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Gasping, Blake presses her laptop to her chest. “The betrayal.”

Isla huffs. “I’m serious.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” She sets her laptop on the desk and then trudges away.

In the last two weeks, we’ve crossed paths more times than I can count—in the hallways, at the rink, and in the parking lot. We’ve shared quick hellos, done some small talk and exchanged warm smiles, but that’s it. I haven’t reached out. She asked for space, so, for once in my life, I’ve been trying to do the right thing.

Though I’ve never been super great at staying away from her. So, of course, I ended up at her morning practice again. I don’t hide as I did before. Now, I sit right in the middle of the stands, making sure she knows I’m here.

Our little talk at the rink a week ago when I first showed up at her practice reappears in my brain, and I can’t stop myself from smiling.

“Michael,” she sighed, skating toward the boards right before her time started. “Should I ask Coach Gonzalez to kick you out?”

“Why? I’m not here to interrupt you or mess with your ice time. I’ve been waking up at five-thirty every morning for weeks just to watch you skate. It seems like my body can’t sleep past then.” I crooked a smile. “And since you don’t talk to me, I need to get my fix somehow. Watching you skate before my day starts is all the motivation I need.”

The way her eyes sparkled made my skin hum. Then, with a suppressed smile, she skated away. And that was how I knew she didn’t mind me being here.

She’s been busting her ass on the ice and at off-ice practice, all while taking a full course load, and the last thing I’ve wanted is to add pressure, to become another thing she had to deal with.

But fuck, I miss her.

A lot.

I round the table and take Blake’s vacant chair.

Isla half-turns to me, her eyes glimmering with warmth. “What are you doing here?”

My chest opens with relief. “Just wanted to see you.”

She smiles. “You’ve seen me twice today.”

“In passing, sure, but I miss talking to you. I miss being close to you.” I snag the seat of her chair and pull her closer to me. “That’s better.”

“You’re ridiculous.” She lets out a quiet laugh, but she doesn’t move back. “How are you?”

“Okay, I guess. Been busy with school and hockey. It’s like Groundhog Day over and over, the same thing day in and day out. Most of the time, I don’t even know what day it is.”

“Poor you.” She pats my knee.

A zing of excitement rushes through my body. One touch, and I’m ready to drop to the floor and beg her to do whatever she wants with me.

With her lip caught between her teeth, her expression turns pensive. “How are things between you and Diego now?”

I tsk. “He’s my teammate, and I respect him as a player. Apart from that, I can’t stand the guy.” I narrow my eyes and lean forward. “The two of you still talk?”

She inches closer, a challenge flashing on her face. From this close, her scent envelops me, taking away some of the uncertainty flowing through me. “Other than saying hi to each other in passing, no, we don’t talk.”

I don’t want her to be friendly with him. I don’t want her to be friendly with any other guy. It’s even hard watching her interact so easily with Asher.

But I don’t want her to be friendly with me either. The things I want to do to her have no business being part of a simple friendship.

“Okay.”

She shakes her head, smiling. “That was the most unconvincing ‘okay’ I’ve ever heard.”

“You got me.” I take her hand in mine and massage the heel of her palm, enjoying her soft, warm skin. “How about coffee? Just you and me, so we can talk.”

“I can’t.”