Meet Your Match (Kings of the Ice, #1)(94)

Maven turned back to unpacking, giving them privacy, and Carter pretended to be on his phone.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t look away.

Vince pulled back after a moment, holding Grace’s shoulders in his hands as he spoke in a hushed voice to her. She said something back, and then Vince hugged her again, and grabbed her suitcase. They walked down the hall and up the stairs, and when they were gone, Maven blew out a breath.

“That didn’t look good,” she said.

Carter’s mouth pulled to the side as he looked up the stairs and then back at me. His eyes narrowed a bit then, but before he could say a word, Vince was back, running a hand over his head.

“She okay?” Maven asked.

“No,” he said. “But she will be. I told her she could stay here with us.”

“Of course,” Maven said, rounding the kitchen island until she was slipping her arms around Vince’s waist. “For as long as she needs.”

Vince nodded, blowing out a breath and kissing Maven’s forehead. He seemed to relax with her embracing him, but my muscles were coiled tight.

Carter tried to lighten the mood with a joke, and then Will walked in, breaking the tension of the moment as he grumped about it being too hot to play golf. I mumbled something about needing to use the bathroom before we left, excusing myself down the hall.

Then, I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching, and I made my way up the stairs two at a time.

Vince’s new place was massive, with so many rooms I wasn’t sure which one he would have put Grace in. But I heard her sniffling through a cracked door toward the middle, and I paused just outside it, rapping my knuckles lightly on the wood.

“Come in,” she said softly, pathetically, her voice hoarse.

I pushed the door open just enough to see her, for her to see me, and then we both froze.

I wasn’t sure what I expected. Maybe it was for her to tell me to fuck off and leave her alone, because when she lit up with a smile, it twisted my gut — like I didn’t deserve that, like it was dangerous for me to want every smile she ever had to give. Her cheeks lifted, eyes crinkling, and two more tears slid down in perfect unison, like the smile had set them free.

“Hey,” she said, and it was just one word, just a greeting. But that smile, the way she watched me, it made me feel like I had the power to make everything okay.

“Who do I have to kill?”

She choked on something between a sob and a laugh, wiping her nose with a bunched-up tissue in her hands. She swiped the tears away next. “He’s not worth the jail time.”

My chest ignited then, the spark turning to flame.

He.

That confirmed my suspicion.

That night in Austin, she’d told me in the most adorable but firm way that she was taken, dating some guy she’d met camping. Judging by her tear-stained face, the guy had blown it.

Idiot.

“You okay?”

Her smile waned. “Yeah, yeah,” she said quickly, waving her hand in the air like she was swatting a gnat away. “It’s his loss. And probably good I found out now before…” She shook her head, her voice fading. “Nothing a little sunshine and salt water can’t fix.”

She forced another smile, and I frowned, stepping more fully into the room.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Pretend to be fine. Pretend like you’re not hurting. Pretend like the bright side is all you’re thinking of.”

Her eyebrows slid together, but then she looked down at where her hands still clutched the balled-up tissue, and she shrugged.

“It’s easier than admitting the truth.”

Carter called my name from downstairs, and I cursed, stepping out of the room and down the hall a bit before yelling, “Be right there!”

Then, I slid back into the doorway, chest aching at the sight of Grace so small on that large four-post bed.

“Go,” she said with a weak smile. “I’m fine.”

But her eyes said differently.

“What are you doing tonight?”

She arched a brow. “Hosting a ball. Isn’t it obvious?” She splayed her hands, waving them out over herself and the room.

The corner of my mouth twitched up. This girl was heartbroken, and yet she was making jokes.

“What if we drove?”

“Drove?”

I nodded.

“Where?”

“Anywhere.”

She folded her arms. “And my brother?”

A warning flared in my gut, but I ignored it. “Do you tell your brother everything?”

Mischief bloomed to life in her sea green eyes, the first real smile I’d seen since Austin curling on her light pink lips.

I should have walked away. I should have shook my head and said nevermind and bolted out of that room. This was a girl with a broken heart, fresh out of a relationship that clearly hurt her. This was a girl, period — one far too young for me.

This was Grace Tanev, my teammate and one of my best friend’s little sister.

Walk away, common sense begged me. This is not your place.

But I stood tall, rooted in place, watching her and waiting for her to be the stronger one because I damn sure couldn’t be.

Grace popped off the bed. “Road trip?”