Page 41 of Hotter on Ice

A flush rushed to her cheeks as she thought about the other reason she had taken it down. Knowing that Henning could be watching her—watching but still staying away—was torture.

“Yeah, Max called me about it,” said Natasha, scooping out another bite. “I figured that’s what happened.”

“And then I let my relationship with Stewart drag out for months, just so I wasn’t alone,” she said.

Her ex-boyfriend was a male model, not the thin, androgynous type, but bigger, bulkier, with tattoos and scruff. Yes, he was hot, but long before their breakup, Alya had tired of Stewart’s endless chatter about protein shakes and bench press maxes. But the lack of connection, the lack of drama had actually been a relief after Nick.

“Well, Henning definitely isn’t Stewart.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “That’s for sure. But I want a different life. One that’s not carefully constructed so I can avoid my fears. One where I’m actually living my life.”

Natasha smiled. “I approve.”

“Aww, thanks,” Alya said dryly.

“For the record, I’m in favor of the idea of going alone, as long as you really want that,” said Natasha, her spoon clattering in her bowl.

“Me, too,” she said. “But the truth is, I miss Henning. A lot. Enough to consider some bad ideas.”

“Like what?”

The heat pulsed to Alya’s cheeks again. “Last night, I missed him so much that I was actually entertaining the idea of calling him, late at night, for a little pick-me-up. Grabbing at the scraps he offered.”

Natasha laughed. “That idea has some pros, you know.”

“Yeah, I’m well aware of the benefits.” She shook her head. “But I’d be letting him into my life under his conditions. That’s been my problem all along. I’ve been willing to compromise far too much. No. I deserve more than he wants to give. I’m not compromising, just for amazing sex.”

Natasha raised her eyebrows, and Alya sighed.

“It was really, really, really good.”

Henning stood in front of his sister’s door and swiped a hand over his face. Uncles don’t miss their nieces’ birthdays. If it had been anything else, he would have said no, but he couldn’t say no to Molly. Still, Henning stood at the front door of Suzanne and Kenny’s quaint suburban home in the sweltering morning heat, unable to get himself together for a five-year-old’s birthday party.

Tonight was the fund-raiser, and he wasn’t going. He hadn’t spoken to Alya since he left her at her doorstep, hadn’t even seen her through the security feed. Max was the one who confirmed she had taken down the camera.

The last few days had been hell, alone in his office, sitting at his computer. At Alya’s request, he had dismantled other parts of the system he had set in place for her safety over the last three years. He knew it was coming, but he just hadn’t expected the camera from her apartment to go away so soon. It was supposed to be the way he could still check in on her, make sure she was okay even if she was keeping her distance.

He thought he would be relieved to get out of the cold, back to the summer heat of Sydney, but he was wrong. Nothing about this week felt like relief.

But nieces still had birthdays, even when the last remnants of his twisted heart were bleeding out. Fuck, he was turning into a sappy bastard. It was time to put himself aside and eat cake and paint his fingernails, or whatever Molly had planned for him.

Henning straightened up and knocked on the front door. Molly opened it immediately.

“Uncle Henning!” The pint-size ball of energy made a running jump into his arms, and he picked her up and swung her around in a circle.

“It’s the birthday girl,” he said, but his voice came out like it was full of gravel. Christ, how long had it been since he had spoken aloud?

“I saw you standing there in the window,” she said. “Mummy said not to disturb you. What were you doing?”

Henning winced. “I was just thinking about...the place I got your birthday present.”

It was as close as he could come to the truth.

She was hanging on around his neck, and she pulled back in his arms, her eyes wide. “Can I open it?”

“Of course. It’s your day,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. He set her down and handed over the present.

“Wait for everyone to see it, Molly.” His sister’s voice came from somewhere in the house. “Let Uncle Henning come in.”