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I could only stare at her.
She checked her lipstick, perfectly nonchalant in her cruelty, then turned on her heel. I would never have caught it if I hadn’t been watching her closely. She tucked her hair behind her ear with trembling fingers. No, not just trembling. Her hands were shaking. My Ice Queen was not nearly as unaffected as she wanted me to think. I grabbed her hand as she tried to pass me.
“You leave it like this, and I have no choice but to force you, baby. You leave me no choice but to make you tell me the truth, and that’ll hurt us both.”
“You can’t hurt me, Asher. I’m the Ice Queen, remember? There’s nothing inside but frozen shards of glass. Don’t waste your time,” she said flatly. Then she flicked a heartbreaking look at me. “Your time is worth so much more than me.” She pulled away and made for the door.
“Winter,” I started after her.
She got to the door, opened it, and stopped.
Outside the bathroom, Trent was waiting for her. He cocked an eyebrow. “I was wondering where my date ran off to.”
“She was with me. She’ll always be with me,” I said, stepping out and deciding that now was the perfect time to break that motherfucker’s nose.
Trent nodded and grinned. He saluted someone over my shoulder. I twisted around to see Coach Eric watching us. Damn it. I couldn’t do anything with the Coach there, and Trent knew it.
That simple fact made him so confident he swaggered over to me and patted me condescendingly on the arm.
“My condolences, Martino. I’m sure it stings to lose one like this one, but you’ll get over it. There’s plenty of girls who’ll be grateful to have a hot hockey player boyfriend, even if he is poor as shit and going nowhere in life.”
Despite knowing I shouldn’t rise to the bait, my hands were on Trent before he’d finished speaking. I hauled him against my chest and glared into his muddy eyes. My entire life, I’d been the poor guy, the one who had to work every single fucking weekend and holiday. The one who had to think about where the next meal was coming from. I’d thought it had stopped bothering me, but standing there with Trent, a ridiculous excuse for a human being, the unfairness of it all made me furious.
“Ash! Stop, you’ll hurt him!” Winter pulled at my arm. “Don’t hurt him!”
My heart stopped. I faced her.
“You’re worried he’ll get hurt?” I asked. “You actually worry about him?”
She swallowed hard and nodded.
That hurt. It really fucking hurt. I had to give it to Her Majesty. She’d finally drawn first blood.
I let Trent go, and he sagged into Winter. She turned him around and led them out of the hall. It felt like I’d been stabbed in the heart. She was the only one who could inflict that kind of damage.
My hurt transformed into fiery fury as I watched them go. My sweet, sweet baby…always choosing the hard way.
Oh, Ice Queen. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Winter
“Stop fucking sniffling, I don’t want to hear it,” Trent snapped at me. I was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, and I couldn’t hold back my tears one more second. I could still feel Asher’s touch. Could still smell the skin of his neck. I felt like I was being split right down the middle and bleeding out right there on the leather.
“Fucking hell!” Trent lashed out and his hand connected with my face, cracking hard against my nose.
I clamped a hand over my nose, gasping with pain.
“I told you to shut up. You think you can sneak off during a function and fuck around with your ex? I’ll make you pay for it, Winter. I never fucking forget anything.”
When I failed to respond, he reached out and grabbed my hair, yanking me to his side. He pulled so hard, I felt a good amount rip right out.
“Did you hear me?”
“I heard you,” I gasped through the pain. I should fight more. I should try to protect myself, but what was the point?
I deserved it.
I deserved every slap and hit, every strand of bloodied hair that fell from my scalp. I couldn’t get Asher’s tortured dark eyes out my head. I was damned to hell and would burn for breaking his heart. I’d never know peace for making him think he wasn’t good enough for me. For taking his insecurities and using them to drive him away.
