Page 10 of Grudge Match

“If you’re cold, we can head to that place over there and grab brunch.” I point to the blue bistro, taking half of the sidewalk on the other side of Central Park South, and offer her an out, hoping she doesn’t decide against it for my sake.

Elodie shakes her head with a sweet smile and walks toward the stairs leading into Central Park. She looks over her shoulder and winks. “I’ll warm up on the ice. I still need to show you my moves, Mr. LeBlanc. You may not know this about me, but I’m one of the best skaters in Maple Ridge.”

I rush after her, my heart beating wildly as I take two steps at a time, passing her on the way down. Elodie throws her head back, and her mischievous grin transforms into boisterous laughter, filling the air. My heart swells with pride. I made Elodie Bernard laugh. I’ve wanted to do that for so long—I can’t wait to do it again.

“I’m not sure I believe you, little girl. The last I heard, Kendall Campbell held that title,” I tease, choosing one of the most obnoxious girls in town as her rival.

Of course, she immediately recognizes the name, scampers forward, and nearly slips on a patch of ice. I wrap my arm around her waist to catch her and pull her close until she steadies her feet.

Elodie angles her head to stare into my face, her blue eyes growing twice their normal size as her mouth falls open in a loud gasp. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you’d compare me to that horrible girl. She bullied me through middle school until my mother called hers and promised to ban them from the bakery if she didn’t cut it out.”

I hold in laughter as we continue to walk across the small bridge toward the rink. “Did it work?” I assume it did. Elodie can get anyone to do whatever she wants. Five minutes in her presence, and I’m willing to sign over my firstborn in exchange for her heart. Of course, she would be the baby’s mother in this scenario, and we’d all live in the same house.

“It certainly did. The Campbells counted on fresh bread from our bakery to run their sandwich shop. Mrs. Campbell sent Kendall to my house with her tail between her legs to beg my forgiveness. My mother made me accept it, but I never forgot the hell she put me through.” Elodie sits on an empty bench and unzips her bag. She pulls out a pair of freshly polished white skates and places them beside her feet.

I scoot beside her and offer another couple the rest of our bench. She takes no notice of my need to be near her, and if she hears me sniffing her hair, she’s kind enough to ignore it.

“When was the last time you did this?” Elodie asks as she triple-ties her skates and stands to stretch her legs. Her round ass, my greatest weakness, is no more than six inches from my face.

Is this a test? Has she seen me ogling her behind and is now using this opportunity to torture me? Fortunately, she steps away before my trembling hands reach out and ruin the day. I only wish she’ll grant me the opportunity to grope her soon.

Elodie glides onto the ice and spins to face me. Her playfulness warms my lovesick heart. All those nights I couldn’t sleep, wondering if I’d missed my chance and she’d found love with someone else… this was the side of her I longed to see.

I watch her twirl, making small figure eights on the ice to warm up, enthralled by the sight of her lithe, graceful body and cheeky smile. While I stare, mesmerized, on the verge of drooling, she curls her finger to call me over. “Let’s see if you can catch me.”

I jump to my feet and practically fly onto the ice. “That’s precisely what I came to do.”

Chapter Eleven

We’ve worked up an appetite. I wasn’t expecting to spend two hours on the ice, but my competitive nature demanded do-overs every time Deacon caught me. Part of me wanted him to catch me because every time he did, he'd place his beefy hands on my waist and whisk me toward the closest dasher board. I’d hold onto his broad chest, smoothing my hands over his sculpted pecs, and hope to God he didn’t think I was making a pass at him.

After the fourth or fifth time, I assumed he caught on because he deliberately flexed and wrapped his massive arms around my chest to hold me steady. I don’t know what we were thinking, manhandling one another in front of all those happy families enjoying a Sunday out, but my burgeoning libido and damp panties made me swallow my pride and admit defeat.

“I need food.” I sigh and cross my arms over my chest. It was my idea to take the subway. Deacon offered to drive us to the brunch location I have in mind, but I want it to be a surprise. Now, I’m starting to regret my decision. In no world would we arrive faster by car, thanks to Manhattan traffic, but the feel of sweaty bodies pushing against me from all sides is triggering my claustrophobia.

“We’re almost at the next stop. How many more to go?” Deacon asks as the violent vibrations of our train approaching the next station push me into his chest, and I bask in the warmth of his soothing arms.

I lift my chin, angling my head far enough to look into his eyes. Our gazes lock, and butterflies take flight in my roiling belly, their wings fluttering so close to my throat, it feels impossible to speak.

Someone nearby jerks into me through no fault of their own and quickly apologizes. The action pushes me closer to Deacon, and I accidentally feel something stiff jab into my abdomen. He’s hard. Oh my God, I gave Deacon LeBlanc an erection. My lips part, but the only sound that emerges is a tiny whimper.

The train slows into the station, and the crowd surrounding us moves toward the sliding doors, allowing me to pull away before curiosity and nature make me do something insane. I don’t get far.

Deacon leans forward and whispers, “I’m going to kiss you, Elodie. If you don’t want my kiss, run away while you can.”

My feet remain firmly planted on the floor, and my eyes widen with avarice as Deacon looms closer. Seconds feel like minutes as I wait for the touch of his lips, something I’ve secretly longed for since I was eighteen.

“Kiss me,” I gasp heatedly as my fingers dig into his sweater, and my palms mold against his spectacularly chiseled biceps. When his lips finally crash on mine, my heart stops beating, the world stops spinning, and I feel as if my boots leave the ground. His tongue swipes against my hungry lips, and I become unhinged–hornier than ever in my life. A long-dormant passion ignites, and my skin nearly catches fire. His kiss is perfection. I’ve wanted it for so long, and it’s better than I ever imagined.

“Baby,” Deacon growls, pulling me closer as commuters surround us and the train begins to move. “I want to kiss you more—for hours, days, weeks, however long you’ll have me. But I should probably feed you first.” He smiles, spins me under his arm, and pulls me into his embrace, pressing my back to his chest. His mouth teases my earlobe with tiny kisses that make my head dizzy with lust. “I know you want to surprise me, but I need to know when to move closer to the doors.”

“It’s next.” I sigh, hugging my chest to conceal my rock-hard nipples. “You’ll like my surprise. At least, I hope you will.”

He chuckles near my ear as he walks us forward, barreling through lesser men until we reach the sliding doors. “As long as I’m with you, I know I’ll have a good time.”

"Just wait until you know me better, Mr. LeBlanc. I'm a boring girl. You may live to eat those words," I say, trying not to laugh as we dash through the turnstile and rush upstairs onto the street.

"Nonsense. I know you better than you think."

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