Page 27 of For the Love of Skating
16
Kat
I’m going to throw up or pass out before Granger can even show me the surprise. He’s already done so much for me, and I feel guilty enough as it is. It better not be something outrageous because I can’t or won’t accept it. Why does he have to be so perfect?
I stifle a moan and slip out the exit after being dismissed from class for the day, all the while ignoring the gossip around campus about Granger and I. The guys on campus have suddenly taken an interest in me like I’m fresh meat, and don’t even get me started on the women around here. I’ve received so many death glares from the female population, and my neck is killing me from shrinking into my desk halfway through class, trying to be unnoticeable. What did catch me off guard though, was that Jeff didn’t say a word to me, didn’t even acknowledge I exist, and I’m completely okay with that. I’ve grown used to his creepy presence over the last few years, and it’s a big relief that he left me alone. Although, I kind of wanted to chew him out for that dirty shot at my Captain on the ice. The guy’s a tool.
I keep my eyes peeled for Granger as I walk down the step, but his looming presence isn’t to be seen in any direction as my body turns in a circle. He stands tall over half the population, or maybe that’s how I see him because he has that air around him that makes him seem larger than life. Maybe I heard him wrong, did he say he’ll see me after classes? Oh God, what if he’s regretting this whole thing we have going on? A pang in my chest almost makes my knees collapse as that old feeling resurfaces, telling me I’m not good enough. The urge to skate until I forget everything slams into me, and my feet start leading me in the direction of the athletic department as I try to hold back tears. With my eyes on my feet and my head running a mile a minute, I almost miss my name being called. My head snaps up when I hear the shout of that deep voice coming from in front of me.
“Princess! What the hell happened? Are you crying? Who’s ass do I need to kick?” Granger frames my face with his big palms as his intense gaze roams over my features, his eyes flashing with anger in their depths.
A wet giggle escapes my mouth unbidden, and I’m mentally calling myself foolish a thousand times over. My past always collides with my present, and then I start to doubt everything about myself.
“No ass-kicking on my behalf. I’m fine, really. I was just thinking…” I trail off and give him a wobbly smile in an effort to show him I’m just overreacting. He should get used to it because I’m a woman with hormones, and sometimes I need a good cry.
“Want to talk about it?” he questions with a hint of worry in his tone, looking so deeply into my eyes. It feels good, really good, that someone actually gives a damn about me.
I shake my head, glancing away for a second before swinging my gaze back his way. His cheeks are flushed and his damp hair is slightly slicked back as his pale green eyes scan my face.
“Can we get coffee from my favorite café before this surprise? I’m dying over here,” I tease to lighten the mood and pout at him, because the sucker can’t resist it when I do. He rolls his eyes, but I see those soft, wide lips twitching.
Suddenly, he bends down at the knees and picks me up in his muscular arms to cradle me like a freaking baby. He starts running towards the café as I shriek and laugh at the expressions on everyone's faces we pass.
“Get out of the way, it’s an emergency! This girl needs coffee, and she needs it right now,” he shouts, sliding around on patches of ice on the sidewalk, and snickers as a couple jump out of our way just before we bump into them.
Dear God, he is too much, and I love every second of it.
* * *
“Areyou going to tell me where we’re going?” I turn towards him in the passenger seat, watching him drive through the traffic with complete ease in this monster of a truck.
Each building we pass downtown has my leg bouncing in my seat, and the longer we don’t slow down, the more and more curious I am about where he’s taking me. I don’t do so well with surprises, since I really don’t see the point in them. Mom was the only one who took the time to make every day a special one, and with Father throwing too many surprises with each swinging fist, I walked around on eggshells for far too long.
“We are almost there. I don’t want you to get mad, okay? This is me doing something for you because I can and want to,” he grumbles under his breath, almost like he’s embarrassed. He takes his eyes off the road for a split second to glance at me.
“I won’t get mad, I just don’t know how to repay you for everything you’ve done. I’ll pay you back once I find a job. You know, you're really a big softie under all the gruffness.” He scratches his short beard, and I’m wondering if he’s hiding his face so I can’t see him smile but the twinkle in his excited eyes say enough.
What the heck does he have up his sleeve? I’m about to start demanding he tells me right this instant before I freak out, but he flips on his turn signal and pulls into an underground parking lot that is all too familiar. Turning to him in my heated seat, I arch my brow when he finally looks at me after drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. I would have never thought a guy like him would blush, but it’s slowly filling those sharp cheekbones, and it’s adorable.
“Why are we at the local Lynn’s ice skating rink? I’m not complaining, because I still come here every so often, but it’s been a while. I guess you did surprise me.” My laugh echoes around the quiet interior, and I wait for him to open his side of the truck door.
“This isn’t your surprise, Princess. We actually have to go inside for that to happen. You never told me you were a brat when we met. I should’ve kicked your tight, round ass off my ice sooner,” he says in a rush and hops out of the truck before I can either punch him or kiss him.
Flinging my door open, I run around to the front where he’s standing with a lopsided grin on his handsome face and our gym bags in his right hand. He’s holding his other hand out patiently, waiting for me to take hold of it. He packed my skates for me…I’m going to keep him.
“Your ice? Please, I’d skate circles around you any day. I own that fucking ice,” I whisper into the shell of his ear, standing on my toes, and seeing the small shiver that goes through his body brings me great delight at turning the tables on him. At affecting his body like he does mine.
“Fuck, Princess, did you just say ‘fuck’? Say it again. It does all sorts of things to me, I swear I feel tingles.” He chuckles deeply, taking my hand in a reassuring grip, and walks us into the building at a fast clip, his excitement obvious.
“Shut up. You’re too much, but thank you for this. I really need to skate my butt off until my legs give out. Let’s do this!” As I kiss his cheek, his dimple appears, and my legs are already shaking.
Once inside, I take a deep, relieved breath and feel relaxed as my whole week starts to melt away. Little does Granger know, but this is the arena where I tried on my first pair of skates…it’s where I learned that the ice is my life and everything I know about skating. Tears gather in my eyes as I see the grey cement floor and feel the slight blast of cold air that seeps into my bones. It’s all too familiar, and I think Granger takes a small chunk of my shattered heart at this exact moment.
“Here, you start without me. I’ll be right back.” He places a quick kiss on my cheek without thinking about it and walks away.
God, I love watching him walk away because those jeans do wonders to his tight ass. I have to shake my head to focus as I go over to a table closest to the double doors leading to the rink. The smell of cheap food from the concession stands makes me smile, and watching families with their children as they get them ready to learn how to skate brings back so many memories. Granger is talking to someone with the logo on his long sleeved shirt in the arena, so obviously the guy works here. Lacing my skates tightly, I straighten with a grin and head inside without waiting for Granger. The cold air blasts my face, turning them a light pink, and the sound of skates chipping away on the ice relaxes me. I needed this badly. A child wobbles on her legs as she slowly moves away from the boards just as I step onto the ice, her little feet trying to coordinate how to move side to side without slipping. Instantly, a memory of Mom comes to me of when she was teaching me in this exact arena.
“My sweet Kat, that’s it! You can do this. If you set your mind to it, anything is possible. You're a natural, baby,” Mom says, crouched on her skates in front of me as she holds my hands with each small gliding foot I skate over the smooth ice.
