Page 1 of On Thin Ice

Chapter 1

I extended my right arm and glided backward along the ice rink. My heart leaped into my throat as I bent my leg, preparing to make the jump.

It wasn’t my first time doing a triple axel. I was landing quads too, for God’s sake. And yet, every time I felt his eyes lingering on me, my head was flooded with forbidden thoughts, and my focus shifted to naughty fantasies.

I drew my arms in tight and kicked off, launching myself into the air.

One. Two. Three.

The impact spasmed through my body as my skate touched the ice again. My pulse pounded, and I instinctively glanced at my coach, Bryce. Damn, that wasn’t a good idea. Lust shot through me the moment I met his hazel eyes, and despite my attempts to conceal it, I was sure he knew.

Well, truth be told, he had probably noticed the effect he had on me the first time we met a few months ago. And it wasn’t as if my filthy thoughts were hard to guess, given how shamelessly I’d flirted with him so many times.

Last year, after I turned nineteen, my former coach dropped me. She said she wasn’t experienced enough to train someone my age for the Olympics and recommended a few other coaches.

When she suggested I work with Bryce, my mind spun. He was the best, and almost all of his athletes had won the Olympics. Training under him was a dream come true, but I never thought he would agree, since he usually worked only with skaters in their mid-to-late twenties.

Still, when a woman on his team decided to retire and switch careers, he suddenly had an open spot. With my former coach’s help, I shot my shot. And now, here I was.

What I didn’t expect, though, was the effect he had on me.

I’d seen pictures of him before, watched interviews, and I knew he was hot as sin. But I never imagined just how devastatingly attractive he was in real life.

God, when we met, it felt like I’d been struck by lightning.

Bryce was in his mid-fifties and the hottest silver fox I’d ever seen. Like ... sinfully hot. With that perfect blend of salt and pepper in his hair and beard, and the body of a former athlete, one who clearly spent a lot of time on the ice and in the gym, he was the fucking definition of illegally handsome.

But what made lust dance through my veins wasn’t just the way he looked. It was his confidence. That mix of authority and control he exuded every time he spoke.

I was usually bold, but every time he so much as glanced at me, my heart pounded, and my body buzzed in ways I had never felt before.

And I was sure he was attracted to me, too.

I saw it in his eyes every time his gaze lingered on me a little too long, and in the way he “accidentally” touched me a few times, setting my skin on fire and making my inner slut perk up.

I was used to guys hitting on me all the time, but I had never been interested in any of them. I always pushed them away.

But with Bryce?

God, I wanted so much more.

And yet, despite all the glances, the flirting, and all the fleeting touches, he kept things annoyingly professional.

Of course he did. Why would he risk his reputation for a quick fuck with his new skater?

Not to mention, even if he did make a move, I had no idea if I could satisfy him.

Given his age and how ridiculously good-looking he was, I bet he had a lot of women. Definitely more mature and experienced than I was.

I’m still a virgin, for fuck’s sake!

And yet, that didn’t stop me from acting like a little slut every time he was around.

“It was good, Livia,” Bryce said, pulling me from my thoughts. “But tighten your core before takeoff. It’ll help with your speed.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

Gliding along the ice rink, I prepared to repeat the triple axel. Feeling his eyes on me, I couldn’t hold myself from bending andstretching, pretending to warm up. My body flushed as I glanced over my shoulder and caught him staring at my wiggling ass.

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