Page 146 of Ice Princess

“It’s almost ready,” Gunner says, misinterpreting my frequent looks in his direction.

I give up on work and wander back to the kitchen. “On a scale of one to ten, how clingy can I be in this relationship?”

Gunner arches a brow.

“Seeing you cook makes me want to hug you from behind.” I press my hands flat on the counter. “But this is just our first date and I’m not sure if you’re ready for Clingy Rebel.”

Gunner blinks slowly, looking pleased. A little shell-shocked too, but mostly pleased. “I don’t mind.”

“No.” I back off. “I change my mind. A woman should be a little mysterious or things will get boring fast. Would you like me to do the salad?” I point to the lettuce leaves near his elbow.

His gaze becomes unsteady as if he can’t keep up with the speed of my conversation.

I laugh as I peel the skin of the carrots. “Am I intimidating you, Gunner? You look scared.”

“I’m impressed.”

“Impressed?”

“At how easily you say what’s on your mind.”

“Some people would call that annoying.” His mom, being one of them, but I choose not to speak that part out loud.

“Not me.”

“Then maybeyou’rethe strange one,” I tease.

He grunts and shrugs as if to say ‘maybe’.

I finish my salad preparations and pull out a beautiful glass bowl from my bottom cupboard. Gunner stops to stare at it.

I answer the question in his eyes. “Do you remember the glass blowing exhibition the art committee hosted a few years back?”

He nods.

I rinse the bowl and then scrape my chopped lettuce, carrots and tomatoes into it. “The featured artist gifted me this after I took his class. It was so strange. He pulled me to the front of the class and I thought he was going to scold me for my awful glass blowing skills, but he gave me this instead. It had his number taped to the bottom of it, but obviously I threw that away.”

There’s no overt shift in Gunner’s expression. But I sense his energy tilting away from light and playful to guarded and uneasy.

However, in usual, Gunner fashion, he says nothing and sets the table with smooth, patient movements. I follow with the salad bowl, staring at his back and wondering what I said wrong. Should I not have mentioned another man during our date?

Gunner pulls out my chair for me, still quiet as ever. I notice he’s not looking me quite in the eyes.

“Gunner?”

He finally looks at me, seems to think about saying something and then snaps his mouth closed. I watch it all play out in real time and heaviness lands in my stomach, making me lose my appetite.

Whoa.

What is this new feeling?

I normally don’t let a man’s mood affect me or my voracious appetite, even if heismy boyfriend.

But tonight…

The thought that I might have upset Gunner makes me slightly panicked.

Which means…

---