Page 2 of Ice Cold Heart

Amusement—and pure lust—had me smiling at the game she was playing. “I’d wait for you all day…” I trailed off, hoping she’d fill in her name.

“Avery,” she whispered, leaning in close.

“Cole,” I responded in the same hushed tone.

We didn’t move for a long moment with our eyes locked and a secret passing between us. I told myself to say something, but her nearness short-circuited my brain making me blurt out the first question that crossed my mind.

“What are you doing?”

Avery laughed. “Giving them a reason not to come over here. You have to help me sell it though. Talk to me like you’re fascinated by me. Tell me what you’re doing over the break.”

I snorted, struggling to get a handle on my racing heart. “Probably reading.”

She tilted her head. “What did the poor books do to you?”

“I’m sure they’re fine.” I lied, and the truth spilled out of me. “I was supposed to go home to my grandpa’s farm, but I have too many responsibilities here.”

Her brows shot up. “A farm boy, huh? You look the part. Broad shoulders and all those muscles. You should really get into sports.”

There was a small chance she didn’t realize I was a starter on the TU hockey team, but if she knew Coach, I doubted it. Still, I didn’t like beginning with a lie. I tried to work out a way to tell her I was a star hockey player without sounding like a jackass, but the words wouldn’t come. Luckily, Avery saved me the trouble.

She leaned in to pat my cheek. “I’m fucking with you. I know who you are.”

I caught her wrist before she could pull away, and my thumb picked up her rapid pulse. Maybe I wasn’t the only one affected. She tugged gently, and I released her.

“Why are you helping me?” I asked.

Avery shrugged. “You looked ready to defend my honor earlier. I thought I’d return the favor.”

“You noticed me?”

She chuckled. “You’re hard to miss, farm boy. Half the women in here are salivating over you while glaring at me. If looks could kill, I’d be dead on the floor from your fan club over there.”

A loud thud came from the puck bunny table, followed by a snicker and a whistle from behind me.

“Don’t look their way,” she warned.

“No chance.” I couldn’t wrench my attention away from Avery even if I’d wanted to. As far as I was concerned, we were alone in the library.

Avery’s hair brushed my skin when she turned her head to study my expression. At some point, I’d stretched my arm across the back of her chair. Not exactly smooth, but she hadn’t drawn away. Something must have passed muster because the tension she’d been carrying since I spotted her relaxed. Her shoulders dropped, and she shifted closer to me.

Only inches separated her pretty face from mine. The air between us heated, and I tried not to groan when she wet her lips. I would not hit on her while she was trying to help me. My dick didn’t get the message, and I hoped she wouldn’t glance down any time soon.

Avery reached out for the book I’d forgotten, examining it as she turned it over in her hands. “Is it always like this when you’re trying to study?”

“It’s a real problem,” I murmured.

She set the book down carefully, and a slow grin curled her lips. “Well then, let’s give them a reason to stay away.”

My breath caught at the mischief in her green eyes as she quirked an eyebrow for permission. I dropped my chin in a tiny nod, praying she’d do something crazy like climb into my lap right there in the study area.

As if she could hear my thoughts, the girl of my dreams closed the distance and pressed her red lips against mine.

2

Everything went quiet—the chatter, the room, the cynicism in my mind. All I could hear was the rasp of his breath as the world paused. An electric current traveled through my blood, igniting a slow heat in my belly. Our lips barely touched, but a shiver rippled over my skin.

Cole’s careful stillness in the first second made me question my impulsiveness. Had I gone too far? Maybe, but I was balanced precariously between our chairs, my hand flattened over his chest to steady myself, and his heartbeat sped under my palm. I wasn’t the only one affected.

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