Chapter 10 #2
I rubbed my palms on my pants before standing, purposely wavering on the skates. When I took her hand, the same wildly electric connection rolled down the length of my arm, hitting me square in the chest in a painful enough way I wondered what a heart attack felt like.
She constantly glanced at my feet as she helped me forward. I purposely almost tripped, forcing her to grip my arms and move her body closer.
Another even more intense wave of desire rolled through me to the point I couldn’t see straight. After snarking silently at my wolf to go back to sleep, I found it extremely taxing to try to pretend I was going to fall at any moment. My muscles were tense, every breath I took labored.
Maybe I was convincing enough because she continually offered comforting and encouraging words. “You can do it. That’s great. You’re doing so well. You could be a natural at this.”
I laughed as I scratched my head. “I think you’re being kind.”
“I’m not kind. Just ask my students.”
“Your students? You’re a teacher? And I don’t know if I can do this.” I gripped the railing for effect, even gritting my teeth so she could see my jaw was clenched.
She flitted her gaze in my direction, a beautiful twinkle adding a shimmer while at the same time I noticed the freckles dotted across her nose and upper cheeks. Her face was also flushed, likely from the cold.
But what if it was from something else?
“Of course you can do this. You can do anything you set your mind to. Yes, I’m a teacher. However, I think my students would tell you I’m more like Napoleon or even a drill sergeant.”
“That strict?”
“Oh, yes. I have to be. I teach some very troubled kids. Just trying to get through to them takes everything I have. They don’t think I’m good at what I do.”
I was so busy studying the way her lips formed words that I hadn’t realized I’d taken several steps onto the ice. Why not use that to my advantage? “I think you’re an excellent teacher.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Look at where I’m standing.”
Christine obviously hadn’t been paying attention either, laughing when she realized I was tottering on my skates.
I promptly acted as if now that her spell over me had broken, I was ready to pitch face forward. She stopped me, laughing in the process.
“Come on. A few more feet.”
Her voice was soothing, but more than that, there was a lilt that kept me on a sultry plateau. She had a way about her that was both nurturing and evocative at the same time. Within seconds, she had me twenty yards away from where we’d started. If I couldn’t skate, her lesson would be spot on.
But I was finding it very difficult to pretend.
“Do you want to try on your own?” she asked a minute or two later.
“Oh, boy. You like to see a guy fail. Huh?”
“Don’t be silly. You’re a big boy. You can handle some ice. Can’t you?”
“Well, I can certainly handle some heat. Can you?”
Her blush was something I’d already come to expect from her. She was the least self-absorbed person I’d ever met. She didn’t take herself too seriously and my God, did she have a killer laugh.
“I can handle anything.” She pulled away on purpose, holding up her hands in a way of telling me she wasn’t going to help me.
I pitched forward as if ready to fall, forced to catch myself because she wasn’t going to come to my rescue.
Not even when I offered a pouty look, which usually won women over.
Not her.
She not only shook her head, she wagged her finger at me. Then like the little fairy princess from before, she decided to torment me further by skating around me, making every move appear effortless.
“So how are you mean to these kids?” I asked, trying to think of steps I could take to help in the belief I was paying attention, getting a little better.
“Well, they know that I will always be able to catch them in a lie. That’s been proven time and time again.
I had an uncanny ability they no longer challenge.
Oh, and I require them to do their homework.
No excuses. Not my mother was sick, my father was in the hospital.
Not my little sister tore it up or my dog ate my homework. I’m a little brat that way.”
Laughing around her was so easy to do. When I did so this time, I lost myself in the enjoyment of the moment so much, she stopped skating. Her heart-shaped lips twisted in amusement and some sense of frustration.
“Do your harsh techniques work?”
She peered down at my skates before drifting away, spinning in a complete circle becoming coming to face me once again. “Absolutely. You’d be surprised.”
“I’m not certain anything about you would surprise me.”
“Oh, no?”
I dared make a move I hoped I wouldn’t regret later, placing one hand on her waist, pretending as if I was using the hold to keep me aloft while taking control of the moment and of our dance of silence.
She allowed me to guide her around the perimeter of the ice, ensuring we weren’t going very fast. When I pushed away, she gave me a scornful look.
“You should be careful. Don’t get too arrogant,” she advised, slowing down as if fearful she’d get tangled up with the crazy man on skates.
I’d never figure skated before, not even attempting a single move. That wasn’t my bag and the muscle structure was entirely different. So when I lifted one leg behind me, for the first time since I was a kid, I felt like a fish out of water.
Somehow, and I’d never be able to repeat it, I managed to throw my arms out to the side and for a few seconds, I was a figure skater.
Until I really did come tumbling down like some big galoot. I’d used enough power in my ridiculous routine that when I thumped on my butt, I spun around several times, traveling a short distance.
My teacher wasn’t in the mood to let me get out of my lesson that easily.
“Come on. Upsy. Now.” She threw both her arms out while shifting her weight back and forth from skate to skate.
“Upsy?” I repeated.
“Yeah, as in get the hell off your butt or when you do, I’ll beat it.”
“Oh, you’d like to try. Wouldn’t you?”
She straightened her body to her full height, even placing her hands on her hips. “Is that a challenge?”
“What if it is?”
“You’re not ready.”
I gave her a heated look even though I was still sitting on the ice. “Apparently, you don’t know me very well.” With that, I stood with ease, even daring to bend over as if taking a bow.
“I’ll be damned,” she whispered under her breath. “You’re right. I don’t.”
“So, how do you feel about a little friendly competition?”
The look she gave me could drill a man through the ice into a glacier layer below. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’ll race you to the other side of the ice. The first one to get there wins.”
Her nose wrinkled and the way she looked at me was with utter disbelief. “You think you’ve learned enough about not falling on your ass?”
“Well, I don’t know about that, but it’s worth a try.”
“And what are we playing for? I don’t do something like this for nothing, you know.”
I risked the lie by moving closer to her. “What do you want?”
“If I win then you’ll take me on the Zamboni for a ride one day.”
“Wow. That’s all you want?”
“You couldn’t handle the rest.”
Did she have any idea my cock was already rock hard?
While she wasn’t looking, that didn’t mean she hadn’t been given a bird’s-eye view of the huge bulge.
What drove me crazy was that she appeared to have no idea I could be a hockey player.
Not only was I allowed to let my hair down for the first time around a woman since I was maybe seventeen years old, but I enjoyed being anonymous.
A nobody that maybe she could like.
“Another challenge.” The heat of her body kept the fire burning deep within every muscle. And her scent. Sweet Jesus, her scent was driving me fucking insane. I couldn’t tell if the wild effect was based on a combination of maybe her shower gel or hair products and whatever perfume she was wearing.
Whatever the case, my balls were aching.
“Tell you what. I’ll go easy on you tonight. A Zamboni ride it is. What do you want?” She allowed herself to be more mischievous, her eyes twinkling as she skated around me in a complete circle once again.
“I want a full date. Dinner and drinks.”
Her laugh floated not only between us, but all the way toward the ceiling. “Well, you’re at a complete disadvantage since you’ve never skated before.”
“Then you’ll need to go easy on me. Won’t you?”
Another pouting look only garnered me a roll of her eyes. “I only play fair and that’s not fair. So it’s either my way or we won’t do this.”
“Then by all means. Play fair. Don’t go easy on me. I can handle more heat than you believe I can.” I threw out my hand for another shake on the challenge.
She dared drag the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip, which came so close to drawing the beast from his cage I was shocked. The shake did nothing but push me into an electrical short that left me breathless and aching all over.
Which was exactly what she intended.
“Alright then,” she cooed. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
She was so certain she’d win she didn’t bother getting into a runner’s position.
But she did give me an evil, albeit sensual look that sent another fire of need through every muscle and synapse.
While this was all about having fun, the primal instinct that had been born into the beast cracked the surface, shoving aside all sense of moral compass.
Shifters had been taught at an early age how to mask our attributes that could blow any human out of the water.
Blending in was security. Blending in meant living a fairly normal life.
Blending in meant hiding in the open and away from the prying eyes of monstrous humans unable to tolerate anything or anyone different.
But right now, none of that mattered and why?
Because winning meant being able to choose the mate we preferred. Call it the Hunger Games on steroids. The event had been created two generations before, more as a way of keeping our young alpha shifters out of harm’s way.
Crime had a sensual draw, gangs providing another type of pack while also providing easy prey. Hunts were different, but the outcomes were always the same, almost all disguised as representations of the worst in men.
But the games allowed for winners and success.
And women.
Mates.
Easy sex, some would say, although they soon learned it was expected we’d take a mate for life. Those were the good ole days, or so my father had told me. Now? Well, remaining mates for life was nothing more than a fabulous shifter fairytale told to children.
But the games in limited capacity still existed, which was why the urge to win meant more than it should.
Because in the end, this bad boy alpha shifter would successfully and rightfully be able to claim his mate.
Even if she couldn’t care less.
The thought amusing, I purposely almost fell, boosting her confidence. After raking my hand through my hair and gathering a pinched face full of consternation, I gave the sign I was good to go.
“Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Go!” Her laugh floated through the dense, icy air, the sound delightful. She took off hard, as if her life depended on winning the race.
Meanwhile, I had trouble getting my feet to work. Or so she believed.
The only trouble was I had extreme difficulty faking the problem. I kept sticking the toe edge of the blade into the ice, piercing the surface. Danny would need to come back by the time I was finished with playing games.
Or making a fool of myself.
But it would all be worth it in the end when I had her in my arms.
And in my bed.
With my cock aching, a twitch becoming a full-blown throb, I finally managed to skid across the ice, making a horrific sound as I did.
Christine all but stopped, throwing her head over her shoulder. And in a moment of feeling sorry for me, she slowed down, even doubling back. Ah, how nice of her. That highlighted her character.
I took full advantage of the moment, lunging forward. While I purposely almost fell twice, adding to her comfort level, all I was doing was waiting for the right moment.
The second I found it when she doubled back, skating around me in a wide circle, a grin popped on my face that was so huge my face hurt.
Even with the makeup of my muscles, I’d always been able to sprint.
So that’s what I did. I flew past her without bothering to look back.
The rush of air was incredible, the feeling of being free similar to what I had when I shifted while spending time in a forest. How long had it been since I’d let myself go?
How long had I suffered in not being true to myself?
Maybe that needed to end.
Some other night.
The last thing I wanted was to scare the beauty to death.
I concentrated on winning and in a flash, I reached the other side of the ice, even throwing my arms into the air as if a speed skater at the Olympics.
The skates glided across the ice and other than the whooshing sound of the blades against the surface, I heard nothing. With a final turn, I faced her.
The stunning woman stood almost smack in the middle of the rink staring at me with huge doe eyes. This was the moment when it either clicked in that I was a shifter and she’d walk away, or maybe run for her life, or she’d be curious as to my other attributes.
It could go either way. We started skating toward each other, the movements slow and steady, both remaining quiet. This wasn’t a romantic story where the music began to crescendo as two lovers found each other, realizing their hunger could not be denied.
But pretty damn close.
With my heart beating rapidly, my mind barely able to focus, my dick seemed to have a life of its own and if the fairy princess wasn’t careful, I’d strip off that sexy leotard and take her right here on the ice. As horribly uncomfortable as that might sound.
When we were just a few feet apart, we circled each other as predators would do, our gazes tripping over each other as the desire roared to the surface. As a mischievous smile crossed her face, I was certain once close she would slap me.
But I was daring enough, eager enough that all I could think about was finding out. So I took a leap of faith and closed the distance.
With her chest rising and falling, she offered one last fleeting look of uncertainty.
Just before she cupped both sides of my face, pulling down my head and capturing my mouth.