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.

She had kept it from them for a reason. Everything about the Lesnars was supposed to be temporary, distant, unspoken. Especially because she had foolishly let her guard down for him. How could she ever explain that? She never intended to. Not unless she knew the truth first.

But now, they were literally driving behind him, headed straight for his guest house, and Isabel was practically drooling over him, making everything worse.

Melissa caught on anyway. "You’ve got the hots for him, don’t you?"

"Oh my God...can you stop?" Merlina groaned, dragging a hand over her face. Her cheeks were burning now. She wanted to disappear into the hood of her jacket.

"Oh, and he definitely likes

you," Melissa added. "The way he looked at you? Not subtle."

That one hit.

Her stomach dropped. A traitorous smile flickered at the corners of her mouth before she could stop it.

Because of course Craig looked at her like that, like she was the only one in the room, like he already knew her in ways no one else did. And for a while, she thought maybe it was all in her head. Just heat and nerves and wishful thinking.

But Melissa had seen it too.

Someone else had noticed. That look. That pull. And that made tonight feel a little bit warmer.

She wasn’t crazy. She wasn’t making it up.

He really did look at her like she was his person.

And even though she hated being exposed, hated that her sister had caught a glimpse of something so private—it melted her a little. Weakened her in a way nothing else could.

Because deep down, it felt good to be seen like that. Wanted like that.

Especially by him.

They pulled into a small but beautiful property nestled off the road, warm lights glowing, a welcome contrast to the snowstorm outside. This was more of a Villa than a guest house.

Craig was already there, jacket unzipped, hair damp from snow, talking with quiet charm. Clearly their SUV was no match for his Ferrari when it came to speed.

"Place has about four rooms," he told them as they entered, "with heaters."

Melissa made a noise that might’ve been a prayer. Carlos fist-bumped him. Alistair was already rating the interior like it was an Airbnb review.

Merlina stepped in last.

Warmth hit her like a secret, firelight, soft golden tones, velvet shadows on dark wood. The space was too quiet, too expensive. A house meant for slow sips and soft moans. Not stranded teenagers with frozen toes.

It smelled like cedar and something else—him, probably. Craig.

She tugged off her gloves, heart thudding way too loud in her chest.

They were miles from Belford.

No Phoebe. No Megan.

No Louis. No Keith.

No one to lean on. No one to hide behind.

Just her. And Craig. And her crew—who were way too busy geeking out over the car and the guesthouse to notice how she’d gone quiet, like every nerve had gone still, listening for his next move.

She was still unzipping her coat when she looked up and saw him already looking at her.

Craig.

By the fire, jacket off, sleeves pushed to his forearms, damp curls brushing his forehead. Watching her. His eyes went darker with something heavier immediately they met with hers. He held her gaze like he wasn’t afraid to be obvious about it.

Her grip tightened on the zipper. And then she yanked it down with too much force, probably from the pressure and frustration of wanting him when she knew she shouldn’t

"Whoa," Alistair said, breaking the silence as he looked around the space. "This place is so cool. Do you live here alone?"

Craig shook his head. "I don’t live here. I actually just flew in today. My assistant booked the guest house for my stay."

Alistair gave a low whistle, nodding, clearly impressed.

Carlos raised a brow. "You’ve got an assistant? What are you, a celebrity or some kind of influencer?"

Merlina wished she could go deaf, for at least five seconds, five seconds where she couldn’t hear these cringe comments.

Craig hesitated, clearly not eager to elaborate. "Umm..."

But before he could find a way around the question, Merlina cut in. "Do you have like... a news channel or something, so we know when the snow block clears?"

Craig glanced at her, the corner of his mouth twitching like he knew exactly what she was doing. "It’s not gonna be cleared for some hours. So get comfortable."

Melissa perked up. "So we can, like, spend the night here until dawn or something?"

Merlina’s stomach turned, at the realization that this was only gonna get worse. She kept her face neutral, but inside, everything tensed. The last thing she wanted was for this night to stretch into morning, for her siblings and cousins to settle in like this was some kind of vacation.

This was embarrassing. They had no idea where they were—or who they were with and yet they were so comfortable.

Craig turned slightly to her. "Yeah. Sure. Melissa, right?" She nodded, smiling. "There’s like three empty rooms to choose from."

Carlos and Alistair both grinned. "Thanks, man."

Isabel’s eyes lit up. "Can we do a house tour?"

Craig gave a slight shrug, gesturing with one hand. "Yeah, sure. Help yourself."

The group immediately broke into motion, echoing footsteps and chatter spilling down the hallway as they explored the guest house like it was some Palace.

But Merlina didn’t move. She stood still, then slowly leaned closer to Craig. "What are you doing?" she said quietly.

He blinked, pretending not to understand. "What do you mean?"

"Acting all nice and charming. Offering your guest house like it’s nothing. You didn’t even ask me first."

He looked at her, unbothered. "Should’ve left you out in the cold?"

She didn’t answer.

Craig’s voice lowered, smooth but edged with heat. "Don’t worry. I’m not gonna kiss you in front of your siblings, if that’s what you’re scared of."

He glanced at her lips, then back to her eyes and smiled, slow and deliberate. "We’ll keep it PG-13." His voice came out lower than before, like it was just meant for her to ears only.

She didn’t mean to look at his mouth. Didn’t mean to imagine what it felt like. Again.

But the firelight hit his skin just right. His jaw flexed like he was already holding himself back from doing something reckless, and the air suddenly felt ten degrees warmer.

He didn’t touch her. He didn’t have to. The way he looked at her said enough, like he was already undressing her in his mind. As if he knew exactly how to make her melt, how to shut her up and make her forget every reason she was mad.

She forced her eyes away, but it was too late.

She’d already gone soft. She didn’t trust her body around him.

And the worst part?

He knew.

He could see it.

And he liked it.

She exhaled, sharp and heavy, as if trying to push the heat down with it. "It’s not just that, Craig. You know what I’m saying. I didn’t want them to be a part of this."

He narrowed his eyes when he realized where this conversation was going. "What is this ?" his voice was sharp now, irritation breaking through the calm. "Huh ? You keep acting like I’m some kind of complicated villain when I haven’t even done anything to you."

She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Melissa’s voice called from upstairs.

"Merlina! You need to come see the view from up here! It’s insane."

Merlina didn’t even look up. "Yeah. I’ll be right there."

For a split second, she envied Melissa—loud, carefree with no worries. Not caught in some tangled mess with a guy she never should’ve kissed. Not weighed down by feelings she shouldn’t act on. Just... free.

Melissa’s footsteps retreated, fading into the floorboards above.

Only then did Merlina turn her head, not toward the stairs, not toward Melissa, just... away. Her eyes found a quiet corner of the room, somewhere safe to land.

She was tired.

Not the kind of tired sleep could fix, but the kind that came from trying to juggle too much at once. Craig. Her family. The secrets. The noise. The pressure to stay composed when all she wanted was a second to breathe.

And Craig didn’t make it any easier.

"I’m not doing this with you, Merlina. Not anymore. If you have a problem with my brother, take it up with Conor, not me." his gaze held hers, steady and unwavering. "I’m not him."