Page 44 of Scoring Grey

“Why would I do that? Why would you ask that of me?” I can’t believe that out of everything I just said, that’s the piece worrying her now. “What am I missing, Eloise? I know Blair Wyndham is a thorn in your side as much as she is mine, but…”

She releases a slow, measured breath. “I didn’t run out because I believed you were sneaking around.” I quirk a brow. She made some hateful accusations before she stormed out. “Okay, fine… a bigger part of me than I’d like to admit, a part of me that’s stuck in the past, and all the hurt that lurks there believed it, but by the time I was out of the building, I didn’t.” She pauses and tries to move.

“What is it?” I say when I see her reaching under her blanket.

“I didn’t have an ice pack. All I had was a frozen bag of broccoli. It’s not even my broccoli, so who knows how long it’s been in there, and one of the stems feels like it’s poking me.”

I pull off the cover. “I’m taking you to my place.”

“No, Cal. I’m fine. I don’t want to move. It hurts too much.”

“It’s not up for debate,” I say as I position an arm under her back and one under her knees. “My bed is softer than a vacation rental, and I have ice packs, medicine, and oils to help with injuries. You’re hurt, and you’re mine, which makes you my responsibility.”

She doesn’t argue, and for that I’m grateful. The last thing I want right now is one more thing to debate. “Where are you going?” Dash is off the couch the second he sees me carrying her out of the bedroom.

“I’m taking her to my place. I play hockey. I’ve had more than a few injuries, and I have what she needs to recover effectively.”

He reaches the door and holds it open before crossing the hall with us to open mine. “Code?”

“It’s Eloise’s birthday. Zero?—”

“Seven, one, one,” he finishes for me. I can’t help but eye him suspiciously. I know they’re friends, but memorizing her birthday seems like another level. “We share the same birthday month.” I nod, and he pushes open the door. “What can I get?”

“How long was she on the broccoli?”

“Not very long. Maybe five minutes after she changed, and I came to get you.”

“Grab me an ice pack from the freezer,” I say as I head toward my bedroom.

“Cal, take me to the spare room. You don’t need to give up your bed,” she says once I’m past the door to the guest room.

“I’m not giving up my bed. I’ll be sleeping in it.”

“And where will I be sleeping?”

“In it beside me where you belong,” I say as I prop my knee on the bed and set her down.

“I didn’t agree to that.”

“Like I said. We did things your way. Now we’re doing them my way.”

She opens her mouth to speak, but Dash steals her words. “I have the ice pack.”

He hands it to me, and I say, “Can you lift up a little so I can slide it under you?”

“I don’t want to,” she protests. “I’d rather do a heating pad or a hot bath. The ice pack will make me cold.”

My gaze drifts to her silk sleep set, where my eyes immediately lock onto her pebbled nipples. It might be shorts and a T-shirt, but any man would be blind not to see what I see. My jaw ticks, and I reach for the throw blanket at the foot of the bed, covering her before Dash can spot what’s on display. “Ten more minutes of ice, and then I’ll grab the heating pad,” I say as I cover her body.

“Fine.” She relents and lifts so I can slip the cold pad beneath her.

“Dash, in the bathroom closet, there’s a heating pad on the middle shelf. On that same shelf, there’s an amber-colored jar. It says muscle remedy on it. Can you grab those?”

“On it.” He rushes into the other room.

“Where’s my phone? I need to see if Adler tried to call. What if he saw the picture?”

I grab another pillow. “He didn’t. I talked to your brother after you left. They’re going to make sure he doesn’t see it.”

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