Page 99 of Silver Fox Puck

Shit.

A slow shiver dances down my spine.

I don’t even have to turn around. I know that voice. I take a breath, then turn. And there he is.

Standing just inside the doorway, arms crossed, gaze cool and unreadable.

Grant Maddox.

Not moving.

Not reacting.

Not making this easy for me.

And for once?

I don’t want easy. I hold his stare. I don’t blink. I don’t fidget. I don’t let my nerves show. Because I know what’s at stake here.

And if I back down now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my damn life.

Grant tilts his head slightly, arms still crossed, expression unreadable.

“What do you want, Kenzie?”

His voice is even. Controlled.

And that pisses me off so much more than if he was actually mad.

I shift my weight, my pulse pounding at my temples.

“You.”

The second the word is out, I feel the shift.

Something thickens in the air between us.

Like a held breath. Like a moment waiting to explode.

Grant watches me.

And that? That’s worse than yelling.

Because it means he’s thinking.

It means he’s testing me.

Seeing if I’ll crack.

Finally, he exhales, slow and measured.

“You sure about that?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Or are you just saying what you think I want to hear?”

My stomach tightens. Because I sort of knew this was coming. I knew he wasn’t going to just believe me right away.

---