Page 92 of Cold as Ice

Mal glanced over at her. “Did something happen?”

“I met . . .” And suddenly that sweetness was suffusing Jane’s whole face, and it was lit up, under that mask of heavy makeup. “I met someone.”

“Who is it?”

“You’re not going to like it.”

“I don’t know if that’s true. Though if it’s Ramsey, I’m gonna hate it.”

“It’s not Ramsey.” Jane chuckled. “He’s a good guy, but not my type. Besides, I’m not sure he’s done sowing his wild oats yet.”

“How much wild oats can one person have?” Mal muttered.

“It’s . . .it’s Ben.”

“Ben?”

Jane whacked him on the arm. “Ben. The guest choreographer from Oregon.”

Malcolm realized immediately why she’d told him he’d hate it. “He’s—”

“He’s older than me? Technically in a position of authority over me? Lives two hundred and fifty miles away? I know.” The happiness in her voice didn’t fade, but it did dim.

“Does he feel the same?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s . . .it’s very intense,” Jane admitted. He looked over at her, suddenly worried about the concern he heard.

“What kind of intense? Are you okay?”

She laughed. “I’m fine, but it’s . . .you know when you’re deep in it, and you know it? And it’s terrifying? That kind of intense.” She paused. “What am I saying? Of course you know. You’re right there with Elliott. You can barely take your eyes off him when you’re in the same room.”

Mal wanted to deny that, but it was probably true. How had heeverlooked away from Elliott? Now that he thought about it, it was a fucking miracle he’d managed to keep his wits about him for this long.

“Yeah,” Mal agreed. “But you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Scared. Exhilarated. Terrified. Ecstatic,” Jane said honestly.

He nodded, because he understood that all too well. He’d been pinging back and forth between those two wildly different states ever since he’d started getting closer to Elliott.

“The first time we slept together, it happened because I went over to his dorm room and demanded he explain to me what he’d done to me,” Mal admitted.

“What he’d done?”

“Like he’d put a fucking spell on me. I was going out of my mind, and I didn’t understand it. Didn’t want to. I just wanted to be put out of my misery.”

“And did he?” Jane asked, but the sweet tilt of her mouth made it clear she understood. Yes and no.

Yes, hehadbeen temporarily relieved.

But no, because he was in deeper now than he’d ever been before.

“Kinda.”

“I get that. We kissed at rehearsal yesterday. And now . . .tomorrow . . .I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nothingshouldhappen, but—”

“But it feels inevitable?” Mal understood that all too well.

“Yeah. He said we shouldn’t, but it feels so right.” Jane sighed. “I needed to get out. Stop obsessing.”

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