Page 40 of Fate on the Ice

“You should be asleep. Are you in pain?” I ask as I hold out both of my hands, one containing pills, the other a glass of water.

He takes the water and pills from me, then shakes his head. “Hungry,” he grunts, swallowing the pills and taking a huge drink of water. “But let me get up. I can cook.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek as I think about that. He could probably make a better meal than I could. I spent my time in college ordering out, eating handfuls of whatever was in the fridge that was easy, drinking coffee… and booze.

“It’s honestly probably best, but at the same time, I don’t think you’re ready to be standing at the stove. What if I ordered something?”

He chuckles softly as if he thinks I’m cute—at least I hope that’s what he’s thinking. I honestly don’t know for sure. He reaches out, extends his index finger, and touches the tip of my nose.

“It’s my cheek that’s fucked up, honey. Not my hands.”

I know that only his cheek is busted, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t on strong pain meds. Chewing on my bottom lip, I inhale a deep breath through my nose and let the air slowly out of my mouth.

“The meds don’t make you dizzy or anything?” I ask.

He snorts. “Honey. I’m good.”

I flick my gaze down to my lap before I slowly lift my eyes to meet his. “If you’re not?” I ask in a whisper.

“I’ll tell you.”

With a smile, I nod my head once, then stand to my feet. “Okay,” I whisper as I hold out my palm for him.

Otto slips his fingers through mine and throws his legs over the side of the bed to stand. I watch for any sign of wooziness, but I don’t find it. He seems completely in control of himself and stable.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m falling in love with him, enamored by his strength in general as an athlete or maybe as a man. Whatever the case, I know that he is probably not even affected by those pills. And even though he shouldn’t drive, I think he probably could and do so safely.

His strength doesn’t stop me from watching him carefully as he walks down the stairs, ready to catch him if he falls, knowing damn well that I couldn’t catch him if he did. He’d probably smash me completely, but I would try.

Once we’re downstairs, I notice that a couple of the guys are standing around. They stop what they’re doing, their gazes swinging over to Otto, and each one of them frowns before they smile.

“Big dog’s finally awake,” Forrest shouts.

Otto chuckles. “Barely,” he grumbles.

“Let us feed you,” Alexei says.

And all my worries are gone because these men, Otto’s family, begin to prepare a large brunch for us. None of them even allow me to help. I’m ordered to sit on the sofa. Forrest shouts from the kitchen for me to relax, considering I spent two days in the hospital at Otto’s side.

OTTO

There are a few things that need to be discussed between me and Grace. But not right now. She leans against my side, her legs curled up on the sofa, her head resting against my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and hold her close to me.

Turning my head, I touch my lips to the top of her head. My cheek hurts, but it’s more of a dull ache at the moment. I’m sure that once this shit wears off, it’s going to scream in pain the way it did when I woke up this morning.

“There are a few things we need to talk about,” she whispers.

Lifting my hand, I pat the top of her head a couple of times. “I know, honey. We will,” I rasp as my eyelids grow heavy.

I’m starving, but I can’t keep my eyes open. Maybe Grace was right, and I shouldn’t have been cooking or doing anything else. My muscles relax almost instantly, and I slump against the cushions of the sofa.

I’m not sure how long I sleep, but the smell of bacon assaults my senses, and I blink a few times until my eyes open, but not all of the way. Everything is blurry, and I know it’s because of the meds. I probably should have eaten before I took them, but I was in pain.

Hopefully, I won’t have to take them much longer. I really don’t like the way they make me feel. When I squeeze my arm around Grace, she pushes up to sitting and looks over to me, her eyes a little wild, her face absolutely stunning.

“Smells like food is ready,” I murmur.

Grace jumps up to her feet. She hurries away and tells me to stay where I am. It’s adorable as fuck. Turning slightly, I watch as she smiles and thanks the men around her for the food. I don’t have to thank anyone—I’d do the same for them—but I do anyway.

---