Page 17 of Stay (Stay #1)

I blink and refocus my attention on Cole.

I can’t believe I was just thinking about that.

Here I am, practically fantasizing about him when all we’ve done up to this point is kiss.

But they were some seriously super-hot kisses, if that counts for anything.

Mentally, I’m nowhere near ready for more.

And yet, it seems like my body is begging for it.

I give my head a little shake to clear it. This charade has gone on long enough. It’s time to end it. For a moment, I wonder if he’ll be pissed that I played him. I hope not, but I guess we’re about to find out.

I take one long, perfect stroke, and then a second .

“Cassidy!” He beams. “You’re doing awesome! Keep it up, baby!”

My eyes widen and I almost stumble at the endearment.

“Careful!” He looks ready to race over and catch me if needed. The funny thing is that I wasn’t even trying to stumble. I take another long stride and then another until I’m flying across the ice.

“Holy fuck,” he shouts in amazement as I leave him behind.

At this point, I can’t contain myself. A few chuckles slip free as I pick up more speed.

I crouch low, finally doing what I’ve been dying to and push myself faster.

It feels so good to stretch my legs and use muscles I haven’t exercised in almost a year.

Even as I speed across the smooth ice, it feels like second nature.

I peek over my shoulder only to find Cole standing where I left him.

His mouth is hanging open as he continues to track me.

I round the corner, racing up the other side of the ice until I whip past him, flipping around so I can wave as I skate backwards around another curve.

With our gazes locked, I crisscross my skates, picking up more speed in a series of complicated strokes.

I see the moment understanding dawns across his face. “You,” he bellows, “knew how to skate the entire time!”

I can’t help the gurgle of laughter that falls from my lips at his stupefied tone. The expression on his face is priceless.

“No, you’re just a really great teacher,” I yell back. “Didn’t all those five- and six-year-olds take off like this?”

My snappy response spurs him into motion as he digs his blades into the ice and takes off after me. Because he’s fast, I know he’ll catch me in a matter of moments. I flip back around before forcing my legs to pick up more speed.

When he finally catches up, he jerks me into his arms as we continue to circle crazily across the ice. I shriek, afraid that we’re going to fall. When we slow, I’m laughing so hard that tears are streaming down my cheeks and my belly hurts.

He bands his arms around me as his eyes narrow with disbelief. “I can’t believe you lied to me!”

A smile lights up my face as I shake my head. “Technically, I didn’t lie. I never actually told you I couldn’t skate. You just assumed I couldn’t.” I giggle before adding, “You know what they say when you assume. It makes an ass out of both you and me.”

His arms tighten even more until I find myself pressed up against his body.

A heartbeat later, his lips crash onto mine in a kiss that almost makes me forget my own name.

Even though this kiss is more forceful than the others we’ve shared, it still doesn’t scare me.

Instead, it turns me on. Just as that realization hits me, he backs off.

“Sorry.” Breathing hard from our race across the ice, he leans his forehead against mine.

“It’s okay.” I hold his gaze before adding softly, “I liked it.”

A slow smile spreads across his face. “Is that so?” One brow arches as he searches my gaze.

“Yup.”

And I want more of them.

More of him.

“Noted.”

He leans in, slanting his lips gently across mine. After a few seconds, he draws away. “Figure or hockey?”

A patronizing smile curves my lips. As a female hockey player, I’d always looked down on all that figure skating crap. My forced retirement from the sport hadn’t changed that. “Hockey, of course.”

“Unbelievable.” He untangles his arms from around me before taking off toward the door that leads off the ice.

For the first time, anxiety slices through me as I hug my arms around my middle. “Where are you going?” Even though I found this little prank amusing, maybe he didn’t.

“To get another stick,” he shouts as if it should be obvious.

I suck in a deep breath before pushing it out again and force my muscles to relax.

A few minutes later, he returns with some equipment before tossing me a pair of gloves with a shake of his head. “Un-freaking-believable.”

Unable to help myself, I raise a brow. “Un-freaking-believable that a girl can play hockey?”

In the years I spent skating, I came across my fair share of pompous asshats who thought a girl had no business being out on the ice.

Especially with them. Not necessarily my teammates, but definitely ones we played against. Instead of getting frustrated or quitting, it forced me to elevate my game and prove I was a worthy opponent.

I learned to skate faster, play smarter, and be tougher.

His brows draw together. “No, just that you played hockey and didn’t tell me.”

“Oh.” I feel ridiculous for overreacting. Heat fills my face as I glance down at the white leather gloves and flex my fingers. They’re a bit big but they’ll do.

Cole tosses me a stick. It’s been a while since I’ve held one in my hands. Without waiting, I take off again. I fly forward before seamlessly switching to skate backwards. He grabs three black rubber pucks from his pocket and drops them onto the ice.

When he passes one to me, I dribble it with my stick blade, moving the puck faster across the ice.

Cole watches me for a while before murmuring, “You’ve got really soft hands.”

I glance up and meet his inquisitive gaze before giving him a slight smile. “That’s what my dad always said.”

“How long did you play for?”

Even though it’s a casually asked question, I suspect it’s more than just curiosity that has him delving carefully into my background.

I’ll tell him, but that doesn’t mean I plan on giving him the uncensored version. As much as I’m starting to trust Cole, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to lower my guard and bare my soul.

“I began skating when I was three, and played on the boys’ house team until I was eleven before making a girls’ Triple AAA team until college.”

Questions flicker across his expression as he digests what I’ve said. His gaze drops to my stick as he watches me handle the puck.

“Pass it to me.” With a tap, it slides right to the end of his stick as he moves across the ice. “What made you decide not to play in college?”

He snaps the puck back to me. Instead of responding, I race up the ice before hitting it top shelf. In the middle, near the top of the metal bar is where it ends up. I can’t deny the satisfaction that slides through me as the puck lands exactly where I placed it.

As I circle the net, Cole skates over.

“You didn’t answer the question.” He shakes his head, a small smile curving his lips. “You’re really good.” A chuckle falls from his lips. “You know that, right?”

I smile tightly, no longer wanting to discuss hockey.

“Cassidy, why aren’t you playing college hockey?” His words are softly spoken as if he understands that he’s treading on shaky ground. “You must have been scouted.”

Without answering, I take off backwards, once again creating distance between us. It’s not just physical. It’s emotional as well. The further away I get, the more in control of my emotions I feel.

“Do you mind if we just skate?”

With every question he voiced, I could feel my chest tightening up. I don’t want the amazing time we’ve had to be ruined by another anxiety attack. I want to forget about everything except the feel of the ice as I glide over it.

His gaze follows me until I reach center ice. Just as I wonder if my silence has pissed him off, he fishes the puck out of the net and passes it before blowing past me.

“Don’t think I’m going to take it easy on you because you’re a girl.”

I inhale a deep breath before releasing it as my muscles loosen. True to his word, he doesn’t push me.

A sly smile lifts my lips. “Be prepared to get your ass handed to you by this girl.”

That’s all it takes for the thick tension to dissolve.

“Big talk,” he says with a grin. “Now I’m really scared.”

“You should be.”

For the next hour, we scrimmage. Even though I’m wearing crappy brown rental skates, I can’t think of a time when I’ve had more fun on the ice.