Page 47 of Ice Queen

“I never got to say goodbye.” I sniffle.

I quickly straighten, afraid I’ve made a fool of myself by crying into the chest of basically a stranger, and turn to try to finish the task at hand. I clear my throat and pick up the dish scrubber. “They died together, though, that’s the only bit of peace I get. The house went up in flames in the middle of the night.”

He pulls the scrubber out of my hand and turns the water off before his hand wraps around my wrist, and he pulls me to the couch.

“Sit,” he says. I don’t know what’s different about him when he’s not around his friends. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know me. Or maybe it’s just been a long day. But he’s so short and to the point when it’s just him and I.

He lets out an exasperated sigh, running a hand over his face, and for a second, I question whether this was the right call. Being here, in his space. “Please, sit.” He tries again when I don’t budge.

I plop onto the couch, and he clicks his tongue twice. “Come here, Mags.”

Up hops the furry little angel I get to spend my nights with for the time being. She immediately curls up next to me and puts her head over my thigh.

“She’s a trained therapy dog. She helps me a lot. But petting her usually eases some of my anxiety, and it makes me happy.” He gives me a quick flash of a smile. “Try it. You’ve had a long day.”

I want to ask what he means, what she helps him with, but then Lettie’s voice cuts in. “It’s heavy, even for a man as strong as he is.” He turns and picks up where I left off. The sound of the water and the calming sensation that comes from running my hand back and forth down Maggie’s back lull me into some sort of catatonic state. One where my eyes are open, I know where I am, but I feel weightless.

“I didn’t show you around earlier.” The closeness of his voice makes me jump. “Sorry, it’s just late, and I have early practice tomorrow. I don’t want you to fall asleep on the couch and wake up confused.” My bag is slung over his shoulder, his eyes are heavy as they look between me and Maggie, who are both staring back at him.

“Come on.” He holds his hand out for me to take, and when I do, he gently pulls me off the couch, letting my hand go once I’m steady on my feet. Maggie hops down behind us, and he opens the back door for her to go out before we continue down the hall.

“Bathroom’s here, but you have one in your room, too.” The hall is painted a light grey color, but there are no pictures anywhere in this house. There’s barely any decorations at all. We make it two more doors before he opens one and walks inside. “This is your room, mine is at the end of the hall if you need anything.”

This room is almost bigger than the entire apartment I’ve been in for the past two years. “Are you sure?” I ask, spinning slowly in a circle.

“Yes.” His voice firm, but kind. The bedding is navy, the same color as his hockey team, but it’s not manly. It smells like him, bergamot with a bit of musk. It’s different than what he smelled like at the bar. Not that I’ll ever tell him that I remember, but he smelled almost like a Christmas tree. “Make yourself at home.”

He gently places my bag on the bed, taking one deep breath before turning to me. “Goodnight, Kait.”

“Goodnight, and thank you.” I quickly say before he starts to pull the door closed. His steel gray eyes meet mine through the crack, and he nods once, then closes it without another word.

* I’m sorry, Princess

* brother

CHAPTER 17

Markus

The fan blades spin around and around, taunting me with each rotation. My mind mirrors their movement, from the minute I ran into her outside Beautiful Pour to the moment I told her to get her things, to seeing her with my sister in my home. I didn’t think before I reacted. And now, I’m worried I’ve screwed it all up.

I should be keeping my distance. Having her in my space could become a distraction I don’t need. There’s so much hanging over my head that I forget how to breathe sometimes. Then again, there was no way I could leave her there. A broken window, no way to secure the store, meaning someone could easily break into her apartment. Not a chance.

What confuses me the most is how nice it feels to watch her interact with the women who mean the most to me in this world. It’s clear she doesn’t see herself the way we all do. She fits in with the girls so effortlessly, it’s like they’ve been friends for decades, not weeks. Plus, Maggie isn’t usually one to take to people, but the second she met Kait, she stuck to her like glue. Did I use my dog to get her here? Yes. Do I feel bad about it? No.

Three days out of town, three days will give me enough time to get my head back on straight. To not lie here and think about how she smells like the perfect blend of strawberries and vanilla, or how nice it felt to cook for someone other than Maggie and me. Guilt curls up behind it, afraid that if I let someone else in, even as a friend, I could lose them too.

Everyone who gets close to me eventually gets hurt. And knowing that, it feels selfish to bring her anywhere near the disaster that is my life.

Damn it, my head isn’t getting any quieter. I groan, pushing up out of bed. I pad past her room, slowing my pace just to make sure she doesn’t hear me.

Once I reach the fridge, I pull out a beer, pop the top, and toss the cap into the glass bowl that holds all my discarded caps. One day, I’ll make something out of them, but for now, it’s just a visual reminder of how jacked up I am. One beer turns into four, and by the time I get to the fifth, my mind starts to slow down. I lean against the wall as I walk back to my room.

Maggie whines as I fall face-first into the bed. She hops up beside me and drapes her head over the back of my neck in a hug I didn’t know I needed.

“Thanks, Chica,” I whisper before I sink further into the mattress, nuzzling my pillow and drifting off to sleep.

My body jerks against my sheets, my eyes rapidly blink to adjust to the brightness of the room. I groan, rolling over to tap my phone, jumping fully when I realize the sun is up and practice started an hour ago. “Mother fu–”