Page 24 of Scoring Lessons

While I knew she meant well, I was fucking pissed. The last thing I wanted to do was reason with her.

My laugh left a bitter taste in my mouth. “I still have no contract extension on the table, and I’m being moved so the newest talent—who’s a raging dick, by the way—can take my spot. But, please, keep telling me how this isn’t a big deal.”

I couldn’t bring myself to be sorry for being rude. The frustration suffocated me. The anger fed these ever-growing doubts I was tired of. It was pathetic, the way these feelings made their way into my brain and heart, and there was nothing I could do to avoid them.

Her nostrils flared, the septum ring gleaming against the bright lights of the ice rink. “Get your head out of your ass and toughen up, Wesley. You didn’t make it this far to give up.”

Oh, that comment pushed me over the goddamn edge.

“I am not giving up.” I raised my voice.

Her laugh was disbelieving, borderline mocking. “Doesn’t look like you’re fighting from where I’m standing.”

Leave it to Olivia to know exactly how to push my buttons.

“You need to get the hell away from me before I say something I’ll regret.” My voice was tight and to the point. The words tasted like smoke, acrid and suffocating.

I was hanging by a single thread. One more push, and I was going to snap at the nearest person.

Olivia placed a hand on my padded shoulders, and in my weakened state, I almost wished I wasn’t wearing any of my gear. Even though I was frustrated with her, I had the sudden craving to feel the warmth of her skin. The thought alone was a mind fuck I wanted no part of, but there it was, as clear as day.

“You still have time to prove yourself. But overworking your body is not the way.” Her tone was oddly soft. “Just…trust me. Okay?”

This weird tenderness fluttered on my chest. Her words were like a wool blanket during a cold night, making me warm and fuzzy.

It was fucking unacceptable, and it was time to chase it away.

I scrunched my nose in disgust. “It creeps me out when you’re nice to me.”

“Don’t get used to it,” she retorted.

“I would never.” I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my thighs. “But why are you being nice to me?” I mocked an exaggerated gasp. “You’re not going soft on me, are you?”

She hit my arm, but I barely felt it. “You forget I need something from you,” she joked.

The corners of my mouth turned up with a genuine smile. “Ah, right. To teach you how to be a player or whatever.”

“Yup,” she replied casually.

I grinned. “It hurts to need me, doesn’t it?”

“If you keep gloating when you haven’t even said yes, I’ll ask Parker to teach me his player ways instead.”

A sudden surge of annoyance flickered through me, fast as lightning. My chest expanded with a long exhale before I replied, “Fuck, no.”

Over my dead body was that happening. The idea of anyone else spending time with her and teaching her made me irrationally mad for reasons I couldn’t understand.

“I’m sure he’d be more than happy to.” She continued to speak, like she wasn’t paying any attention to what I was saying. “And he wouldn’t annoy me in the process.”

I shook my head adamantly. “I won’t allow it.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’re in?”

Shit.

I ran my fingers through my sweaty hair with a sigh. “Is this really what you want?”

She nodded without hesitation.