“Uh huh, just show me, Emmie.” The way he said my name made me smirk.
“It's a small jump. You want to get a decent running start before pushing off the toe pick,” I instructed as I skated away from him.
I knew I could easily jump into the air, but I toned it down, only offering a small lift that we learned when we started skating. I landed and turned to Mateo with a smile. “Your turn.”
“Easy peasy,” he said, but there was hesitation in his voice. It always looked easier than it was.
Mateo started, gliding along the ice. I watched his legs, wondering if he could even get air with hockey skates on instead of actual men’s figure skates. I bit the inside of my cheek at his expression. He looked so cute when he was focused.
When he jumped, he managed to get a little bit of air. Hisskate wobbled when he landed, but he didn’t fall. He turned to me with a triumphant look.
“Not bad,” I conceded.
“What’s next?”
I was going to make him regret challenging me.
11
MATEO
Iwas hurting. My legs were shaky, and my tailbone already felt bruised from falling. Pretty sure this was the most my ass has been on the ice, but my competitive side wouldn’t let me admit defeat. The need to always do well flared brightly in my chest.
Emmie had glided backward in a perfect circle, her front leg weaving behind her so effortlessly, like it was second nature. I watched it once and thought,I can do that.How hard could it be?
Very hard, apparently. My hockey skates bit into the ice, stubborn and unforgiving, and my leg had refused to cross the way hers did.
My knees threatened to buckle after the fourth time I tried to copy her. So, I gave up and made my way to the boards to catch my breath.
Coach was going to be pissed when I went to practice sore as hell. But really, it was his daughter’s fault. I hadn’t planned on going all out for this little game we came up with, but one glance at the spark in her green eyes, and I knew that wasn’t an option.
Hell, she was an Olympian, of course she was competitive. I hadn’t fully thought that through and was now regretting it as I leaned against the boards, acting as if I wasn’t dying.
While I had tried my best to copy her figure skating move, Emmie had grabbed a lone hockey stick I brought out. She was out in the middle of the rink, stick in hand as she gently hit the puck at her feet.
Her eyebrows were drawn in, eyes laser focused. Despite us going back and forth for the last fifty minutes, Emmie was still going, looking as if she wasn’t bothered at all. If I hadn’t seen her take a breather a bit ago, I would’ve thought she was just fine.
Meanwhile, I was the wimp.
I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her. She was too focused on the puck to notice me staring, which gave me a moment to take all of her in. The effortless way she moved across the ice made it appear like she belonged. She was small, but her legs were probably stronger than mine, truth be told.
Seeing the way her muscles flexed through her leggings was insanely attractive for some reason. I kept picturing what they’d look like wrapped around my shoulders.
I quickly brushed that image away before it took root. Getting a hard-on was not convenient and definitely wouldn’t earn me any brownie points.
Emmie was guarded. It didn’t take a genius to see that she had walls up. I wasn’t sure what made them, but I was willing to slowly chip away if she’d let me. Like my brothers, I wasn’t afraid to work for the girl I wanted. If Emmie needed to go slow, then I would. I could be patient when I needed to be.
A puck sliding toward me stole my attention. It slid to a stop inches from my skates. With a raised eyebrow, I glanced back up.
“Getting the hang of it,” I remarked. Emmie wasn’t a pro at hockey, but she picked up on the basics pretty fast.
“I’ll make the team in no time,” she boasted. A picture of her playing in my family's annual girls vs. boys game popped into my head. She’d fit right in.
“Uh huh.” I pushed off the boards and slowly skated in her direction. I didn’t miss the way her eyes flickered from my legs up to my face. I bit back a grin. She was definitely checking me out.
Her grin was infectious. “Told you I’d kick your ass on our first date.”
“So thisisa date.”
