Page 75 of Ice Bet

“No buts. Do it again.”

I spun with my chest still heaving. We were alone. Sully was no longer standing behind the glass, and I had been too busy skating, lost in my own world that seemed to revolve around Aasher, to know if he’d left on his own or if Aasher had said something else to make him leave.

“Go, Riley,” Aasher urged.

“Or what?” I asked, hearing a bite in my tone.

I was feeling more confident than ever, standing here on the ice, looking at him like I actually had the upper hand.

I did it.I felt so much satisfaction that I wanted to cry.

My eyes welled, but I pulled it together.

Aasher’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down before he shook his head. “Don’t tempt me, Riley.” He turned and walked off the ice.

The disappointment was enough to push me further. I skated away quickly and couldn’t believe my ability to glide over the ice without my chest constricting.

I blew out a shaky breath and shoved him out of my head. I spun when I heard the clink of a blade against the ice. Aasher skated over to me, and the arching of his eyebrow was a challenge like no other. “Show me what you’ve got.”

“I thought you left.” I looked at his black skates and pretended I wasn’t pleased that he’d stuck around.

“Nope.” He skated to center ice. “I was just putting these on in case you kept tempting me.”

“I’m not tempting you to do anything. No one invited you here tonight.”

“You tempt me by breathing,” he said. “Now do it again before I throw you in the sin bin.”

I sucked in a smile. “You’d have to catch me first.”

“Better run, then.”

25

AASHER

I thoughtI stayed away long enough to get her out of my system.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

The moment I saw her alone with Sully, I had only an ounce of control. That control kept me from punching his lights out and thenzip.I was spent.

There were 800 reasons why I should have continued on my way after removing my hands from her waist. She did it. She skated. She did a triple lutz—something I knew because I studied a diagram of figure skating lingo. The only reason I scrambled onto the ice after I watched Sully leave was because I could tell she was unfocused, and being unfocused on the ice usually resulted in injuries.

But then she smiled at me, and I was too foolish to stay away. I'd been in timeout like a toddler since Friday. I fell asleep that night, listening to her sweet, singsong laugh while she sat in my living room with my friends, playing poker. And every night since, I refused to make myself known while she stood on the ice and contemplated skating. I watched from afar, like a stalker. I knew she would do it eventually. I just didn’t know that all it would take was for me to reveal a possessive side to myself that Irarelyever showed.

I might have scared her or, at the very least, confused her.

But regardless, she flew over the ice gracefully, like an angel, and I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I turned around and went home.

“Aasher!” The echo of her shout made me smile. “You’re a lot faster on the ice without all your gear.”

I leaned to the right as I turned and reached out to grab her. She yelped, and I chuckled. I scooped her up and placed her over my shoulder, just like the time I carried her home from the frat party. Only this time, I couldn’t fester in my irritation with her to keep my hands to myself.

The shelf of her ass rested against my arm, and I looked down, wanting to take a bite out of it.Shit. I needed another timeout.

“Put me down!”

Ignoring my conscience, I threw her words back at her. “Or what?”

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