Page 33 of Head Over Skates

And suddenly I’m so angry. Humiliated for getting caught, or maybe ashamed at the way I let my guard down.

I round on him with fury in my voice. “My lady likes toroleplay? What the heck was that?”

He shrugs. “Just improvising.”

“Do you always make a habit of kissing women against their will?”

“Against your will? From where I was standing, you were quite enthusiastic.”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you? Typical, arrogant womanizer.”

Something like angst flashes in his eyes, just for a second. And then his lip quirks on one side as he scowls at me. "Don't get too excited, Kitty Cat. It was strictly business. You can go back to hating me now."

His arm barely brushes against mine as he walks past me, not giving me another look, leaving me in the hallway with the taste of him still on my lips.

11

EMILY

Iam a terrible, terrible person. A terrible, horrible person and an even worse friend.

I can still feel Owen's lips on mine from last night. What was I thinking, letting him kiss me like that? I mean, sure, he's attractive in that cocky, hockey player kind of way. When he's not being a total jerk, I can sort of see the appeal. But he's still Owen freaking Jablonski. Arrogant. Entitled. A player on and off the ice.

I'm such an idiot. I got so caught up in our little Hardy Boys investigation that I let my guard down. And now Owen probably thinks I'm just another puck bunny falling all over him. As if! I was just… going along with it to avoid getting caught. Yeah, that's it. Strictly strategy, nothing more.

Get it together, Emily. You're a mature, independent woman who does not swoon over chiseled cheekbones and bedroom eyes. Even if said bedroom eyes are a gorgeous shade of blue that makes me think of the sky on a brisk, cloudless day...

I give myself a little shake and force myself to think of something else. Anything else.

I decide to give Jaime a call, just wanting to hear her voice and make sure she's doing okay. I ask her what she’s doing asI walk down the street toward my apartment building after my morning shift at the arena. I don't mention Owen at all, but the guilt is gnawing away at me.

Jaime sighs dramatically. "Oh, you know me. Moping around, listening to sad songs, staring longingly at old photos of me and Owen together..."

Owen. The man who had his lips on me last night. All over me. I am a poor excuse for a human being.

She pauses, getting choked up. "I just miss him so much, you know? I keep replaying our last fight in my head, wondering if there was anything I could've done differently." Her voice cracks a little. "And now he won't return any of my calls or texts."

I feel a pang in my chest listening to her. “Oh honey, you’re not still texting him, are you?”

“The last time we talked, I said some hurtful things I regret. I guess I just want him to know I’m not the jealous type and that I’m sorry.”

“Jaime, he cheated on you. He’s the one who should be sorry.”

I hate myself right now, still feeling the aftershock of kissing the enemy, while Jaime’s at home nursing a broken heart. She needs a good friend, not a betrayer.

“You are a beautiful woman, Jaime. You don’t need a man to make you feel that way.”

“I know.” She takes a shaky breath. "I'm trying to stay positive and keep busy, but it's so hard. My heart feels like it's been ripped in two."

I wish I could give her a hug through the phone. "Heartbreak is the worst. But you're so strong, and you'll get through this. I'm here for you, whatever you need."

Jaime lets out another trembling sigh. "Thanks, you're the best. I don't know what I'd do without you right now. Just havingsomeone to talk to helps a little." She blows her nose loudly. "Anyway, enough about me. What have you been up to?"

Other than making out with her cheating ex-boyfriend?

“Oh… nothing.”

Lies. I sit on a throne of lies.

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