Page 96 of Ice Me Out

“I wasn’t dick watching him, but it’s pretty fucking hard to ignore when your room shares a wall. His fucking headboard nearly came through my wall. And to make matters worse, a catfight over him between a skier from Switzerland and a figure skater from China turned into a brawl. It was a disaster, and he cost me the gold. I couldn’t sleep with all the traffic on our floor, and the lack of sleep stressed me out.”

“Did you confront him?”

“Of course I did! And you know what that stupid bitch said to me? I’ll save you some next time.”

Vera’s eyes landed on me again, and she was unimpressed.

“Wow… Hart Myers sounds like a real piece of work.”

“A real piece of shit who only cares about himself,” Snoh added. “You dodged a bullet.”

“Sounds like it. But hey, I gotta go.”

“Alright. Take care of yourself. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Snoh Flake.”

He swore as she hung up.

“Soooooo, my brother hates you.”

I scrubbed the back of my neck and finally faced her head-on, embarrassed by my past. “If it’s any consolation, that was about four years ago, and my brain hadn’t quite developed yet.”

Vera laughed and hopped off the counter. “So, what he said was true?”

Shamefully, I nodded, waiting for her to be disgusted by me. I used to wear the nickname “Hartbreak” like a badge of honor, and I stopped being that guy the moment I realized how empty it all was. Vera didn’t change me, but the thought of her believing all I had to offer was money and a good fuck made me sick to my stomach. I wanted Vera beyond the contract. I wanted to build a future with her, and if my reputation hindered that, then I would never forgive myself.

“Okay, let’s talk,” she said, entering my space. “I am not naïve. I had an idea of who you were. I’ve witnessed you receiving unsolicited titty pictures in your DMs, and we had an open and honest dialogue about that. Look at me.” I did. “You do not owe me your past. What you owe me is honesty, exclusivity, and a clean bill of health.”

My shoulders sagged, and the fear that squeezed my chest fled. I hadn’t realized how my body had braced for her to walk away. My hands found her hips before I even thought about it, and I dragged her closer.

“I can do that,” I said quietly but confidently.

“And I believe you. But I’m warning you now, Hart. If you ever take my ice cream away from me again—”

“Shut up,” I interrupted, kissing her.

“Now my feelings are hurt,” she said between kisses that heated faster than iron in a fire. I picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around me.

“I can make it up to you.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” she asked, gazing at me with hopeful, bright eyes.

“We’re going on a little road trip. Go get dressed.”

She grinned. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises,” she responded.

“Lie better.”

“I don’t know what to wear.”

“I’ll choose.”

“Okay, Hart. You better not have me out here looking crazy.”