Page 56 of Silver Fox Puck

I shake my head, forcing a scoff.

"That’s not—" I start, but Allie doesn’t let me finish.

"You know what your problem is?" she muses, propping a leg under her belly as she shifts on the couch. "You’ve spent so much time making sure nothing sticks—no attachments, no commitments, no strings—that the second you feel an actual connection, you don’t know what to do with it."

I open my mouth—then snap it shut. Because what the hell am I supposed to say to that?

She’s not wrong. She’s never been wrong about me. And that’s the problem. My chest feels too tight. My skin too warm.

I grab my drink, swirling the ice as I glare at her. "Okay, Dr. Phil. What’s your advice?"

Allie shrugs. "Ask yourself one question. If you had nothing to prove—if this wasn’t about control, or games, or proving who has the upper hand—would you still want him?"

My fingers flex around my glass. My heart kicks too hard. Because suddenly, I don’t know the answer. Or maybe I do.

And that’s the part that terrifies me. I hate how quiet my brain is right now.

Normally, it’s filled with noise.

A steady, comforting hum of distractions—plans, flights, work schedules, which heels go best with which dress.

But now?

Now it’s just Allie’s voice echoing in my head.

If you had nothing to prove—no games, no control—would you still want him?

I hate that I don’t have an easy answer.

So I do what I always do when I don’t want to deal with something.

I deflect.

I force a smirk, flipping my hair over my shoulder as I lean back against the couch. "Okay, so let’s say—hypothetically—that I do have a little… interest in him."

Allie arches a brow. "Hypothetically?"

I roll my eyes. "Fine. Maybe I like messing with him."

Her lips curve. "And maybe you actually like him."

"That’s beside the point." I wave her off before she can get smug. "What I’m saying is… if I were to push a little harder, just to see if he cracks…"

Allie’s smirk vanishes. Her expression shifts—concern creeping in. "Kenzie. That’s a bad idea."

I grin. "It’s a fantastic idea."

"No, it’s really not." She shakes her head. "This isn’t some random guy at a bar, Kenz. This is Grant Maddox."

I wave a dismissive hand. "So? He’s the one who wanted to play."

Allie groans, setting her juice down before fixing me with a serious look. "Okay, let’s pretend for a second that I’m not completely horrified by this plan. What exactly do you think is going to happen? You push, he snaps, and then what?"

I pause. Because I actually haven’t thought that far. I just want to see him lose control.

To prove that he’s not as unaffected as he wants me to believe. But the problem is… I don’t know what happens after. And that should make me stop. It should make me rethink this.

But instead?

---