Page 23 of Fate on the Ice

But I’m here, practicing. It used to be my absolute favorite place to be. The ice, the rink, the sweat. All of it was exactly where I wanted to be, and I hated to leave. But today, I want to go right now. I want to get the fuck out of here and find Grace.

The rest of practice goes decently well. Coach barks at me the entire time, and I do my best not to let him piss me off as he does. I’m sure I’m not doing my best, even if it feels like it. I know I’m distracted, but I’m also not going to tell him that I am or why. He’d hand me my ass if I did.

“Get the fuck out of here,” he growls, which signals the end of practice.

We make our way toward the locker room, and as soon as I’m inside, I strip out of my gear and head to the showers. It doesn't take me long to shower and towel off. Making my way toward my locker, I grab my clothes and tug them on, rubbing the towel back and forth in an attempt to dry my hair.

“You gonna tell me about her?” Thomas asks.

I think about harassing him with the fact that he kept his whole relationship with June a secret until they were practically living together and confessing their undying love for one another or some shit.

“What do you need to know?” I ask as I button my jeans at the hips.

Thomas doesn’t speak right away. Pausing, I look over at him, arching a brow as I wait for him to tell me what he expects me to say. He smirks at me, then shakes his head from side to side.

“Holy fucking shit,” he says with a chuckle. “You’re in love.”

I stare at him in silence. I don’t know what to say or how to say it. Because I don’t know her well enough to know what it is, but I can’t keep her out of my head. I can’t keep her taste from my lips, and I haven’t even had all of her yet.

I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do when I’ve finally been inside of Grace. How am I going to cope with living life every day, not in bed beside her? It seems an impossible task.

I’m not sure I could ever walk away from her if she were naked in my bed.

I’m not sure I would even try.

I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t know how Reid and Thomas do it. How do they walk out of their houses every fucking morning knowing that their women are right there? All I want to do is be with Grace, and I haven’t even been inside of her yet.

Chapter

Eleven

GRACE

As I sweep the floor, I can’t pretend that I don’t notice the glances, the eyes that follow me as I move around the salon. Nobody has said anything yet, but I know they have plenty to say. They just don’t know me well enough to comment.

That is until Brooklynn slams her comb down. Her client has left, and the others who are in the room almost jump to attention. Their spines straighten. Brooklynn is indeed not afraid of anything or of saying anything. She’s also not shy about how well she knows me or not. She’s going to say it.

“Are you going to tell us about your date and your midnight phone call?”

Lifting my head, my spine straight as well, I glance around the room. She’s got her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes focused on mine and nowhere else. There is nowhere else. She is indeed extremely interested in my reply.

“It was too good,” I whisper.

“Too good?” Karlie asks.

Nodding, I gulp. “Too good,” I repeat on a small laugh. “It was only supposed to be one night. I wasn’t going to see him again.”

Brooklynn gasps as if I’ve hit her or hurt her in some way as she stumbles back a few steps. I watch her, my eyes wide, and wait for her to respond. She has something to say, and she’s going to say it. So, I wait.

“Why on earth would you not want to see that man again? I think that every man in that house is absolutely stunning, and every single one of them is a sweetheart, so I know it’s not because of anything he did.”

I try to bite back my smile. I love how fiercely she loves those men. And she’s not wrong. From what I can tell, they are all nice guys, especially Otto. Everything about that man is sweet and gentle.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a man look at me, touch me, kiss me as tenderly as he does. And the sweet words he says, they are all so perfect, they make my teeth ache. And I love it. I want more of it.

I want so much more of him.

I want to hear his gentle words in my ear every night. I also want his mouth on every part of my body. I want all of him, yet I know I shouldn’t.

---