Free Fire and Ice by Taylor Lee Page B

all set.”
    Annika knew what Erin and even Nate was doing. They were setting her up for Sam. It was no secret how he looked at her. She’d heard all the guys talking about it, ribbing him. But he just blew them off. Didn’t seem to care who noticed. He followed her around with his eyes and didn’t look away when she caught him staring at her. No, she was the one who looked away, flustered at his open appraisal. The twinkle in his eyes and the slight curve of his lips were a giveaway. It was as though he were daring her. And his friends? Nate and Erin, and even Connor, were encouraging him. Making him think that he had a shot at her. What they didn’t know and weren’t likely to find out—until Sam told them—was that the hot-looking woman in the mirror truly was the Ice Princess everyone called her behind her back.
    She’d earned that nickname in Jr. High School, and it stuck. At first she thought the boys were talking about her long white-gold hair and she liked that they thought she was a princess. If only. No, they meant she was a tease. Beautiful, but ice cold. As she got older, they got more explicit. They called her a cock tease. Leading on all the guys, then shutting them down when they came on to her. Only she wasn’t trying to lead them on. She couldn’t help the way she looked. Blonde, busty, and beautifully remote. What they didn’t see was her fear.
    When she got to college she made a serious effort to break through her inhibitions. But long ago memories—abusive foster ‘dads’ groping her when she was too young to fight them off—kept her in her shell. Over time, she stopped pretending and accepted the fact that intimacy terrified her. She was meant to be alone. But her body didn’t get the message. Mother Nature won out. Maybe there was something about Swedish women after all. At a bachelorette party for one of her few friends, she ‘won’ a sex toy and it opened a whole new world to her. Soon she had a small collection of toys that became her best friends. Something about the naughtiness of them made them even more erotic. Best of all, they made men superfluous. Unnecessary.
    ~~~
    Sam did his best to swallow the mouthful of beer without choking, but it was no use. It took Charlie pounding on his back to recover from the brew heading down the wrong pipe, and a full minute to get back to breathing without wheezing. He didn’t have to worry about making a scene. Nate had taken care of that. Leave it to the bad boy to enter with not one but two of the most stunning women who’d set foot in Regan’s Pub. The tall grinning show-stopper sauntered into the Pub with one arm around Erin and the other around Annika. The three of them were a sight to behold. Whistles, jeers and catcalls laced with flat out envy rocketed throughout the bar. There wasn’t a man or woman in the Pub—or the town for that matter, who didn’t know Nate. He was a local hero, and fast on his way to becoming a state and national star. Erin’s gentle presence had captured the admiration of the town folk, who’d watched her survive a grueling murder trial and win the heart of the baddest guy around. So naturally if anyone was going to make an entrance with his woman, it was Nate. He did that when he walked in by himself. Add one dark-haired goddess and a blonde one to match, and the response was deafening.
    Charlie summed up the general reaction and put his own special spin on it. “Jesus Fucking Christ. Will you look at that? Damn, we all know that Erin is eye candy, but will ya look at the Ice Princess?”
    As if realizing he’d said more than he intended Charlie reddened and gave Sam another slap on the back, this time coupled with an apology.
    “Sorry, man. I know you got eyes for her—and who the hell can blame you? She may be the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen. But Sam, you gotta know. If ever there was a living, breathing epitome of an Ice Princess, it’s the lieutenant. So fuckin’ gorgeous, she makes