Page 26 of Hat Trick
"I've been watching games play out on this ice for my entire life. I've never stepped foot on it. It's..." I look him in the eyes, praying he understands without me having to find the words. Because there aren't any.
He nods. "I take it for granted. I've been playing in arenas like this since High School. I understand why it's special for you, though. Take all the time you need." He lowers our joined hands, but he doesn't let me go. His thumb rubs small circles on the back of my hand. I close my eyes and simply allow myself to feel all the feelings. When the initial awe and nerves pass, I open my eyes to find Gabe still watching me. I blush under his gaze. I smile up at him and nod. He reaches out and grabs my other hand so we're facing each other before skating backwards and pulling me with him.
I wobble and squeeze his hands tighter. "Don't let me fall!" I shout.
"I won't. Keep your knees bent and you'll be fine." So, I do. He pulls us along for a few minutes before Carter and Luca join us. Carter has Annie under the armpits and has her almost standing on the icebetween his long legs as if she's skating too. A wide grin splits her face, showing off her two top and two bottom teeth. I can't help but smile.
"You really can't skate, can you?" Carter teases.
"I could when I was a kid! My body's just not shaped the same way anymore." I huff. And now that I'm older, falling hurts.
Gabe doesn't seem to mind being my training wheels though, so I don't let go of him. I'm terrified of running into other players or kids but Gabe seems to know where everyone else is and navigates us easily. I suppose being a goalie means you have to be aware of where every single player is and where they're heading.
All three boys are incredible on the ice. Like they were born on it. I'm as wobbly and uncoordinated as a newborn fawn.
After a few laps, Gabe stops us and comes around behind me effortlessly. He grips me by the hips.
"Okay, shift your weight to your right skate and push off gently with the left."
I look at him over my shoulder. "You won't let me fall?"
"Of course not."
Arms held out to my sides awkwardly, I nod and do as he says. It's not only the ice that's got me feeling off kilter. Somehow in the past week asshole Gabe left the building. This Gabe is surprisingly sweet. Still cocky, with a wicked grin, but his touch on my hips feels good. He's being patient with me, slow. He didn't have to be here with me, coaching me and holding me so I don't fall. I'm not sure what to do with this version of Gabe.
But if I've been having trouble focusing around asshole Gabe, charming Gabe is really dangerous to my libido.
Chapter fifteen
Gabe
Iresist the urge to curl my fingers. I want to dig the tips of my fingers into her hips. I knew she would be a distraction. A temptation. All smooth curves and soft skin and pouty lips. The problem with living with a temptation day in and day out is eventually you just give into it.
I'm tired of fighting her. I'm tired of resisting my attraction to her. My eyes always find her. My body gravitates towards her. My fingers itch to touch her. And fuck - she's a good person underneath her tempting exterior. I think maybe that's what scares me the most.
It's one thing to be physically attracted to a woman. That happens every day. It's another thing to be attracted to who she is inside as well. The itch of physical attraction can be scratched in a night. The itch of personal attraction makes me want to be around her, talk to her, hear her laugh. I'm addicted to everything about her.
That scares the shit out of me.
I've caught her watching me too. I know she's attracted to me. And now that I'm done fighting my attraction to her, what does that mean? How far will she let me take this?
I slide my finger up her stomach underneath her sweatshirt and test the waters a little. She sucks in a breath and holds it, but she doesn't push me away. So, I slide a finger of my other hand up to the warm skin of her stomach and smile, full of male satisfaction and pride at the full body shudder she gives me. I decide to push my luck. Emily's not the shy, scared little mouse the others think she is. This kitten hasclaws. If she didn't want me touching her, she'd have no problem telling me to fuck off.
I look around and find Carter and Luca being goofy with Annie and some of the other parents on the team. My chest expands at the knowledge that I'm touching their precious little plaything without them knowing.
I spread my legs and drag her hips to mine, bracketing her skates with my own.
"You cold?" I whisper into the shell of her ear. She shivers again. I know she's not cold, but I want to know if she'll lie to me - lie to herself.
She simply shakes her head 'no'. A low, satisfied growl bubbles up from my chest. "Good girl."
The arena is loud, pop music playing and people talking, but I swear I hear a whimper come from her. Her hands cover mine on her hips and for a second I'm worried I took it too far. Instead, she laces her fingers through mine and leans slightly back into me.
I know we're in public. I know people will talk, but it's the closest I've gotten to her, it's the first time her walls have come down and fuck if I'm going to let a little bit of the rumor mill ruin this moment. The boys will give me shit for a week or two, but they're all really good about keeping it in the family. The gossip columns won't hear about it. And I know for a fact Carter's gotten close with her too this past week. After our away game, I caught him leaving Emily's bedroom in the morning. A pang of jealousy ripped through me. I hadn't heard them have sex, so I don't know exactly what they did, but I also wasn't going to cockblock our Captain and my best friend. He needs someoneand if that someone is his nanny? It's not the smartest idea, but it makes sense.
"Gabe," she groans. "What are we doing?"
"We're skating." I say in a teasing, light-hearted way. I don't want her overthinking things. We're just skating.
