Page 36 of Ruthless Blade

It was whiplash at its finest.

The back and forth battle between us was completely exhausting. I wanted to prove him wrong, that I could do what I’d always wanted to. Yet, I was scared. Scared to live, scared to fail.“You think you’re intimidating me, but you’re not. You don’t own me, Kayden. You never will.”

I turned away from him, eager to get back into my routine and forget he existed. I went out to the middle of the ice, and as the music started to play, I lost myself in the song once again.

Who cares if he watches me? I certainly don’t.

The severe ankle fracture on my right foot from my fall had fully healed, but that didn’t mean that the fear wasn’t still there, lingering. What if I fell again? What if I was doomed to be a complete failure? So focused on my routine and my thoughts, I didn’t realize that he had stepped foot on the ice right along with me.

I stopped in the middle, trying to figure out what he was going to do. He didn't say a word, but he circled me, like a cat watching a mouse. His predatory gaze was severe, watching every move I made.

His blue eyes never left my face as he skated backward in a flawless perimeter around my spot on the logo. The wind from his momentum brushed against my face, smelling faintly of cold air. He was close, so close that if I stretched out my arm, my fingertips would brush his chest.

Why did he do this to me?

"You're tracking dirt on my ice," I said, my voice steady despite the rapid pounding of my heart.

"I don't see your name on it," he replied, his voice low. He kept skating, his long, powerful legs crossing over each other with terrifying ease. "You're a distraction. I have a draft to secure, and I can't have you tripping over your own feet while I'm trying to work."

"I wasn't tripping. It was a double salchow, and I landed it perfectly," I retorted, turning my head to keep eye contact with him as he circled behind me. "And if we're talking about distractions, I'm pretty sure you're the one who crashed into the boards at practice last week because you were too busy looking at the bleachers."

He stopped dead in his tracks.

The abrupt scrape of his blades was deafening. He was directly in front of me now, his chest heaving slightly, the smug indifference vanishing from his face. He leaned down slightly, bringing his face level with mine, close enough that I could see the faint gold flecks in his blue eyes.

"Who told you about that?" he growled.

"Nobody had to," I whispered, stepping a single inch closer, refusing to let him win the space. "But if you think you can bully me off the ice, you've got another thing coming. Get used to sharing, Center Boy. Because I'm not going anywhere."

With that, I skated off the ice, my workout done for the day.

I stopped when he called after me, and turned around, wishing I hadn’t.

“Tomorrow night at seven, you have plans.”

I frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He skated to the barrier where I was, his skates hitting the wall. “Game tomorrow night. You need to be here.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, “My world doesn’t revolve around you. I have plans.”

He raised an eyebrow, “What plans?”

I had plans to study with Josh in a study group, but he didn’t need to know that.

“I have a date.”

The look on his face was priceless.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. I stood there for a minute watching, waiting to see what he would do next.

Then, as if a switch was flipped, his jaw clenched, gaze hardened. “Dating other guys isn’t in our agreement, Alexis.”

He’s pissed. He never used my full name unless he was pissed at me. It’s almost as if he were jealous.

I shrugged and grinned, “I know, but you should’ve seen the look on your face!” He moved around the wall, closing in on my space. His arm went around my waist, my breath caught in my throat. His head dipped into my shoulder, as he pressed a kiss there, his tongue delicately licking my skin.

My belly dipped, a reaction that sent shockwaves down my spine. When he pulled back, a giant smirk was on his lips. His fingers touched his lips as if he were remembering what I tasted like.