“So, what do you do then?”
“Play hockey anyway.”
“Ah.”
“What else am I supposed to do? Ask you to replace me? Switch places, and I have Charkov today, who’s sure to start another fight.”
She chuckled softly. “Oh, you don’t want that. I wouldn’t be a worthy replacement. I can’t even skate.”
He blinked, and his eyes widened. “What? You can’t…what?”
“Ice skate. I’ve never been on the ice.”
“What?But your name is Temple!”
She snorted. “So what?”
“Your brothers are professional hockey players and they never took you?” Those guys could go straight to hell!
“They wanted to, but…” Hesitantly, she rocked her head from side to side, absentmindedly running her fingers over his chest. “Do you know how many of their wounds I have patched up? How many cuts, bruises, and the occasional laceration they came back with from practice? I had absolutely no interest in losing teeth! So, I never went.”
“That’s because Jack and Dax navigate like idiots.”
She smiled. “Jack and Dax, the professional hockey players, you mean?”
“Yes. You might get hurt with them, but not with me.”
“Well, you don’t navigate much either, Lucas,” she said seriously, though her eyes glittered with amusement. “Mostly, you stand around and now and then, get on your knees or do the splits.”
He narrowed his eyes and pressed his hand over hers so she couldn’t glide her fingers over his skin. They were distracting. “Can you do the splits on the ice, Anna?”
She grinned and tilted her head. “No. But I can save lives.”
“Probably not yours. Because if you keep provoking me, I might lose control and earn that silly nicknameKillerafter all.”
That just made her laugh — and he felt the soft, light tones throughout his body. Felt his heart beating beneath her hands.
“Dax and Jack should have dragged you along,” he murmured. “Whether you were scared or not.”
“Hm. I think they thought my fear was justified. They probably believed ice skating wouldn’t be good for me and my uncoordinated legs.”
He wanted to contradict her, but her words triggered a memory.
You smell sweet. Like something you know isn’t good for you, but you still want more of it.
It must have been almost half a year since Anna had said that, but it was still stuck in his mind.
“Anna? You once said I wasn’t good for you. What did you mean by that?” It was easier to ask serious questions in the semi-darkness, but difficult to wait for the answer.
“You remember?” Anna asked hesitantly, slowly pulling her hand out from under his shirt, moving away from him slightly so she could look at him.
He missed her touch.
He hated that he missed her.
“Apparently.”
“Wow.”
