Page 2 of Her Power Play

I let out a hiss as the cold liquid soaks my pants. The woman lets out a cry, but the boxes stay intact. My fingers curl around her small waist, and my spine straightens—electricity sliding through my entire body, rushing from my fingertips up my arms, down my torso, and straight to my toes.

What the hell just happened?

Once she’s steady, I take a step backward, releasing her as quickly as possible. Flicking my gaze down, I look at my hands. I stare at them for a moment, wondering what the hell that was. They look the same as they did just before I touched her, but they sure as shit feel different.

“Oh my god,” a sweet voice cries.

“No injuries?” I ask.

“Huh?”

Lifting my head, I look up at her, or at least the boxes covering her face. “You okay?”

She doesn’t say anything immediately. I arch a brow, waiting for her response. That’s when she shifts her head around the boxes, and her eyes meet mine.

Holy shit.

A sudden shock zooms through me the moment our gazes connect. Hazel eyes search mine, full lips part in awe. I’ve never seen that color this close before. My breath hitches as sweat breaks out on the back of my neck.

She’s fucking beautiful.

“I’m fine,” she whispers.

Shifting my gaze from hers over to the boxes, my lips twitch into a smirk. “You saved the cupcakes. No casualties there.”

“Other than the coffee all over you,” she mutters. “I’m so sorry.” I watch as her cheeks tint bright pink, and my lips curve up into an even bigger smile at the sight.

“You can make it up to me.”

She blinks, then opens her mouth just as Bouch calls out from across the ice behind me. “Stop flirting with the cupcake girl and get the fuck back here.”

His tone is teasing, but he does want me to go back over and help him practice a certain shot he’s been working on. I promised him I’d help, but that was before Cupcake Girl appeared. I ignore him, at least for a moment.

“You need some help?” I ask, still ignoring Bouch.

“No, um, I can manage.”

She seems flustered, and her eyes widen as her lips part. Then she begins to speak, but before she can argue, I slip the boxes from her hands, turn around, and skate toward the table.

THREE

RUBY

I stare at him, skating away with the boxes of cupcakes. Then my body jerks and I reach down to pick up the now-empty coffee cup and toss it in the trash can beside the entrance to the ice.

Inhaling a deep breath, I hold it for a moment before I let it out slowly. I smile at the sight of the red fabric that is laid out as a walkway. At least I won’t have to try to figure out how to get to the table across the actual ice.

I take one hesitant step onto the fabric and wait for my foot to slide out from underneath me, but it doesn’t happen.

Feeling confident, I take another step forward, and then another. Slowly, because I’m trying to stick with goal three, considering I’ve already made a fool of myself with one of the hottest men I’ve ever laid eyes on. I just need to meet at least one of my goals before I go home and cry in the shower.

And he is that too. Hot as shit.

And I’ve really embarrassed myself.

I make it to the table without incident just as he’s placing the cupcakes down. He turns to me, his dark eyes finding mine, and then his lips twitch into a smirk. I watch as he sinks his teeth into the middle of his bottom lip, his eyes still focused on mine.

Hot.