Page 66 of Cold As Ice

She looked beautiful. Effortless in her thick black leggings and baggy pale blue sweater. She’d pulled her hair into a loose braid over one shoulder, letting a few strands remain loose to frame her face.

I imagined going to her, wrapping that tempting braid around my fist and—

“You need to stop looking at me like that,” she whispered, heat creeping into her cheeks.

“Yeah, sorry.” I drained my coffee.

The tension was palpable. The tether between us stretched and frayed. But I couldn’t act on it.

So I ate my pancakes and drank my coffee, and told myself that I could do this.

That I could be just friends with Madison Reynolds.

* * *

Everyone turned up to see Connor and Ella.

“It’s so good to see you.” Dayna pulled Ella into a bone-crushing hug. She whispered something to her, giving her another little squeeze.

“Hey, El. Looking good.” Aiden gave her a small nod.

Dumfries was my kind of guy. Aloof. A little bit guarded. He’d been the Lakers untouchable, hotheaded captain until he spent last summer in Dupont Beach with Assistant Coach Walsh. Now, he was completely smitten with his girl Dayna, but he still kept to himself.

“Did you enjoy the holidays?” Ella asked them.

“It was nice, but I’m glad to be back in Lakeshore. I won’t have to share Aiden with Carson every waking minute.”

“Coach Walsh and Dumfries got a little bromance going on?” Connor teased.

“We’re friends.” Aiden shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Hey,” Harper and Mason joined us. “Welcome home,” Ella said.

“That sounds strange.” Harper’s eyes crinkled, and Mason wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Sounds pretty good to me.”

I tried to ignore the flash of irritation I felt about Harper and Mason moving in. I didn’t care that they had taken Rory’s old room. It was that their presence reminded me of Noah’s absence… because the traitor had moved in with my little sister.

“No regrets about moving out of Lakers House?”

“Fuck no,” he deadpanned.

The guys all chuckled. All except me.

“Hey, maybe you should move in, Austin,” Noah suggested. “Take Mase’s old room.”

“Fuck off,” I murmured, making a beeline for the refrigerator.

Of course, he thought I should go live in Lakers house. They probably all did.

“Don’t push him,” Rory chided.

“Come on, shortcake, I was only playing.” The two of them began making moon-eye faces at one other, but thankfully Mason changed the subject.

“How does it feel to be back?” he asked Connor.

“Could have been under better circumstances.”

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