Page 38 of Cold As Ice

“Fuck.” I rolled away, flopping down beside her. “That was…”

“Yeah.” She glanced over at me and smiled. “You’re really good at that.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice.”

Shit.

Fuck.

The blood drained from her face, the temperature in the room dropping as cold as ice. “I suppose I walked right into that one,” she pursed.

“Madison, I didn’t mean—”

“Yeah.” She gave me a sad smile. “You did.”

“Guess you’re not the only one who says inappropriate things during sex.” I tried to laugh it off, but the damage was done. “For what it’s worth,” I murmured, “I’ve never done this.”

“This?”

“Yeah, this.” I brushed my thumb over her bottom lip, capturing her chin and leaning down to kiss her. “Turning up at a girl’s place like this.”

“You haven’t? But I thought—”

“Madi?”

“Yeah, Austin?”

“Stop talking.”

She did.

But only because I kissed the words right out of her.

* * *

The next morning was a perfect reminder of why I never did this.

I woke up to an empty bed and the smell of bacon. My stomach grumbled, but an icy sensation slid down my spine.

Climbing out of bed, I pulled on my clothes and ducked into the small bathroom before I went in search of Madison.

“You’re awake.” She smiled at me over her shoulder. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head, loose strands framing her face, and her long legs were on full display, given the oversized shirt she was wearing only reached her mid-thigh.

“I thought I’d make us breakfast.”

“I…”

Her expression dropped. “You can’t stay?”

“It’s not that. I just didn’t think—”

“You didn’t expect to do the morning after thing.” She turned around, but I didn’t miss the sharp breath she took.

“It’s not you,” I added, trying to ease the tension. “I just think this could blur the lines.”

“It’s bacon,” she scoffed. “Hardly a marriage proposal.”

“We agreed.”

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