Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
CATALINA
"That feels better." I wiggled my toes and raised my leg. Without the cast, it was so much lighter. And I could finally scratch that itch that had been annoying me for days.
"You still have to take it easy," Dad said. "Don't go running any marathons just yet."
"I'll give it at least a day or two before I run any of those," I said. I laughed at the expression on his face. It would take a lot longer than that for me to be fit enough to run a marathon, but I wouldn't rule that out as my next athletic goal.
He shook his finger at me playfully and helped me down from the examining table.
Putting weight on my leg was tentative at first, but when it supported my weight, I let go of my father's arm and stood on my own.
"The scarring will fade in time," he said.
"Yeah, I know," I said softly. Both physical and mental.
Following Dean's confession in the pub, the police arrested him and charged him with my attack. The town was still reeling from the whole thing. If I had a dollar for the amount of times someone said, "He seemed so nice," I could have retired. That and, "It's always the quiet ones."
The Ghouls' backup goalie had filled in since then, doing almost as good a job as Dean had. While a couple of people muttered about losing someone so promising, no one blamed anyone but Dean. No one even glanced at me, or the rest of the team, and pointed fingers.
"I start work back at the clinic next week," I said. "They're happy to let me do the rest of my hours and take me on full-time."
"I had no doubt they would," Dad said. "Looks like your ride is here." He glanced toward the ute, not particularly approving, but he didn't say anything either. His expression spoke loudly enough, clearly warning Easton that if he put a toe out of line, he'd be answering to him.
In typical Easton fashion, the winger looked undeterred. He grinned at Dad and offered me his arm.
I gave him a similar look to the one my father had. "I still don't know if doing this is against my better judgement or not."
"Trust me, it's a great idea," Easton said.
"It might be the best idea ever, but trust you?" I raised my eyebrows at him. "We'll see about that."
"I've always liked a challenge." He led me out the door and over to his car. He opened the door and waited until I sat inside to close it behind me.
He climbed into the driver's seat and peeled the car away from the curb.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see." He merged onto the highway out of Opal Springs and leaned forward to put on some music.
I thought it was random until the third song.
"How do you know my favourite music?" I asked.
"I spoke to Marley and Eden," he admitted. "They put together a playlist."
"I should have known," I said. "What else have you asked them about me?"
He glanced over at me and grinned. "Everything they'd give me. I now owe them about six favours each."
"Don't think they won't collect on every one of them," I said. "Because they will."
"I expect them to," he said. "I assume you'll be reminding them regularly and insisting on cashing in for all they're worth."
"Absolutely, I will," I agreed. "You might live to regret making any deals with them."
"Not a chance," he replied easily. "It's a small price to pay to learn more about you."
"Are you sure you shouldn't get a hobby?" I teased.
He chuckled. "Maybe this is my hobby?"
"I'm starting to think Coach Foster doesn't keep you busy enough. Or your work. I thought carpenters never ran out of things to do."
"We don't, but I always have time for you," he said.
"Smooth, very smooth," I said.
"You think so?" He glanced over again, then back to the road. "I might be in with a chance after all."
"Don't count your biscuits until they're all in the basket," I said.
"I wouldn't dare." He slowed the car and turned off the highway, into a small town.
I had no idea what he was up to until he pulled up in front of a small building. A sign across the front said Cosmo's Skating.
I felt the blood drain from my face. "Easton, I can't."
"Yes, you can," he said firmly. "But if you can't, no one knows us here. If you fall on your ass, I'll be the only one to see."
I frowned. "If you video it—"
He held up both his hands. "I'll personally pull out my own toenails. Better yet, I'll let you do it for me."
I narrowed my eyes at him. Part of me wondered if this was some kind of setup, but the expression on his face made me decide to give him a chance. A final chance.
"Okay, I'll try," I said finally. I was desperate to get back on the ice, but at the same time, I was terrified.
What if my leg didn't hold my weight well enough for me to stay upright? What if it never did? I couldn't speak those fears out loud, but they'd circled in my head a hundred times a day since the attack.
Easton was right, no one knew us here. If I was going to make a fool of myself, it wouldn't be in front of his team or anyone who knew me. Unless Cruz was secretly waiting to do the videoing. That might be why Easton was so quick to swear he wouldn't do it.
As if he could tell what I was thinking, he said, "No one knows we're here except the guy who owns the place.
I didn't tell anyone where I was taking you.
" He frowned briefly. "Except Shaw. He insisted on knowing.
I think if I hadn't told him, he would have broken my kneecaps.
He still might. He's very protective of you. "
"Can you blame him?" I asked.
"Blame him? No. Envy the fuck out of him? Hell yeah, I do. If I was a better guy, I'd be in his place. I won't give up on you, on us, until I am." He let out a long slow breath, then smiled. "Shall we?" He pushed out of the car and came around to open the door for me.
I had to lever myself off the seat with my hands, but it was a lot easier than with crutches. When he offered his hand, I took it and we walked through the front doors and into the rink.
It was smaller than the one in Opal Springs, with no room for stands, or more than small change rooms, but the place was neat and the ice looked welcoming.
He led me over to a bench where skates waited for us.
"Are those—" I squinted.
"Yours," he said. "I figured you'd be more comfortable in your own than a hired pair. I brought them down here this morning. And the track pants. Courtesy of Marley. I wasn't sure if you'd be in pants or not." He gestured towards my skirt. "Unless you prefer to skate in that."
"No, track pants are perfect," I said quickly. What else had he thought of? I hurried in to get changed and came back to sit on the bench and lace up my skates.
"I feel like this should be strange, but it feels like I never stopped." I checked the laces and pushed myself to my feet.
"You've spent your life skating. It's like getting back on a bike." He was already wearing his skates. Also not hired one, by the look of them. He offered me his hand.
I swallowed hard and accepted it before wobbling a little on the walk to the gate leading out to the ice. Was I rushing this? Should I give my leg longer to heal before I tried skating?
"Are you okay?" he asked. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, but I've got you. All you have to do is trust me." He turned to face me, gripped both my hands and stepped backwards onto the ice.
His hands were firm and strong, holding me carefully, his eyes watching every step while I joined him on the ice.
Moving very slowly, he skated backward, drawing me with him so I didn't have to do anything but enjoy the feeling of sliding across the ice.
Gradually, I started to relax and move with him.
"Ready to go a bit faster?" When I nodded, he picked up the pace, glancing back over his shoulder every now and again so he didn't slam us into the boards.
Faster and faster, we circled the rink several times, him holding me steady the entire way.
"How's your leg?" he asked.
"Tender, but better than I thought," I said.
"Ready to skate on your own?"
I nodded slowly. "I think so."
He let go of one of my hands and turned so we were skating side-by-side, hand in hand. "Is there anything better than this?"
"Holding my hand?" I teased.
He dropped his head back and laughed. "That too. I meant skating. It's the closest thing to flying without actually having your feet leave the ground."
He sounded like a little boy who'd just discovered something incredible. Something that blew his mind in a way he'd never experienced before.
I could relate to that. I felt the same way when I first started to skate. And right now. This was something I'd never tire of doing. As long as my body would let me keep doing it.
"I missed this," I said. For the first time since the attack, I realised maybe I didn't need to race. I just needed to skate. He'd brought me all the way here to remind me of that.
"I know," he said simply.
We skated in silence for a while, enjoying the feeling of moving across the ice, and our fingers laced together. And each other's company.
Who else would have thought to bring me here like this? Anyone else I knew would have suggested I take my time and practise on the rink in Opal Springs. Not a private place where I could get comfortable. Easton seemed to understand what I needed before I did.
After ten or fifteen minutes of skating, he pulled us to a stop in the centre of the rink.
"I don't want you to overdo it," he explained. "If I let that happen, I have a feeling your father would do worse than pull out my toenails." He grimaced, but he didn't look particularly scared.
I laughed and let him take my other hand again, to pull me closer. "Chances are, you're right."
He was looking at me intently now, a smile hovering around the corners of his mouth. "You're so fucking gorgeous." He brushed hair off my cheek. He hesitated for a few moments before leaning in to kiss me.
I found myself kissing him back, my tongue sweeping over his lips and sliding inside his mouth. He tasted so good I wanted more. In a handful of moments, my panties were ruined.
He wrapped his arms around me and slid his hands down to grip my ass. His growing erection pressed into the side of my stomach.
I was about to wrap my arms around his neck when he pulled away.
"I have another surprise for you."
"I can feel it," I teased.
He chuckled. "As much as I want to claim you here and now, I haven't earned you yet. Come on, I have something to show you." His hand in mine, we skated to the edge of the ice and stepped back off.