Page 24 of Born of Ice

“Mmm, Electra, right?” I play dumb.

“Yeah.” He nods solemnly. “I went to school with her, you know, and that girl just doesn’t deserve the shit that the universe keeps throwing at her.” He shakes his head.

“That fall, it should’ve never been,” a new voice rumbles from the side, and I turn my head to see an older man, weathered in age also giving his head a shake.

“What do you mean?” I ask, because once again, I can’t seem to help myself.

In all honesty, I should have done more research about my charge-to-never-be, but I simply didn’t care. All I wanted was to get in, make her stand, and leave as fast as I could. But that plan was shot to hell the moment she opened her door.

And then shot again the moment she opened her mouth.

“I have it from trusted sources that that bastard partner of hers talked her into doing a trick they weren’t supposed to right before the dance. Can you guess what trick that was and what was the outcome of it?” He raises one weathered eyebrow at me and for some unfathomable reason, a fire lights up in my gut. “I never liked that guy. The only time he came to Iris Lake with her, it was clear he was the wrong one for our Electra.”

I want to ask more questions but at that same moment a new body slides up next to mine. A sexy body. And my face stretched into a flirtatious grin when I see the girl who’s been eye-fucking me for the past thirty minutes standing there.

Only now, the thick cardigan she was wearing is gone and all I see are tits spilling out of a thin tank top.

“Hey,” she says sweetly, biting her bottom lip.

The fire that was simmering inside of me turns into a whole other one as I let my eyes roam over the willing body in front of me.

That’s not why I came to this town, but my job here seems to be done. I don’t actually need to know the details of Electra’s life. I shouldn’t even care. I tried to help her—or did my best—and she told me to fuck off.

If she wants to spend the rest of her life in that chair, then by all means…it doesn’t matter to me. It. Doesn’t. So, I can have this evening to myself, and tomorrow I’ll head back and deal with Coach, team, and the rest of the fuckers who want to take me down. Or I'll disappear. That sounds like a good option right now as well.

“Hey yourself.” I smile back, and we fall into a comfortable, flirty conversation that undoubtedly will lead me to her bed, when my back snaps up.

“What are you doing here, my prickly pear?” Okay, a grown, six-foot-five man should not get a chill over his spine at the sound of one small woman’s voice. Yet I do. Because that’s nowoman, that’s a witch and by the sound of it, she’s out for my blood.

I clear my suddenly parched throat at the same time as my irritation grows. “I am having a pleasant conversation at the bar. What are you doing here?”

“Apparently, being the fun police,” she shoots back, and I assume glares at Stacy who is slowly shrinking away from me, and I sigh.

Great.

“Look.” I turn to face her. “I’ve done what you asked. I went over there, met her, tried to help her but A”—I lift one finger—“she doesn’t want my help, and B”—I lift the second one—“she doesn’t need it.”

“I will buy the first one but what makes you think she doesn’t need it? How do you imagine a person in a wheelchair getting around and doing everything she needs to do—including her physical therapy—alone? Was I not clear back in Hill’s office?”

“Oh, you were.” I grit my teeth, remembering her ultimatum that in order for me to step a foot on the ice again, I’ll have to make her precious Electra stand and skate first. “But she’s paralyzed! How the hell am I supposed to fix that? When I agreed to it, I thought we were talking about a broken bone or some shit like that.”

“Listen to me, prickly pear.” She grabs a fistful of my shirt and drags me closer until my nose is practically touching hers. “She can and will walk, and I don’t give a fuck how you manage to do it. Play hockey with her for all I care, but she needs to walk!”

“Why don’t you ask her boyfriend to do that? Since he’s there with her, anyway? Why drag me here?”

Suddenly, I’m very aware of every set of eyes in Blade’s on us. And the pin dropping silence that follows my words.

“Her boyfriend?” Stella utters slowly. Those narrowed eyes turning into downright slits.

“Yeah?”

“And you’ve seen him there?”

“I mean…no? She told me he was coming and that I was off the hook.” If a gaze could send fire, I’d be a roasted pig by now.

“My friend, you have been duped.” The same old guy huffs out an empty laugh, and my eyebrows furrow at him. What’s that supposed to mean?

“You mean to tell me that she’s been alone for God knows how many hours already and you were going to leave her all alone for the night or until whatever time I decided to check in on her based on what she told you?” Stella’s teeth are clenched hard and tight as she hisses out each word.

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