Nate’s roar was primal. He reared back, fist cocked, his breath stuttering in his chest. Nate didn’t care about the cameras, the crowd, the fuckingshow.He was going to put Lars in the ground and make him pay for every inch of pain that bastard ever put Holly through.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,Nate!”
Two production assistants grabbed him, but only just. It took both of them to hold him back as he planted his feet and leaned into the moment, ready to take Lars’ fucking head off.
“Get the fuck off me,” he barked, trying to shake them loose as his eyes locked on Lars like a laser sight. “I only need one shot, asshole!”
And that was when Indie’s voice rang out across the sound stage, as chipper as ever.
“Next up, ladies and gentlemen, it’s Holly and Nate dancing thePaso Doble!”
Nate’s chest was heaving, his heart still in his throat as pure rage coiled like a spring beneath his skin. The assistantsloosened their grip just enough for him to wrench free and reach for Holly.
But she wasn’t scared, and she wasn’t angry.
She was turned the fuck on.
Seeing that familiar heat pooling in her gaze did something feral to him. He’d expected judgment, maybe even fear. But he definitely hadn’t anticipated the raw hunger she was throwing at him, full of fire and ruin. Her pupils were blown wide, breath rushing through parted lips like she wanted totastehim before the music even started.
And just like that, Nate Eriksson, professional hockey’s most volatile mistake, was tamed.
By her.
Holly stepped into his space like she owned it. Brushed past the production assistants still hovering nearby. Slid her hand along his forearm with a touch so light it might’ve been imagined, except for the way he felt it directly in his cock.
“Breathe,” she murmured, voice low and deadly calm. “Save it for the dance.”
He dragged in a breath, still shaking when she tilted her head toward him with that heated gaze of hers settling over him. “Don’t give him the power. You already won. You haveme.”
Fuck.
His heart stopped and then stuttered back to life, as though he were a cobbled-together experiment on her science table. No one had ever claimed him like that. Not a coach or a team. Not even the team psychologist. Holly could, though. And there was no one else in the world he wanted to belong to.
He nodded once. A tight, clipped motion. Her fingers squeezed his forearm in silent approval.
“Let’s go burn that fucking floor,” he sniffed, jaw tight. He offered his hand, and she took it like a queen ascending her throne.
DanceVibe.com:
Take the Floor’s Nate Eriksson nearly throws hands backstage—but was it all for love?
Sources confirm tensions flared during live taping when former contestant Lars Holm made ‘inappropriate comments’ to professional dancer Holly Martinez.
Insider footage shows Nate Eriksson (currently suspended from the NHL for reckless conduct) being physically restrained moments before stepping onto the floor for a smoldering performance with Martinez. Fans are calling it the most intense moment of the season…READ MORE →
@hockeybrobilly on X:
Wait wait wait. Eriksson almost decked a guy on a dance show??? I knew he could throw hands, but this is next-level romantic violence. Bring him back to the league AND give him a rom-com deal.
@thathockeyguy Threads:
Back in Toronto, Nate once broke a guy’s nose for chirping our rookie’s mom. So yeah. This tracks. But the soft look on his face when he watched her dance? That’s new. Still. Looks like his suspension hasn’t really taught him how to solve problems without dropping gloves. Helluva way to try and get himself off the bench… or re-signed…
LeakedTake the Floorb-roll audio:
“We’re gonna need someone on standby with a fire extinguisher for this Paso. I’m not kidding. He just tried to deck Lars and afterwards she looked like she wanted to climb him like a pole. This isn’t ballroom, this is foreplay with footwork.”
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