I laughed, still running my fingers over the smooth wall. “I didn’t even know I could?—”
My words turned into a shriek as something cold and wet slid down my back. I spun around to find Blitz grinning triumphantly, empty hands raised.
“You did not just do that!”
He bounced on his toes. “Consider it payback for that face shot earlier.”
I grabbed a handful of snow from the floor. “You’re going to pay for that!”
The inside of my beautiful snow dome erupted into chaos. Don ducked as Vix launched a snowball at his head. Blitz created a small ammunition pile while I pelted Pierce, who retaliated by charging straight for me.
I scrambled backward. “No fair using your size advantage!”
Pierce’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “All’s fair in love and snowball fights.”
He lunged, and I twisted away, except my boots had other ideas. My feet shot out from under me, and I grabbed Pierce’s coat as I fell. We tumbled down together in a tangle of limbs, landing with a soft thud on the snowy floor.
Pierce braced himself above me, his weight pressing me gently into the snow. The laughter died in my throat as our eyes locked.
“This wasn’t part of my strategy,” I whispered, hyperaware of every inch where our bodies connected.
His mouth curved into a smile. “It was part of mine,” he murmured right before his lips met mine.
Chapter 20
Magical Dome
Ithought my ice dome had been magical before, but the real magic was happening as Pierce’s mouth moved against mine. His kiss was tentative, as though he was asking for permission. Permission I gave without hesitation, sinking my fingers into his hair and pulling him closer.
Snow melted beneath us, dampening my coat, but I couldn’t have cared less. Pierce’s tongue traced the seam of my lips, and I opened for him, sighing as he deepened the kiss. His weight pressed me into the ground, deliciously heavy but carefully balanced.
When he finally pulled back, his eyes had darkened. I traced the sharp line of his jaw with my fingertip.
A throat cleared somewhere above us. “As fascinating as this floor show is, some of us are getting frostbite in uncomfortable places.”
I glanced up to find Vix watching us, arms crossed over his chest, one eyebrow raised in a perfect arch with heat in his eyes.
The fear that had crippled me at the inn seemed impossibly distant now, replaced by something warm and reckless. It felt... right.Ifelt right. Powerful in a way that didn’t terrify me because of these men.
Pierce rolled off me, and I grabbed his sleeve. “Stay… all of you.”
Blitz’s usual restless energy was focused entirely on me. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
I sat up slowly, my gaze moving from Pierce to Vix to Blitz to Don.
“I’m suggesting that I’m tired of being afraid.” I rose to my feet, brushing snow from my pants. “I’m tired of worrying about what I might do or who I might hurt. At least for today.”
Don took a step forward. “And what would you rather do instead?”
The air crackled with tension. Four pairs of eyes fixed on me with such hunger that my breath caught.
“Something reckless.” I took a step toward Don, then another.
Vix made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a groan. “You’re playing with fire, princess.”
“Am I?” I tilted my head, feeling strangely powerful. “Or are you playing with ice?”
A faint smile curved Don’s mouth as he reached for me, his hand cupping my face with tenderness. The contrast between his gentle touch and his imposing size sent a shiver down my spine.
