Page 132 of Born of Ice

“Exton?” Electra asks. I can hear the confusion in her voice as I pace around the room, my hands fisting my hair.

“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened? Talk to me.”

“You miss skating.” It’s a fact, not a question as if the realization is hitting me all at once from every side.

“Um, I skate every day.” She looks at me with her brows drawn together.

“You know what I mean. You miss competing. You miss being out there, getting ready for Olympics.”

Electra looks at me for a few beats, her shoulders slumping a little bit. “Of course, I do. It was my life for as long as I could remember. But I don’t understand why we are talking about it now.” I nod, acknowledging her but I don’t answer, instead I take my phone out and look up flights.

A few clicks and it’s done. It’s done before I can think about it. Done before she can talk me out of it. Done before my greedy need for her overrides sane thought.

I lift my eyes up from the screen, desperately hoping she can’t read me like her personal diary. Just this once, I need the thread broken.

“You’re going to Colorado tomorrow.”

Electra

“I’m sorry, what?” I’m sure I must’ve misheard him right now because Exton did not just say those words with the force of a whip, slashing me in half.

“You’re going to Colorado. Your flight leaves tomorrow at noon.”

“I’m not going to Colorado! What are you talking about? Wait, is it for your game? I thought it was a home one.” Did they change the schedule in the last minute?

Aren’t they playing Florida, though?

I’m so confused.

“No, my game is still here. But yours is in Colorado.”

I eye him for a solid minute, running my tongue over my teeth. “Did you catch a puck to the head, Exton? Is that it?”

He huffs out a humorless sigh. “I wish.”

Okay, I’m done with these riddles. Hastily, I walk over right into his chest, the heat and vibrations coming from him shooting straight through me and a sense of fear laced with furry courses my blood. “Explain what’s going on, please.”

Exton’s whiskey eyes fix on mine for a beat before he swallows hard, looks down and away from me. “You need to be in Colorado right now. That’s what you’ve worked for your whole life, and I won’t let you give this up because of me.”

Give what up?

I blink. “Wait, is this about Erik and what he said today?”

“It’s not about him. It’s about you getting back on that Olympic ice with him as your partner.”

Yeah, definitely a puck to the head.

Wait, no, scratch that. Two or even three pucks to the head.

I take a step toward him but freeze, my eyes wide when he steps back, avoiding any contact with me. “Exton.” My voice gains a pleading note because I’m still so confused about this.

Where is this insanity coming from?

He’s back to pacing, ripping his hair out the back of his head and I’m fighting the cold shiver threatening to take over my body.

“I’ve been selfish. Demanding you be there for me and it’s not fair to you. You don’t owe me anything, Electra. You shouldn’t sacrifice anything for me and take what belongs to you. Go out there, win every medal there is to win and do what you were born to do.”

“Exton,” I try again but he doesn’t let me get a word in.

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