We end up on the back terrace. It’s freezing. The snow is piling up on the stone balustrade.
Maxwell walks to the edge of the balcony. He grips the stone railing so hard his knuckles turn white.
"I’m sorry," he says. His voice is shaking. "They are monsters. I shouldn't have brought you here. It was a mistake."
"Max," I say. I walk up behind him. "Hey. Look at me."
He turns around. He looks shattered. The armor is gone. He’s just a man who has spent his whole life trying to please people who cannot be pleased.
"You used the dessert fork," I say softly.
Maxwell blinks. A hysterical laugh bubbles up in his throat. "It seemed... appropriate."
"It was punk rock," I tell him. "It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen."
He looks at me, confused. "Hot?"
"Yeah. Hot."
I step closer. The snow is falling around us, catching in his dark hair.
"You stood up to her," I say. "You stood up to your father. You defended me."
"You are my partner," Maxwell says. "Strategic or otherwise. I do not let people disrespect my team."
"Is that all I am?" I ask. "A team member?"
Maxwell stares at me. The wind blows a lock of hair across his forehead.
"Jax," he whispers. "You know you are not."
"Prove it."
Maxwell hesitates. He looks at the glass doors where his family is undoubtedly judging us. Then he looks at me.
He grabs my lapels. He pulls me down.
He kisses me.
It’s not a performance. There’s no audience out here in the snow. It’s desperate, cold, and tasting of expensive scotch and relief. His mouth is soft, his body trembling against mine—not from the cold, but from the release of tension.
I wrap my arms around him, pulling him into my coat, shielding him from the wind. I deepen the kiss, sliding my tongue against his, claiming him.
For a moment, the York Estate, the judgment, the trauma—it all disappears. It’s just us. The Ice King and the Soldier, finding warmth in the middle of a blizzard.
Maxwell pulls back, breathless. His lips are red. His eyes are shining.
"We’re leaving," he says.
"What about the tart?"
"Screw the tart."
"God, I love it when you talk dirty."
We turn to go back inside, just to get our coats.
The terrace door opens.
