Page 44 of Ice Princess

That number… it belongs to Theilan.

I swipe to Rebel’s face in the picture.

There’s a mischievous glint in her eyes and an edge to her smile. The evidence is written all over her face.

She’s trying to rattle me.

And it’s working.

A dark, heavy emotion claws through my chest. Like black sludge, it winds its way into my veins, taking hold of me in a way I’ve never experienced before.

Theilan is my little brother on the team, but suddenly, I have a burning desire to burn his jacket to a crisp.

At that moment, another text comes in.

This time, Rebel is making a kissy face at a mirror. She’s holding up a dress and another jacket. It’s the exact same type of jacket as before, but it has the name ‘RENTHROW’ in giant letters all the way across the back.

I hate the thought of her wearing any of those jackets. Hate it with my every breath.

My eyebrows coil until they meet in the middle of my forehead and I grip the cell phone tight. Restless, I pace up and down my room.

Another text pops in.

I don’t bother opening the image. I don’t want to see any more.

Annoyance rolls through my mind, stinging me with countless tiny arrows. I have no reason to be this upset about her clothing choices. Rebel and I aren’ttrulydating, and she can wear what she wants to the game.

Stay cool.

Breathe.

Just. Be. Normal.

But the problem is, I can’t control myself.

At all.

Running my teeth along my bottom lip, I ignore the objective side of me and lean into the irrational.

ME:None of those outfits do you justice.

REBEL:Not one of them? Are you sure?

ME:Dead sure.

REBEL:It’s probably because I didn’t try them on. Give me a sec.

Try them on? As in, she’llwearthe jacket with RENTHROW’s name splayed across the back like a calling card? She’ll let Theilan’s jacket touch her beautiful skin?

The mere thought makes me want to toss my phone into the lake.

ME:Don’t wear a jacket tonight.

REBEL:But I’ll be cold.

ME:Then wear mine.

REBEL:No thanks. Your jacket doesn’t suit my complexion.