Page 83 of Test the Ice
He backs away, taking my breath with him.
“Hurry,” he says quietly. “It’s boring without my fiancée next to me.”
I quickly glance around to see if anyone is watching us, but besides a few random glimpses, no one is paying us much attention.
Which proves my earlier notion: Malaki Young doesn’t do anything halfway, even faking an engagement.
We go in opposite directions. He strides toward his coach, as if our quick parting kiss didn’t affect him at all, while I nearly stumble over my dress to get away.
Instead of taking a right and heading toward the front doors where random people loiter about, I go the other way and turn toward the banquet hallway. I press my back against a door that reads,Banquet Room Stageand pull out my phone from the clutch I borrowed from Daisy.
My stomach bottoms out almost as quickly as it would if the text were from Zoe telling me something was wrong with Charleigh.
Benedict
You think an expensive ring and fancy dress is going to cover up the fact that you come from the south side of Chicago, Reese?
I jerk upright and stare into the empty hall.
Did he follow me to the event?
Is he here?
What if he’s one of the donors? Benedict and his family absolutely have the funds to be invited to an event like this.
He’s been surprisingly quiet after showing up to the Blue Devils game. There have been a few texts with an apology, but that’s it. I never let my guard down when it comes to Benedict,but after Malaki swooped in and kissed me in front of him, I thought that maybe he’d back off.
I was stupid to think that.
The jealousy continues to eat him up.
He wanted nothing to do with me…until I wanted nothing to do with him.
After triple-checking that I’m alone, I rest my head against the door and clench my eyes shut. Deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth. I try to visualize the faces sprinkled throughout the sea of people attending the event, straining my memory for anyone I recognize.
“Need a Skittle?”
A yelp tears from my chest, and my phone flies through the air.
Malaki catches it with his fast reflexes before it clatters to the marble floor beneath our feet.
He chuckles at the device in the palm of his hand. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he jokes.
Just as he’s about to hand me my phone, it vibrates. We both drop our attention to it.
Benedict’s name flashes on the screen, and Malaki glances up at me with his finger hovering over the worddecline. I nod, and he follows my silent command.
As soon as Benedict's name disappears, the last text he sent sits on the screen for Malaki to see. I quickly snatch it out of his hand and shove it into my clutch. Guilt hits me, but I have no idea why.
My heart pounds.
Malaki shoves his hands in his pockets and eyes me suspiciously. Those blue eyes, always dancing with mirth, narrow. “What’s going on?”
I swallow my thick spit. “Nothing.”
His jaw clenches, but he still manages to lift his lip into a knowing grin. “I can tell when you’re hiding something, Reese.”
My eyes flick in a different direction. “No, you can’t.”
