Page 85 of Dirty Pucking Tease

"I don't know." Kaia sighed. "All I know is Cam went up to surprise him at his last show. She hasn't said anything about it since she got back."

"That's not good."

She shook her head. "Nope, but I think we need to stay out of it. They need to figure this out on their own."

I nodded. "Let's go home." I sighed. Cam wasn't going to fight tonight, so we could try talking to her tomorrow when she was sober.

57

It was early, and the rink was empty and mostly dark, with only one of the overhead lights on. It had been almost two months since my skates hit the ice, and I didn't want anyone to be around if I made a fool out of myself. I didn't want to skate professionally anymore because my passion for making it to the Olympics died with Mattias, but my love for the ice was still as strong today as the first time my mom brought me ice skating with Harlow.

Stepping off the ledge and onto the ice, my legs shook with nerves. I'd spent almost my entire life on the ice. It shouldn't be something that I just forget how to do, and yet the thought of losing something else that was such a huge part of me was terrifying me.

The thought of losing the ability to skate would be like losing my mother all over again. My mother was the reason I started skating. She was at every practice, and when I didn't have practice, she skated with me. It was one of my earliest memories with her; I didn't want to lose that. It had always been her dream for me to make it to the Olympics, and up until Mattias died,I thought it was mine too, but it wasn't. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, but partner skating wasn't it anymore.

My gaze shifted down to where my skates were frozen to the ice, and my brain couldn't make my legs move. I knew I was being irrational. I had no reason to think that I wouldn't be able to skate again, but the fear was real. The doctor said I would return to normal use of my leg after six weeks of healing.

"Okay, Kaia, get a grip," I mumbled. "You can do this."Gazing forward, I focused on the ice in front of me, willing my legs to move, and they did. I pushed off the ice and glided to the opposite end of the rink. A sense of calm washed over me as I skated effortlessly around the ice. I spun and glided to a stop. I was building up the momentum to try a jump when something moved in my peripheral view. I spun quickly, throwing up the shaved ice all over the dark jeans that Parker was wearing.

"Hey, Kai," Parker said, an apology in his tone. I wasn't sure how I would feel seeing Parker again, probably because I hadn't decided how I wanted to handle the situation yet, but it looked like it was happening now whether I was ready or not. Frozen in front of him, I drew in long, deep breaths as my jaw flexed and my fist clenched. I was pissed.

Parker opened his mouth, and I knew an apology was about to come out. And everything about that sent anger radiating through me as I reared back and slammed my fist into his jaw. The sound of bone hitting bone filled the quiet arena before he stumbled back, gripping his jaw.

"Ah, fuck," I cried when pain shot through my hand into my wrist and up my arm. He flinched, but that definitely hurt me more than it did him.

"I deserved that," he said, rubbing his jaw.

"You deserve a broken jaw," I gritted out, cradling my hand. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Cleaning out my locker." His voice was soft, almost sad, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was sad for himself or for everything he'd done. "Petrov dropped me this morning."

"I wish I could say I'm sorry, but I'm not." I crossed my arms over my chest. "What took her so long?"

"I just got out of rehab yesterday."

"You went to rehab?"

He nodded with a sad smile. "Yeah, I realized I had a problem and needed help. I wish I had realized before I destroyed my career and hurt you."

Sucking in a deep breath, I exhaled a heavy sigh. "What happened?" I was still furious with him but needed to know what had happened that day. I needed to know how I lost my memory. "I need to hear your side of the story."

"I went out partying with some friends," he said. "I don't remember much, but they called it a night, and I kept partying, and before I knew it, I had to be at practice in two hours. I don't know when I left. I don't remember making it to the arena, but I'm pretty sure I showered and changed and was on the ice on time."

"How didn't I know you were that drunk? How did Petrov not know?"

Raising his shoulders, he shook his head. "If you had asked me before the accident, I would have told you that I wasn't that drunk, but that's not true. I guess I just got really good at covering it up. To be honest, I don't remember much, but I do remember you asking if I was okay."

"And you told me you were?"

He nodded. "Petrov shouted for us to practice our step lift, and I lost my balance and..."

"I remember..." A wave of memories flooded back. I didn't know if I was remembering everything, but I remembered everything that happened on the day of the accident. "Omigod,Parker, I remember." I was so excited that I nearly jumped into a hug.

"What the fuck?" Jax's voice boomed from somewhere behind me. I whipped around as Jax and Owen hit the ice, racing toward us. "Get the fuck away from her."

"Jax," I shouted in warning. Even from the opposite side of the rink, you could see the anger radiating off him.

"I'm fucked," Parker muttered.

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