Page 32 of Breaking the Ice

“Well, well,” she sneers maliciously. “So, Durand was right after all. You did manage to seduce the bitch.” Her insult prompts Caleb to release me and turn to face her.

“You should be careful with your words,” he warns her in a tone that even makes me feel queasy. Then, he wraps his arm around my back like a protective shield and pulls me possessively close.

“Oh, is that so? Well, I'm more of the opinion that this little doll here should be the one on the lookout. Specifically, who she gets involved with.”

“Is that a threat?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. This woman must be out of her mind!

“No, it's an advice. Even if you probably don't deserve it.” She wrinkles her nose and looks down at me in disgust. “You should know, masseuse, that Caleb only stays with women as long as they're useful to him.”

I feel him tense at her words.

“You better leave now,” he growls.

“No, I'll go when I'm finished here. This man here...” Jessica, accusatorily points her finger at Caleb. “...Only uses women for his own purposes. Thanks to me, he managed to get onto the team. As soon as he had a secure position, he dropped me like shit. He doesn't care about anyone else's feelings. For him, only one thing matters: his success.” What?

“That's not true,” he grumbles over me, but Jessica ignores him and continues, “Maybe you should consider what advantage he's hoping to gain from you.”

She adopts a pitying expression and shakes her head regretfully. “Whatever it is, I can promise you one thing: once he's achieved his goal, even if it's just to get in your pants, he'll disappear. Believe me, you're not doing yourself any favors with this man. With him by your side, you can only lose.”

Her gaze returns to Caleb. She loses some of her maliciousness and takes on a somewhat sorrowful expression. Then, she passes us without a word of goodbye and disappears. I'm so taken aback that I can only blink up at Caleb. His gaze is fixed on the stairs, down which Jessica has just vanished. A muscle twitches in his jaw and there's a look of intense hatred burning in his eyes.

“What did she mean by that?” I need to know if this was just the accusations of a jealous bitch or if I've really gotten involved with a selfish jerk. With his lips pressed into a line, Caleb shakes his head. What is it? Is it a no-that's-not-true shake or a what-have-I-done shake? Confused, I extricate myself from him and head down the hallway towards the massage room.

“Emma, wait,” I hear him behind me.

“I have a massage, Caleb. We'll talk later, when you’ve figured out what you want to say.” With quick strides, I turn the corner and see Byers waiting outside my room. “I'm sorry, I'm late,” I apologize to him.

He waves it off. “No worries, I just got here.”

As I retrieve the key from my bag to unlock the door, Caleb catches up to me.

“Emma, let's talk about this,” he urges.

“As I said, I have work to do.” I smile at the defender and hold the door open for him.

Before he can enter, Caleb grabs him by the upper arm and holds him back. “Hey man, do you think we could switch appointments for once? You can take mine at ten.” Byers furrows his brow, looking puzzled between the two of us.

“Sure,” he eventually says, shrugging. “I'll just train first and get the massage afterwards.”

“Thanks, I owe you one.”

Byers heads off, and Caleb ushers me into the room. As he switches on the light and closes the door behind him, I put some distance between us by stepping behind the massage table.

“So?” I ask, crossing my arms. “What's the deal with Jessica's accusations?”

Caleb sighs. “How much time do we have?”

“An hour.”

“Okay, that'll have to do.” And then Caleb tells me his story. I learn that he's been playing hockey since childhood, that the sport was the most important thing in his life for a long time. He explains that in Two Rivers, the town he's from, there was no opportunity for him to showcase his talent. I find out how he met Jessica. Initially, he was actually only interested in getting close to her father. So, in that regard, she didn't lie. He also tells me how Jessica fell in love with him, and how he couldn't bring himself to leave her when he achieved his goal and made it onto the team. Caleb is brutally honest. He talks and talks, and the longer I listen, the clearer two things become to me. Firstly, even though he tries to sugarcoat it, he did use this girl for his own benefit. And secondly, he really wants me to believe that he's not a bad person. Obviously, he feels more for me than I realized. But is that enough for me? No. Even if I'm infatuated with him, I can't change who I am. I want nothing to do with people who exploit others for their own gain. Even though Caleb insists time and time again that he's changed, I don't believe him. Once an asshole, always an asshole, I think.

“Emma, please say something,” he pleads softly, after finishing and I'm silently staring at him. There's a vulnerable look in his brown eyes that cuts right to my heart. Even though I know I should, I can't bring myself to completely end things between us. So, I say, “You should go now. I need time to think.” Caleb is in the midst of running his hand through his hair in a desperate gesture when there's a knock at the door. Byers sticks his head in.

“The hour is up, it's my turn,” he says, coming inside. “And no, Whyler, don't even think about sending me away again. I need my massage, right now. Got a date later.” While the defender takes a seat on the massage table and circles his tense shoulders, Caleb continues to look at me expectantly. I know he can't accept my decision, but that's what he'll have to do. He exhales sharply through his nose and glances resignedly to the side when he realizes I won't give in.

“Please, for my sake,” he says icily, turns on his heel, and leaves. He doesn't even look back as Byers calls after him, “Hey, Whyler, don't forget Toby's birthday party tomorrow night! Eight o'clock at the Brillant!” My heart feels like a lump of lava. Oh God, I want to cry.

18

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