Page 37

CHAPTER 37

HEL

H el’s breath hitched when Frost said he fell in love. With the country? With a woman? With her?

The arm that was wrapped around her tightened, and she turned to stare up at his face, but this time, it was him who looked straight ahead. She used the time to examine his profile to see if he had changed in the last seven months.

His hair was still the same sandy blonde, a little longer than it had been before. His facial hair was neatly trimmed, and she wanted to touch it. Her mind jumped back to the drunken, dishevelled version of him she had witnessed, which was nothing like the man she was now sitting with.

Hel kept staring until his eyes finally dropped to her. She didn’t look away, and a tentative smile bloomed on her face.

“Hi,” Hel whispered up at him.

“Hi,” Frost murmured back.

Hel almost rolled her eyes at herself as they were back to the one words again, but her inability to talk didn’t improve when he leaned closer to her. The noise of the other players faded into the background. Her whole world was him and his green eyes, which were locked on her.

Frost reached out and pushed some of her curls behind her ear. Hel grinned when they immediately sprung free again. Her hair was not easy to tame.

She was surprised when Frost was wrenched away from her and swore loudly, “For fucks sake.”

“Sorry Hel. We need to borrow him. You can have him back later,” Aiden apologised as he and a few of the other guys hoisted Frost up onto their shoulders and carried him down the stairs to the front of the cinema.

Hel cringed. If they dropped him, she wasn’t going to be impressed at all. When they made it safely to the bottom, she couldn’t help but laugh at their antics as the whole team surrounded Frost, cheering and bouncing him around.

She laughed even harder at the slightly helpless look on Frost’s face as he was powerless against so many strong men.

When they finally got tired, Frost was deposited onto the floor, and a microphone thrust into his hand.

“Thanks for that, guys.” Frost sounded slightly breathless. “We’ve spent ninety minutes listening to my voice, so I’m not actually going to say anything else, apart from I’ve got a table booked at the Railway Tavern and dinner and drinks are on me tonight, as payment for you lot so politely listening to me ramble on.”

More cheering went up around the room. This was a bunch of young men who loved to eat and enjoy a few beers.

Frost lifted the microphone to his lips. “I’ll meet you there. I need to do something first.”

He handed the microphone back to Coach Morgan and strode up the steps straight for Hel. The catcalling began again around the room, but she didn’t care at all. He took hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet.

“Nice dress,” he growled in her ear, then didn’t give her a chance to answer as he towed her down the stairs, weaving through the players who were all patting him on the back as they moved through them and out of the door.

Frost looked left and right when he got out of the cinema before he spotted where he wanted to take her and tugged her along the corridor until they got to a door marked staff only. He pushed it open and pulled her inside.

Hel was about to protest that they shouldn’t be in the cleaning cupboard but forgot her words when he pulled her into his arms.

“I missed you,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

“I missed you too.” Hel didn’t recognise the sound of her own voice. She had never heard herself this breathy before.

“I’m staying.” Frost pulled her closer until she was flush against him.

“If Aiden bangs on the door, I’m going to wring his neck,” she muttered, which drew a laugh from Frost.

“Shall we have our second kiss?” Frost teased.

“I don’t think a kiss when one person doesn’t remember it because they were higher than an asteroid should count,” Hel replied.

“An asteroid?” A surprised snort came out of Frost.

“You were really, really high. I—“ Hel’s words were cut off when his lips crashed into hers. It was better than anything she had imagined in her daydreams after their first kiss.

They clung tightly to each other, and when Hel finally tried to pull away, Frost grumbled his protest and pulled her right back to him.

Hel wasn’t sure how long they had been in the cupboard when a fist slammed against the door, causing them to jolt apart.

“Frost, Hel. We’ll meet you at the pub.” Coach Morgan’s voice called through the door.

“How does he know we’re in here?” Hel whispered to Frost even as she began to giggle.

“He’s a smart man. Although I don’t know why he couldn’t have texted me,” Frost griped quietly. Before he called out, “Yes, Coach.”

“See you later,” Coach shouted back.

Frost confirming their location in the cupboard made her snigger harder until she looked back into his eyes, and her giggling trailed off.

“Hi,” she whispered. Why on earth did she keep saying that? She had a better vocabulary than ‘hi’. She needed to use it. “Should we go?” Hel asked.

“Nope.” He only said one word, and his lips were on hers again.

They stayed in the cupboard for a long time until Frost’s stomach rumbled.

Hel pulled away from him, giggling. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes.” He pulled her back to him.

She swatted at his chest to stop him kissing her. “For food.”

Frost thought about it for a moment and was clearly about to deny it when his stomach growled, changing his answer. “Yes.”

“Shall we go to the pub and have some dinner?” Hel asked.

His stomach rumbled again. “Yeah. Sorry, I was nervous, all I’ve eaten today is popcorn.”

“Okay, big guy. Let’s get you fed.” Hel took hold of his hand, entwining their fingers together and was about to lead him out of the cupboard when she turned to him. “Before we leave here, I need to tell you something.”

Frost lifted an eyebrow in question. “What?”

“I love you too.” Hel grinned broadly. She had never been so sure of anything in her life.

“That’s good to hear.”

“And?” Hel prompted and began to laugh as she saw the teasing expression on his face.

“Oh. I already told you in the documentary.”

Hel dropped his hand and grabbed the front of his t-shirt, tugging him toward her. “Tell me again.”

“I love you, Ethel.” He dropped a kiss on her lips.

“Can I ban you from using that name?” she groused.

“Nope. I’m going to use it morning, evening and night.” He rubbed his nose over hers.

“Will you move in with me?” Hel blurted out.

She had already told him she was in love with him. She might as well tell him she wanted him all of the time.

Frost hesitated for a beat, and Hel was worried he would say no.

But he snatched her up into his arms and spun her around. “Absolutely.”

“Although I need to warn you, Gloria is currently my unofficial housemate. I took her cottage, and she spends a lot of time with me rather than at the main house.”

“Is she home tonight.” He kissed her again.

“No,” Hel confirmed when she managed to pull her lips away from his.

“Excellent,” he murmured.

“Have you rented somewhere?” Hel asked.

Frost looked a little embarrassed when he answered. “No.”

“Why not?” Hel’s eyebrows lifted.

Frost dropped his eyes to his feet and muttered, “I was hoping you’d be single, and I was hoping you would want to live together again.”

Hel threw her head back and laughed. “Presumptuous much!”

“I love you. I hoped you felt the same way. I was going to rent a hotel room if you said no.”

“Not Creekside Lodge. You’ll catch bedbugs.” Hel used the argument he had used on her all those months ago to make her stay with him.

“Fine. You twisted my arm.” Frost pulled her against his body, and his head dipped towards her, but his stomach let out a cacophony of noise.

“Food.” Hel yanked the door open and dragged him out.