Page 51 of Fate on the Ice

“Let’s go inside,” he murmurs. “I think I need some rest.”

My gaze flicks to his cheek, and my stomach clenches at the sight. He no doubt needs rest and here I am being selfish. It’s like I can’t control myself. I can’t help it that I’m so damn selfish. I hate myself for it all over again.

“Honey,” Otto calls out.

Finding his gaze with my own, I breathe out a heavy sigh. “Why am I this way?” I ask. “Why am I selfish?”

“Never,” Otto hisses. “You are nothing of the kind. You’re scared. You’ve been treated like shit, but selfishness does not describe any single ounce of you, Grace.”

He doesn’t let me speak. I can’t rebut his words because he presses his mouth to mine. His tongue slips inside of me, and he consumes me fully. I lean into him, loving the way he tastes and the way he makes me feel.

OTTO

The moment I laid eyes on Grace, I may not have fallen in love with her, but I knew she was special. That she was for me. Made, created, whatever the case may be, she was for me, and I was for her. Every single day that has become much clearer to me. I have been waiting for her—made for her.

We walk into the house hand in hand, and I guide us over to the sofa. I sink down on the cushion, tugging her down beside me. Her arm slides around my waist, and her cheek rests against my chest.

I comb my fingers through her hair as I close my eyes and hope for the pain in my face to vanish. It doesn’t work. My cheek pulses, and the longer I sit here, the fiercer it seems to grow.

I can’t bite back the moan that escapes my lips. I know it isn’t a sexy one either. It sounds full of pain, which is exactly what it is. Grace sits up, her hand cupping my uninjured cheek. I want to open my eyes because she’s so close to me. I know they’re gorgeous, and I’ll never not want to look into those eyes. But it hurts too badly right now.

“When was the last time you took pain meds?” she demands.

Forcing myself to open one eye and then the other, I shake my head slightly. “I haven’t had anything since you gave it to me,” I admit.

She gasps and jumps to her feet. Her eyes are so wide that I’m afraid she won’t be able to blink ever again. I almost laugh, but the pain is too strong. She spins on her heels, and I hear her footsteps as she runs up the stairs.

Before I can even blink, the front door opens and closes. I watch as Alexei and Forrest walk into the house, moving straight for the living room and stopping in front of me. I would roll my eyes, but I’m in too much pain for that shit, so I just stare at them and wait for whatever it is they have on their minds.

“You good?” Forrest asks.

“I’m good,” I say through gritted teeth. Though, I don’t feel it right now. All the adrenaline from earlier has completely worn off. Almost the second my ass hit the couch, I felt unbearable pain.

“You don’t look good, and that shit was intense,” he says.

I clear my throat, then lean my head back against the cushion, trying to focus on him, but my gaze is blurry as the pain continues to consume me. I don’t agree with them that I know I don’t look good, and I agree that shit was intense immediately, but It takes me a moment to gather the strength to give them a minimal answer.

“It was,” I murmur. “But I’m good.”

He arches a brow, obviously not believing me, but doesn’t call me on it. He really shouldn’t believe me because I feel anything but good right now.

“You hungry?” he asks, changing the subject just as Grace walks into the room carrying two bottles of medicine. Forrest’s gaze flicks to her, then shifts back to meet mine. “You’re hungry,” he grunts. “Grace?”

Alexei thrusts a glass of water at her, and she wraps her fingers around it, dipping her chin with a small smile before she hands it to me. Then she opens each pill bottle and doles out my meds like the sexy nurse she is… I wonder if she’s got one of those nurse costumes?

Grace shifts her gaze from watching me take my meds to look at Forrest. “I could eat, but will you let me help?”

Forrest shakes his head from side to side. “You can help by taking care of Otto. He looks like shit. Lev will be home soon, then we’ll eat. It’s my chore this week, although Lev actually enjoys it a hell of a lot more than I do, so he usually does it.”

“Then I’ll clean up,” Grace states.

Forrest doesn’t even try to tell her no. He gives her a grin, lifts his hand in a two-finger salute, and then turns around to head into the kitchen. “Come and sit with me,” I murmur toward Grace.

Alexei leaves us alone, although he does turn on some music. I can hear him talking with Forrest in the kitchen. My body begins to relax, although I’m still in pain. My cheek is pulsing without a break, but I have my woman safe beside me. I wrap my arm around her and pull her against my side. And I wait for the meds to kick in any second.

I breathe through the pain, closing my eyes as Grace rests against me. “What happens next?” she asks in a whisper.

Keeping my arm around her, I also keep my eyes closed as I talk. “We’re going to be together. You’re going to live here until I find a place for the two of us, and you’re going to figure out what you want to do without any financial pressure.”

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