Page 59 of Love on the Ice

Smirking down at her, I lift my hand and slide my fingers through her hair at the side of her head. “Yeah, I do. As my girlfriend, you should know who I’m spending my time with. When I saw the video, I knew it looked bad.”

Her eyes shift to the side, then slowly come back to meet mine. They connect, and I feel like my entire body tingles. Everything about this woman is amazing, but when she looks at me like this, I feel like I’m the most important man on this planet.

“When I saw it, I told myself that we weren’t anything. That I was a booty call. Even though my heart felt the exact opposite.”

I grip the strands of her hair tighter as my lip curls with anger at her words. How could she ever feel that way? I never want her to feel less than, not fucking ever. She’s mine and has been since the moment I laid eyes on her.

I open my mouth to interrupt her, but she doesn’t let me. She continues to speak. I don’t release my grasp on her hair, though. I don’t like the way any of this makes me feel.

Mainly because it makes me feel like an asshole. And that’s the last thing I’ve been trying to be when it comes to Lorelai. I’ve tried to be the exact opposite. I’ve never done anything like this before. I want her to know just how much she means to me, that I wanted to take it slow and not rush her. In the end, I made her feel like she wasn’t important. I fucking hate myself for that shit.

“But then everything happened, and I didn’t think much more about it. I’m glad you feel the same way. Because I really wanted this to be more than a booty call. Honestly, I’ve never done that before, and as much as I was trying to convince myself that I was okay with it, I really wasn’t.”

“Lorelai,” I growl. She presses her lips together, looking up at me with wide eyes. “Shut up and kiss me.”

Her lips curve up into a smile, and she shifts forward, touching her mouth to mine. I don’t deepen the kiss, even though my entire body begs for me to do just that. I can’t fuck her again, though. I don’t think I have anything left in my balls right now.

Breaking the kiss, I search her gaze. “So, you just asked me to be your girlfriend?” she asks.

I let out a laugh. “I think I told you, but yeah. It feels stupid. I think you’re more than that. You’re just mine.”

She gives me a big smile. “Okay, then. We’re just each other's.”

“Exactly.”

I hold her close, and she lowers her head, resting her cheek against my chest again. I don’t say anything else, my eyes fluttering closed as I let out a heavy sigh. I’m exhausted not only after all the driving but also two rounds of sex. I need some serious sleep.

Keeping my arms wrapped tightly around Lorelai, I fall asleep. But I don’t let go of her. I don’t know if I ever will. We talked about Rylee, but we did not talk about that asshole. I don’t want to, either.

But we can’t avoid it. Everything I know about the situation came from that phone call with Karlie, but I want to hear it from her. I want to know the details. I don’t really want to know shit, but I need to know because I can’t help her without that.

As much as I know that whatever she tells me happened will make me want to hunt him down. It will take everything inside of me not to do that. It will mean reminding myself that I will lose my career, possibly even Lorelai as well if I do something to him.

So I let out a heavy sigh and pull her against me again. I force myself to relax my body enough that sleep takes over. Which it does—thankfully.

LORELAI

I’m warm. So warm and cozy that I don’t want to wake up, but my body does before my eyes flutter open. Then I look at the wall of chest that greets me and let out a sigh as my gaze travels up a sexy neck until I reach a scruffy-faced Reid.

He’s asleep. His breathing is even and slow. I watch him for a moment, feeling his tight grasp, seeing the way his lips slightly part as he exhales. He’s beautiful, this man who confessed his love to me. I can’t believe that this is real. I feel like maybe I need to be pinched.

But I have to pee, so it is assuredly not a dream. Slowly, I creep out of his arms and unroll from the bed, trying my hardest not to wake him up. I find Reid’s T-shirt on the floor and slip it on before hurrying to the bathroom.

After I’ve taken care of business, I wash my hands and flick my gaze up to my reflection in the mirror. I’m there, it’s still me, but I’m also different. It’s not a sex thing. I’ve been having sex with Reid for weeks. It’s something different.

It’s love.

It’s contentment.

It’s protection and peace.

Once I’ve dried my hands, I turn back to the door and slip into the bedroom. I should probably go downstairs to the girls, but I don’t want to. Selfishly, I want to spend my morning with Reid. I shouldn’t think that way because they’ve been absolutely amazing during all of this, but I love him.

I slip quietly back into the bedroom and then the bed. I think my absence has gone undetected, but it hasn’t. Reid’s arms move, wrapping around me and pulling me against his side again.

“You left,” he grunts groggily.

“I went to the bathroom,” I exhale.

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