Chapter 21
Cole
The for-sale sign hit me hard. Much more so than I would have imagined even a couple of weeks before.
While I knew the facility had seen better days, I hadn’t realized the family had wanted to sell the rink.
“I learn something new about you every day,” Chelsea said, fighting a fit of laughter.
“Such as?”
“Breaking and entering. A great skill to have on your resume. You could end up being the first great hockey player in prison.”
When I held up a set of keys, she just shrugged. “An old high school buddy’s dad owns the place. I’m allowed to go in.”
She folded her arms, even tapping her foot. “Are you so certain about that?”
“You need to have faith in me, babe. Absolute faith. The Kendrick brothers played a hell of a lot of hockey on the ice in this place. Great memories. But the place has seen better days.”
“Maybe so have you.” She laughed and jumped away from me.
“You are so going to get it for that.”
“Only if you catch me.”
All I could do at that point was laugh. Seeing her playful side had brought out one in me.
I don’t know why it felt very important to show her the best parts of my past, but it was.
Maybe because I feared she’d eventually see me as a monster.
There were some women who thought it was sexy cool to sleep with a shifter, only to disappear for fear they’d be turned into a werewolf.
“Be careful what you ask for,” I warned.
I yanked open the heavy door, ushering her inside. There was an icy chill in the air as if it was going to snow. There was no better time than now to do a little footwork. The coach did remind the boys to practice.
Her footsteps echoed as we walked in, the darkness almost oppressive. I could hear her rapid heartbeat as well as her shallow breaths.
Of course I could see perfectly fine in the dark, which was one of many benefits to being a wolf. The only light was the old emergency exit lights that had never been removed.
When I touched her shoulder, she jumped, immediately bursting into laughter when almost tripping over the ticket stand.
As soon as I caught her, the warmth she exuded slammed into my system.
Her gasp was followed by a sweet laugh. I also knew the instant she was facing what some people were terrified of.
A portion of my wolf exposed. With her, she didn’t seem to have any fear.
Maybe it was all the crazy movies she’d watched or in spending time with my sister, who I needed to thank.
She placed her hand on my face, the touch light but so meaningful. “Your eyes are beautiful.”
While I didn’t want to break the mood, I also wasn’t at the point of allowing my wolf to breach the surface. There was no telling how the boy would act. So I flicked on the lights.
Immediately, she punched me in the stomach. “Now who’s the party pooper.”
“I have a question for you. Do you skate?” I’d brought my gear with me, including my skates, but they still rented them at the rink.
“Who doesn’t.” She was lying, of course.
“Well, then you won’t mind showing off your skills. I can’t wait to see them.”
“What if I was once a famous girl hockey player?”
Oh, my cock was aching like a son of a bitch. “I look forward to seeing it.”
Her hand planted on her hip was becoming a favorite gesture. I walked ahead, flicking on lights as I did. When I realized she wasn’t directly behind me, I stopped and emulated a head flip like she’d given more than once, using the words against her.
“Are you coming? Or do I need to grab a collar and leash?”
With a little more spice added for good measure.
I tromped on and the moment I turned on the lights over the ice, I took a deep breath.
As she flanked my side, I could tell by the way she was drinking it all in that she was more in tune to what mattered to me.
Oddly enough, the words of advice from my father and coach had been imbedded into the forefront of my mind.
As I headed down the tunnel toward the ice, so many memories popped into my mind I was shocked. Ones I hadn’t thought about in a very long time.
“It feels like home,” I said, knowing she was right behind me.
“The rink is smaller,” she said in quiet reverence.
“Yeah, it is, but when we were kids, this was huge. So much ice to cover.”
“You really love playing.”
I had to think about the question. “Yes, I do. I just think I lost the reason why in all the hype and hysteria.”
“Your dad played.”
Nodding, I could remember the last time I’d seen him on the ice. “He used to show us the moves.”
“No wonder you’re so talented.”
“Yeah, you’re right. He wasn’t given the opportunities we were.”
“Because of being a shifter.”
“Exactly and I resented it for him. But he’s happy.”
“Look over there.” While she pointed, I wasn’t certain what she was looking at. She gripped my jaw in her hand, turning my head. “Follow my line of sight.”
It still took a few seconds before I understood what she was pointing toward. “Home of the Kendrick Brothers.” Seeing our jersey numbers on the oversized banner made me proud. It also made me sad.
“You’re immortalized,” she breathed.
“We were just kids having fun. I actually taught a few summer courses here. For underprivileged kids who wanted to play hockey.”
“And you loved it.”
“Yeah, very much. Seeing it for sale kills me.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shrugged and tried to brush it off. “Everything changes. The kids are into video games and basketball.”
“Hockey seems pretty popular to me.”
“It’s also expensive.”
She turned her head, nodding. “That’s right. You told me.”
I didn’t come here to fall into any state of melancholy, which was why I broke out a smile. “You ready to show me your skating skills?”
“I have a teensy tiny admittance.”
“You can’t skate?”
“I have never, ever been in a pair of skates in my life.”
With my grin turning evil, I grabbed her nose between my fingers. “Leave everything to me. I’ve got you and I don’t plan on letting you fall.”
* * *
“You have got to be kidding me.” The tremor in Chelsea’s voice shouldn’t bring a smile to my face, but it did. Not because I wanted her to fall, but because I could also hear the excitement. She’d laughed more times than I’d heard any time we’d been together.
“You’re doing great.”
“You’re crazy.” She had her arms out as if doing so would protect her. I had my hands on her waist, guiding her across the ice. There was something cool about having the place all to ourselves.
The Zamboni had just finished smoothing out the ice before we’d arrived, which made for a clean skate.
“Just breathe,” I told her.
“I am breathing!”
“Now I’m going to let go.”
“Don’t you dare.” She snapped her hand over mine, squeezing my fingers. “How do you do this?”
“It’s easy. Watch me.”
“No. No. No!”
I let her go, hovering around her to ensure she didn’t fall on her face. When I skated back and forth, she growled at me, a decent sound comparable to one I’d provided several times.
She jerked one way and another, but she was doing much better than I’d anticipated, which allowed me to do a little fancy work. You better believe I was having way too much fun.
“I’m going to get you for this.”
I performed a hockey stop, pivoting my hips and digging the blades into the ice. The resulting snow spray had her planting her hands on her hips and glaring at me furiously. But she was steady on her feet for the first time.
Skating backward, I beckoned her with both gloved hands. “Come get me.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“I am.” I backed away by several feet, giving her a wide berth.
Her lips twisted in frustration, which allowed her to not think about her footwork, instantly skating closer.
A little choppy, but she was gaining on me.
Then somehow, she stuck her toe pick into the ice without knowing what she was doing.
Instead of anticipating the hard stop, her body jerked in full momentum.
When she went flying across the ice, I lunged forward, catching her just in time. The brutal thud as she landed in my arms brought a gasp. But just as unexpected as the woman herself, she burst into laughter.
I lowered my head until our lips were almost touching, enjoying having her in my arms. She licked her lips, which she should know by now was a killer, a draw that I could barely resist. In yet another surprising move, she managed to rise onto the tip of her blades, biting my lip.
“Ouch.”
“You deserved that.”
“Yeah, who says?”
“Your fiancée.”
My breathing was far more labored than normal, all because of the raging desire that never left. “A pretty special woman. Ready to learn a few hockey moves?”
“I’m all for it.”
I found it interesting that in the next fifteen minutes highlighting basic hockey moves, including how she should be holding the stick, I was having more fun than I’d had in years.
Maybe because there was no pressure, just sheer fun like when I’d been a child.
My dad had never pushed us, never been that dad yelling at coaches and threatening those who didn’t promote his kids to whatever position.
He’d stood by quietly allowing us to make our choices. That’s the kind of dad I wanted to be. If I was so lucky as to have kids.
Just seeing her eyes light up the first time she’d managed to hit the puck, which had been a feat since she’d almost fallen five times, had made my day.
And hearing her laughter was better than any cheers from fans.
“I’m ready.” Her words caught me off guard. I was too entrenched in memories at that point.
“I shudder to ask.”
Chelsea’s come-hither look was as adorable as when she wrinkled her nose. “You haven’t been a good enough boy yet.”
“Oh, yeah? What are you ready for?”
“A shoot off or whatever you call it.” She was steadier on her feet than she should be. I was beginning to wonder if she’d duped me into thinking she’d never been on skates.
I skated closer to where she was standing. She pointed to the net. “If I make the basket, you’re going to do anything I want for the rest of the night.”
“That’s basketball.”
“Yeah, whatever.”