction from him, and I’m sure he’s as shocked as I am.

  “Jaylin, my lease is still for another six months. I thought he said he would give us the first opportunity to buy.”

  Her voice is strained. “I know. I’m trying to figure this out. I wasn’t going to call yet, but I knew I had to because we need to know if we are countering.”

  “Countering?”

  “Yeah. I need to get the loan going as soon as I find out how much I need to outbid the other person by.”

  “Outbid? Jesus, what the hell? I don’t understand. Why he is such a slimy turtle-dick asshole?”

  “Turtle dick?”

  “I’m angry, okay?”

  “Yeah, he is a turtle dick,” she agrees. I love her. “I don’t know, Vee, but what do you want to do? Do you want me to fight this? Outbid the jackass who is trying to get the place—” She stops. “Let me call you back. That’s him.”

  She hangs up, and I let my phone rest at my ear. “I don’t understand. Why is he being a jackass? This is my shop.”

  Nico rubs my elbow. “I’m sure it’s okay. Don’t worry. It will work out. You won’t lose this place.”

  “You don’t know that. Dustin wants money and…fuck! What am I going to do?”

  He grabs me, pulling me in close and holding my chin in his fingers. “Baby, I promise. Don’t stress. This will all work out. Jaylin is a shark. She won’t let anything happen to you.” His eyes burn into mine. “And you say the word, and I’ll give you the money.”

  I shake my head. “She’s going to help me get a loan, and I’ll pay it. I don’t want to take your money,” I say quickly, my mind racing. I don’t know how this could have happened. Why would anyone want this place? It’s mine! It’s been in my family for fifteen years. Nothing else could ever go in here; the walls smell like subs.

  “Take it. I don’t want it. I want you to smile,” he says, grabbing my face. “It’s okay. This will work out.”

  I drop my face onto his chest and breathe in deeply. I don’t understand the sense of calm that washes over me at being in his arms. Before, I would have freaked, had a panic attack, and probably made myself sick, but Nico keeps me calm. Which is insane since he is a bundle of nerves all the time. For some reason, though, he knows how to handle me, and I hope he knows I’ve got him covered. As he strokes his thumb along my jaw, I almost believe this will all work out.

  Almost.

  When my phone rings, I pull away and answer it without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

  “Okay, so wow… This is so crazy,” Jaylin says, her voice shaky.

  “Crazy?”

  “The place has been sold.”

  My stomach drops once more. “But how—”

  “To you, Aviva.”

  I blink. Confused. “Huh?”

  “She bought the place for you. She paid the money and wants your name on the deed, with Callie as a co-owner.”

  Nico is staring at me. “What?”

  “It’s been sold. To me.”

  Nico lights up. “Good! The loan is good?”

  I shake my head. “No, someone bought it for me,” I say slowly, unsure what the hell is happening.

  “I got a name. Florence Tremblay. And the only reason I got that was because I called her lawyer. He’s out of Buffalo, New York, and I demanded answers. He said he doesn’t know much about her but that she wanted to make sure you were taken care of. He wouldn’t give me her number or anything, but I’ll get it, don’t worry. I don’t know who this chick is, but if she’s buying shops for people, maybe she can buy me some stuff.”

  My stomach is in knots. “I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t either, but I’ll find out.”

  The line goes dead, and I look up at Nico. “Some woman bought me the shop because she wants me to be taken care of.”

  He just blinks. “Do you know who she is?”

  “No, and I don’t know why she would do this,” I say, and then I grab my computer from the office.

  “What are you doing?” he calls out to me.

  “I’m going to Google her.”

  “You have a name?”

  “Yeah.” But when I type it in, nothing comes up. I look up to see him on his phone. “Are you searching?”

  He looks over at me. “Huh?”

  “Are you searching too?”

  He nods. “Uh-huh. Sure am.”

  I love him so much. “I’m not getting anything, but Jaylin will figure it out. She’ll find her, and then we’re gonna have a talk.” He looks tense, and I’m bewildered. “What?”

  “Nothing. I’m just a little confused. What will you talk to her about?”

  “I’ll demand that she let me pay her back!”

  “Okay, that’s a good plan. And if she says no?”

  “Then I have no clue what the hell I’ll do,” I say slowly. “Why would she do this for me? She doesn’t even know me.”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  I’m beyond bewildered. I don’t understand why anyone would do this. While the fact that I will never have to deal with Dustin again is appealing, I don’t want someone buying the shop for me. I had an issue when Jaylin wanted to. But now a complete stranger? I don’t think so. How can I accept something like that? I am still struggling with someone paying my mom’s bills. I sent the amount I usually paid on the bill to the YMCA After Breast Cancer program instead. Even doing that doesn’t make me feel right. I feel like a charity case.

  As Nico wraps his arms around me, he kisses my lips. “Hey, it’s all okay.”

  “I don’t know, Nico. I feel pathetic.”

  “Why? You mean so much to someone that they want to help you and make your life and Callie’s better.”

  The only p
erson I know who would do that is him. I look up at him. “And you didn’t do this?”

  He shakes his head, his eyes burning into mine. “No, but I would if you’d let me.” I swallow hard as he cups my face. “Listen, don’t think about this right now. You guys are leaving for the conference tomorrow, and you’re going to have a blast. Don’t worry about it. Everything will work out.”

  As much as I want to believe him, I don’t. I knew things were too good to be true. Yeah, it’s awesome someone bought me a shop, and anyone else would be dropping to their knees thanking the good Lord above, but what happens when they come back, demanding things from me? I’ll owe them, I’ll have to do what they want, and that makes me apprehensive. I don’t want to owe anyone, because if something happens to me, it all falls on Callie.

  Like it did on me when I lost my mom.

  I sit between Callie and Jaylin in the packed ballroom. A stage is in the middle of the room with chairs surrounding it. The room is full of women of all types, shapes, and sizes. I have never been around so many women in my life. While I know Nico wanted to be here with us, he wouldn’t be able to handle this. Too many people. Plus, come to find out, men aren’t allowed in here anyway. I’m not sure why. Even Security is women. I guess Lacey is all about girl power, and I, for one, love it.

  The conference has been amazing, and we’ve gotten so much information and, to Callie’s delight, so many free samples. We’ve met so many women and heard so many stories of survival. It’s amazing, and I am truly enjoying myself—when I stop thinking about everything that is happening outside the conference. Jaylin hasn’t been able to find out anything about the person who bought the shop or what their motive is. I know there has to be one, and it makes me sick to my stomach to think about it. I just want to know. I want to talk to them, and I want to demand that they allow me to pay them back. I’ve gone back and forth on if I should be happy about this or not. I mean, it’s awesome to be out from underneath Dustin, but this feels like a handout, and everyone knows I hate those. Jaylin doesn’t believe it’s bad, but she wants to know too so that I can figure this out.

  “I am so excited to be here! Did you know Lacey had a mastectomy just before she turned eighteen?” Callie exclaims beside me.