“Really? But you seem to be in good health. Your cheeks are glowing. Your lips are quivering.”
He was too close. It was a distant reflex, but my eyes dropped to his hands. From nowhere, I was visited by a memory of tender brushes across my chest, down my arm and then up my back. I shivered and cursed my overactive vision “You are toxic. Dangerous.”
“On the ice, yeah,” he laughed deviously. “I’m used to getting what I want.” He paused, studying me with those piercing gray eyes. So piercing they once reached my soul and made their home there. Made me laugh. Cry. Scream. And finally, destroyed me from the inside out. I blinked, just to show him they didn’t have the same magic in them anymore. “If I recall, you seemed to like that about me, Ray. A lot.”
His fingers came up to my face, about to tuck my hair back. They stopped mid-air when I flinched.
God, I hated him. I balled my hands into fists. “Yes, I made a mistake once. And then I grew up. So, stay away.”
“Stay away?” A gleam darkened his look. “You’re the one who’s come here, looking for me.”
I shuddered. “Clearly made a mistake again.” At this point, my fingers were digging into my palms, forming new fate-lines. “And it’ll be the last one I make.”
I was about to skate past him. Graceful exit or not, I had to get out so I could draw breath in peace. I pushed past him but his iron grip caught my elbow and nudged me back in place. My back bumping against the glass again.
Next second, Max was facing me with his hands gripping the sideboard on both sides of my arms, his tall frame towering over mine. “Max.”
“Don’t come here making demands, Ray. When I’m on the ice, I own it. You’re just here to take care of us. And I’m not feeling taken care of.”
I shoved him off me. “Oh I’ll take care of you. One day, Max. And these sporadic visits with you aren’t working. Either find a time or he becomes off limits to you. I’m sure that would come as a relief.”
He considered it for a moment. His lips twisting in a way that made me squirm. He leaned in close, gripping me in place.
There was a bang against the steel door that led to the lockers. His head turned in the direction while I took a moment to breathe.
“Hey Withers, they’ve got to get the rink cleaned—” a familiar voice called from the door, I couldn’t twist my head to check.
“Be out in a minute,” he called back, then turned to me again. “Doll-face was just leaving,” he said in a lower voice. His eyes swept me mischievously and he pushed my hair behind my ear. “Wanna give me a kiss to make this look better than it really is?”
I gave him another shove. One I hoped was stronger than the first. “You’re sick.”
He caught his balance and laughed, watching me. “You’ll never learn, Ray.”
Bile rose in my throat from how sadly true his words were to me, and I brushed past him. “Just do me a favor and pretend to care about your kid. Could you give him a call orsomething? Just once so he knows you haven’t…forgotten about him.”
He wiped his face. “Yeah, I’ll call him. Sorry,” he added after a beat.
I shook my head. Still awestruck at how demented this man truly was.
I changed out of my skates, grabbed my things, and headed toward the exit a few minutes after Max had gone.
I shivered. The man had still managed to shake me up. Long after I’d cut all ties.
Not all ties. We’d always have thatone…
“Hey Rayne.” The same voice that gave Max the warning earlier stepped back in. I thought I recognized it.
Josh, one of the key players on the team. I liked him, humble and honest. A good player too. I’d helped with his knee injury a few years ago back when I worked directly with the NHL team.
“Hey Josh, good to see you again. How’s…themisses?” I was almost afraid to ask. His wife and him were having major problems back then. Who knew how that ended up. It wasnotlooking good. They had a kid, too.
His grin hadn’t faded. “Carol took off. Last summer. Brody’s with me.”
Men. The level of detail was truly overwhelming.
I nodded at a summary less than ten words of how his life fell apart.
“I’m so sorry.” I had about a million questions but decided not to pry. Brody was their son. A year or so older than Jax. Divorce was never easy when there was a kid. “And sorry, I didn’t think anyone was still around. I’m on my way out.”
