Page 35 of Revolve
I give him a sidelong glance, scrutinizing him sitting here at six a.m. sharp and not heeding my threat. “Should’ve known you don’t do what you’re told.”
“What can I say? I like to be punished.”
“How submissive of you,” I say dryly.
“Yeah? Are you into that? Because I could be, depending on the reward.”
God, he’s distracting. I try not to pay attention to the reactions from my body and focus on my phone.
Dylan peeks over my shoulder. “Olympics and Harvard? What a try-hard.”
I turn to him before jerking back when my nose almost grazes his cheek. “I went to the Olympics and I’m at Dalton. Are you calling me a try-hard too?”
“Nah, you’re impressive.He’sa try-hard.”
“You’re just jealous that I have better options than you for partners.”
“You can only pick one, Sierra. And I’m always in the lead.”
We stare at each other for so long, I can almost see him thinkingabout last night. By some miracle, he doesn’t bring it up. He doesn’t mention how my hands sank into his hair, weaving through his locks like I had some right. Or the moment I let the drink spill from my mouth into his, as though that was something we’ve always done.
“Think about the children, Sierra.”
I give him a blank look. “You mean the ones you probably flushed down the toilet this morning?”
“Dylan!” Coach Lidia shouts. “I said on the ice at six. I don’t see you ready to go.”
He glances at me. “Is she always like this?”
I shrug innocently. With a shake of his head, Dylan skates toward the center of the rink. He’s wearing a fitted long-sleeve T-shirt with a checkmark logo, snug around his arms. He exchanges quiet words with Lidia and shelaughs. I can’t hear anything, so I move down the bleachers, edging closer to the ice, my eyes never leaving him.
“I found videos of your past performances with your sister. I had no idea you two made it to the ISU Championship twice. Very impressive,” Lidia says.
Finally, Dylan gets into position, and Lidia starts barking orders. “Start with a clean edge into a lunge,” she calls out, her eyes keen as she watches him. “Now into a combination spin.”
I sit there, my leg shaking, waiting for him to mess something up.
His triple axel makes my grip tighten on my phone. It’s too clean for someone who doesn’t do this professionally. It’s not fair.
Lidia turns to me, catching my eye from where she stands. I snap my gaze back to my phone, pretending to diligently scroll.
I want him to mess up, just a little. Something, anything to remind me why I don’t want him as a partner. But for sixteen minutes, he does everything she says almost too well. But then it’s the last Salchow that he fails to land on a proper edge and screws it up completely.
Ha!I’m gloating, until Lidia gestures for him to stop, but she’s smiling. “Well, I can definitely say I’m surprised, son. There’s plentyof work to do if we’re talking competitions, but that’s a stunning start.”
“But that Lutz was brutal. No wonder he stuck to playing hockey,” I say when I rush over.
Lidia blinks. “Any luck with your search?”
I deflate. “No.”
“I’d say it’s a pretty simple choice. That is if you two agree on this partnership and Dylan completes his physical and drug test. Completely clean.” She looks at Dylan and emphasizes the last part. He’s still smug as hell. I kind of want to deck him in the face. “Both of you get back to me by tonight. We don’t have time to waste.”
“Did she call youson?” I hiss when she’s out of earshot.
“Son. Best skater she’s ever seen. Ridiculously handsome. I couldn’t really keep track.”
My retort is caught in my throat when I see who’s on the ice. Along with other skaters, there’s one that always manages to make my throat close. Justin is talking to his coach on the opposite edge of the rink.
