Page 22 of Trapped with the Ice Queen

Alex smirked faintly. “It’s all you’re getting for now.”

The tease caught Vivienne off guard, and she felt a smile tug at her lips despite herself. “Fair enough,” she said, taking a sip from her mug.

The quiet stretched again, but it didn’t feel as heavy this time. Vivienne traced the rim of her cup with her finger, gathering her thoughts. She’d been drawn to Alex’s rare moment of lightness, but she couldn’t ignore the weight she’d carried into this room with her.

“I’ve always been bad at this,” she said suddenly, her words breaking the calm like ripples in still water.

Alex’s brow furrowed. “At what?”

Vivienne hesitated, her eyes fixed on the amber liquid in her mug. “At...letting people in. At being vulnerable.” She laughed softly, the sound tinged with self-deprecation. “I guess it’s easier to keep people at arm’s length when you know they’re just going to leave anyway.”

Alex didn’t respond immediately. When Vivienne looked up, she found those warm brown eyes studying her, unflinching butnot unkind.

“People leave,” Alex said finally. “That’s just how it is. But that doesn’t mean you stop trying.”

The simplicity of the statement hit Vivienne harder than she expected. She looked away, her grip tightening on the mug. “I don’t know,” she murmured. “Trying just feels exhausting.”

Alex made a low sound in her throat, something between agreement and acknowledgment. “It is,” she said. “But it’s worth it. Sometimes.”

Vivienne glanced at her, caught by the flicker of something raw in Alex’s expression. “You’ve been hurt before,” she said, the words more an observation than a question.

Alex’s lips twitched, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “Haven’t we all?” she said lightly, but there was no mistaking the pain beneath the deflection.

Vivienne leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “You’re not as tough as you pretend to be, you know,” she said, her tone gentle but teasing.

Alex raised an eyebrow. “And you’re not as helpless as you act.”

Vivienne laughed, the sound warm and unguarded. “Touché.”

The space between them seemed smaller now, the air charged with something that felt both fragile and electric. Vivienne hesitated, the words on her tongue feeling heavier than she expected.

“I had a fiancée once,” she said finally. “It didn’t work out. She didn’t like the person I was becoming.”

Alex’s gaze didn’t waver. “And who were you becoming?”

Vivienne smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Someone who wanted more than what she could give.” She shook her head, as though trying to dispel the memory. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

Alex leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “Because you need to,” she said simply.

Vivienne’s chest tightened. How did Alex do that? Strip everything down to its bare truth without even trying?

The fire crackled, filling the silence that followed. Vivienne’s gaze drifted to the sofa, its cushions rumpled from Alex’s restless nights. She set her mug down, the faint clink drawing Alex’s attention.

“You know,” Vivienne said, her tone casual but her heart hammering in her chest, “that sofa looks like it’s about as comfortable as a bed of rocks.”

Alex tilted her head, a shadow flickering in her eyes. “It’s fine.”

Vivienne smiled, slow and deliberate. “Come on, Alex. There’s plenty of room in the bed. I promise I won’t bite.” She paused, her smile turning sly. “Unless you ask nicely.”

Alex blinked, clearly caught off guard, and for the first time, Vivienne saw her flush. “I’m fine,” Alex said gruffly, her gaze dropping to her mug.

Vivienne leaned back, crossing her arms. “Suit yourself. But if you wake up tomorrow with a crick in your neck, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Alex muttered something under her breath, but Vivienne didn’t press. She picked up her mug again, letting the silence settle over them once more.

The cabin had settled into an eerie quiet, the kind that followed a storm’s fury. Outside, the wind had died, leaving only the occasional groan of the trees as they shifted. Inside, the fire cast a steady, golden glow across the room, its warmth licking at the edges of the bed where Vivienne lay waiting.

The quilt was heavy over her legs, a cocoon of softness that contrasted the sharp edges of her nerves. Her heart beat fast, the rhythm drumming against her ribs as she watched Alex hesitate near the foot of the bed.

---