Something falls over her face, but I can’t decipher it at all, which is weird because usually I have a pretty good read on her nonverbal.
“You know how you say your profession might make it hard to find someone genuine who wants you as a person and not just everything that comes with you?” she asks.
I nod.
“Well, it’s kind of the same but in reverse when you’re dating an athlete. A lot of you guys are charismatic. Could sell a girl on anything, make her believe how special she is, but then the one night the girlfriend doesn’t go out, some other girl is there telling you how great you are and you’re eating it up. No offense, but I think athletes live and die by their egos.”
I study her for a moment. Damn, Jeremy did a number on her. But it’s not because he’s an athlete. Look at Joran. I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but he’s a womanizer who’s probably sleeping around on her and he’s not an athlete.
“I know the kind of guys you’re talking about, and maybe hockey is different, I don’t know, but there’re a lot of guys in the league who are happily married, have kids, are faithful. Ones who go to their hotel rooms and call their wives instead of going out to a bar. Ones who don’t take every opportunity to sleep with any woman who’s presented to them. It might be a small number, but there are good ones out there. Jeremy just wasn’t a good one.”
Her gaze falls to her lap. “Maybe so, but I’m not willing to take that chance after getting bulldozed the first time around.”
“You’re scared?”
She says nothing for a moment, but then her back goes straight and she picks up her book off her lap. “I’m not scared. I’m just logical.”
She opens her book and I figure this conversation is over—for now.
We check in, drop our bags in our rooms, and I get Saige to the rink with the promise of us doing some promo shots for her company. So far the social media thing hasn’t been terrible, but I’m still worried that what happened before might happen again.
I’m thankful that the new skates I arranged for her are up in my room when I arrive, and I tuck the box into my hockey bag and bring it down to the lobby with me. I opted for figure skates because I didn’t think she’d want hockey skates. Hopefully I made the right call. Saige is already there, looking through some brochures. Sadly, we won’t have a lot of time to sightsee this trip, since we’re going to my cousin’s adoption party.
I lean in and whisper, “Miss me?”
She startles and steps back into my chest. “Why must you do that?”
“Because it’s fun.” I hold my arm out for her to go out of the hotel first.
The doorman hails us a taxi, and it doesn’t take long for us to get to the arena. Once we’re out, I follow the directions and ask security who I should talk to. Everyone is accommodating and gracious, and we’re escorted to the ice as they pop on the lights. The entire arena is empty, and the Zamboni has just gone over it, so all we can see is the shine of smooth ice.
“These are the perks I enjoy.” I stare at the fresh ice and inhale deeply. “It’s beautiful.”
Saige stares and huffs. “We don’t share the same thought.”
“Really? You don’t find an ice rink, an empty ice rink, alluring?”
“Actually it makes me nauseous.”
I think about the skates in my bag for her. Damn it. “Have you never skated before? Because I’m an excellent teacher.”
She smiles, rolling her mesmerizing eyes. “I’m sure you are. Too bad I don’t have any skates,” she singsongs the last part.
“Au contraire.” I unzip my bag and hold up the box of women’s skates for her.
“You planned this?”
I shrug. “I knew I had it all to myself and you can watch me do drills and take pictures and videos, or we can skate together. I’d love to teach you.”
She stares at the ice. “I’m not sure, what if I fall?”
“I’ll catch you, but I won’t let you fall.”
“I could break something.”
“Not with me here.” I point at my chest as though I’m a superhero or something.
She giggles and hope fills me. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“Pretty much.” I grin.
She snags the box out of my hands and sits down to put them on. “You’re responsible if something happens to me.”
“Definitely.”
My hands itch with the possibility of having them on her hips. Sometimes I feel as though I’m deceiving Joran because I have no idea what’s going on with them, but she never speaks about him and I don’t ask because I don’t really want to hear about any of their dates. Most times I forget he’s the other guy.
I’ve got my skates on first, so I head out to the ice and do a lap while she finishes lacing hers. I skid to a stop at the opening and find her walking around the black rubber floor, practicing her footing. I hold out my hand for her to take and she accepts it, her ankles getting more used to wearing skates.
“I haven’t been on a pair of skates in a while,” she says.
“Don’t worry, you’re safe with me,” I say softly, bringing her out onto the ice.
While I pull her toward me, she keeps her legs straight and both skates together. “Like this?”
“Yep, now try to push off with one foot and glide forward on the other.”
She tries it and gets it right away, then does it a few more times while I hold her hands and skate backward in front of her so I can watch.
“This is kinda fun. Can I try backward? That looks fun too.”
I laugh. “Not yet. Let’s master this way first.”
She pouts playfully. If she were mine, her lips would be swollen and red all the time because I’m not sure I’d ever be done kissing her.
We skate around the rink another time and I’m impressed with how well she’s taking to it. “You’re a natural. I’m going to talk to Coach about getting you a spot on the team.”
“Can I try skating backward now?”
“Sure. Let me put my hands on your hips to help guide you.” My hands fall to her hips and I slow us so I can turn her around to skate backward.
“Hold on a second. Let me try on my own,” she says.
“What?” My forehead wrinkles.
I take my hands off her hips and watch as she skates away—backward. I’m slack-jawed until she flies up into a double Axel and comes back down, her speed increasing as her hair flows behind her while she whips around the rink. She uses the toe pick to stop herself and grins at me.
I shake my head. “What the hell?”
“Sorry, I think you were hoping for a damsel in distress on the ice rink and I didn’t want to disappoint you, but being back on ice does feel good.” She skates away, switching back and forth between skating forward and back then twirling. She’s magnificent. “I was an ice skater growing up. Never went anywhere with it though.”
“I’m not sure why not. You’re really good at it.”
“Eh, you know how it is. Hard to break into and I eventually got tired of starving myself, getting up at four a.m., and being ridiculed on everything from performance to technique. I just wasn’t invested enough to continue.” She comes to a stop in front of me. “But I’ll tell you one thing I’ve never done on the ice.”