Page 148 of Ice Princess

“Rebel…” I try again.

“I wouldn’t do thatnowof course. I’m very loyal once I’m in a relationship and I won’t disrespect you or our relationship by doing anything you?—”

I reach out, my index finger brushing her lips, the contact gentle yet electrifying. My eyes lock on hers, pinning her in place and dissolving the remainder of her frantic confession.

“I’m the one who needs to apologize,” I say. And when I’m sure that she won’t interrupt me, I remove my finger from her lips and take her hand instead. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m the one with the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve liked you for a long time,” I admit. “And I’ve watched a lot of guys hit on you. Heard even more of them discussing how much they like you and how much they want to be with you. It bothered me a lot, but I couldn’t say anything because…” I gesture to her hand in my mine. “Well, because I couldn’t.”

She nods slowly.

“I thought that, dating you, those feelings would be like a switch I could turn off. I thought other men being interested in you would suddenly not bother me. But that’s not how it’s working out.” I stumble over my words. “I-it still gets to me.”

“Oh, Gunner. I’m not interested in other guys,” Rebel says gently. “You can trust that.”

“I trustyou. It’sthemI don’t trust.” I glare a hole in the wall, imagining Rodney Howard and Benji making another play for Rebel’s affections. “Even men twice your age talk about wanting you. Phil went on and on this morning.”

Her entire expression brightens with awareness. “I knew I sensed something off when you brought donuts this morning. It was because of Phil?”

“It’s not Phil. It’s me. This is my problem. Not yours. I promise I’ll deal with it on my own. I won’t let something like this stop me from becoming the man you deserve.”

The smile in her eyes falters, melting into a startled vulnerability. “You say the sweetest things, Gunner Kinsey.”

I give her hand a squeeze.

“But,” Rebel continues in a firm voice, “you don’t have to handle this alone. If something bothers you, I want to know. I want us to work through it together. The more you keep it to yourself, the more it festers. A small misunderstanding might turn into a big deal if you don’t talk to me about it. I can’t read your mind.”

“Understood.” I smile slightly. “But I disagree. You seem to understand me without me saying a word.”

She picks up her fork and finally starts eating with gusto. “Well, yeah. I’ve been around you enough that I can pick up on a few things. Like tonight, I sensed you were upset right away, but I didn’t know what you were angry about and it drove me nuts.”

“I’ll work on that too.”

“And I’ll make it abundantly clear that I have a boyfriend. No matter where I am.”

“What if that doesn’t stop them?” I ask with a frown.

“I’ll…” Her eyes roll to the top of her head in thought, “I’ll bark at them or something.” She shrugs. “I’ll figure it out.”

I chuckle.

Rebel laughs too.

Once she’s finished eating, I clear the plates from the table and set them on the counter. Then I let the basin fill with water while I arrange all the dirty plates, pans, utensils and cups.

“You don’t have to wash the dishes. You can leave them there. I’ll get to it later.”

“I got it,” I grunt. Honestly, I feel relieved after our heart-to-heart around the table. I wouldn’t have blamed Rebel for thinking the worst of me when she heard I was struggling with the attention she gets. Her understanding and gentleness makes me want to do more for her.

“Let me help then,” Rebel says. And I expect her to pull on the pink rubber gloves at the side of the sink and rinse.

But instead, her soft arms slide around my waist and she plasters herself to my back.

I look down at where her hands are locked around me and smile, melting like butter in her palm.

“This is how you’ll help?” I ask, twisting around to look at her.

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