Page 45 of Ice Cold Heart

Reece frowned at me, and I shrugged. “The center of what?”

“The spinning,” he muttered. “Everything is spinning. I need to lay down.”

“Buddy, you are laying down.” Reece sighed and waved at his prone body. “Your turn.”

I crouched next to Mase and tried to mimic the tone Gavin used on him. “Let’s get you home. Reece and I are going to help you into the car, okay?”

He nodded, so either I’d nailed it or he was done being stubborn. Reece complained about inconsiderate roommates, but he took one arm and I took the other to lift Mase off the concrete. It only took us two tries to stuff him into the backseat. He always seemed eight times bigger when he didn’t have full control of his limbs.

Reece took off, and I trekked back to my car. The curbs and a couple of driveways were packed with crookedly parked vehicles for several blocks. Most of the houses here were used for frats and sororities, but a couple of them were probably families. I’d hate to have to deal with drunk idiots on an almost nightly basis.

The craziness made me appreciate where we lived. We had to be quiet and take care of the yard, but at least our neighborhood didn’t throw huge parties. I got enough shit from Mrs. Lipnicki for parking on the street. She might actually murder someone if they took the spot in front of her house. Avery would finally get the true crime she kept expecting.

The thought made me smile as I drove back across town to her.

When I got home, Reece’s car was parked in the driveway with no sign of either roommate. The downstairs looked exactly the same as when I’d left, and I prayed all the way up the stairs I’d find a certain secretive beauty waiting for me in my bed. I wanted to ask her why she’d kept it quiet. She hadn’t told me she knew the stats about Tobias Kane because she’d gone to school with him, but our situation was tricky.

I didn’t deserve her secrets simply because I wanted them.

My door was closed, but I didn’t get the expected duck tornado when I opened it. I didn’t get a sassy comment for taking so long either. The room was dark, but the glow from the TV lit up Avery’s form curled up on my pillow, asleep. Absently, I noted Henry wasn’t sleeping in any of her favorite spots, so Reece must have let her out when he got home.

Something deep in my chest clicked into place, like this scene was exactly right. Coming home late at night with her here. The blanket was tucked under her chin, but her usual dark lipstick was gone. She must have cleaned up then fallen asleep when I didn’t come back as fast as expected.

But she was still here.

I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped my pants but left my boxer briefs on. The TV flickered as the ad screen changed, and out of curiosity, I hit a button on the remote to wake it up. The menu screen made me laugh quietly. She’d been watching Next Best Ninja. Henry must have loved that.

The room plunged into darkness when I turned it off, but I didn’t need to see to find the bed. Avery didn’t move as I gently pulled back the covers and climbed in. She didn’t move when I eased closer and rolled onto my side next to her. It wasn’t until I’d stopped shifting and the bed had grown quiet again that she moved.

With a tiny sigh, she reached her arm out until her hand flattened on my chest. Her fingers tightened for a second, then she relaxed again. I didn’t dare breathe too hard. Avery was terrified of quiet intimacy, and this whole situation could go horribly wrong.

I hadn’t intended to touch her—I was just going to sleep next to her. We both needed to rest, and I wasn’t going to wake her up to send her home. Admittedly, I had no plan for the morning, but that was future me’s problem.

As my eyes adjusted, the faint light from my window highlighted the sharp features of her face, serene for once, and the logical side of me said to go crash in Reece’s room. Or at least move my ass to the floor.

But this was my bed. She’d left to wash her face and come back. I could have found her on the couch or in the kitchen or sitting in her car ready to go… but she’d come back. Avery was exactly where she said she’d be waiting, and I couldn’t make myself move away.

I wanted to show her how good we could be together. My chest ached to cover her hand with mine, gather her closer, hold her all night. I wanted to wake up tangled with her… but only if she didn’t run screaming from the room.

In the interest of trying my best, I closed my eyes and willed myself to fall asleep. My mind helpfully ran through the events of the evening on a loop until Avery grunted and scooted closer. The circuit screeched to a halt.

Only a couple of hours ago, I’d had my fingers inside her, her taste was still on my tongue, and I absolutely could not reach for her. My heart raced as if I’d just finished a shift. In the silence, I counted my breaths. Four beats in, four beats out. Four in, four out.

In. Out.

I could smell her. Something lightly sweet with a hint of spice. Like pumpkin pie, or the memory of pumpkin pie. The lingering warmth you could feel in the base of your throat, just above your heart, after all the dishes had been cleaned and the holiday was over. The nostalgia of joy.

With her scent seeping into my mind, I fell asleep.

18

The blanket smelled like him. My first thought, before I’d even opened my eyes, was about Cole. I’d gotten used to the habit since I woke up thinking about him most mornings, but I wasn’t dreaming this time.

I was soft and comfortable and warm. None of those words described the twin bed I’d been trying to sleep in for the past few weeks. A strange weight on my hip and pressure against my back slowly seeped into my awareness.

My groggy brain finally caught up to the rest of me, and my eyes shot open. Cole. I was lying on Cole. Shit. I tensed, preparing to fling myself away from him, but sanity prevailed at the last second.

He was sleeping. The steady rise and fall of his chest under my cheek and the gentle movement of his breath in my hair kept me still.