I plant myself in front of her, arms crossed, refusing to budge. I think she’s trying to get me to leave, which is ironic since I was the one trying to force her out. Somehow, she has me reconsidering this whole miserable agreement.
Well, two can play that game. If she thinks I’m going to bail now, she’s dead wrong. “We might be incompatible...” I move closer to her, and I can see the flicker of doubt in her eyes. “But I still have to serve my time. So we need to figure out how to work together. Because,sweetheart, like it or not, I’m not going anywhere.”
She frowns and leans against the wall. “Why? We both know this is a waste of your time—and mine. Admit it, you don’t really want to be here.”
“Of course I don’t want to be here. But if doing my time means getting back on the ice, then I don’t have a choice.”
She shakes her head and skates off, faster this time. I find it downright irritating that every time I try to have a conversation with her, she darts away from me like she wants to annoy me.
I take off after her, trying not to fall on my face this time. “Why do you keep skating away from me when I’m talking to you?”
“So I don’t have to look at your face,” she fires back, keeping her eyes glued to the ice. “And to see if you can keep up with me.”
“Easy,” I say, picking up my speed. Just as I catch up, she pulls a quick turn, leaving me to overshoot and skid past her.
“I thought hockey players had better reflexes.”
“You did that on purpose.”
“If you can’t keep up, don’t blame me.” She shrugs and takes off again. It’s a game to her, this cat-and-mouse chase on the ice. She’s trying to prove I’m not cut out for her sport.
“Oh, I’ll keep up,” I mutter to myself, picking up speed and finally passing her with a wicked grin. “Eat my dust, Ice Queen.”
She rolls her eyes, like she’d enjoy kicking me in the crotch with her toe pick.
I pull to a quick stop, about to ask her what her problem is when she crashes into me, sending us both to the ice. She lands on top of me, legs tangled, her hair falling over her face and mine.
The air between us shifts as she catches her breath. Her face is inches from mine, and her eyes flare slightly. I can feel her chest heaving, and the weight of her body pressed against mine makes my skin flame with heat.
“You knocked me over,” she accuses, sounding indignant, but breathless.
“Pretty sureyoucrashed intome, Ice Queen.”
“I most definitely would not crash into you and end up...” She takes in a fortifying breath. “Like this.” Her words come out weakly.
We stare at each other, neither one willing to move. All of my thunder is gone now that her delicious scent washes over me as her soft skin brushes mine. She feels familiar and warm, and every cell in my body begs to drag my hand down her back or feel the curve of her waist. Victoria’s grey eyes turn hazy, and when they drop to my lips for a split second, I know I need to get out of this position as quickly as possible—otherwise, I’m going to do something stupid like kiss those soft pink lips without thinking of the consequences.
If I make that mistake, Victoria will make me pay dearly.
I clear my throat loudly. “You know, I can’t exactly get up with you on top of me.”
“Oh... sorry,” she says before rolling off of me.
I sit up, watching her with a mix of frustration and something else I don’t want to name. “You okay?”
She meets my gaze, cheeks flushed, and nods. I can’t tell if she’s embarrassed or still shocked that we ended up on top of each other.
“Just let me know if you’re planning to wipe out on me again,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
“So you can bodycheck me instead?” She smiles, and for a second, it almost feels like old times. The Victoria I remember from college is back—the girl who didn’t take crap from anyone.
That’s when I realize that I’m going about this challenge of making Victoria quit the wrong way. Annoying her might be fun, but it won’t make her walk away; she’s too sharp for that. I need a new strategy, and I think I’ve just figured it out. I need to make her feel like she did when she fell on top of me.Completely flustered.
“Just so you know,” I say, looking at her, “you’re going to have to get comfortable with me workingveryclosely with you. I’ve seen those lifts in pairs skating. There’s no place those guys don’t touch.”
She raises an eyebrow, a tiny ripple of doubt in her eyes. Then she tips her chin up. “I can handle it. I’ve worked with lots of men.”
A hot streak of jealousy flames inside me. I can’t let Victoria see that she’s stirred up some highly irrational feelings for her. She’ll just use it to her advantage.
