Read Icebound for Free Online Page B

answers.”
    “Just trying to lighten the mood.”
    She glared at him. “Keep trying.”
    “Picky woman,” he said with an exaggerated sigh, and shook his head. “I’m the oldest of ten kids.”
    “Ten?” That set her back. “No wonder you don’t mind sharing space with other people.”
    “Yeah, well, this is nothing compared to how crowded things were when I was little. I’m not married, never have been and never will be. Ditto on kids. I play a mean saxophone and prefer making love on a bed rather than the beach.” He leaned in close to say, “Chafing isn’t something I go in for.”
    Emilie shoved the vision of him naked on a bed away. “Why don’t you want to get married or have kids?”
    “My lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to relationships.”
    “Lifestyle?”
    “I travel all over the world to work and don’t really have a permanent home. Oddly enough, I’ve spent more time on the Ice than anywhere else. I indulge in an affair once in a while, but the real thing…” He shook his head. “No. Not for me.”
    That made no sense. Here was a man with depth and intelligence, and sexy with a capital S .
    “Why don’t you want a real relationship?”
    His answering laugh held no humor. “Why go for real when light and playful are less hazardous and usually available.”
    His second demerit, playboy syndrome. “Not every relationship damages people.”
    He slid her a sidelong glance. “I’m practical. The only real relationships I’ve ever seen end up leaving both parties wounded and bleeding, literally and figuratively. Are you trying to tell me you’re okay when it’s the furthest thing from the truth? You’re still wearing your husband’s ring and he’s been dead for how long?”
    “A year.”
    “A whole year and to you that’s real?”
    How dare he criticize a relationship he knew nothing about? “More real than what you have.”
    “I know what I want and it isn’t a wife and kids. There’s no way I’m going to saddle some unsuspecting woman with me and my bad habits.”
    “If she loves you, the bad habits won’t matter. David and I both had them when we got married, but they weren’t important. It’s called being in love.”
    “Were you living in some fairy tale?” Tom asked. “Of course they matter. Only someone who’s convinced herself they don’t exist would believe that.”
    “ You’re the one who doesn’t have a clue. As long as you’ve figured out the important stuff, you’ll be okay.”
    He smiled and chuckled. “I think you’re living in a fairy tale, you think I’m clueless. Aren’t we a pair?” Standing, he shook his head a couple of times. “You know, I think we’re going to get along just fine.” He crouched beside her and whispered in her ear, “Better than fine.” He straightened and walked away.
    Emilie watched the movie without paying much attention to it for a long time after Tom left. He sounded like he had his life all figured out. No commitments, no kids, live for the moment, the job, and have a good time.
    She rubbed a palm over her cold belly. There was so much more to life than that.
    Too bad she couldn’t take her own advice.
    “You okay?” a gruff voice asked.
    She glanced up. Bob stood next to her chair.
    “Yeah, I’m okay. Just trying to do the impossible.”
    He sat in the chair Tom had vacated. “Nothing’s impossible.”
    One side of her mouth kicked up. “I’m trying to understand the male mind.”
    He laughed, a full-hearted bellow that transformed him into a teddy bear. “Okay, you got me there, but since us males can’t figure you women out, I’d say we’re even.”
    “Do you think I have a chance at success?”
    “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Depends on the man.”
    “Tom.”
    Bob snorted and grinned. “Him? Nope.”
    “Really? Have you known him long?”
    “A few years.” The grin dissolved. “He’s a good man.”
    “He’s confusing. He keeps asking questions I don’t know how to