Page 82 of Ice Me Out

Bex moves to get out of bed, but I tighten my arms around her. “Do you need to use the bathroom?”

She shakes her head. “No. I’m tired. I was gonna go to bed.”

“Stay. If you want.”

“Are you sure?”

I shift so I can tuck her into my side, her head on my shoulder. “I’m sure. Sleep with me tonight. Sleep with your boyfriend.”

I don’t tell her that this is the first time I have shared my bed with someone. I’ve never even taken a girl to my room before. I guess there’s a first time for everything.

Chapter19

Thirst Trap

Bex

I’m parched.

This is the first thing I think when I wake up in the middle of the night. It would take me a second to figure out the unfamiliar surroundings if it weren’t for Jamie’s strong arms around me.

I’m warm and comfortable, but I’m too thirsty to go back to sleep. I untangle myself from Jamie, careful not to wake him up.

My fingers find his jersey on the floor, and I quickly put it on, tiptoeing out of the room as quietly as I can.

The living room is dark and empty. It must be still night time as obscurity is the only thing in sight through the gauzy curtains of the full length patio door.

I debate if I should turn the light on, but my eyes are getting used to the dark, so I decide against it.

There should be no way that the light in the kitchen could seep under one of the bedroom doors, but I don’t want to take any chances. Despite the fact that Connor was polite at dinner, I’m still well aware that he and Keene were against letting me move in. I’m not homeless and I need to thank my brother and the puck bunnies who kept posting about sleeping with Jamie and the other hockey players.

If the Dean hadn’t been worried about how getting a party school reputation could hurt this school’s ranking, I don’t know what I would have done.

I don’t have a problem finding a glass in one of the kitchen cabinets even in the dark. It’s crazy how quickly I got used to this place.

As I get water from the dispenser in the fridge’s door, I think about the last couple of days. The encounter with Connor earlier could have been worse, but it’s not him I’m worried about. Since I agreed to the fake relationship with Jamie, I haven’t seen Keene.

Luke warned me that the Cove Knights’ newest defenseman was absolutely furious when he heard the news.

The water is cold and refreshing, and I drink greedily, refilling the glass to take it back to the bedroom.

A flash of light floods the kitchen for a few seconds as I wait for the glass to fill.

The small hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention and I turn to look outside through the kitchen patio door.

Darkness is the only thing visible, and I tell myself that I’m being stupid.

I guess this place isn’t that familiar after all, if I’m getting so jumpy, standing here in the dark for the few minutes it took to get myself some water.

The eco-lights outside come on again for a few seconds. They’re motion activated, so there must be something outside that’s triggering the mechanism.

“That fucking cat.” I mutter, thinking it could be Poonani taking a stroll in the middle of the night. After all, cats are supposed to be crepuscular creatures.

The lights come on again, still going off after a few seconds, and these flashes of light and darkness must be messing with my vision.

It’s the only possible explanation for what I see in the glass pane of the door. Why would a man stand outside in the dark trying to look inside the kitchen?

My glass is finally full, so I turn on my heels, relieved to get back to the safety of Jamie’s bed.