Page 76 of Ice Princess

Right. He’s a Kinsey. I don’t need an actual reason.

My jaw clenches and I turn away, tugging my hand out of the faucet’s cold spray. But Gunner doesn’t allow me to budge and keeps my hand in place.

“It needs to run for at least twenty minutes,” he says firmly.

I shoot him my fiercest glare.

The corner of his mouth turns up and my heart falls over itself. Why is he smiling like that? What’s wrong with him? What’s wrong with me?

What on earth is going on?

“D-didn’t we end this last night?” I murmur, ignoring the way my stomach is doing backflips. “What are you doing here?”

“I brought breakfast.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Gunner lifts my hand close to his face, inspecting the fading mark. His mouth is a millimeter away from mine. If I lean over, I could probably kiss him.

The thought sends a shiver down my spine.

Should I check myself into a mental health clinic? A few hours ago, I was in a cab screaming that I never want to see him again.

I must be going insane.

He turns off the faucet and cradles my hand as gently as I cradled the fluffy yellow chicks in the Kinsey’s hen house when I was six.

Looking around, Gunner locates a dry towel hanging on mom’s cupboard door and pats at my hand to sop up the water.

I pull away. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

His voice is velvety smooth. “You’re my girlfriend.”

“Fake girlfriend. And we broke up,” I remind him, keeping my voice low in case mom’s close by.

“Wouldn’t that make it afakebreak up?”

I narrow my eyes. Did Gunner Kinsey just… joke with me?

“I want to talk to you about something,” he adds before I can answer.

“No.”

He arches a brow.

“I’m not interested in any more of your schemes.”

“Have you given up on the Lady Luck Society?”

“Hence our breakup. Were you not listening last night?” I scowl.

He tilts his head. “What about your plans to help people?”

I glance away.

He plants one massive hand on the counter and leans against the cupboard. The stance brings him closer to me, like he’s half trapping me between him and the sink.

“Was all that fuss just to get into a club with The Davis Sisters and Marjorie White?” Gunner taunts.