Page 32 of Ice Queen

Lettie’s eyes roll, she picks up a chip and pops it in her mouth, chewing slowly before bringing her attention back to me. “Qué tonto eres.”⁠*

“Oh! I know that one!” Monroe calls as he walks into the room with Cam in his arms. “Why’s he being dumb?” He plants a kiss on Lettie’s temple, bouncing slightly to keep their baby asleep.

“He says therapy isn’t working.” Her eyes narrow on the side of my face. “But look at him, he looks happier. More free.”

Free. That’s a good way to describe how I’m starting to feel. Free from the mental cage the cold puts me in, definitely. I’m about to respond with some off-handed comment about how it’s all in her head and her new mom brain is making things up, when the front door opens.

“Guys! Look who I invited. She’s a Rhett fan too.” Hannah sings as the rest of our group files into the Monroes’ living room.

In freaking slow motion, Abby and Hannah step to the side, and there in the middle of them is Kaitlyn. The second her eyes meet mine, they fall to the floor. Her hands start to fidget with the sleeves of her black sweatshirt, and my first instinct is to fix whatever made her uncomfortable.

“You know, your ‘I’m not a stalker’ comment is feeling more like a lie every day.” Pulling my lip ring between my teeth, I watch as she straightens out and narrows her eyes at me.

Yeah, Princesa. Fight me.

All the girls’ eyes cut to mine, narrowing until Kait responds. “If I wanted to stalk you, I don’t think a room full of your teammates is the place to do it.”

Her finger taps against her lips a few times before a smirk forms in the corner. “I could hide in the shadows and wait for you in the back of Beautiful Pour. You’re defenseless before coffee, right?”

Lettie rolls her lips together, biting down until the outer ring turns white.

“It’s okay, big guy,” Kait says in a mocking tone. “I won’t tell your teammates I hacked your security cameras and know you still sleep with a baby blanket.”

My head falls back behind me, my laugh flooding the room. When I bring it back down and meet her gaze, her arms are crossed, brow raised in question.

I slap a hand over my heart. “You got me.”

I watch as Abby and Hannah show her around, but Lettie’s eyes stay locked on me. A knowing look on her face. Damn it, I’m never going to hear the end of this.

My hand pushes into my hair before I turn and head to the bathroom, needing a minute to breathe without the girls’ questioning glances.

A soft knock sounds on the door a few minutes later, and I already know who it is. “Hannah, what did I say about following men to the bathroom?”

She scoffs before jiggling the doorknob. “Open, or I’ll kick it down.”

My head tilts to the side as I try to picture that. The woman is tiny, almost an entire foot shorter than me, but what she lacks in size, she makes up for in ferocity. She’s like an angry mama bird, and I love it. Unlocking the door, I pull it open and step back so she can come in.

She holds the door open with her shoulder as she leans against it. “Why are you hiding?”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

I push my tongue against my lip ring, turning it a few times while I try to figure out how to explain what I’m feeling, but truthfully, I don’t even know how to articulate it.

I know Hannah, and I know the second she finds out any part of Kaitlyn is attractive to me, she’ll start playing matchmaker. That’s the last thing I need with all the other shit going on.

“I snapped at her a bit yesterday.” My hand wraps around the back of my neck as I look down at her.

“I’m aware.”

My brows slam down over my eyes. “What?”

“I went by to talk about foundation events with her. She was worried she pissed you off because she called you Casanova.” She laces her fingers together in front of her, eyebrows raised with a slight smirk on her face.

Good Lord almighty, here we go. Wait. Pissed me off?

“I don’t care what the media says, Hannah. You know that.” I do, for some reason I don’t understand, care what Kaitlyn thinks of what the media says, though.