Page 27 of Breaking Point (IceHawks #1)

Bella

LAYLA

oooh, the bunnies are riled up!

AHHHH

you two look so damn cute together!

OMG please tell me it’s true you two were caught making out in a photo booth

I ’m mortified. Utterly mortified.

I should have been repulsed, should have been stunned and shoving myself off his lap, but I didn’t. In fact, I couldn’t. I felt his arousal, felt the length and hardness of it and stayed. I remained sitting and I surprisingly have no shame about it. Not really.

What I do feel is mortification because I wanted to kiss him. I wanted nothing more than to smash my lips to his mouth and ride him. Date one and already my body is trying to break the first rule of our agreement.

Only physical affection when needed.

No one was around to see that. That was not because we had to convince his teammates and the media that we are dating. That was purely selfish. God, he probably thinks I’m like those other women, running around chasing after him.

I can never let that happen again.

If we’re alone, we need to be far away from each other so my stupid goddamn libido doesn’t take control of my brain again.

“Bella, are you ready?”

I was so lost in thought I wasn’t paying attention to where Grayson was leading me. Tipping my head back, I’m horrified to find we’re in line for the Ferris wheel. No, not in line—we’re stepping onto the Ferris wheel.

So much for keeping our distance.

The attendee looks at me impatiently, urging us to hurry along.

“Are you afraid of heights?”

I stupidly tell the truth. “No.”

He smirks. “Great, then get on.” Grayson leads me into the gondola, his large frame taking up most of the seat, forcing our legs to brush one another.

There is no one in the sky we need to do this for and already I’ve managed to cram myself into another small space beside him. It’s not a shock that my body instantly comes alive, goosebumps lining my arms at the mere warmth wafting off his powerful muscular thighs.

I’m doomed.

His arm brushes mine as he pulls the latch down. This man is a furnace. Even his body temperature understands how attractive he is.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he says gruffly as the Ferris wheel begins to move.

“What are you sorry about?”

He rubs the nape of his neck, avoiding my eyes.

Is he embarrassed?

“For all of it?” He says it as more of a question than a statement. “For the girls, the booth. I’m sorry I made you feel uncomfortable.”

A piece of my heart melts at how earnest this man’s apology is. And he doesn’t even know that I’m in my head because of how much I loved feeling the length of his hardness against my ass.

“It’s okay, Grayson.” I squeeze his arm, trying my hardest to ignore the zap of energy that thunders through me when I touch him. His head snaps up as if he felt it, too. “Truly, it’s okay. I didn’t want to interact with them, so the booth was the best option.”

The tension in his body loosens, but not entirely. He gives me the faintest smile. “Back to questions?”

I snort. “Back to questions,” I agree.

The further we get away from the reminder of me practically grinding my ass on his erection, the better. God, I was acting like a cat in heat. I’m not even ovulating and this man has me acting like a fool.

“What’s your next move after this?”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugs. “You’re not going to want to be my assistant forever. Do you have any goals? Do you want to get back into corporate design?”

“God no,” I say far too quickly. I didn’t even think about my answer beforehand, but I suppose with how much the thought of going back to a job like my previous one terrifies me, I have my answer.

He must read something on my face because he reframes the question. “If you had no limitations, absolutely none, what would you do?”

Draw and paint. The answer pops into my head so quickly it almost startles me.

My lips pull into a small smile before I can stop it. “I would draw. I love painting as well, but there’s something about drawing that I feel more connected to.”

He licks his lips. “What are my chances of seeing your work?”

Scoffing, I look out toward the horizon. “Not a chance.”

The Ferris wheel continues to climb, pulling us toward the top of the ride until it suddenly stops, letting those down below off. It gives me a chance to soak up the view.

Denver twinkles as bright as a shining star with the city hub lights. A few linger farther out, the suburban homes choosing to live closer to the mountains—like Grayson—and then there’s darkness. Such unending darkness I know that’s where the mountain ridges start.

Grayson pulls me back to the present, nudging my shoulder with his as the Ferris wheel moves once more. “An artist afraid of showing people their work?”

I shake my head. “No, I would show you if I could.”

This has his brows furrowing. “If you could?”

Shrugging, I wish I could delay this answer, could rewind and avoid the question that led down this path all together, but I can’t do that. Instead, I admit, “I haven’t drawn in over a year.” And everything I did before is locked in a chest in my storage unit collecting dust.

“Why did you stop?”

The question hits far too close to a wound I’d rather bury, so I wink to try and put some lightness back in the area. “That’s two questions again.”

I’m grateful the end of the Ferris wheel ride looms ahead. At least I’m no longer worried about my libido. To change the topic, I blurt out, “Why me?”

“Why you?” he parrots.

I bite my cheek. “Why me? I’m assuming Lucy sent along other women for the arrangement, yet it had been a week by the time I said yes and you still hadn’t found someone.”

Grayson stiffens beside me, a flush working its way along his cheeks. I’d never tell him, but it’s the most endearing thing about him. Usually men are hard to read, and sure, Grayson has moments that make me puzzled, but it’s something special when a person wears their heart on their sleeve.

He shrugs sheepishly. “I don’t know.”

I bump my shoulder with his and smile. I’m making him squirm. “Yes, you do.”

The corner of his lip quirks. “Yes, I do.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighs heavily. “You really want to know?”

I nod.

A muscle in his jaw flexes as he adverts his gaze from mine. “ Because the thought of having to spend time with someone, let alone touch them intimately makes me…I don’t know. I don’t know how it makes me feel, but you’re the only one that idea sits right with.”

Something cracks in my chest. A large chunk of my armor crumbling at the pure honesty in his words.

“I know this is an uncomfortable arrangement, but I appreciate whatever changed your mind because I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.”

My swallow is audible as Grayson finally turns to gaze at me, and the depths of his blue eyes swim with such open raw vulnerability my breath hitches.

It’s going to take all my willpower not to fall for this man. And every ounce of my brain power to remind myself that everything happening between us is fake.