24– Gabrielle

“I’m never gonna live that down, am I?”

The question slipped out before I could stop it.

We had barely made it through the entrance of the penthouse, but I was already regretting coming here.

Kayden didn’t answer.

He kept walking, his suitcase rolling behind him, his broad shoulders drawn tight. The sharp set of his jaw told me everything I needed to know.

I hurried after him. “Kayden.”

Nothing.

“Stop pretending like you can’t hear me,” I snapped. “You know what I mean.”

He finally cast a look over his shoulder.

I hated that look.

It was almost worse than his anger.

There was a coldness in his eyes, the corners so tight like he’d built a wall between us and wasn’t particularly interested in letting me climb over it.

He rolled his eyes and looked away.

“You know,” he said, his voice low, “while you’re here, you should probably play your role as my girlfriend perfectly.” He slowed his pace. “If not, I can book you a flight back home.”

Ah… There it was again, that edge in his voice, that strange mixture of anger and something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

My brows pulled together. “Did I do something wrong?”

He stopped walking. For a moment, his back remained toward me, before he turned.

“Did you not realize that demanding separate rooms and looking like you’re disgusted and would rather die than share a bed with me might arouse suspicion?”

I scoffed, shaking my head. “I didn’t look disgusted.”

“You looked horrified,” he asserted.

“I was shocked.”

“Same difference.”

“It isn’t,” I ground out, my patience wearing thin. I crossed my arms over my chest as a way to shield myself as the feeling of defensiveness rose. “I was shocked because I knew you wouldn’t like the idea.”

His eyebrows lifted. “And how exactly did you know that?”

“It’s obvious, Kayden.” I gestured vaguely between us. “Look at how you’ve been acting toward me since the airport.”

His expression hardened. “Because I’m trying to give you your space.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.” He dragged a hand over his face, looking exhausted. “You made it pretty fucking clear that you don’t want to be around me.”

My stomach tightened. I swallowed hard on the lump in my throat. “That’s not what I said.”

“No?” He jerked a brow. 

“No.”

Kayden chuckled, the sound hollow as he stared at me like he couldn’t understand me. “You looked me in the eyes and told me you were ashamed to be associated with me, Gabrielle. I don’t need any more explanation to know that you don’t want to be around me.”

The hurt underneath his voice was rattling. My fingers trembled against my arm and it took a lot of strength to still be able to hold his gaze:

A breath whooshed past my lips. “I told you I didn’t mean that.”

His laugh was quiet and humorless. “I don’t care.”

There was no sarcasm in his face. No teasing smirk. No arrogance. Just a wall.

Kayden rarely had a wall around him, so seeing him so guarded for the first time since I could remember wasn’t a good feeling.

“Fine.” I exhaled a sharp breath. “There’s no need for us to continue talking about this.”

“You read my mind,” he sassed.

I nodded. “You take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

His head snapped toward me. “What?”

“Your ribs are already aching. You need the bed more than I do.”

“I—”

“Don’t argue with me for once in your life.” I softened my voice. “Please.”

Kayden stared at me. Actually stared. His lips parted, his eyebrows drawing together as if I’d just started speaking another language. For once, the man who always had a comeback ready had absolutely nothing to say.

His eyes moved over my face, lingering there for a second too long. His expression changed. Then he looked away.

“So fucking ridiculous.” He grabbed his suitcase and started toward the bedroom.

I followed him. “Kayden.”

He didn’t stop.

“Kayden.”

Still nothing.

I caught up just as he reached the bedroom door.

He pushed it open.

“I’m calling a doctor,” I blurted out. 

That got his attention.

He stopped dead. Slowly, he turned around. “The hell you are.”

“Yes, I am.” I stepped into the bedroom behind him. “Don’t worry. She’s discreet—”

“I don’t need a fucking doctor coming here to diagnose me with broken ribs so you can sing in my ears about how dangerous it is for me to play.”

I inhaled a slow breath through my nose. Once. Twice. Exhaling each breath through my mouth. My throat was tight, but I forced myself to breathe. I grounded myself, because if I didn’t, I was going to lose my temper. And I was already dangerously close.

“First of all,” I said, forcing each word out, “it is dangerous that you want to play in this condition.” He opened his mouth. I raised a finger.“But I’m not stopping you. I’m trying to make sure you’re at least steady enough to withstand the game.”

His jaw clenched. “I didn’t ask for your help, Gabrielle.”

My chest tightened. I stepped closer. “You don’t need to ask for my help, Kayden.”

“I don’t?”

“No.”

“Then what exactly am I supposed to do? Stand here and let you play savior?”

I frowned. “Savior?”

He laughed under his breath and shook his head. “Forget it.”

“No.” I stepped in front of him before he could turn away. “Don’t do that. Don’t say something deliberately insulting and then tell me to forget it.”

“Fine.” He tossed his suitcase onto the floor. “You want to know what I think? I think you’re doing all this because it’s your job.”

The words were quiet.

Almost too quiet.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

I scoffed, my brows furrowing in confusion. “I’m doing this because I care whether you’re okay.”

His expression barely changed. “Do you?”

The question stopped me. There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t decipher. Something raw. I hated that I couldn’t decipher it.

“Yes.” I stepped closer. “I’m doing this because I want to. I’m doing this because I enjoy watching you move on the ice. And I’m doing this because it’s my job to make sure you maintain the perfect image both on the ice and off it.”

“There... she said it,” he snickered under his breath. “Actually, Gabrielle, it’s the job of the team doctor, my nutritionist, and my personal trainer to make sure I play well on the ice.”

“Do you see them here, Kayden?” I asked, the irritation I was feeling evident in my tone. He said nothing. I spread my arms. “Do you?”

His jaw tightened. “No.”

“Exactly.” I took a step forward. “They aren’t here.” Another step. “But I am. Me. Only me.” I could hear the anger in my own voice, but I didn’t care. “I understand what happened to you. I understand that you don’t want to talk about it. I understand that you don’t want anyone else involved. And I am not asking you to tell me anything. I am only asking you to let me help you.”

Silence.

The room felt too small, the air snagging in my throat. 

Kayden’s gaze dropped to my mouth. It stayed there for a heartbeat. Then another.

My breath caught.

He blinked and looked back into my eyes. Neither of us moved. For one reckless second, I wondered if he was going to kiss me. But he stepped back.

That tiny movement felt like rejection.

I hated how much I felt it.

“So tonight,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady, “I’m in charge.”

A faint, incredulous laugh escaped him. “Gabrielle—”

“Enough.” I lifted my hand between us. “Stop fucking arguing with me like a child. The doctor is coming. And that’s final.”

Kayden’s chest rose and fell on deep breaths. His eyes glazed over, holding both a look of awe and anger in equal measure. 

His eyes traveled over my frame. Slow. Stopped at my feet and came back up to my face. 

“You really don’t know when to stop, do you?” A corner of his mouth twitched. The almost-smile disappeared in half a heartbeat. “That overzealousness will get you into trouble one day.”

“Maybe.” I shrugged. “As long as I don’t get in trouble with you.”

“You wouldn’t know that,” he murmured under his breath as he turned away.

I watched him walk deeper into the room. And even though I’d won the argument, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had somehow lost something else.

Because for all his anger, all his sarcasm, all the ways he kept pushing me away—

I could still feel the question in his eyes.

Do you actually care about me?

And I wasn’t sure why answering it felt so terrifying.