Chapter 84: Heat Under Ice
"What?" Merlina frowned as she hit the lock button, the soft click of the back seat door sealing them in.
The car was quiet except for the soft sound of the heater and the crunch of tires rolling over the packed snow. The windows had fogged slightly from their warm breath, and the cold outside made everything feel sharper.
"I asked you if Belford had any hot guys," Melissa said, turning halfway in her seat to look at her sister with narrowed eyes, like she was putting puzzle pieces together. "And you said, and I quote ’no one like that here.’ So... who is that?"
Of course she remembered.
Isabel twisted toward Merlina, practically bouncing in her seat, eyes wide with dramatic excitement. "Tell me that Greek God is on your Top 1 list and you’re trying to date him. Because if not? I swear, I’m calling dibs."
Merlina crossed her arms and sank a little lower into her seat, eyes fixed on the blur of trees outside the window. "I’m not doing this with you guys," she muttered, pulling a face like she was annoyed. But really, she was flustered. Burning, even under her coat.
"Don’t give me that look," Melissa said, not backing off. "He walked up like he knows he’s hot and dangerous. Who is he, Merlina?"
Merlina’s eyes stayed forward, locked on the dark outline of Craig Lesnar’s car just ahead. Carlos was following closely, every turn, every stop, every stretch of empty road. It made her sick to her stomach.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she turned her head slightly toward the side window, watching the snow-lined trees blur past, just enough so Melissa and Isabel couldn’t see her face.
God, she hated this.
Hated how exposed she felt. Her siblings didn’t know anything about Craig Lesnar or the mess tied to him. That was on purpose.