I snorted at that, and, as much as I didn’t want to, tore myself from his grip so I could stand and head into my kitchen.
He was up in a second, blocking me with his hands on his hips.
I couldn’t completely tamper down the little thrill I got from his continued interest in my life. But I pushed a finger into his chest. “Move.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked quietly.
I looked up into his eyes and they seemed to smolder over. He was looking at my lips, then his gaze moved dangerously furtherdown…
We stood just inches from each other, and my body tingled from his heat and the building anticipation. My breathing seemed to all but stop as I waited for his nextmove…
But when nothing happened, I found myself needing to exit the situation. He was confusing the hell out of me. We played this tense game, dancing around how much we liked each other all day long and waiting for the other person to be vulnerable enough to do something about it…. But neither of us would break. Then we’d sleep in the same bed, end up cuddling all night, and start the process all over again.
I finally pushed past him.
He followed behind me into the kitchen like a puppy on my heels. “During the week you work the rink, on the weekends you organize people’s Happily-Ever-Afters?” he asked.
“Pretty much.” I reached into the freezer, then held up pre-made frozen dinners, asking him wordlessly if he wanted some. He gave a nod of approval.
I struggled to rip open the box, but he just lifted it from my grasp to effortlessly finish the job for me.
I shoved two of the meals into the microwave.
“Well, so what does it all entail? Are you gonna coach up the next Ice Princess Champion?” he asked, lifting his arm up to push his messy hair back. I admired his strong arm muscles working ashe-
Nope.
I shut my mouth firmly. I would not ogle him like some puckbunny.
I forced my dry mouth to swallow. “Ice Princess Champion, TJ? Is that what you’re callin’ yourself? Because I coached you today,” I lifted an eyebrow at him, challenging him.
“Buddy,” he rolled his eyes and popped his hipout.
“No, just no,” I smirked at his lame attempt to imitateme.
“No?” he asked confusedly.
“I only coach kids until they hit about six or seven and start landing double jumps. I won’t take kids to competitions,” I clarified.
I felt hot under his gaze as he studiedme.
“What?” I asked him defensively.
His eyebrows scrunched together. “Why?”
“You don’t know the answer to that?” I said dryly. He’d seen my anxiety on full display.
“I guess I understand. But giving your work to someone else to finish doesn’t sound like an Ellie Brampton thing todo.”
I paused; he’d caught me on that. I did hate handing over my girls to the other coaches, but what alternative did I have? I couldn’t push myself past my panic attacks. I’d need to lay on the ground before my skaters took the ice and that would probably freak them the hell out. I’d become the laughingstock of the entire figure skating community. I had no clue how I myself had competed up until my senior year of high school. I was a stronger girl back then. Sometimes thinking about how far I’d fallen crushed me.
“Hey, don’t be sad,” TJ came closer to me and backed me against the kitchen counter. His brown eyes looked down into mine and he pushed my hair back behind my ear in a movement that seemed so gentle compared to the usual force and strength of his movements.
His voice seemed to drop deeper as he said, “I only want to make youhappy.”
He moved closer to me then, and I felt his presence surrounding me… his hand was suddenly holding the back of my head, and I felt his head dip closer to mine… I wanted this… I wanted him…
The microwave dinged, making me jump.
