Page 67 of Axe-identally Married
He circled back around and linked his arm through mine. “Thank you for coming. Today was weird, and I’ve been feeling shitty, but seeing you helps.”
“What happened?” I blurted, frowning up at him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He dipped his chin. “But can we just skate and talk about nothing for a bit?”
My chest tightened at the vulnerability in his tone. “Sure. But I kinda want to score some goals.” I pointed to the big red nets that had been pushed to the side while he made ice.
“Ooh, done.” He darted toward the bench.
He pulled out a couple of sticks and a bucket of pucks.
“See which one is the right size for you, and I’ll get the net.”
We shot around for a bit. My shots were pitiful, but I got the hang of it after a little instruction and started scoring eventually. It was fun, skating and joking and shooting pucks. Cole still hadn’t mentioned what was bothering him, but he was smiling and laughing as he whizzed around, doing his fancy moves.
He spun, flipped the puck up, and batted it out of the air like a baseball.
“Ten bucks you can’t score like that,” I wagered, figuring he probably could but wanting to cheer him up.
“Ten bucks? I don’t need your money,” he said. “I’ll pick my prize.”
I shifted uncomfortably on my skates in response to his flirty tone. I’d done a really good job of ignoring how much this felt like a date for the past hour, but now I was starting to sweat.
He raced around the rink, getting a full head of steam, and barreled powerfully down the ice, cutting in with his outside edge, spinning, then flipping the puck up effortlessly. Between one heartbeat and another, it hit the back of the net with a gentleswish.
He raced over to me, stopping abruptly and spraying me with snow.
“I’m here to collect.”
The cold air hung between us as my heart raced. If he asked me to kiss him, I was pretty sure I’d do it. There was nothing more irresistible than seeing him in his natural environment. This was Cole at his most relaxed. It was a privilege, I knew, to see him like this.
“Truth or dare?”
The air stuttered out of my lungs.Thatwas what he wanted in payment? I leaned back, and I would have fallen flat on my ass if he hadn’t grabbed my arm to steady me. His breath fogged the cold air between us, catching my attention and urging me to make a move. But given the height difference and my position onskates I hadn’t worn in years, I figured doing so would probably end in catastrophic injury.
“Truth,” I said softly.
He regarded me, licking his lips.
My breath hitched. I shouldn’t want this. But I did.
He lowered his head slightly, and my heart stuttered to a stop.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Willa
But instead of pressing his lips to mine, he smiled.
“I need a good truth question,” he said, releasing me. Once he was certain I was steady, he skated around me, slapping a stray puck as he went.
A shaky breath escaped me. Had I imagined that?
There had beenA Moment.
Time had slowed. His pupils had dilated.
What the hell?
