Page 26 of Icebound Hearts

“Kat,” she cuts me off. “Just admit he gets under your skin and move on. Or, I don’t know, do something about it?” I scoff.

“Like what? Strangle him?” Alina winks.

“Or kiss him. Same energy.” I nearly choke on my drink.

“Absolutely not.” Alina laughs, and I groan, deciding I need another drink before this conversation worsens. I approach the kitchen, pushing past a group of overly excited frat guys, when someone steps into my path.

“Kat?” I blink, momentarily caught off guard.

“Logan?” Logan Matthews. Hockey player. Junior. Blonde, tall, and annoyingly charming. We have a class together, and he’spretty easy to talk to. He flashes me a smile, his gaze dipping briefly over my outfit before returning to my eyes.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” I smirk, leaning against the counter. “I do have a social life, you know.” He chuckles.

“Could’ve fooled me. All I ever see you do is skate.”

“And yet,” I say, tilting my head, “You still watch.” Logan grins, his fingers tapping against his cup.

“Guilty.” It’s an easy conversation. He’s flirting, and I could flirt back. I should flirt back. But I find myself not wanting to. I feel Aiden before I see him. He moves into the space next to me, his presence an uninvited weight in the air. I refuse to acknowledge him, but Logan does, offering a casual nod.

“Knight.” Aiden nods back, his expression unreadable. Then, as if I’m not standing right here, he leans against the counter and casually takes a sip from his drink, eyes scanning the party like he has nowhere else to be. Annoyance flares in my chest.

I turn back to Logan, offering my most charming smile.

“So, Logan, what’s your major again?”

“Business,” he says, returning my smile. “Thinking about sports management, actually.”

“Oh,” I hum. “So you plan on working with athletes instead of just being one?” Logan smirks.

“Exactly.” Before he can say more, Aiden snorts under his breath. Not loud. Not obvious. But pointed at Logan.

I whip around to face him. “Something funny, Knight?” He lifts a shoulder, taking another sip.

“Just wondering how long you were going to pretend to be interested in that conversation.”

My blood boils. Logan chuckles, glancing between Aiden and me, sensing the shift in tension. “I’ll let you two figure out your thing.”

I glare at him. “We don’t have a thing.” Logan winks.

“Sure you don’t.” As he disappears into the crowd, I whip back to Aiden.

“What the hell is your problem?” He shrugs.

“No problem.” I cross my arms, irritated at the man before me.

“You just had to interrupt, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t interrupt. I just spoke facts.”

I groan, exasperated. “You are impossible.” Aiden smirks, his gaze dropping briefly to my lips before flicking back up. “You’re still standing here. Aren’t you?” I don’t get a chance to respond because someone from the living room yells,

“TRUTH OR DARE!”

I exhale sharply. “Nope. Not happening.”

Alina suddenly appears, grabbing my wrist. “Oh, it’s happening.”

Before I can fight it, I’m dragged into the circle forming in the centre of the room. Aiden follows, of course, settling into a spot across from me, stretching his arms over the back of the couch like he has all the time in the world.

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