Page 20 of Ice Cold Heart

Something about the certainty in his tone struck me as odd. Cole had said the tutoring was Dad’s idea. How had he known? I hadn’t worked as an actual tutor in almost a year, not since Scott subtly hinted he didn’t like all the time I spent with jocks.

In hindsight, the cracks in his perfect façade weren’t exactly hidden.

I couldn’t eat while thinking of Scott and his cheating ass. Or Dad and his mixed signals. Without prompting, my mind conjured up the memory of Cole’s body pressed against mine, the cold from the car seeping into my back except for the circle of heat where his hand rested.

My breathing quickened at the promise in his last comment. We’ll see… I may have gotten in over my head trying to bring Cole to the dark side. His nice guy persona triggered my inner need to drag him into the gutters with me. I hadn’t considered he might already know his way around.

He’d asked me to help—a request I’d marked as genuine—but when Monday rolled around, would he keep his distance?

I’m not going to stop touching you.

My appetite for food disappeared as wet heat flooded my core. I’d proved I couldn’t be trusted with his hands on me, his mouth. It had taken all my willpower to stop him from kissing me, and I was relieved he’d held back at the light pressure from a few fingers.

I was relieved… wasn’t I?

A little voice in the back of my head laughed and laughed. With very little effort, Cole could have called my bluff about needing boundaries. I’d wanted him to keep going. Even after I’d stopped the kiss, I’d wanted him to hike my legs around his waist and really pin me against the car. Suck my fingers into his mouth and delve inside my jeans.

I’d wanted his tongue at my throat and his cock filling me up in the dark corner of the arena parking lot. Still wanted it.

As much as I wanted to walk through campus with him next to me, teasing and fun.

I sucked in a breath through my nose and forced my mind away from the inevitable conclusion. This was exactly why I’d laid out the boundaries. Cole might be a nice guy at his core, but for me, he could only be a means to an end.

I moved noodles around on my plate and speared a meatball. At this rate, I’d never get through an entire meal. Despite my preoccupation, I managed to take a couple more bites of my spaghetti. Enough not to draw attention.

Dad didn’t try to start another conversation. He finished his meal, rinsed off his plate, and disappeared into the living room. The TV came on, and the unmistakable sound of a hockey game drifted to me through the open archway.

Another night, another disaster of trying to communicate. I turned my phone over in my hand, tempted to text Cole again. He had the unique talent of making me smile even when I wanted to throttle him. I could use his skills tonight.

But no, I’d set the boundaries. Monday was only a few days away. After letting my mind wander into a dirty fantasy while eating dinner with my dad, I could use a Cole detox. Shore up my defenses so I didn’t give in so easily.

Another ding had me smiling, and a rush of pleasure heated my cheeks. I wasn’t giving in if I didn’t start it. It would be rude not to text him back. When I checked the screen though, my excitement faded.

Unknown number: We need to talk.

Unknown number: Avery.

Unknown number: About the article.

Scott always ended his text messages with a period. I probably shouldn’t have made waves before I left, but at least I’d had the foresight to submit the article under a pseudonym. If Scott knew I’d written it, he’d try to drag me down with him. In disgust, I turned on the Do Not Disturb setting. I should probably block him, but something stopped me. I’d rather know what was going through his mind than be blindsided again.

Not tonight though.

I left my phone face down on the counter and finished my dinner with significantly less enthusiasm than usual. Yet another thing Scott ruined. Men sucked. I’d need to remember the lesson on Monday or Cole could do a lot more damage.

9

“Mathis, get your ass out here,” Reece bellowed from the hallway.

I jerked all the way awake and instinctively checked for Henry in the dark room. She was asleep on a pile of clean clothes next to my closet, so I flopped back onto the mattress. My body ached from conditioning earlier, but I hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

Avery was supposed to text me when she was free tonight for our first tutoring session, and I’d passed out with my phone in my hand.

I hadn’t intended to trade sexual favors for tutoring, but I couldn’t say I was sad about the deal. Terrified? Yes. Coach would de-ball me if he found out, especially after he’d asked me to befriend his poor, prickly daughter, but the fear of losing my chance to play hockey professionally was considerably worse.

Meaningless sex had never really appealed to me, though I’d done my fair share of experimenting when I’d gotten into TU. The puck bunnies here were aggressive and bendy. I still preferred making a connection with the women I fucked, and I didn’t usually partake during the season. Too much going on with practice and classes and chasing Reece’s conquests out of the living room.

Avery may think she wanted no strings attached orgasms, but she’d offered the deal to me, not Reece. Somewhere deep down, she wanted a connection too. I’d never risk my future on a one-night stand—Avery was different. I’d been attracted to her from the beginning, but for every tidbit of information she gave me about herself, I wanted twenty more. The last few days we’d fallen into the habit of texting each other at the oddest times. She had a razor-sharp sense of humor, and I was developing a disturbing habit of grinning like an idiot every time my phone buzzed.