Page 17 of The Comeback

“And Dax? Are you dating him now?”

The laugh bubbling out of her pink glossed lips, reminding me of how they tasted. “Me and Dax? No, we’re just friends.”

“Good.”

“What?” She whips her head around to look at me. Did I actually let that slip out?

“That you have a good partner.”

“Right.” She nods.

Thankfully, we pull into the parking lot before any other dumb shit slips out of my mouth.

Chapter 13

Abby

Sebastian’ssweet,mintyscentswallowed me up when I climbed into his car. It’s beyond distracting, so I haven’t been paying attention to the drive. Or anything else, for that matter. But did he growl when I mentioned Connor? That might have been a growl. Maybe I imagined it. People don’t actually growl in real life. Right?

“Why are we here?” The college’s state-of-the-art arena looms in front of us. I’ve been at Lakeview for three years without stepping foot in the massive building.

“You’ll see.” He pops the trunk, reaching in to grab a bag.

I reach for the hand he holds out without even thinking. It’s surprisingly easy to fall back into old habits. His calloused hand closes over mine in a firm grasp. A shiver runs through me at the tingle of warmth his touch evokes.

“Are you cold?”

Heat creeps up my neck. “No, I’m good.”

He leads me up to a shady-looking steel door at the back of the building rather than the big glass ones that lead into the front lobby and inserts a key in the handle.

He motions for me to go first, and I walk into the cool space. Our footsteps are quiet on the rubber mat that lines the concrete floors. He pulls ahead of me, grabbing my hand again to lead me down the long hallway past a few doors. The faint stench of sweaty bodies and disinfectant lingers in the air. This must be the locker room area. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a rink, but I spent a good chunk of my childhood hanging out with Bastian and Tristan while they played hockey. I forgot how much I missed the brisk chill in the air and the crisp scent of the ice.

He leads me to the team bench. “Sit tight for a minute.”

Memories of weekends spent hanging out at the arena while Mom worked flood back to me. I never minded. I’d always bring a book or sometimes his sister Ari would tag along, and I’d hang out with her. She was two years younger than me, but we still got along.

I used to love watching his games. There’s no doubt that he’s talented. Tristan too, but my eyes always found my way back to Sebastian like he was my anchor. I stopped watching hockey in high school. After his personality took a turn for the worse, it soured me on the sport. If that’s what it did to my old friend, then I didn’t want anything to do with it.

I’m pulled back to the present when his large body folds down in front of me. An image of his dark crop of hair tucked between my thighs flashes through my wayward brain. Where did that come from?

“Um, what are you doing?”

Bastian tilts his head up at me, lifting a pair of slightly scuffed skates. Right, we’re at the skating rink, of course. I have to stop thinking of him as Bastian. That’s not who he is anymore. He’s not Bastian, and he’s definitely not mine.

He slides my boot off, replacing it with a skate. I try not to think of the sparks flying through me at the caress of his hands on my calves. The thin fabric of my leggings does nothing to protect me from the feeling of his touch.

His fingers lace it up with quick precision before turning to the next leg. I wiggle my toes around, checking the fit. “How did you know my size?”

He shrugs and turns to pull out his own skates. “Most girl’s feet stop growing around fourteen. You were an eight. I figured…”

I give him a weird look. First of all, how does he know that fact? And second, he remembers my shoe size?

“Right, yeah. Let’s get going.” He clears his throat, standing up with casual ease.

I rub my hands down my thighs a few times before grabbing the hands he’s holding out for me. The stomach flutters are back for a different reason, but I let him pull me up to a wobbly standing position, balancing on the thin blades.

“How long has it been since you skated?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.

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