Page 80 of Heart on Ice

“I got the keys to it today.”

“Oh,” she says again, putting her fork down.

“I’ve disrupted your life for long enough and it’s not fair.” I reach out and grab her hand, my thumb running along the back of her hand. “This is your home, your sanctuary, and those vultures outside have destroyed it, all because of me.”

“This isn’t your fault, but I understand. It’s probably for the best,” she says quietly.

“I don’t want to stop what we have going on,” I tell her. Issy pulls her hand from mine.

“Those were the rules,” she says, not looking at me.

“Fuck those rules. Things have changed between us, Issy. I know you feel it too. We deserve a second chance at happiness together.”

Issy looks up at me, and I just know the words that are about to fall from her lips I’m not going to like. “We agreed. This was only until you found a place. You found a place, so this is over. We go back to being friends.”

“Issy. No. Come on. Don’t be so fucking stubborn. I know you have feelings for me, and I get it, you’re scared but please, give me a chance. I want a chance,” I beg of her.

“I can’t,” she says, looking up at me with those chocolate-colored eyes.

“You can, you just won’t.”

“Don’t you put this on to me. You promised me. You said it was casual. You agreed no feelings were to be involved.” Tears stream down her face.

“I lied.”

Issy gasps on a sob as she rushes from the table and up to her room. I was a fucking fool for thinking I could get Issy to fall in love with me again. To give us a second chance. I thought I showed her that I had changed, that I wasn’t the same guy I was all those years ago. But she doesn’t want to see it. She is never going to see it.

And that hurts.

25

ISABELLE

Ihaven’t seen Pierre since he moved out a week ago. As soon as the media saw him moving out, they left my home and followed him to his new one. From what I hear, it’s a high-rise building with tight security who are not keen on the media camping out, and they eventually moved on. It sucks coming home to an empty home, no slobbery kisses greeting me at the door, no half-chewed shoes, no home-cooked dinner waiting for me and most certainly, no orgasms. I’m miserable. But I know in time that feeling will pass. Hopefully.

This weekend we are heading to The Hamptons to hang out with the gang, and it’s going to be the first time seeing Pierre, and I’m dreading it. He’s probably been having the time of his life at The Paradise Club now that he’s free of me. Urgh. Why does that hurt me to even think about it?Because you have feelings for him.We’re friends, I have friendship feelings for him nothing more.

I arrive at the heliport and run into Harper, Felix, and Meadow in the terminal.

“Hey, are you okay? You don’t look crash hot,” Harper asks as she hugs me.

“Might be coming down with something,” I tell her.

“Or are you missing someone?” she whispers in my ear. I give her a filthy side-eye which makes her smirk. “I’m so looking forward to this weekend. We are going to have so much fun,” Harper says.

“Just like we used to in high school,” I say, trying to crack a joke.

“Is this the same place where we used to go during the summer?” Pierre’s deep voice surprises me, making me jump. I turn around and I hate how fucking gorgeous he is dressed in shorts that mold against his tight ass, a tee that clings to every muscle in his body, and he’s unshaven. How does that make him better looking? It’s not fair.

“That’s right. We had some great summers there.” Harper laughs.

I can’t look at him, those hazel eyes have been haunting me every night, so I concentrate on Frankston, who strains on the lead his owner his holding until he lets go and Frankston launches himself at me and barrels me over. I’m covered in slobbery kisses as I hug him.

“Hey, boy, yeah, I’ve missed you too. My shoes haven’t, but I have,” I tell him. I’ve packed his favorite cookies in my bag to give him this weekend. Felix greets his brother as do Harper and Meadow.

“Hey, Issy,” he grunts before securing Frankston back onto his lead. I give him an awkward wave, which he doesn’t see as he turns his back to me. Rude.

Thankfully, a steward tells us our helicopter is ready, and we head out onto the tarmac, which freaks poor Frankston out with all the loud sounds. Pierre picks him up and carries him like a big floofy baby to the helicopter. We jump in and do up our seat belts. I sit across from Pierre so that Frankston can snuggle between us on the floor. Our legs touch and tingles slide over mybody, but Pierre quickly moves his legs away from me so there’s no way they can ever touch again. My stomach sinks, Pierre hates me. This is going to be a great weekend.

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