Page 40 of Cold As Ice

“So, I guess I’ll see you around,” I said.

I hadn’t wanted to stay for breakfast, but now that I had, it felt weird to just leave.

Jesus, I was fucked.

Completely out of my depth.

“Yeah. Maybe when I’m in town next, we can—”

I was on her in a second.

One minute, she was standing there, smiling at me; the next, my hand was curled around the back of her neck, my mouth devouring hers.

“Austin,” she breathed, blinking up at me with surprise. “I thought—”

“Change of plans, pretty girl.” I smirked, hoisting her up against me.

Madison clung on, laughing as I carried her back through her friend’s apartment. “You’re crazy.”

That was one word for it.

But I wasn’t about to overanalyze it. Not when she was like putty in my hands.

Wanting her didn’t mean anything beyond the fact the sex was off the charts.

So long as we both knew the deal, we could enjoy this without it getting complicated.

I wasn’t like my friends. Falling at the first sign of good pussy.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

* * *

New Year’s Eve was as underwhelming as ever.

I’d stayed in and gotten takeout, falling asleep before the clock struck twelve. I had woken up to a text from Madison, though. That put a rare smile on my face.

We’d been texting daily, sharing small parts of our routines. But neither of us brought up what had happened or the possibility of seeing one another again.

The sex had been intense, the memory of her warm and willing beneath me imprinted on my mind like a brand I could never erase.

I’d choked the morning after, though, and now she’d put up a wall between us.

Maybe it was for the best for the both of us.

My cell bleeped again, and I snatched it up, hoping to see Madison’s name. But it wasn’t.

Connor: Just checking in. PT was a bitch, but I survived.

Noah: Wondered when you were going to pull your head out of your ass and text us back. You’re lucky Rory has your best interests at heart because I was one more day away from driving to Dayton and checking for proof of life.

Connor: You’re such a drama queen.

Noah: And you’re full of shit.

Austin: Have you spoken to Ella?

I might have retreated into my anti-holiday bubble, but I’d read their texts. I knew all about Connor fucking things up with Ella and her leaving Dayton to go see her mom.

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