Page 206 of Ice Princess

I lean one hand against the wall, looking down at her with a pleased smile. “Are you really going to invite my mom to your association?”

“I thought I wanted to join the Lady Luck Society to help people, but really, I just wanted to prove I belonged. Now that I’ve tasted what it feels like to really help people though, I don’t want to stop. The Lady Luck Society was nice, but it’s too superficial now. It’s gotten rotten. I want to build something from the ground up that’s meant to help and thatcontinuesto help the people who need it most.”

“Where does my mom come in?” I wonder.

Rebel’s pretty pink lips inch upward. “Your mom is a force to be reckoned with and if the Lady Luck Society is dumb enough to ostracize her, I’m taking the opportunity to steal her away.”

Delia comes to the sink too and rinses something under the faucet. She looks closely at Rebel. “Did you kick those rich ladies out?”

“Sort of,” Rebel says with a shrug.

“Cool.” With that, the mechanic moves away and returns to her work.

I look down at Rebel and find her eyes sparkling. “Why are you so happy?”

“Delia just called me cool,” she gushes. “Do you know what a compliment that is?”

“You don’t get that excited whenIgive you compliments.”

Rebel scrunches her nose. “Yeah, well, you don’t ride a Harley or know how to diagnose a faulty timing belt. It’s different.” She pulls the clip out of her ponytail and her blonde hair spills around her shoulders, turning her from astoundingly beautiful to jaw-droppingly gorgeous. “Besides, you’re my boyfriend. You say nice things all the time.”

I frown because it sounds like she’s saying my compliments aren’t as genuine.

Rebel flicks me with water and laughs softly. “Your expression just got really intense. I’m afraid to know what you’re thinking.”

I gravitate closer to her, still leaving one hand on the wall and the other in my pocket. Rebel inches back, her eyes widening. The superpower I’ve honed after years of quietly watching Rebel Hart is that I can read her better than she can read me. At least for now. And I like what I see.

A lot.

“Do you know… you only get self-conscious around me?” I whisper.

“I am not self-conscious,” Rebel says, fiddling with a wisp of her hair.

I gather her by the small of her back, pulling her closer to me and staring intently into her eyes. “Shyness looks good on you.”

“I amnotshy.”

That gets a smile out of me.

“Oh my gosh, Gunner. Donotsmile at me in here. This is a no kissing zone.”

I tilt my head and keep watching her.

She stares back at me.

And my heart thumps just like it always does. Just like it will for the rest of my life.

I whisper reverently, “Sometimes, Rebel Hart, you’re so beautiful that I wonder if you’re real.”

Rebel’s nostrils flare and her crystal blue eyes become more black than blue.

I take in that mesmerizing expression for a glorious moment. Then, I let her go and step back. With a satisfied grunt, I mutter, “It’s settled. I give the better compliments.”

She flicks me with more water and grumbles under her breath, stomping away.

I don’t suppress my grin as I follow her out to the car and take my kind, beautiful, accomplished, intelligent girlfriend on a date.

EPILOGUE

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