Ice Bound Passion

Chapter 2

Emilia POV

After God’s joke on me, I knew I had to gain a semblance of order before I started getting asked questions. And there was no better place than the restroom.

“Excuse me,” I mumbled to no one in particular and slipped away toward the one I had seen earlier down the hall.

The second I was inside, I locked myself in a stall, pressed my back against the door, and tried to breathe. My heart was hammering so hard it hurt. How was this happening? Of all the men in New York, why did it have to be him?

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down.

The restroom door opened. I heard boots clicking on the tile, then the sound of two girls chatting as they left.

Then my stall door suddenly pushed open.

I almost screamed.

A large hand clamped over my mouth, muffling the sound. My back hit the wall as a tall, powerful body crowded me into the small space.

Ace.

He was looking at me like he wanted to kill me. His dark eyes burned with fury and disgust.

He leaned in close, lowering his voice to a fierce whisper against my ear.

“How much do you want?”

I blinked, confused and terrified, heart pounding against my ribs. He was still covering my mouth, so I couldn’t answer.

Realizing that, he slowly removed his hand, but didn’t step back. His body was still caging me in.

“What the f**k do you want?” he growled, low and dangerous.

I stared up at him, breathing fast. “I… I don’t understand. I want nothing from you.”

He let out a bitter, disbelieving snicker. His gaze dragged slowly up and down my body, filled with pure disgust.

“If you don’t want something, then why the f**k are you here?” he hissed. “Stalking me all the way to another city and pretending to be a physical therapist? What’s next? Pinning a false pregnancy on me? Accusing me of r**e?”

My eyes widened in horror. “What? No– what the f**k?!”

Before I could say anything else, we both heard voices. Two girls had just entered the restroom, chatting loudly.

His hand shot back over my mouth. He pressed me harder against the wall, his big body shielding mine as he silently closed the stall door behind us.

We stood frozen, barely breathing, as the girls continued their conversation at the sinks.

“Oh my God, did you see Ace today?” one of them whispered excitedly. “He’s so f*****g hot. I would let him do anything to me.”

The other giggled. “Right? I’d have his babies in a heartbeat. Just one night with him and I’d die happy.”

Ace’s jaw tightened against my temple. His body was rigid, radiating tension. I could feel the heat coming off him, the hard press of his chest against mine.

The girls kept talking, going on about how they’d do anything to get his attention, how they’d f**k him in the locker room if they could.

I was mortified. So that was what he thought of me too. Just another desperate girl chasing after him.

His familiar masculine scent and cologne filled my lungs, making it hard to think straight. My traitorous body reacted instantly, remembering things it had no right to remember. My n*****s tightened. With every inch of me pressed against him, he noticed.

His dark eyes bored into mine, furious and intense. And dilated.

He slowly removed his hand from my mouth but stayed close, voice a dangerous whisper.

“You have five seconds to explain yourself before I drag you to hell.”

Something inside me snapped.

I shoved him hard in the chest with both hands. He actually stumbled back a step, surprise flashing across his face.

“Confirm with your coach if I’m real or not!” I hissed, fury burning through the fear. “I’m not here lapping over your d**k begging for juice, Ace. You were supposed to be a stranger I’d never see again in my life. A one-time mistake. That’s it.”

He stared at me, clearly stunned by my guts. Then a low, dark laugh escaped him.

“I’ve seen plenty of girls act tough,” he said, eyes narrowing. “So I’ll be interested to see how long this little act lasts.”

He stepped closer again, towering over me, voice dropping into a cold warning.

“But let me make one thing very clear. The day I hear even a single word about what happened between us from anyone, your career is finished. I’ll make sure you never work in this league again. Do you understand?”

I held his gaze, breathing hard, refusing to back down even though my knees felt weak.

He gave me one last long look, then turned and walked out of the stall without another word.

I was in a state of shock. My shaking legs finally gave out and I sat on the water closet with my head in my hands.

Oh my God. This was a f*****g nightmare.

The man who had given me the best s*x of my life was now my worst enemy. And he thought I was some kind of gold-digging stalker.

I pressed my forehead against the cool stall wall and whispered to myself,

“What the hell am I going to do?”

After a few deep breaths, I splashed cold water on my face, fixed my hair, and forced a small, professional smile in the mirror. It looked fake, but it would have to do.

I had somewhere else to be. I was finally going to see my mom after so long.

I couldn’t show up with this distraught expression. She deserved to see me happy, especially today.

The drive to my mom’s new house wasn’t long. When I pulled up, I sat in the car for a minute, staring at the beautiful mansion. It looked expensive. Like a goddamn palace. Everything my mom had always dreamed of.

I took one last deep breath, plastered on my best smile, and got out.

The front door opened before I even reached it. My mom rushed out, arms wide open.

“Emilia!” she cried, pulling me into a tight hug. She smelled like vanilla and home. “My baby girl! I’m so proud of you.”

I hugged her back just as tightly, eyes stinging. “I missed you, Mom.”

She pulled away and cupped my face, studying me. “You look so tired. Is everything okay?”

I nodded quickly. “Just a long day. I’m fine. Really.”

Before she could press, a tall, handsome man stepped out behind her. He had kind eyes, salt-and-pepper hair, and an easy, warm smile. He looked like the type of man who had never raised his voice in anger. A total opposite of my drunk, angry father.

“Emilia,” he said, voice gentle. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you. I’m Richard.”

He extended his hand. I shook it, surprised by how genuinely nice he seemed.

“It’s nice to meet you too, sir,” I said softly. “Thank you for taking care of my mom.”

He smiled shyly, glancing at her. “She’s the one taking care of me. Come inside, please.”

The house was warm and elegant on the inside. I felt a real, quiet happiness for my mom as I looked around. She finally had the life she deserved.

Richard led us into the living room. “My son should be home soon. He was really looking forward to meeting you.”

I nodded politely, trying to focus on making a good impression.

A few minutes later, the front door opened.

I turned to look. And the world tilted on its axis for the second time that day.

Ace walked in, still wearing his practice gear, duffel bag slung over one shoulder. His eyes landed on me and widened in pure confusion and shock.

My stomach dropped straight through the floor.

Please tell me that is not my stepbrother.

Richard’s voice rang out cheerfully behind me.

“Emilia, meet your stepbrother, Ace.”