Authors: Elizabeth Moynihan
“That’s enough, Whittaker. Chloe’s foot’s not going to take anymore!” Sergei called across the ice, trying to ignore Chloe’s squirming body as she struggled to pull from his arms.
“You have no right to make that decision! It’s my foot and I’m not ready to quit yet!” Chloe argued heatedly, swatting Sergei’s steadying hands away as he reached for her when she stumbled yet again.
“You’re right, he doesn’t have the right to make that decision, but I do, and I say you’re done for today. Get your butt off the ice and elevated within fifteen minutes or you won’t see the ice for another two days!” Whittaker stated with finality.
“That’s not fair,” Chloe complained, skating slowly toward the opening that led off the ice.
“Nobody ever said life would be fair. Get used to the fact you’re skating under my rules. Whether or not you like them means absolutely nothing to me. If you skate with me, you skate under my rules. End of discussion!” Whittaker concluded as she left the ice and limped toward the chairs to begin the process of removing her skates. With a final glance to make sure she was complying with his instructions, Whittaker returned his attention to Sergei who remained on the ice. “I want you practicing moves for the next thirty minutes and then power skating for another fifteen; give me a fifteen minute cool down after that and then I want you both in the gym, we’re going to start lifts.”
“He gets to continue to skate?” Chloe complained, pointing her finger toward the ice.
“Yeah, and you get to sit there and watch him. You’d be surprised how much you can learn just by watching.”
“I’ve seen him skate before.”
“Yes you have,” he acknowledge, “but this time you need to watch him differently. This time pay attention to the little details: his knee action during crossovers, the way his body weight shifts and where his shoulders are during specific moves. You’re going to have to fit your bodies together and at least having a general idea of how he moves is going to make it easier to skate as one. You should know that better than anyone, pairs means two skating as one. Keep that in mind.”
Chloe nodded in understanding and returned her gaze to the ice, watching Sergei as he went through a specific set of moves in a specified pattern; his pace steady, his powerful strokes moving him quickly across the ice. The sudden realization that she was perfectly content just sitting here watching him skate washed over her and left her strangely unsettled. She so much wanted to be out there with him, shadowing his movements and, yet having the luxury of watching this superb athlete at her leisure made her appreciate the perfection and grace he displayed on the ice. Suddenly her time off the ice seemed more a gift than a punishment and a smile that hinted of unknown secrets graced her lush lips.
His long legs ate up the ice, his muscular thighs stroking powerfully and steadily, rippling as he worked. With a quick toss of his arm, his jacket came soaring toward her as he flew past her, and suddenly she was faced with the magnificence of broad shoulders covered in a form-fitting T-shirt that fully displayed his sculpted muscles and beautifully shaped arms. With a sigh she held Sergei’s still warm jacket against her chest and smelled deeply of the intoxicating blend of aromas that so defined him, and she rubbed her cheek against the soft fleecy material. Giddily she wished those magnificent arms were wrapped around her.
Silently she watched him, mesmerized by his movements, the grace that appeared so effortless and yet knew had taken years to attain. She picked up on minute details: the way he shifted out of three-turns, the way his supporting knee bent when he landed his jumps, how his weight shifted infinitesimally as he adjusted in his spins. All the things that would make a difference as they skated together. Minute little things that would define them as either a good or a great team.
On and on he skated, repeating the same set of moves, reinforcing the
body-memory factor
that meant he wouldn’t have to constantly be thinking about a specific jump or spin, but would allow his body to do what had to be done automatically. With his body working on autopilot, his brain could be moving slightly forward in the program and preparing for the next sequence of steps. There was so much for Sergei to learn and even though Chloe was a
pair
skater, she had her work cut out for her as she adjusted to her partner’s skating. It was one thing to be out there on the ice by yourself and solely responsible for your performance. It was something vastly different when there was another person in the picture, their involvement a major factor in where you placed in the scheme of things. If one or the other of you was having a bad day, not only did the risk factor escalate but chances were you might as well call the competition a wash and look toward the next one. Too many bad days had you wondering if you’d made an error in judgment and when you started second guessing yourself, pointing fingers and casting blame; nothing good ever came of it and many a partnership had ended without having really begun.
As she watched Sergei skate, she couldn’t deny that there was a chemistry between them–things definitely clicked with them–and yet this was his first attempt at pair skating and despite his parents being champions, it didn’t necessarily follow suit that pair skating would be his niche. Granted, he’d kept her from falling on her face on the ice; there was no issue as far as his being strong enough to hold her up. Christ, as effortlessly as he’d caught her when her leg started to buckle she might have been a feather for all the energy he put into steadying her. Still, there was more to pairs than just lifts and throws. It was a matter of becoming so in-tune with one another that you automatically knew what the other was thinking, what their next move would be, or for that matter, what their next thought would be.
With a deep sigh, Chloe silently acknowledged, only time would tell if this was indeed their destiny and she hoped with all her heart that Sergei’s promise would come to pass.
D
ani shook her head in disgust as she listened to her brother stomp down the stairs-all nineteen of them-and stifled the urge to chuckle. Her plan was proceeding so well, she only hoped something didn’t happen to throw a wrench in the whole works. Of course, if her brother wasn’t so damn stubborn and was willing to admit he had feelings for Chloe, none of this would be necessary and he wouldn’t be storming around the house like a bull in a china cabinet. Was it really too much to ask to admit he cared about Chloe for heaven’s sake? It was so blatantly clear to everyone else. Her brother was stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid! No, he was just being a male, something, her mother had told her years before, and you had to grant them leeway for being. It was simply a flaw they couldn’t be held responsible for.
“Why the hell didn’t somebody wake me up?” Sergei growled, stomping his way into the kitchen and dropping the bag that held his skates onto the floor with a thud.
Dani’s eyebrows lifted in question. Never in her life could she remember Sergei ever treating his ‘precious skates’ in so off-handed a manner. “Why didn’t you set your alarm? Dani asked nonchalantly, casting him a sidelong glance as she sipped at her cocoa.
“I did; it didn’t go off!” Sergei growled, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the pot that had been brewing way too long judging by the thick, dark fluid that stuck to the sides of the cup. With another scowl at the offending fluid, he gulped down a swallow and gasped at the heat and the bitter taste. “Let me guess, Dad made this pot,” he muttered in disgust, swirling the liquid in the coffee cup and braving another swallow of the murky brew.
“If you count turning the switch on making the coffee, then, yes, Dad made it. Personally, I think the person who puts the coffee and water in and has it all ready to go in the morning is the one who made it,” Dani explained, smiling inside as she watched her brother’s jaw clench in tension.
“Dani, I don’t give a flying fig who made the damn coffee,”
“My, my. Aren’t we just a bundle of sweetness this morning?”
“Fuck off!”
“Fuck off?” Dani asked sweetly, an angelic look on her face, her eyes flashing with devilish delight.
“That’s only a suggestion,” Sergei countered, turning to look out the expanse of windows that made up the back wall of the kitchen into the gardens that led to the building which housed the Rocmanov’s private ice rink.
“Well suggest something else, that one does nothing for me,” Dani suggested in a bored tone.
“Tough. It’s the best I can do at the moment.”
“You know, for someone who got a couple extra hours of sleep this morning, it sure didn’t improve your mood,” Dani offered, barely restraining her desire to laugh out loud as her brother threw her another dark look.
“Dani, you’re treading on thin ice,” Sergei warned, wincing as he choked down another gulp of what he was sure couldn’t be coffee since it seemed to be getting thicker with every swallow.
“Oooh, bad pun, Rocmanov,” Dani teased fearlessly, knowing Sergei was barely maintaining his tightly held control and yet unable to stop baiting him. Her desire to see just how far she could push him out-weighed her sense of fair play. Sooner or later the cool cucumber was going to snap and she wanted to be there when it happened. Clearly, he wasn’t his usual sedate, cheerful, easy-going self and more and more it looked as if Chloe was a major part of his moodiness. Granted, she probably shouldn’t have sprayed Chloe’s honeysuckle scented perfume throughout his bedroom, or even gone so far as to turn off his alarm, but just as a scientist searched for answers, she was determined to find out exactly what was going on between her brother and her best friend.
“You know, Chloe’s been on the ice for almost an hour now and she doesn’t need the ‘pairs’ practice the way you do,” Chloe pointed out, obviously needlessly if Sergei’s dark scowl said anything.
“No shit? Boy, Dani, someday I hope I get to be as smart as you!” Sergei growled dangerously and cast his sister a final scowl. Swallowing a final mouthful of muddy coffee, he snatched an apple from the bowl on the counter, scooped up his skating bag and made his way toward the ice house, ignoring the door banging closed behind him.
Lifting his chin in determination, he stalked the distance along the brick pathway to the ice house, missing the beauty and glory of his mother’s carefully tended garden full of flowers. Their lush blooms lay open to the early morning sun; their scents mingling sweetly and beckoning to the colorful hummingbirds that darted about like miniature missiles. How many times in the past had he helped his mother plant her beloved flowers? It had become a tradition that every Mother’s Day, the family piled into the jeep and went to the nursery, picking flats of flowers in every shade of the rainbow, every shape imaginable. Together, as a family, they had all dug in the dark earth, spending hours planting and watering and together they had all turned this patch of empty ground into a world filled with color and sweet scents and fluttering butterflies. A place Sergei had always found comforting and calming. Yet, today, even the gardens couldn’t calm the storm he felt gathering inside himself. Without a doubt, the sleepless nights only added to his feeling of restlessness and even when he did finally slip into sleep, his dreams were filled with Chloe and anything but peaceful. It was getting more and more difficult to be around her without touching her. The soft, flowery scented perfume she wore drove him to distraction, and destroyed his ability to concentrate on even the simplest things. It was only dumb luck that had kept him from dropping the heavy weight he’d been lifting on his foot when he heard her gentle laugh. It was bad enough having to listen to Whittaker’s booming reprimand on safety after that incident, he could only imagine how long Whittaker would have tortured him with not so subtle taunts if he had known the source of Sergei’s distraction.
How had his life changed so drastically in such short a time? Was it really only a few short weeks ago his life had been normal? Whatever constituted normal. His life had been calm and quiet, he’d had a direction he was moving in, or at least he’d thought he’d had. Now, he couldn’t be sure which direction he was going in from one moment to the next, couldn’t be sure if he’d be happy or moody, calm and steady or ready to explode and fighting emotions he couldn’t explain or refused to accept. He only knew he couldn’t continue the way he was, feeling as if he was about to fall into oblivion was taking its toll and he didn’t know how much longer he could hang onto his barely contained control. Chloe was driving him crazy, knowingly or otherwise, and he was going to have to confront his feelings for her and discover if he’d been misreading the signals he felt she was sending him with her longing glances, and shy smiles.
With a specific goal in mind, he ran along the brick pathway to the ice house and quietly entered the large building. Cool air breezed over his heated body as he pushed the second set of doors opened and they closed quietly behind him. Directly ahead of him lay an Olympic-sized sheet of ice, it’s surface scored lightly with fine lines, the overhead lights cast shadows on the lone skater that skated soundlessly to the heartbreakingly romantic music that echoed softly against the walls.
Sergei watched Chloe skate, mesmerized by her movements as she interpreted the words to the music that drifted over him, wrapped around him, held him hypnotized and stole into his heart. Part way through, she stopped and restarted the music, shaking her head as if she was trying to clear her thoughts.
The music started again,
the first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes, and the moon and the stars, were the gifts you gave to the dark and the empty sky.
Chloe skated slowly, sensuously, her movements filled with feeling, her hands reaching for a phantom lover as the sensuous lyrics entered her soul and her body followed its beckoning lead.
The first time ever I kissed your mouth, I felt the earth move through my hand, like the trembling heart of a captive bird, that was there at my command.
Chloe’s body swayed as the music took her over and the line between fantasy and reality faded. Closing her eyes, Sergei came clearly to her mind. His eyes glowed darkly with a sensual heat as his arms wrapped around her lovingly, his mouth found hers, the kiss filled with heat and passion and promises yet to be made and she felt herself dissolve at the rush of emotion that raced through her body.
Chloe felt herself falling and cursed herself for her stupidity just before she hit the ice. How could she have done something so idiotic as let her imagination run away to the point where she completely forgot she was in the middle of a spiral spin. She was lucky she hadn’t landed on her head, but then, it would have been nothing more than she deserved! Climbing back to her feet, she brushed ice off her bottom, swearing to herself one more time for good measure and snatched the CD player’s remote control from the ice that had fallen from her pocket. Punching the
PLAY
button on the remote mercilessly, the music started yet again and she made a vow to herself to keep her mind on skating and her emotions under control.
The music washed over Sergei yet again and a deep growl erupted from the back of his throat as he dropped his skating bag to the ground and started across the ice toward Chloe. She caught a glimpse of something on the ice from the corner of her eye and slid to a stop, her eyes widening in apprehension as she watched Sergei stalk toward her, his dark eyes never leaving her own…With secure steps, his long strides ate up the ice and suddenly he was within arms reach of her, his eyes flashing dangerously, a muscle ticking along his tightly clenched jaw.
The first time, ever I lay with you, I felt your heart so close to mine…
Sergei reached out, his hands wrapped around her upper arms and pulled her forward. His breath hitched as her body bumped against his own, the soft curves of her breasts meeting the heated muscles of his broad chest. “Do you know what you’re doing to me?” he asked, his voice deep, his tone low and slightly dangerous.
And I knew our joy, would fill the earth. And last, till the end of time
. The combination of Sergei’s dark eyes, deep voice and the music that swirled about them made her dizzy and acutely aware of everything around her all at the same time. His after-shave bewitched her senses, his eyes dared her to look away, and the desire to feel his mouth against her own was almost overwhelming
.
“The same as you’re doing to me,” Chloe whispered, her eyes turning a dark blue, her hands fluttering and settling on his forearms, her long fingers wrapping tentatively around the warm, steely muscles.
Sergei looked down into her upturned face, watched as her cheeks flushed a soft rose under his gaze, noticed the way her teeth tugged on her lower lip nervously. His hands released her arms and moved upward to cup her face, his fingers sliding into the soft curls at her temples. “My God, Chloe, you’re beautiful,” he whispered breathlessly, his words a warm, soft breeze against her skin, his sincere words making her eyes sparkle at the unexpected compliment.
The first time, ever I saw…your face…
“I want to kiss you, Chloe,” he stated softly, his eyes holding hers as his mouth began a slow decent.
With infinite care, he placed a soft kiss against one rose tinted cheek, then pressed another gentle kiss against its mate. He breathed deeply of the flowery scent that was so much a part of her, and closed his eyes as a wave of anticipation swamped over him, urged him to seek the soft, full lips so near his own.
your face…
the music continued to weave its spell. He sipped at the corners of her mouth, felt her yearning sigh brush over his lips and swallowed the sweet sound she’d released.
Your face…
Sergei’s gaze held Chloe’s captive, fiery black and glittering midnight meeting and holding as their lips finally met and melted together. The final notes of the music swirled around them, completing the magical spell as the two took the first tentative steps toward acknowledging their feelings for one another.
Despite Sergei’s raging desire to crush her in his arms, from somewhere deep inside he found the strength to keep the kiss gentle, searching, discovering as he held Chloe’s face in his hands, the soft skin beneath his thumbs the texture of satin. Chloe’s fingers flexed against his forearms, her hands restless as they sought something to still her swirling world. Shyly, tentatively, her hands slid a path up his arms and across his shoulders before they slid down his chest and finally wrapped around his back. With a contented sigh, she leaned fully against him, her warm, soft breasts pressed temptingly against Sergei’s wide, muscled chest, her hips brushed innocently against his and he felt his body expand in response.
Sergei’s blood rushed through his veins, a pulsing, raging river that made his heart pound so loudly he was sure it would register on the Richter scale. A low growl echoed in the back of his throat when he felt Chloe’s mouth part softly and her tongue tentatively touch his lower lip as she rolled up on to her toes to better reach his mouth.
Slow, go slow
. Sergei repeated to himself over and over, trying to control his desires to pull her hips forward and lose himself in her softness. With a Herculean effort, Sergei pulled away from the heat of her soft, warm body and sweet, full lips and took a small step backward, just far enough to put a few inches between them.