Page 60 of Ice Queen

And did she take Maggie, or is she still with you?

Lettie… Seriously. I’m going insane.

I couldn’t focus all game, damn it. She’s not answering me.

She turns the phone back around, and her fingers start flying. “Want to tell me why he thinks you’re going on a date?”

Butterflies erupt over the fact that he’s texting her to check on me. I didn’t even think to check my own phone. I don’t even know where it is, honestly. “I may have told him I had one. But I was talking about little dude.” I motion to Cam. “I just conveniently left that part out.”

Her head falls back behind her as she lets out a boisterous laugh. Cam’s arms fly out to the side, but he doesn’t stop drinking from his bottle. “Oh, I like you. You’re going to be so good for him,” she says between laughs.

She flips her phone, showing me what she sent back.

Your girl is safe and sound. Her date may have grabbed her boob once or twice. But was pretty well behaved otherwise.

I stare at her text for longer than necessary before I run my hands over my thighs and stand. “I should head home,” I say, my voice shaking as I try to suffocate the emotion.

“What? Why?”

I grab Maggie’s leash from the table by the door, and she immediately hops up and comes to my side. “I’ve probably overstayed my welcome. And it is late.”

“It’s not because he’s freaking out?”

I bite my lip. It is, partially. I don’t want him worried about his dog, but it’s more about me freaking out. But instead of voicing that, I shake my head.

I pull the door open and step partially through it when she calls out. “For what it’s worth, let him sweat. You deserve a good man in your life, Kait. And other than my husband, he’s the best there is.”

“I’m not…” I blink rapidly, trying to find the right words. But I can’t. Because all the words that pop into my head feel insignificant compared to the mixed feelings I get when I think about him and I. There’s this tight pull in the middle of my chest, one I’ve thought of as an invisible string, one end tied to me, the other tied to him, that’s the only explanation I have for how we ended up in each other's orbit after all this time.

The problem is, he doesn’t think he deserves anything good, and there’s a part of me that feels like I’m still a mess and not ready for whatever is already brewing between us. So I stick with the simple truth. “He’s just helping me out until the window gets fixed.” I sigh. “And to be honest, I like you and the girls. I want to be able to do things like this. I’d be a fool to think your loyalty would be to anyone but him if things went south.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but I raise my hand. “I saw him, and somewhere deep, I instantly knew he’d keep me safe. And I’ve felt like that since I saw him again at Sports Romance Night. He brings me peace. I’m not willing to lose any of that if something doesn’t work out.”

Her eyes soften, and the pace at which she bounces Cam slows. “I don’t think you would,” she says seconds before I pull the door closed behind me.

Yeah, but I’m not sure I want to find out.

CHAPTER 21

Markus

I’m on unanswered text number thirteen, and lap one hundred and twenty of my hotel room. I couldn’t focus the entire game because the only thing I could think of was this woman going on a date with some unknown asshole. What if he kidnapped her and she’s now in pieces in some back alley? What if he drugs her drink and she can’t tell him no? I scrub my hand down my face, scratching softly against my beard.

Mierda, Samuels. Cálmate.⁠*

I think this very behavior is why Cecila doesn’t tell me when she goes out, though I have been known to find out anyway and show up at the same restaurant, totally by chance, of course. But then again, Monroe and I did go and intimidate the shit out of a bunch of elementary school kids because they were mean to Lily, so I guess this tracks.

I reach for a bottle of beer in the mini fridge. My hand freezes over the top of it. Do I really need this? What the hell is wrong with me?

Drinking is your default coping mechanism, Markus.

Truth be told, Kait does deserve someone better than me, but now that she’s giving someone else her attention, I’m a jealous freaking asshole. That fact alone deserves a clear head to work through the why. I close the fridge, telling myself that this is what’s best for both of us. A sober mind, and her to be with someone who won’t hurt her in the long run.

My phone lights up, Lettie’s name flashing across the screen, and I quickly scoop it up. I’ve never clicked on a text so fast, only for my heart to plummet to my feet the second I open it.

Your girl is safe and sound. Her date may have grabbed her boob once or twice. But was pretty well behaved otherwise.

My girl? Grabbed her… The rest of the sentence hits like a puck to the chest. My vision tunnels, and the chatter on the TV fades into some distant, hollow background noise. Someone touched her?