Page 16 of Faking It with the Ice Queen

Before anyone could respond, Grace looped her arms around Elara’s neck, pulling her in close. She leaned in, her voice low but loud enough to be heard by those nearest. “Let’s go to bed.”

Elara’s sharp blue-gray eyes locked with Grace’s, flickering with surprise. Grace held her gaze, silently pleading.Please, just go with it.A second stretched into forever before Elara’s expression shifted, realization settling over her. And then,finally, she closed the remaining space between them, her lips meeting Grace’s in a kiss.

What began as a chaste touch quickly unraveled. Grace’s heart pounded, her breath catching in her throat as Elara’s soft lips pressed more firmly against hers. The kiss deepened—slow, deliberate, but far more intense than she had planned. Heat shot through her veins, setting every inch of her skin on fire.

Elara’s hand slid up Grace’s back, her fingers digging into the delicate fabric of the dress, pulling her closer. The scent of sandalwood, amber, and a hint of spice flooded Grace’s senses, leaving her dizzy and gasping for more. Every thought, every worry, every carefully rehearsed lie evaporated, until all that existed was the feeling of Elara’s lips, warm and insistent against hers. Grace’s knees felt weak, her body pressed against Elara’s like it was the most natural thing in the world.

For one reckless moment, Grace imagined herself undoing every button on Elara’s suit and dragging her to bed right then and there.

The sound of someone clearing their throat cut through the haze, snapping Grace back to reality. She broke the kiss, gasping softly as she pulled back. Her pulse roared in her ears, and the absence of Elara’s touch left her feeling cold and unsteady.

Elara stared at her, eyes dark and unreadable, as if waiting for Grace to bolt or say something. Instead, Grace let her hands drift down from Elara’s neck, her fingers trailing slowly down the soft sweater, feeling the strength in her arms before intertwining her fingers with Elara’s. The warmth of their joined hands felt like an anchor, keeping her grounded in the storm of emotions swirling between them.

Grace spared a look at the Silver family behind her. Some looked shocked, jaws slack and eyes wide. But Grandma Elle looked like she was on the verge of laughing. Her eyes twinkledwith mischief and her smile brightened her face, making her look ten years younger.

Eleanore chuckled and broke the silence. “Well, it seems the happy couple is done for the evening.”

After her proclamation, Grandma Elle stood from her chair and motioned for her grandson to help her over to the fire. Soon, the rest of the family followed suit.

Squeezing Elara’s hand, Grace whispered, “Let’s get the hell out of here while we still have the chance.”

The walk back to their suite was shrouded in silence, broken only by the soft echo of their footsteps along the marble hallway. Grace’s heart pounded, still reeling from the kiss. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on high alert, her skin buzzing with the memory of Elara’s lips. She snuck a glance at Elara, but her face was unreadable—cool and composed, as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened.

Grace felt a knot tighten in her stomach.What just happened? Did that kiss mean anything? Or was it just another piece of the performance, something to placate the family and keep up appearances?

The weight of unspoken questions pressed between them, thickening the air.

They walked side by side, close enough for their arms to brush, but neither made a move to close the gap. Grace’s hand twitched at her side; she wasn’t even sure what she wanted to do, only that the space between them felt unbearable.

When they reached the suite door, Elara opened it without a word. Grace stepped inside, her heartbeat loud in her ears. The sound of the door clicking shut behind them was deafening, sealing them in together, alone with the unacknowledged tension crackling between them.

Elara exhaled sharply, as if she had held her breath the entire way back, and Grace felt the air shift. But still—nothing. Noexplanation for the inquisition, no apology for freezing up on her, no admission that the kiss was more than a show.

Grace shivered, the heat in her veins cooling rapidly. Elara really wasn’t going to acknowledge what happened? Fine. Two could play that game. Grace strode over to her suitcase, grabbed her pajamas, and rushed into the bathroom, letting the door slam behind her.

Grace took her time getting ready for bed, making sure to occupy the bathroom for as long as possible. Did she need a second shower for the day? Probably not. But was she going to take the longest shower in history? Yes. Yes she would.

She took as long as possible, meticulously scrubbing every inch of her skin with the lavender-scented soap provided by the resort. The scalding water slowly melted away the stress of the evening, loosening her muscles. Despite her best efforts to maintain her irrational anger, by the time Grace stepped out of the bathroom in her softest leggings and neon purple fuzzy sweater, she felt too tired to maintain anything but exasperation.

Grace rubbed her wet hair with the towel as she watched Elara tap away on her iPad. Standing at the end of the bed, Grace continued to stare at Elara, waiting for her to acknowledge her presence, but no matter how long she stood there, Elara refused to look up. Huffing in frustration, Grace threw the towel into a corner of the room, hoping to provoke Elara into making a comment about the mess. Still, Elara said nothing.

Sighing in defeat, Grace finally turned off the lamp on her side and crawled into bed. As soon as Grace was under the covers, Elara put her iPad down and murmured, “Good night.”

Grace glanced over at Elara, watching her carefully in silence, waiting for something, anything to happen. Instead, Elara simply turned off her lamp and got under the covers. Disappointment flooded through Grace as she murmured a quick good night in return.

Praying for the sweet release of sleep, Grace forced her eyes closed and turned her back to Elara. But no matter how hard she tried, she just could not fall asleep. The feel of Elara’s lips burned into her brain as she replayed the kiss over and over in her head. All of the tension, confusion, and frustration swirled around in her mind, making it impossible to fall asleep, much less lay still. Hoping to find a comfortable position, Grace tossed over to her other side.

Grace sucked in her breath in surprise to find Elara was facing her, eyes open in the dark. Shafts of silver moonlight lit the shape of Elara’s body beneath the covers, providing the barest of light for Grace to notice the way her eyes glimmered with unspoken thoughts. Once their eyes met, Grace felt her heart flip. In the deep of the night, she felt lost in Elara’s piercing blue gaze. She searched Elara’s face for any hint of what she was thinking, but her expression was unreadable.

Grace felt frozen, unsure if she should say something. Every inch of her wanted to reach out and cup Elara’s face, feel the way her hands would mold to her sharp edges. But fear gripped her, stopping her from acting on her desires. Elara had been the one to kiss Grace, and since that moment, they had barely spoken a word. While Grace might be burning alive in attraction, she wasn’t sure if Elara felt the same.

Grace sighed, silently chanting, “It’s all a game. It’s not real. It’s all a game. It’s not real.”

Unable to bear the tension anymore, Grace flopped over onto her back. As she lay there in the dark, slowly fading into sleep, she could feel Elara’s eyes roam her face and body, never looking away.

7

The sun had not yet risen when Elara woke up. She had barely slept all night, unable to stop thinking about kissing Grace. It had been madness, pure madness, the way she had nearly lost control. It took every ounce of restraint not to drag Grace into the nearest closet and rip off anything blocking her way to kissing, consuming every inch of her. Walking back to their room was torture. Every step closer to that damn bed, every step closer to being alone with Grace.

---