Page 98 of Ice Queen

“Geez, Sammy,” A feminine voice calls from behind me. “Kait, did you know this man can houdini out of his clothes?”

Abby.

I turn to look over my shoulder just in time for the side of Kait’s face to come into view. The jerk FaceTimed them in the middle of a locker room full of half-naked men. What if she thinks I’m not the hottest one here?

She’s got Cam cradled against her chest, and my world stops spinning. Even from here, I can see the soft smile as she looks down at his sleeping form. I’m starting to get the idea that she only agrees to come over for the games because she gets to hang out with him somewhere quiet, so the other three can freak out without waking him up.

“Sure did, and let me tell you, I wouldn’t think Maximus Prime would be easy to smuggle.” She shrugs, finally looking up at me through the phone. My eyes narrow, but there’s a smile growing on my face I couldn’t keep from her if I tried.

“The man has it down to a science, Abs.” She comes in closer to the screen. “Hey, Casanova.”

“Princesa.”

Lettie’s face comes into the frame, pressing up against the side of Kait’s. They both smile back at me like they know exactly what’s happening right now. Running a hand down my face, I let out a groan. “What kind of trouble did you two get into, this time?”

Lettie flutters her lashes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Bullshit.

“I hung out in the playroom with Cam all night,” Kait says, her voice softer than it was a minute ago. “I heard you played great, though.”

I already knew she didn’t watch, but I wish she had. “We’re going out with Rory, Lettie Girl,” Monroe says as he pops his head over my shoulder. “She’s my cousin, she lives up here.”

“Yes, I know who Rory is,” Lettie says with the tiniest hint of an eye roll.

“I was telling Kait, Sammy’s coming with us.” He slaps a hand against my bare shoulder.

Kait’s eyes skate to mine. She’s chewing on her lip the way she does when she’s nervous about something.

“I’ll keep you updated,” I say, hoping to ease whatever thoughts are running through her head.

“You don’t have to do that, Markus. Go enjoy your win.” She smiles, but something doesn’t sit right.

“I want to keep you updated, not out of obligation, but because I care enough about you to not let your mind wander to places it shouldn’t.”

Lettie holds her hand out behind Kait, and Abby slaps something down in her open palm.

Money probably. The betting in our group of friends is out of hand.

“More than that,” I continue. “I want to talk to you while we’re out. I’ve been with these assholes for almost a week. I want to hear what my girl has been up to.”

“His girl!” Hannah squeals from somewhere in the background, making Cam jerk against Kait.

Lettie scoops him up and trades the phone for the baby.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Kait whispers as she walks away from the rest of them.

“You didn’t.” I feel the tension bleed from my face. “I just don’t want you to think I check in with you, which I do every day, whether I’m on the road or not, out of anything other than my own desire to talk to you.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and I hate it. I hate that I’m not there to wipe them away, I hate even more that I don’t know why they’re there in the first place.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, moving to the corner of the room where Monroe isn’t going to pop out over my shoulder.

“I don’t know what to do with these feelings, Markus. They’re big and scary, but in the same breath they’re beautiful, and they make me feel alive.” She pauses. “You make me feel alive.”

My eyes trace over her face. I know exactly how she feels. The thought that I could give myself to her, and one day she decides I’m not enough, or maybe my demons are too much. The fear that something could happen to her and I’d fail to save her nips at my heels daily. But I can’t breathe when she’s not around. She’s the oxygen I need to live, the very essence of everything I want for my future. It starts and ends with her.

Her tongue runs across the seam of her lips, and I smile, giving her the only solution I have to her fears right now.