Page 48 of My Last Dance

His throat bobbed with a swallow. “Why are you upset, Piper?”

I squeezed my eyes shut tight. I didn’t want to admit the real reason because it was too stupid. I should’ve been solely focused on figure skating, but all I could think of was how we all finally had the opportunity to have one normal fun night out…and itstillwasn’t normal because I had to sit out. And…

Shaking my head, I forced out, “Doesn’t matter.”

“It’s the only thing that matters to me,” he said, holding my gaze.

“Why?”

He looked up at the dark sky and laughed. “Because I like you.”

“Yeah, right,” I said sarcastically. “What’s to like about me?”

He stared down at me strangely then. “I feel like I’m talking to an imposter. Where’s the real Piper Wyndell-Hamilton? That girl would say,Of course you like me, what’s not to like, Dick?”he said, imitating me.

I half-laughed, half-cried. Because he was right on the money: I felt like I was an imposter in my own life lately.

“Hey, no, don’t cry,” he said gently. “I was only joking. I like you because you’reyou, Piper. You’re loyal, competitive, and kind, not to mention beautiful, but you know that,” he said with a chuckle.

I snorted. “I don’t think you know the real me.”

We made it to the sidewalk right in front of their house and he gently set me on my feet.

He reached out and touched my cheek, making my entire body go still. “I know you better than you think, P.”

I knew him, too. I knew that he acted stupid and like a troublemaker, but he was smarter and had better grades than the rest of them. I knew that he secretly applied to college as a backup plan, and I doubted his friends even knew about it.

“Why are you actually upset?” he coaxed, looking at me with solemn eyes. Under the streetlamp, I could see the snowflakes falling down and clinging to his dark hair and long eyelashes.

My chin wobbled. I’m not sure if it was his gentle voice or the alcohol in my system, but I couldn’t keep the truth in anymore. “I didn’t get to dance with you,” I choked out.

His face softened. He took my face in his hands and stepped closer to me so our bodies were flush. His thumb ghosted over my bottom lip, making my entire body pause, making all the thoughts in my head juststop. “We’ll have more chances to dance, baby,” he rasped, then he kissed me full on the mouth.

My body immediately forgot about the cold, forgot about everything else. It was just him grinding against me, kissing me, creating our own heat.

And even though I was hours away from my warm bed, it felt like I was finally home, like I was finally where I was meant to be.

Without breaking the kiss, he picked me up and marched us into their house.

10. COLLEGE BOY

2012

Shortly after that weekend trip with Mer and Ali to see the boys in Canada, I was given the green light to train again.

Patrick and I decided to transfer to a new coaching team in Buffalo, New York. I quickly enrolled in some college courses and chose to live on campus at Marshall University so I could experience college life. Patrick chose to live downtown and was taking classes online.

I was now going into the fall semester, and I couldn’t be happier. Well, I could be, but—

“You have your eyes on anyone? I hear Eric likes you,” Ria, my roommate, asked, wagging her eyebrows at me as she pushed open the front door of our sorority house, leading the way into the crisp fall night.

“Eh.” I shrugged with indifference and hugged myself against the cold. I really should’ve brought a jacket, but I didn’t want to lose it at the party.

“Oh my God,” Ria groaned as she grabbed my hand and started speed walking down the sidewalk toward the already busy frat house. “All the guys drool over you, and I swear they’re all holding out hope that you’ll choose them. Please put the rest out of their misery andchoose someone, P.”

I just laughed because that was very muchnottrue, but it was nice of Ria to say. And while I’d love to just choose someone, no one ever seemed to match up tohim. But I’d never admit that to anyone.

After that road trip to Canada, I really thought Richard and I would start dating. But then Richard got traded to a lower team all the way out in Vancouver and he went radio silent on the whole group.

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