Page 125 of Ice Princess

I want you to be happy.

“Uh-huh?” She leans back.

I wish I could protect you from anything that tries to hurt you.

I stuff my hands into my pockets. “Sometimes, it could come across as being fake.”

She blanches. “Fake?”

My eyes widen. I can tell immediately that I said the wrong thing.

“Give me a break, Gunner. You have no right to judge me.” Her eyebrows are two angry slashes above her seething blue eyes. “What’s ‘fake’,” she advances in a cloud of pink fury, “isyoumaking a big show of helping me at the community clean up, bringing a food truck, painting the school and then turning around and acting like I don’t exist fordays.”

She sticks a finger in my chest. “‘Fake’ is you not calling meoncewhen you were away and then showing up today and buying me slippers and taking me to the treehouse and wanting to hear my presentation and acting like you care about my feelings.”

My gaze locks on the leaves in the canopy above.

“I can tell when a guy likes me on sight. But with you… I can’t make up from down. You’reimpossibleto figure out.” Her voice crackles with frustration. “It’s driving me up a wall.”

Does she think she’s the only one who’s going insane? I’m barely holding myself together as is.

Rebel’s voice whips across the treetops. “Would it kill you to be clear foronce? Which one of those actions was real and which was fake?”

I make the mistake of looking at her again. Her eyes are firm on me, leveling a challenge that I can’t ignore.

Don’t do it, Kinsey.

I take a step forward.

The laser beams spitting from her gaze shifts on a dime, sputtering out. A crease forms between her eyebrows.

You promised you wouldn’t touch her.

I move into Rebel’s space as a thousand hockey pucks skate around in my veins. They thud against the strings of my heart, sending nerves and anticipation firing through me.

Her mouth slackens.

My gaze fastens there.

Pink, scrumptious, glorious lips.

Don’t.Do. It.

I do it.

I kiss her.

My arms band around Rebel, dragging her flush against my chest. My lips seal hers and she moans softly as I do what I’ve been wanting to for ages—I nip her bottom lip between my teeth. She startles and I press harder against her mouth, taking another nip and then soothing the sting with my tongue.

She tastes so good.

It was stupid of me to think I could keep myself from touching her.

What an idiot.

I’m powerless against this infuriating woman.

Utterly and totally helpless.

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