Page 68 of Daring the Defender

“No,” we both say at the same time, Axel’s mouth in a matching frown to mine. Reid’s gaze drops down to me andsomething flickers between us–an acknowledgment of the secret that we have together and my stomach flips in betrayal.

“I picked up our skates.” Nadia walks up, a set of skates in each hand. She shoves a bulky pair at me.

“Bro,” Axel says, moving past us to help Nadia. “Help Shel get her skates on. We’re starting soon.”

I start to tell Reid he doesn’t have to help me with anything, but he’s already grabbed a skate and is loosening the laces.

“Let’s get those boots off,” he says, dropping down to one knee. He lifts my foot and eases off my shoe.

“The shirts look great,” I tell him. “They’re fun. Where’d you get the idea?”

“Glad you like them.” He keeps his eyes down, but adds, “I was looking through some of the old jerseys for inspiration and found some from early in the program's history. I thought it would be cool to go with a vintage look.” His gaze lingers on me a moment longer than I’m comfortable. He jerks his chin. “Other foot.”

I stick it out and he catches it in his hand. Once my boot is off, those long fingers graze the underside, trailing over the arch. I am sent back to the way he touched me secretly under the blanket during the movie. The same two fingers he used to–

My eyes dart over to my brother who is fully invested in his girlfriend, clueless to my runaway body and brain.

Carefully, Reid tugs up my sock, smoothing it out, then works my foot into the heavy skate boot. I watch as he methodically tightens the laces, he dips his fingers under the tongue and asks, “That feel okay? Too tight?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“You need a little give at the ankles, but not too much.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll be like those kids out there,” I nod at the rink, “hanging onto the edge, trying not to make a fool of myself.”

“You really think I’d let you fall?” He stands and stretches out his hand. I take another quick look at my brother. He and Nadia are moving toward the rink. I take his hand and let him help me up, then lead us toward the ice. Just before we get to the opening that leads to the ice he leans in and whispers in my ear, “As much as I like seeing you in the jersey I designed, it would be a lot better if it had my name on it.”

My cheeks burn, recalling how he looked at me when I wore his jersey. How aroused it made him. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Wilder,” I say, keeping one eye on my brother. He’s back in the goal, showing off some of his moves to the kids.

With one hand on the wall and another holding onto his forearm, I take an awkward step onto the frozen floor. My movements are tentative, shaky, like a newborn deer.

“No.” He grabs me, spinning me around and pressing my back against the wall. His muscular arms cage me in. “A dangerous game would be me kissing you right now, out in the open, for everyone to see. Which holy fuck, GG, I want to do that so bad.”

My knees turn to jelly, and my ankles wobble. It’s a good thing he’s nearby to keep me from falling over, but it’s a bad thing that he’s so close, taunting me like this. “I’m starting to think you’re trying to get caught.”

He shrugs, a smirky grin tugging at his mouth. “Maybe I’m thinking it would be worth the risk.”

“You’d risk my brother finding out about what we’ve been doing?”

His cheeks are ruddy from the cold, and his eyes dart to my mouth. He could kiss me right now and tear the bandage off this secret, blowing up both of our lives. But to what end? What would be the point? Causing an irreparable rift with my brother over an experiment?

“Reid!”

A small body zips across the ice, coming at him full force. He reacts quickly, catching her in his arms. “Hey, Ron,” he says, wrapping his arms around the younger girl. She’s in the jersey designated for family, the name Wilder across the back. Another person follows, skating slower but still with noticeable skill. “Dad. Mom here?”

Mr. Wilder points to the stands. There’s a cluster of women, all in family jerseys. Reid lifts his hand in a wave and a woman with short, stylishly cut, gray hair grins and waves back.

“She’s not skating?” he asks.

“Not this year. Her back has been bothering her a little, but she didn’t want to miss the chance to connect with other parents.” Mr. Wilder’s attention shifts to me. “Hi, I’m Roger. Reid’s father, and this is Veronica, his younger sister.”

“Shelby.” I straighten up. “Rakestraw. Axel is my brother. Nice to meet you both.”

“Ah, the little sister that’s been crashing at the house.” He grins. “Hope you haven’t been traumatized by living with a group of college boys.”

Before I can answer, Ronnie jumps in. “You’ve been living at the Manor.” Her eyes dart across the ice, landing squarely on her target. “With Jefferson?”

Ah, the infamous crush. “Just for the past few weeks. And everyone is very busy, I don’t see him very much.” I catch Reid’s disgruntled expression and add, “Just so you know, they’re all pretty smelly and none of them do the dishes.”

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