Page 3 of Pucking Christmas Triplets Surprise

"It's tighter." She whispered so low I barely heard her.

I watched the fire in her eyes flicker, the blush creeping up her neck as she tried to compose herself, but she was trembling—half with anger, half with something else. I tilted her chin higher, not letting her escape the moment.

“Tighter, huh?” I murmur, my voice low, teasing her, testing how far she’ll let this go.

“Yes, tighter,” she snapped, her breath coming faster. “The moment I pull my leg up, everything has to lock in—my core, back, even my hips. One tiny slip, one muscleout of place, and the spin goes wide. If I’m not tight, I lose control. I can feel it wobble.”

I smirked, inching closer, my thumb brushing over the soft skin of her chin. “So that’s where you’re failing? You’re nottightenough?” The words roll off my tongue slowly, like a challenge.

Her lips parted, the slightest hitch in her breath giving her away, but she kept her gaze locked on mine, refusing to back down. “I’m tight enough,” she whispered, her voice sharp despite how she shivered beneath my touch.

I leaned in closer, my mouth just inches from hers, and I could feel the tension vibrating between us. “Prove it, then,” I whisper against her lips. “Show me you can hold it together, princess.”

In waves, heat danced off her body, and right when she was going to break and tell me to fuck off or show me how she takes command over her body, the man I was going kill for her came into the stadium.

"Why don't I hear your fucking skates?!" A man barked. I turned slowly, looked over my shoulder, and narrowed my eyes at the idiot. He was shorter than me and looked like a clean-cut, all-American skater.

"Because I'm talking to her," I growled, baring my teeth.

"Oh, Mr. Jackson, I am-"

"Who the fuck are you?" I snarled, making the more petite man in a fucking neon turtleneck flinch.

"I am Dylan. Josie's partner, right babe?"

Josie placed a small hand on the center of my back, sendingflames rushing through me.

"Right." She whispered, moving around me.

"You let your partner talk to you like that?" I lowered my eyes to hers, ignoring the nervous twitching of the idiot.

"No. Dylan, I will practice when I want."

"Women, am I right, Jackson?! Don't know a hard day’s work."

Heat surged through me, my jaw locking the moment that idiot's voice grated the air. I focused on Dylan, feeling the primal need to protect her spike in my chest. He had a smug grin plastered on his face, clearly trying to play buddy-buddy.

“You think that’s funny?” I growled, my voice dangerously low as I stepped closer, towering over him. Dylan’s smirk wavered.

"Come on man, you know what it takes to be at the top, and she's not putting the work in."

My eyes flicked to Josie—she was stiff, her expression unreadable, but I could see the tension in how she clenched her fists. She was annoyed, maybe even embarrassed by the idiot, but too polite to put him in his place.

“Not putting in the work?” I echoed, my voice low, dangerous.

Dylan chuckled, running a hand through his hair, but his laugh lacked real humor. “She’s great, don’t get me wrong. But you know how it is, man. Sometimes, they need a little...push. Otherwise, they fall behind.”

Josie’s lips parted, but no words came out. I saw her flinch just the tiniest bit, and that was all it took for me to lose the last thread of patience I had.

I stepped forward, closing the distance between Dylan and me, towering over him now. My voice was steady, lethal. “A push?” I said, narrowing my eyes. “That’s what you call it?”

Dylan shifted, his cocky expression faltering for a second, but he still tried to keep up the act. “You don’t get it, Jackson. She’s stubborn. If I don’t keep her in line, she’ll never be ready for the big leagues. You’ve seen it yourself—she’s slipping.”

“Keep her in line?” I repeated slowly, letting the words hang in the air like a threat. My voice dropped, dark and cold. “What the fuck do you mean by that?"

"Stop it." Josie snapped, her body a paling pink and the phantom print of her hand against my spine ringing. "I need silence to practice."

"Josie-" I said, but she shook her head and kept her eyes down.

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