CHAPTER 7 On Thin Ice #2
Mason leaned closer.
This kiss was nothing like the others.
No desperation.
No secrecy.
No fear of being caught.
Slow.
Warm.
Almost gentle.
His hand rested against my cheek.
I kissed him back.
For once, the silence around us didn’t feel dangerous.
It felt safe.
When we separated, I whispered, “The ice is freezing.”
Mason laughed.
“Romance destroyed.”
“I can’t feel my hip.”
“That’s probably medically concerning.”
He stood and pulled me up.
We skated for another hour.
By the end, I could stop without nearly killing myself.
Mason taught me how to skate backward.
Poorly.
I taught him that laughing at me resulted in physical retaliation.
He learned slowly.
Eventually, we sat on the players’ bench.
My cheeks hurt from smiling.
Mason passed me a bottle of water.
“Tomorrow.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“Come to lunch.”
“In Portland?”
“Seattle.”
“You’re staying here?”
“Team has tomorrow off.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“You’re voluntarily spending your day off in enemy territory?”
“For a woman.”
“That sounds irresponsible.”
“Very.”
I smiled.
“Lunch where?”
“My place.”
The words landed differently.
I looked at him.
“Mason.”
“Food.”
“Sure.”
“I can cook.”
I laughed.
“No.”
He looked offended.
“You think professional athletes survive entirely on protein bars?”
“Based on available evidence, yes.”
“I make excellent pasta.”
“You took me to an Italian restaurant.”
“For research.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Come find out.”
I studied him.
His place.
Private.
No public restaurant.
No neutral location.
It meant something.
Maybe too much.
“I’ll think about it.”
“You’ll come.”
“You are unbearable.”
“I’ll cook.”
“That isn’t persuasive.”
“Dessert.”
“Better.”
He smiled.
Then my phone vibrated.
Noah.
Mason glanced at the screen.
“Speak of the devil.”
“He’s my brother.”
“Same family.”
I answered.
“Hey.”
“Where are you?”
No hello.
Apparently Bennetts shared certain traits.
“Out.”
“With him?”
I looked at Mason.
He leaned against the boards.
“Yes.”
Noah exhaled.
Progress.
No yelling.
“Where?”
“Private rink.”
Silence.
Then: “He took you skating?”
“Yes.”
Mason’s eyebrows lifted.
I turned away from him.
Noah sounded almost offended.
“He never took anyone skating.”
That caught me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Noah.”
“Forget it.”
I smiled.
“You two really are similar.”
“Take that back.”
Mason laughed behind me.
Noah heard.
His tone changed.
“He’s right there?”
“Yes.”
“Put me on speaker.”
Mason’s amusement vanished.
“No.”
“Emma.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Talk.”
That sounded suspicious.
I put him on speaker.
“You’re on.”
Silence.
Then Noah said, “Cole.”
Mason answered, “Bennett.”
The tension arrived instantly.
I looked between the phone and Mason.
Noah spoke first.
“She falls when she gets nervous.”
My mouth dropped open.
“What?”
Mason looked confused.
“What?”
“On skates.”
“Noah.”
“When she was twelve, she broke her wrist because she tried to turn too fast.”
“I was thirteen.”
“Not helping.”
Mason smiled.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Pause.
Then Noah said, “Don’t let her skate near the boards.”
I stared.
This was not the conversation I expected.
Mason’s expression changed too.
“I won’t.”
Another pause.
“And Cole?”
“Yes?”
“If she gets hurt, I’ll finish what I started last game.”
There it was.
Mason smiled.
“Much more familiar.”
“Noah.”
“What?”
“You were doing well.”
“I panicked.”
Mason laughed.
Noah muttered something.
Then he said, “Emma, call me later.”
“Okay.”
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Then at Mason.
“What just happened?”
He looked almost equally confused.
“I think your brother gave me safety instructions.”
“He did.”
“Should I be concerned?”
“Deeply.”
Mason sat beside me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he said, “That’s the longest conversation we’ve had without insulting each other in years.”
Something warm moved through me.
“Maybe that’s good.”
“Maybe.”
“You sound terrified.”
“I’m dating his sister.”
I smiled.
“There. You said it.”
Mason froze.
“What?”
“Dating.”
He realized.
I watched him.
“Well?”
He looked at me.
A slow smile appeared.
“I guess I did.”
“So this is official?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
He leaned closer.
“Do I get exclusivity?”
My pulse jumped.
I hadn’t expected him to ask so directly.
“Do you want it?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
No games.
“Yes.”
I smiled.
“Then yes.”
Mason’s expression became very still.
“You sure?”
“Don’t make me repeat it.”
“Emma.”
“Yes.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Something in him softened.
Then his hand slid into mine.
Not dramatic.
Not sexual.
Just fingers intertwined.
It felt bigger than every kiss.
“Okay,” he said.
“Okay.”
We sat there holding hands in an empty rink.
My brother’s rival.
My secret.
My extremely bad idea.
My boyfriend.
That word was going to require adjustment.
Mason squeezed my hand.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re smiling.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t ruin it.”
He kissed my forehead.
And that was somehow worse than kissing my mouth.
More intimate.
More real.
I stared at the ice.
“This is getting dangerous.”
“I know.”
“You sound happy about it.”
“I am.”
For the first time, I believed him.
Later, Mason walked me to my car.
The parking lot was completely dark except for the overhead lights.
He opened my door.
I leaned against the frame.
“So. Boyfriend.”
“Careful. I might start enjoying that.”
“Don’t.”
“Girlfriend.”
I narrowed my eyes.
His smile widened.
“You’re impossible.”
“Your boyfriend is impossible.”
I laughed.
“Goodnight, Mason.”
“Tomorrow. One.”
“That sounds very confident.”
“You’re coming.”
“I said I’d think about it.”
“You’re thinking about it now.”
“Goodnight.”
He kissed me once.
Quick.
Then again.
Less quick.
I pushed lightly against his chest.
“I need to drive.”
“Unfortunate.”
I got into the car.
He closed the door.
I lowered the window.
“Mason?”
“Yes?”
“What happened after Montana?”
His expression changed instantly.
The happiness disappeared.
There was the wall again.
I almost regretted asking.
But we had rules now.
No hiding.
“You came back different,” I said. “Noah told me.”
Mason looked away.
“Yes.”
“What happened there?”
His jaw tightened.
For several seconds, he didn’t answer.
Then he said, “My uncle saved my life.”
My chest tightened.
I waited.
Mason pushed his hands into his hoodie pockets.
“I’ll tell you.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
I studied him.
“Is that an honest answer?”
“Yes.”
“No disappearing.”
“I remember.”
I nodded.
“Okay.”
Mason leaned toward the open window.
“Trust me a little.”
The words were quiet.
Vulnerable.
I reached through the window and touched his hand.
“I’m trying.”
He nodded.
I drove away.
Thirty minutes later, I was almost home when Claire called.
“You’re officially dating him, aren’t you?”
I nearly drove into another lane.
“What?”
“I know your face.”
“You cannot see my face.”
“I can hear it.”
“That makes no sense.”
“You sound happy.”
I smiled.
“Maybe.”
Claire screamed.
I held the phone away.
“Please never do that again.”
“Tell me everything.”
“No.”
“Everything.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Emma.”
“I’m driving.”
“Fine. But I’m proud of you.”
That made me quieter.
“For dating my brother’s enemy?”
“For choosing something because you want it.”
I didn’t answer.
Maybe that was what this was.
Not rebellion.
Not forbidden attraction.
Choice.
I liked that version better.
When I reached my apartment, another message waited.
Mason.
**Tomorrow. 1 p.m.**
I typed:
**Still bossy.**
**Still coming.**
I smiled.
Then another message appeared.
A photograph.
Mason had taken it at the rink.
I hadn’t noticed.
It showed my skates beside his.
My smaller white pair next to his black professional ones.
No faces.
No names.
Just two pairs of skates touching on the ice.
Underneath, he wrote:
**Best night I’ve had in a long time.**
My chest tightened.
I saved the photo.
Then my smile disappeared.
Because beneath Mason’s message was a notification from an unknown number.
No name.
No profile picture.
Just text.
**You don’t know what Mason Cole did in Montana.**
I froze.
Another message arrived.
**Ask him why he really disappeared for four months.**
My pulse accelerated.
Then a final message.
**And ask him why Noah has never told you the whole truth.**
I stared at the screen.
The happiness of the rink vanished.
Someone knew.
Someone had my number.
And whatever happened in Montana had apparently never stayed there.