Page 8 of On Thin Ice (Calgary Mounties #1)

Chapter Eight

WHAT'D I DO THIS TIME?

Adele

Hours later, I’m still stewing on what Kylie told me while I take Milo for a walk.

Kylie wanted to go for a run and hit the treadmill as soon as we walked in the door, but I needed to clear my head, and fresh air has always been my preference over walking in one spot and staring at a wall.

Kylie is scared of falling over on the icy paths though, and the second snow arrives, she’s indoors for the next eight months. You can take the girl out of Australia…

“So, buddy, what do you think? Do you think I’m a bad person?” I ask Milo, who looks up at me from where he’s walking calmly at my side.

He really is such a good dog. Lincoln had put a lot of effort into getting a professional trainer in to make sure he was well behaved, and aside from when he first sees his daddy each time he’s been away, he is a very calm, collected pup.

“Yeah, you’re right. I am only a moderately bad person. But you’ll forgive me for sleeping with your daddy, right? I mean, you know I was defenceless against those stupid dimples and amazing body… You can’t keep your paws off him, after all, so what hope is there for the rest of us?”

If anyone else could hear me, they’d think I was nuts for talking to the golden retriever. But I have a point. And that point is that no woman, or man for that matter, could be expected to back away once Lincoln shows them interest. And he definitely showed interest.

When we get back to Kylie and Seth’s house, Lincoln’s car is in the driveway, parked right next to mine. It’s becoming a very familiar sight, and one that usually fills me with dread after months of regretting what we did.

But today I have a plan. Two can play at Ben’s games.

“Lincoln!” I yell as soon as I get in the door.

The man in question rounds the corner, holding a bottle of blue Gatorade with a confused look on his face. Milo barks, ripping the lead from my hand as he sprints down the hall towards the blond wall of man at the other end. He knocks Lincoln to the ground and licks him all over the face.

“What a greeting. A beautiful woman yelling at me and a dog knocking me off my feet. I’m very conflicted right now.”

“How was the game?” I ask, pretending like I wasn’t watching the preseason game avidly like all the other Mounties fans.

His ego is big enough; he doesn’t need more information inflating that beautiful head of his.

“Fine. We won. Not that it means anything, obviously.” He remains on the ground, roughing Milo up and play wrestling with him.

The dog is loving every minute, and it’s impossible to be annoyed with Lincoln when Milo looks so happy.

Eventually, he gives Milo one last tummy rub and gets to his feet, surveying me closely.

“So. Why were you yelling at me? What’d I do this time?”

I bite my lip, suddenly questioning the plan I was formulating on the walk home. His gaze drops to my lips, and his pupils dilate slightly.

Guess I’m not the only one dealing with unwanted attraction right now.

I shouldn’t be happy about that, but it certainly doesn’t hurt knowing that I have the power to make this god of a hockey player squirm.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

He raises an eyebrow. “About what?”

“About the whole fake dating thing. I’ll do it.”

He blinks a couple of times, and I can tell I’ve rendered him speechless. Which is something I previously thought was impossible.

“Come again?” he asks eventually.

“I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend,” I say with exaggerated slowness. Like I’m explaining it to an idiot. Cause that’s what I’m doing, apparently. “For the public. To help you.” My declaration is met with more silence while he continues to stare at me.

After a moment, I clear my throat. “Unless you don’t want me to, that is?”

“No… That’s not it. I’m just really confused. What made you change your mind?”

I shrug. “I just gave it some thought, that’s all.”

He narrows his eyes before crossing his arms and widening his stance.

I hate it when he does that. It just ramps up the hotness to a whole other level, and that’s the last thing I need to be thinking about right now.

Especially when the movement makes his biceps look even better beneath the long sleeve dry-fit shirt he’s wearing.

Damn libido, shut up! We aren’t turned on by arms.

“You found out about Ben, didn’t you? ”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply, doing my best to feign complete ignorance.

I’m clearly a shitty liar though.

His jaw tenses. “Yeah, right.”

I decide to drop the act. “Look. I may have found out that Ben might have cheated on me. But the two things don’t need to have anything to do with each other.”

“I’m not interested in getting into an argument with Ben over this,” he says, although I can see his conviction wavering a little.

“I heard what he said to you that night, you know.”

The muscle in his jaw feathers again. “I don’t know what you mean.”

I arch my eyebrow. “Now who’s not being entirely truthful?”

“He was just lashing out because you guys broke up. He didn’t mean anything by it.”

“That’s a lie, and you know it. You know he’s always been a little jealous of you. Well, and Seth, too. But mostly you. And he brought up how often I see you on multiple occasions.”

He shakes his head. “All the more reason for me to stay the hell out of it, then.”

I swallow and glance down at my hands. “Even if he did cheat on me?”

I know I’m manipulating him. But this deal would be mutually beneficial to both of us. And really, Ben and Lincoln barely speak these days. It’s not like they’re best friends, or anything.

He’s quiet for a few moments, and I look up to find him watching me closely.

“I see what you’re doing over there,” he says.

I grin. “Is it working? ”

He lets out a sigh. “Yes. Unfortunately. But I’m beginning to think this is a really bad idea.”

“It probably is. But once you get management to back off and I make a point to Ben, we can go back to our mutual avoidance of each other.”

He crosses the distance between us in a few long strides, coming to stand immediately in front of me, forcing me to look up to meet his gaze.

“If we do this… We can’t let anything happen between us. It’s purely for show,” he says, his voice low.

I swallow, feeling my eyes widen as I nod. “Of course.”

He’s so close that all I’d have to do is move my head a fraction of an inch and my lips would be on his. Not that I want to do that, of course.

The tension between us is finally broken when he sighs and shakes his head. “Why do I get the feeling this is all going to go horribly wrong?” he says.

I bat my eyelashes. “What could possibly go wrong?”

The nerve in his jaw ticks as he scans my face for a moment.

“Famous last words, Adele.”