Page 102 of Always Yours

“Me too,” he says, rubbing my cheeks. “I want to replace all those bad memories and add to the good. I want to be there for you, Janie. I want to…” He pauses, and his eyes search mine, leaving me breathless. “I want to make you happy.”

I fight the round of tears that wants to escape and lean my forehead into his. “All that. I want that too.”

He grins, and I smile back before our lips press together. Not in a lusty kiss, but a familiar, cherished one. “I gotta finish getting ready,” I tell him.

I step back out of his arms and start for my room, but he takes my wrist in his hand, not allowing me to get far. With his other hand, he sweeps it across the island, knocking everything off it, much to my surprise, and stopping me. “Dimitri! What in the—”

My words cut off at the possessiveness in his eyes. He reaches for me, pulling me to his chest. His eyes are wild and breathtaking as he gazes down at me. “I changed my mind,” he says, taking my hips and picking me up, placing my ass on the island. “I do want a treat.”

“Now?”

“Oh yes, Janie. Right fucking now.”

I gasp out loud as he lays me back on the island for his treat and my dress gets pushed up my thighs. I look up at the ceiling, knowing good and well he may have ruined the idea of frosted pancakes for me, but he’s brought on a new memory. It’s just one of many, and I can’t wait to create more of them.

With him.

thirty-four

Austen

I don’t know why I assumed that Dimitri could ever behave or ever act as if I’m not in the room. Pretty sure I had a better chance of assuming a dog would sit rather than run for the treat he wants. I am not going to make it. When he first saw me before morning skate, he kissed my cheek before wishing me a good day. The whole reason I didn’t ride with him to the arena was because I’d want to do just that before we left each other.

When I went to my first meeting, I got a text that he was thinking of me. What if someone saw him send that text? Or maybe it’s me. Maybe he is affecting me and I’m unable to control it. Because as I watch him on the ice, moving his hips the way he is and knowing he is looking at me, even though I’m sitting at the highest row of the first level, I am flushed and breathless.

This is going to be more difficult than I realized.

I swallow hard, two seconds from fanning myself as Shelli sits beside me. I hope she doesn’t notice, but if she has, she hasn’t said a word. This is a big day for Dimitri, and while I know he’ll make the next level, I am still nervous. He deserves the spot. He has earned it. He’s done everything the coaches have asked, and he has glowing reviews. I know this because I’ve read them and made notes for Shelli.

“Have you made your roster yet?”

“I have,” I answer, hitting the tab on my tablet. “Did you want to view it now or in the meeting with your mom?”

“In the meeting.”

“Great,” I say, breathless as she looks over my work. I watch her eyes move, her teeth pressing into her lips, and then she nods. “Or now?”

She laughs at my comment as she reads over it. “We’re almost on the same page, but I’m surprised you have Reto Hiller over our current backup, Reed.”

I click on Kavish Reed’s profile on my tablet and bring up his player plan I’ve made. I went through and made a tab for each player to keep track of all the information I have for them. It helps me since I basically have nine thousand tabs open in my head. “He went to rehab once the season ended for pill addiction after failing his drug test. He did the time and made progress, but he hasn’t been going to meetings, and his last drug test showed he was using. But they couldn’t get a clear reading, as if something was tampered with.” I bring up the coaches’ notes next. “Coaches say he has gotten slow, that he doesn’t seem to be on his game. He gets very frustrated with the coaches and isn’t working well with Juuso. They aren’t fighting, but they aren’t clicking.”

“Austen, these notes are impressive,” she says, looking at me with wide eyes. “Like, whoa.”

“Yeah, I’m a little OCD when it comes to gathering information that’s needed. You know I taught myself four languages.”

Her eyes widen more, if possible. “No shit?”

“Yeah, I love this kind of stuff. I used to have notebooks of scripture and notebooks for my toys when I was growing up. It’s a weird love of mine.”

“Which is now easier with a tablet.”

“Oh, so much easier,” I say, exhaling. “I love the tabs and the way it allows me to save additional information.”

“Well, I’m highly impressed with this.”

“Thank you,” I say proudly. “I am too.”

“You should be,” she agrees. “So, you want to trade Reed.”

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