Page 43 of Claiming Her Cougar
Me: Cool.
Trevor: I’ll shoot her a text and get back to you, and I’ll be home next week.Hopefully we can skate while I’m on break.
Me: Hope so.Thanks.
Trevor: No problem.Let you know.Bye.
Me: Bye.
Skating and shooting pucks aren’t how I want to expend my tension, but it looks like that’s my option for the foreseeable future.I wonder if Trevor’s sister is single.
16
MALLORY
My phone flasheswith a text notification from Trevor.He better not be saying he’s not coming home for Christmas.It was hard enough to be without backup for Thanksgiving.I don’t want to do Christmas on my own too.Okay, that’s not fair.Thanksgiving was better than usual, all things considered, but I miss him.
Trevor: Hey, Lory.Everything good?
What has he heard?Who told him?
Me: Hey, Trev, yeah, everything’s fine.Why?
Trevor: Just asking.Would it be okay if my friend uses the rink for skating and shooting drills?
Me: Sure.Have they been there before?Do they have the code?
Trevor: He’s been there, and I’ll give him the code.
Me: As long as he locks up, cleans up after himself, and doesn’t need me for anything, I don’t care.
Trevor: Thanks, you’re the best.
Me: You’ll be home for Christmas, right?
Trevor: Of course!I’ll be home on Wednesday.
Me: Good.Go back to studying.
Trevor: Yes, ma’am.
Looking out the window, I see the touch of frost on the windowpane.It’s one of those sunny days that doesn’t look cold, but it is.My favorite kind of day.I don’t have anything planned for today.Daphne’s going Christmas tree shopping with Logan.I could go over to my uncle’s Christmas tree farm to join them or just to help.They can always use extra hands, but I can’t deal with the crowd I know the farm attracts.Things are always crazy in the two weeks leading up to Christmas.Even if a family already has their tree, they’ll return to the farm for the other events or to pet the reindeer.
I wonder if Trev’s friend is coming by today or not.I could text him back and ask, but it doesn’t really matter.I should’ve asked who it is, but that doesn’t really matter either.I should go for a run.Yeah.Maybe some fresh air and physical activity will get me out of this funk.It’s been forever since I’ve run outside.I normally just use the treadmill in the rink’s gym.Okay, I know what physical activity would really get me out of this funk, but no chance for that now because I told Liam there was no chance for us.
* * *
The rink lights are on, and an old SUV is parked alongside it as I approach the barn rink after my run.Trevor’s friend must be here—I should peek in and make sure everything is okay.I let myself in the door that enters directly into the gym portion of the building so I can grab a bottle of water from the fridge.I take a sip as I walk to the doorway to look out over the rink and…promptly start choking.
What the hell is Liam doing here?Is he the friend Trevor told me about?Since when are they friends?This makes no sense.He glides over the surface beautifully, his feline grace clear with each long, smooth stroke and the flexing of his powerful thighs.I remember other long smooth strokes and flexing of thighs, and my core tightens with longing.
He moves the puck with ease as he does a drill, guiding it through cones effortlessly.I’ve tried this same drill before while playing around with my brothers, and it’s not as easy as he makes it seem.I understand why his mom misses seeing him on the ice.If he can move like this after not playing for years, I can only imagine the force he was on the ice in his prime.
“Mallory?What are you doing here?”Liam asks.
Did I unknowingly sigh and alert him to my presence?Or was it my choking half to death on my water?Or did he sense me in the doorway?
“This is my rink,” I say, approaching the boards.“I should ask what you’re doing here.Since when are you friends with Trevor?”
