Page 72 of The Ice Kiss

"I can’t reconcile this side of you with the grumpyass you normally are."

He searches my features, then nods. "I can understand why it must seem so confusing. This is a charade, and here I am, doing things a real-life fiancé would do for you."

I tilt my head. "I can’t understand how you are so reasonable sometimes."

"I'malwaysreasonable," he murmurs.

"You’re joking, right?"

His lips kick up on one side, so he has that one-sided smile on his face that’s so freakin’ sexy. My heart stutters a little.

"Maybe I am… a little," he agrees. "But I’m not unnecessarily unreasonable."

I stare at him.

"I don’t go out of my way to be cheery, but I also don’t make things difficult for other people."

"And what do you call asking me to move into your room, knowing full-well there was only one bed, and then asking me to pose as your fiancée,andmaking it impossible for me to refuse?"

"I call that a transaction." He raises a shoulder.

"It didn’t make my life easier, necessarily."

"It helped you get back at your wankhole of an ex."

"It did." I look away, then back at him. "I guess I’m confused because you said you wanted to re-instate boundaries and then you were—"

"Massaging away your pain?" His forehead furrows. "It’s a little confusing to me, too. I hadn’t meant it to turn into a seduction routine or make you come— Okay, maybe I did want to make you come, but only because I knew it would relax you further. But I’m all for the boundaries."

I rub at my temple. "This entire discussion is giving me a headache. Also…" I lower my hand and scowl up at him. "You told me you’ll tell me about your family."

"If you tell me about yours?"

I fold my arms about my waist. "I don’t talk about my family with anyone."

"Neither do I."

I jerk my head in his direction. "You introduced me to your Grams."

"But you don’t know about my past."

I have a sense of it from the pictures I saw on the walls of his grandmother’s house, but I also noticed they stopped when he was a teenager. After that, there are no pictures of them together as a family, and I have to admit, I’m curious.

"The only reason I want to know about your past is so I can do a better job as the PR manager of the team." I tip up my chin.

He widens his stance. "And the only reason I want to know about your past is so when I’m interviewed about you by the media, I know enough to keep this charade alive."

"O-kay." I nod slowly.

"Okay." He holds out his hand. "Shall we do it over dinner tonight?"

* * *

"So, he’s taking you out to dinner?" Mira squeals over the phone.

I increase the distance between the phone and my face. "Jeez, pipe down, will ya?"

"He’s taking you out to dinner; that’s a big deal."

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