Page 45 of For Crosby

I jumped to my feet and stepped up behind her, reaching around and stopping her hands from frantically stuffing empty containers into the bag. She stiffened as my hands circled her tiny wrists and my chest pressed to her back. Her peach scent invaded my senses as it had that night on the dance floor. We stood like that for a long moment, both breathing unsteadily. “I want you to stay.”

She said nothing.

“No one has ever done something this nice for me before.”

She remained silent.

“I want you here with me.” I dropped my hands as she twisted to face me.

We were mere inches from each other. She stared into my eyes and, for the first time, it was as if she saw someone she didn’t hate. She looked at me like she could see all the way down to the depths of who I was. I almost asked what she discovered, since so many pieces of me had been broken over the last year. “Am I getting Crosby or Mr. Hockey?”

I scoffed, though having her lips so close to mine did weird things to my train of thought. “Which would you prefer?”

Her mouth twisted as she deliberated. “Mr. Hockey’s arrogance is unparalleled.”

I stifled a snicker given the honesty in her tone.

“But Crosby is easier to talk to.”

“Then Crosby it is.”

“It’s that easy?”

“Yup. Now come on. I wanna take you somewhere.”

Her brows shot up. “Will you be bringing rope?”

I laughed. “No. I wanna take you to the rink.”

“You planning to show off?”

Realizing I was still so close to her, I stepped back. “Maybe.”

She laughed and I was beginning to like her laugh more than I had the right to. “Well, I can’t skate, so I’ll hang in the seats and watch.”

“You can’t skate?”

“I’m from Florida. Not much ice there.”

“Same in Texas. But we have these things called ice rinks.”

She shoved my arm, which made me laugh harder. “Oh, so you’re funny?”

“Don’t forget smart and talented—just like you,” I said.

She shook her head and walked to my door. “Come on. Before I start hating you again.”

“You never hated me.”

Her laughter as she walked out the door told me she definitely had.

Sabrina

While Crosby took off for the locker room to grab something, I walked to the opening in the rink wall and tested the ice with the tip of my sneaker. The surface was smoother than I imagined and too slippery for me to feel comfortable standing on it.

“You coming?” Crosby said as he skated toward me from the opposite end of the dark rink.

The last time Crosby skated toward me in that rink, I felt nothing but disdain for him. This time, as he made his way toward me in jeans and a T-shirt, I smiled. Being there with him made absolutely no sense at all. Me liking being there with him made even less sense.

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