Page 33 of Expose on the Ice

CLOSE.

Carter!

She takes a step closer to me. “Carter, what’s going on? Why are you here alone in the middle of the night?”

“What, you think you can bat those pretty eyes at me and I’ll just spill all my deepest, darkest secrets?” I laugh bitterly. “Sorry, no dice.”

Lily’s expression softens, and for a moment, I see genuine concern in her eyes. It makes my chest ache in a way I would rather not examine too closely. “I’m not trying to trick you, Carter. Training this hard with a bottle of bourbon in your hand isn’t healthy, and it’s clear your coach and your teammates are worried about you.”

“Well, I didn’t ask for anyone’s concern,” I snarl. “Why don’t you go find your ‘source’ and leave me the hell alone?”

She crosses her arms, which only draws my attention to her chest. “You’re drunk,” she says flatly. “And even more of an asshole than usual.”

“How did you find me?” I say.

“I have my ways…” Lily sighs, taking a few steps closer to the ice. “When I saw you leave your parents’ house, withthatlook on your face, I figured it was best to let you go back to your hotel room and brood a bit. I was going to speak to you in the morning when you cooled down, but then?—

“Then you followed me?” I hiss, harsher than I’d intended, but not really regretting it.

“No,” she says. “Tank called me and asked if I knew where you were. Apparently, Coach Carson called a late-night meeting, and nobody could find you. You weren’t in the hotel or answering your calls, and given the severity of the look on your face, I was worried you might do something stupid.”

“Why come here, then?” I scoff. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

“Because I figured if there was one place you might go instead of there, it would be the rink you practiced at every day of your life before you turned 18.” She smirks. “I’m a journalist…”

I have to admit, I’m impressed, even amidst my anger and hurt. She’d deduced that some way or another, even though I’d never told her and – to my knowledge – it had never been written anywhere. But finding that fact shows she can find others.

“Stay the hell away from me,” I growl, skating backward, recognizing the danger. “And my family.”

Lily’s expression softens. “Carter, I’m not trying to hurt you. I just want to understand?—

“There’s nothing to understand!” I shout. “Here’s a story: Star player drinks alone in a shitty rink.”

I take another long pull from the bottle, relishing the burn. Anything to dull the panic rising in my chest. Lily is too close. Too perceptive. And looking at her in that dress, with genuine concern in those green eyes… it’s doing things to my head I can’t afford.

“Go home, Lily,” I say, my voice rough. “There’s nothing for you here. I’m not going to tell you shit. There’s no story.”

Lily’s eyes flicker to the nearly empty bottle. “I’m not here for a story, Carter. I came here to check if you were okay.”

CHAPTER 13

LILY

Itake a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Knox looks like a wounded animal, ready to lash out at the slightest provocation. But beneath the anger, I see something else – pain, raw and visceral. And suddenly, I feel terrible for doing so much to undermine him: talking to his teammates and to Isla, and following him home.

"Carter," I say softly, taking a cautious step toward the ice. "What if we just… talk? No recorder, no notebook, no laptop. Just you and me."

He barks out a harsh laugh. "Right. And I’m supposed to believe you won’t use every word against me?"

I hold up my hands, palms out. "Off the record. I’m not here as a journalist right now. I’m here as… someone who’s worried about you."

Knox’s eyes narrow, searching my face, boring deep for any sign of deception. The silence stretches between us, thick with tension. Finally, he sighs, then speaks. "Fine," he says. "But only if you skate with me."

I blink, surprised. "What?"

He gestures to the empty rink with the bottle. "We do it on the ice."

For a moment, I hesitate. This is a terrible idea. I’m in a cocktail dress, and I haven’t skated since college, for crying out loud. But the look in Knox’s eyes – a mix of a challenge and a cry for help – makes my decision for me.

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