Page 79 of Icebound Hearts

I couldn’t bring myself to leave her bed last night after we had sex. I’d already crossed that line with her, broken all the rules that I had clung to for so long. I couldn’t stand the thought of letting the moment end, so I crawled back into bed with her, wrapping my arms around her and molding her body to mine.

I wanted to drag out the night for as long as possible—because in the cold, rational light of morning, I can admit that I shouldn’t have knocked on her door last night.

I shouldn’t have let this happen, and it would be a mistake to let it happen again.

That thought makes me grimace, and I push it away for a little while longer.

The light spilling in from the side of the curtain moves across Violet’s face. It settles on an adorable freckle on her jawline thatI’ve never noticed before, and it hits me in a rush that despite how much attention I’ve paid to Violet, barely able to take my eyes off her, there’s still so much that I’ve missed. The gentle arch of her eyebrows, the fullness of her lips, the way her nose tilts up just the tiniest bit at the tip. I store them all away in my head with the rest of the things I’ve already gathered about her.

Jesus. I’m obsessed with this woman.

Last night didn’t make it any easier not to be. I’m a little embarrassed to admit how much space Violet has taken up in my mind lately. I’ve thought about her, fantasized about her, fuckingdreamedabout her, but there’s not a damn thing my brain could’ve conjured up that could’ve matched how amazing last night was.

It’s not just the sex though, as incredible as it was. The more I learn about her, the more I like Violet. She never stops surprising me, never stops intriguing me—and that’s exactly what makes crossing a hard boundary with her like this so dangerous.

I can’t have her, and I know that. Her time in Denver has a hard end date, and I’m painfully aware of it every damn day that she’s here. But that doesn’t make it any easier to resist her or my attraction to her.

Violet stirs, shifting in my arms. Her back arches a little as she moves sleepily, her ass grinding against my cock, and I groan softly as my shaft throbs, still ravenous for her even after last night.

If I thought fucking her would get her out of my system, I was so damn wrong.

“Mm. Good morning.”

Violet’s voice is a bit raspy from sleep, and she turns her head to look at me over her shoulder, her smile so bright and beautiful that it nearly blinds me.

“Morning,” I murmur.

“Oh my god, I slept so well last night.” She yawns softly, giving a contented smile. “Thatneverhappens.”

I know how often she ends up awake in the middle of the night—we often have conversations in the living room at odd hours because of that—and I smile at the thought that I helped her sleep.

“Maybe having multiple orgasms before bed is the trick,” I tell her with a grin.

She smiles back, arousal flashing in her hazel eyes. “Huh. You could be on to something. I might have to recruit your help again.”

My smile drops a bit at that, and her brows draw together. She shifts, turning over onto her other side to face me and propping herself up on one elbow. “What’s up?”

I sigh, running a hand through my messy hair before meeting her gaze. “Last night was amazing, heartbreaker. Incredible. But we can’t do it again.”

The words come slowly, and I can hear the reluctance in my own voice.

Violet frowns. “Why not?”

I huff a laugh, shaking my head. “Because you’re Reese’s sister, for starters.”

She makes a face, pressing her lips into a line and arching a brow at me. “Yes, I am. But that doesn’t have to mean anything. Reese might be my brother, but that doesn’t mean he gets a say in my sex life. We aren’t living in the Colonial era anymore.”

I laugh again, although I still feel guilty as hell for messing around with my teammate’s sister. That’s one of the worst violations of our friendship code that I could commit. I mean, I’m sure there are worse men Reese could envision Violet being with than me—there’s probably no shortage of them that have tried over the years—but that doesn’t really make me feel any better.

“Okay,” I acknowledge. “I see your point.” I drag in a breath, then let it out. “But I meant what I told you before. I let you talk me into trying that dating app, but the truth is, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for love or a serious relationship again. And I damn sure don’t want to play with your feelings or lead you on by making you think this is something that it isn’t.”

She considers my words, scrunching up her face a little. Then she lifts her shoulder in a small shrug, that sexy, irresistible grin breaking out across her face again.

“I told you the exact same thing, remember?” she points out. “And I still mean it too. I’m not looking for love or anything long term. Not right now. So you don’t have to worry about leading me on.”

I frown. “What are you getting at?”

A playful, flirtatious look crosses Violet’s face, her inner sunshine beaming out. “I thought that was obvious. I’m shooting down all your reasons why we have to stop.”

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