Page 38 of Melting the Ice

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked as I walked back down the hallway and into the living room. She leaned against the island, her hip popped out, and I clenched my fist.

“Yep. Dom’s up there now.” I snagged my water bottle off the counter.

“Okay. Have fun,” she drew out.

I nodded at her, grabbed my earbuds, keys, and phone, and walked out of my condo.

***

“Dude, you’re a mess. Tell your bestie all about it,” Dom said, a fucking huge grin on his face when I stepped into the gym minutes later.

“You don’t have to look so fucking gleeful about it,” I mumbled.

“You want a refresher of the shit you said to me over the last six months, especially right when Ally moved in four and a half months ago?”

I glanced around the gym and nodded hello to Tyler and Krasny, our fourth-line wingers, who were currently doing weights on the other side of the gym. At least no one else from the team was in here.

“Hop on that treadmill and tell me all about how much you want your roomie.”

“Fuck, you’re annoying.”

He chuckled and stepped onto the machine, starting it at a warm-up speed. “You’re not denying it.”

I jammed my water bottle into the holder on the treadmill next to him and climbed on, putting my speed a few notches higher than his.

He quickly tapped his screen to match my pace and then set his incline two points higher than mine.

Dick.

“So,” he drew out.

I squeezed the sides of the treadmill.

“She’s driving me crazy. She’s sleeping on my couch. Puttering around my kitchen. Her scent is everywhere. There’s only one bathroom. I can’t escape her.”

“Don’t I know that,” he muttered. “Wait. Why is she on the couch again? You have a second bedroom, and it’s not like you’re hard up and can’t furnish it.”

I sucked in a breath. “I don’t have a bed in there. I, uh, use it for something else.”

He quirked a brow at me.

“Fine. It’s my relaxation room. I have it set up as a yoga space and for my puzzles.”

“Puzzles? How much space do you need to do a damn puzzle?”

“Fuck off. I like them. They’re relaxing. And I have a lot of them and a special table set up.” I sighed. “There isn’t room for a bed and stuff. It’s my routine, okay?”

“Fine, fine. Can’t mess with routine. I get that. Just didn’t expect you to tell me you filled a room with jigsaw puzzles.” A grin pulled at his lips.

“I wasn’t planning on having a roommate, and I know it hasn’t even been two weeks, but she’s rattling me,” I admitted.

“I bet she is. That room’s probably not very relaxing anymore.”

“Nope. She decided to try doing yoga in there this morning while I was working on a puzzle. I swear she’s driving me crazy on purpose.”

“And what if she is? You guys have a history, right?”

“Sort of. I mean, not like yours, but I would be smart not to revisit it. Fuck, can you take your speed down a notch?” I gasped out.

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