Page 46 of Skating Towards Danger

“I-I,” she stutters, and I walk over to them. Dante looks my way and watches me to see what I’ll do, and I know he’s expecting me to lose it for sleeping with her right before me, and even though it hurts, it’s not my business what he did before me, but it is what he does after.

He lifts his arm when he sees I’m walking right into him and wraps it around my waist. I press my nose against his top and inhale as I wrap my arms around him.

The man overrides my senses, and instantly, being in his embrace, all my fears and worries disappear.

“Caz, you have five seconds to get the fuck outta this arena before I make an official complaint with HR who let’s face it would love to use this to fire you,” Dante growls coming to the realization why she’s banned from the rink, and I close my eyes as his voice vibrates through me.

I hear Caz sniffle before the clicks of her shoes echo on the flooring. The door opens and then closes, and Dante sighs. He wraps his other arm around me, holding me tight, and I hum in contentment.

“I honestly thought I was going to have to run after you for a minute,” Dante mumbles and I chuckle lightly.

“What you did before me is your business, Dante. It’s what you do now that I care about,” I admit, and he squeezes me tighter.

“I love you, Paige,” he whispers, and I smile and reply, “I love you too.”

He kisses the top of my head, then pulls back, holds up a piece of paper, and says, “Coach wanted your autograph. Apparently, he has your mother's, and now he wants yours, something about legacy and needing that on his wall.”

I tense and not missing it, he gently cups my cheek and rubs it with his thumb. Again, everything but him fades as he mumbles, “How about I hold the pen in your hand where he wants the signature, and you just look at me as you sign?”

I nod once, liking that idea because, knowing Coach, he’ll want it underneath my mother, and I can’t say no to him. I remember Momma talking about Coach Paul when I was younger and how he always ensured she got her time on the ice.

Smiling and putting all my trust into him, Dante guides me over to the desk. Just as he said, he stands behind me when I grab the pen and holds my hand while gently cupping my jaw with his other hand so I look at him and then he guides me where I need to sign before I put pen to paper, and he grins wide when I’ve finished, making me chuckle.

Shaking my head, I move away from him and twist so I’m walking backward, and I demand, “Skate with me, player.”

I stand in the middle of the ice rink, my eyes solely on Dante as he jumps over the boards and glides towards me. When he is close, he takes me by my hips and pushes me backward.

I place my hands on his chest, fisting his shirt, pulling his body closer as we lock eyes and skate around the rink or more like, he skates and I just glide, not needing to move my legs.

“You only screw ass, huh?” I ask, and he grins as he pushes me slightly, grabs my hand, and then twirls me, making me giggle before bringing me back to him and not once breaking his stride around the rink.

“Not yours,” he admits, and I hum, allowing him to spin me again making me grin as happiness fills me before he pulls me into him again and slows our speed, “unless you want me to…”

He raises a brow at me, and I know my cheeks are heated by his grin. He mumbles, “Well, looks like I know what I’m doing soon.”

I laugh as he wiggles his brows, and I wrap my arms around his neck as he picks up his speed, and everything in my world feels right. No pain, no guilt, just pure happiness, and I never want this feeling to end.

Shame in my world fate is always the bitch.

Chapter 18

Paige – A Week Later

I kneel, bring my left arm up, and bend backward slightly as I glide across the ice, trying to keep my face soft and tilted to the side slightly. Then, I stand and skate faster, using my arms to help with my speed before I jump a little and twist my body, then skate backward, kicking my feet out as I go and move my arms in front of me, dancing to the music in the surround-sound speakers.

The beat quickens, so I quicken my legs and swing my arms as I go while staying loose. I keep my feet shoulder-width apart and use my hips before I leap off the ice and twist at the same time, bringing my arms to my chest and spinning mid-air. I keep my feet crossed before I quickly uncross them and land on my left foot softly, my arms out wide beside me. I skate backward a littlebefore coming to a stop, breathing hard as pride fills me because I didn’t get one step wrong.

Damn.

The feeling of happiness that I always get comes, and my chest tightens as I look out to the stands. As always, they’re empty, minus one man I just know is hiding at the back, even though he said he wouldn’t be here until I finish because of a press conference.

I felt eyes on me the moment I walked out into the rink, but I ignored them. They don’t feel soft as they normally do, and I don’t get the positive tingles all over me, instead my gut tightens, and darkness fills me. Maybe I’m just picking up whatever bad mood Dante is in, though it is weird that he’s not making himself known right now, knowing I’m struggling.

I take a deep breath to control the urge to cry. I love the ice, the feeling of the coldness surrounding me, and the quietness, the peace. It brings me calmness, just like Dante does, but the guilt I always feel is still there. It’s not as big as it was when I first started seven weeks ago, but it’s there, and even though Ellen said it would slowly fade, I just want it to fade quicker because it’s making me want to curl up in a ball and cry again.

I know my parents dying wasn’t my fault, I know this, and yet, I still feel survivor’s guilt.

I was eight, I didn’t ask for them to pick me up or watch me practice, but I was so damn grateful they were all there. After Royal was born, Momma and Daddy spent a lot of time at home, and while I was at home, they gave me just as much attention, but I missed having them in the stands and seeing their proud faces.

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