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He frowned but smiled too, in an odd expression, halfway between confused and pleased. “This new out-and-proud Hasegawa is going to take some getting used to.”
I reached out, took his gloved hand, and we walked on. “He was always in there.”
“Yeah, I know.” His hand squeezed mine. “This feels like a dream. Like tomorrow I’m going to wake up and I’ll be back at the Montreal rink, sharpening skates for figure skaters who don’t give me a second glance. I even had a call from Dame Ashborne earlier today. A dame is calling me. How crazy is that?”
“You did? So did I. I assumed it was related to my father, but perhaps not.”
“Did she leave a message? She didn’t on mine.”
“Yes. But I haven’t listened to it.”
“You wanna listen now?” he asked.
“It might spoil this . . .”
“Then delete it,” he laughed.
“Alright, fine.” We stopped again, having almost reached the end of the pathway. I opened my phone and put it on speaker.
“Good evening, Mr. Hasegawa. It is with great sadness that I’m hearing of your proposed retirement.” I almost hung up there. “So I understand if you may not wish to partake in something rather exciting. I’d like to speak with you regarding the exhibition gala at the Games in a few days, and whether you and Mr. Navarro would like to perform your Meridian program. The gala is a showcase, not judged, as you know. It is for pure entertainment purposes. You would have complete freedom, and frankly, there is considerable audience demand to see the both of you together on the ice. I do hope you’ll consider it, and please do call me back to discuss the arrangements. We’d like to keep it from the press, for a real impact during the evening. So you’d have to train over the next few days without telling anyone what you were training for. Of course, if you’d prefer not to, then you naturally have my full support. And Ren, regardless of your father’s behavior . . . You are not him, Ren. Remember that. Good evening and congratulations.”
My heart had picked up halfway through her message and now raced hard in my chest. The Olympic Committee wanted Cam and me to perform our Meridian dance together at the exhibition gala?
“Did I just hear that right?” Cam asked. “Replay it.”
I replayed it, because I wasn’t sure I’d heard it right either.
“Holy shit,” Cam mumbled, after the second replay.
Two male partners performing ice dance at the Olympics.
The gala was a celebration of skating. It was loose and fun. And perfect for Cam and me to dance in.
Cam’s gaze lifted to my face. “Do you remember the moves?”
“Of course. But the quad axel . . .”
He grinned, bright and free. “Baby, if you wanna do this, I am so there.”
My heart still raced. My blood was up. A smile on my face. “Yes. Yes, I want to dance with you at the gala.”
“Fuck yeah!” He flung his arms around me and smacked a kiss on my mouth.
I scooped him up tight, and kissed him back. We broke away, laughing.
“Damn, we’re gonna need to practice. Like . . . now.” He stepped back. “You wanna ditch the party and put on your skates?”
“I’d like nothing more.”
FORTY-ONE
CAM
“Good. Again,” Ren said, in his commanding voice. We were practicing the axel spins off ice at a small, discreet dance studio tucked at the back of the Olympic Village that nobody seemed to use or know about.
Panting, slicked with sweat from two hours of practice, I planted my hands on my hips and puffed my hair out of my face. “You know, you’re hot when you’re bossy.”
“Focus, Navarro.” His lips ticked, and he came across the dance floor like a force of nature. I didn’t know if he was going to grab my hands in a dance hold or collect me in a savage kiss. That was the exact energy we were bringing to the gala dance. No more hiding, we were going to melt the fucking ice with the heat we’d summon out there.
