Page 133 of Iced Out

I clamp my mouth shut as I watch him, waiting silently until he produces…a pair of socks. All rolled up in the tightest little bundle he could manage.

Nota ring.

I breathe a silent sigh of relief when he takes my hand, grabs the top end of the socks and lets them unravel right into my palm.

My jaw drops back open.

They’re a pair of unofficial team socks for the New York Knights. Striped horizontally in hunter green, black, and white, complete with my name and #33 stitched into the material.

I look down at the pair of socks in my hands and back up at him, only to find him grinning at me like a goddamn fool. Dimples and all.

“Oakley Reed, will you be my teammate again?”

It’s by far the corniest, cheesiest thing he’s ever done, but fuck, if I don’t love him even more for it. But then something dawns at me as I stare down at the socks a little more.

“You knew?”

He rises to full height with a laugh. “Of course I knew.”

“But…how? Louis—”

“Accidentally attached the wrong contract to an email to me. Your contract,” he finishes. “Which could have been really bad, yes. But thankfully it was to me and not someone else.”

“So you knew before he called just now.”

He nods. “I told him I wanted to surprise you with it, since I got to be the one to find out first. So I had the socks made and express-shipped to the apartment. They just got here this morning, so I let Louis know today was the day.”

I blink at him, not sure if I’m in awe or completely pissed. “Just how long have you two been sitting on this?”

This time, I get an off-handed shrug. “Like three days?”

Yeah, definitely pissed. “You knew fordaysand didn’t say anything?”

“I had to wait for the socks to get in,” he says in defense. “And Louis wanted me to tell you he’s sorry for accidentally breaching confidentiality and he hopes you don’t fire him.”

I scoff. “You two are unbelievable.”

“No, what’s unbelievable is the fact that you don’t wanna marry me,” he counters, brow arched playfully. “Care to explain that one, Oak?”

I bite my bottom lip because, yeah, it wasn’t my finest moment. Not by a long shot.

“It’s just too soon.”

He nods. “I agree, but I can tell from your reaction, I’m gonna be ready a helluva lot sooner than you will. So just take your time, and you can ask when you’re ready.”

“Ican ask?”

“I was the one who chased in the beginning. It’s your turn now, baby.” He steps between my thighs and gazes down at me, arms wrapping around the back of my neck. “But are you gonna answer me or not? Every minute you keep me waiting, I’m gonna double when it’s your turn to get on one knee.”

My brows furrow, and then I realize…

“I don’t think I have a choice in being your teammate when contracts are involved.”

“Good,” he says, a lilt of laughter in his voice. “Just means you’re stuck with me.”

And with that, he pulls my head against his chest in an embrace that has me thinking I might be okay with it. After all, there’s worse people in the world for me to be stuck with.

“I still can’t believe you knew and you just pretended the entire time you didn’t.”

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