Authors: Elizabeth Moynihan
Sergei and Chloe, followed closely by Aleksei, Jordan and Dee were the only thing that saved Hunter from facing serious harm.
“Heh, kiddo,” Aleksei greeted his daughter, giving her a kiss on her cheek, and noticing her high color and flashing eyes. “Whittaker told me you had a close encounter with a hard object. You okay?”
“No worse than any other spill I’ve taken,” she returned, pointedly ignoring Hunter.
“That’s good. Whittaker should be back with your skates in about five minutes. He said to remind you, no more than an hour on the ice with them,” Aleksei stated, smiling as he watched Dani roll her eyes in exasperation.
“When is he going to accept that I’m not ten years old anymore and that he doesn’t have to be my nanny?”
“About the same time I quit worrying about you. It’s just the way it is, get used to it!” Aleksei countered with a laugh, and tussled her short curls, a wistful look entering his dark eyes. He still missed the long, auburn waves.
“So the ice isn’t up to your standards, eh?” Sergei asked, sitting down next to his sister and beginning the process of putting his skates on.
“We might as well be skating on a concrete slab for all the edges are holding!” Dani complained, a small frown creasing her brow as she shifted in her seat, her bottom sending yet another reminder of her hard landing.
“That good? Boy, this competition is shaping up to be one of our more memorable ones,” Sergei mumbled cynically, scooting over to make room for Chloe.
“Don’t jinx it by being negative, we’re here to win. Remember?” Chloe reminded him, nudging him with her shoulder and sending him a dazzling smile.
Sergei’s entire countenance softened as he looked into Chloe’s smiling face; the face that made him believe anything was possible; the face he fully intended to spend the rest of his life looking into. “Yes, I remember,” he answered softly, leaning over to brush a soft kiss against her temple.
“Good,” Chloe agreed, then with a saucy lift of her chin stated, “Then suppose we go see exactly how horrid this ice is. I’d just as soon have a good idea of how hard this ice is so I know much sympathy to offer the other skaters when they fall and lose this competition.”
Everyone chuckled at Chloe’s comment, the tension easing slightly at her nonchalant attitude and off-handed words. Jordan’s gaze caught Chloe’s and she nodded slightly, acknowledging Chloe’s attempt to lighten the mood, silently thanking her for her effort. Jordan could only imagine the internal pressure Chloe was feeling, and doing a good job hiding. Here she was, facing her first competition with a new partner she’d been skating with for less than six months; a partner new to the pairs field, and competing against her old partner. Jordan wasn’t sure if she, herself, could have remained so calm and collected had it been she in Chloe’s boots.
But here Chloe was, laughing and calm, joking and trying to soothe everyone’s frayed nerves. Jordan could only shake her head in wonder and pride.
“So, Hunter, want to come skate with us?” Chloe asked casually, casting a sidelong glance at him and watching him pale slightly at her words.
“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t have any skates,” Hunter stammered, his eyes a bit fearful, his hands suddenly fidgety.
“Oh, I’m sure we can dig a pair up for you. If you’re interested, of course,” Sergei threw in his two cents worth, the effort earning him a glaring look from Hunter.
“Mr. Attorney doesn’t skate; it’s not a manly enough sport for him!” Dani countered, her look daring him to deny her statement.
“I never said that!” Hunter disagreed.
“Then you will skate with us?” Chloe countered.
Hunter shook his head back and forth quickly. “I never said that either!”
“Leave the man alone. You shouldn’t push him into doing something he’s afraid to do,” Sergei stated casually, casting Hunter a look that might as well have said ‘I dare you’.
“I’m not afraid to skate!” Hunter growled deeply.
“Good! Then it’s settled! Where can we find a pair of skates for Hunter?” Chloe asked excitedly.
“Check the pro-shop, they always have used skates for sale,” Dani suggested, ignoring the fiery look Hunter sent her.
“Is this such a good idea? If Hunter doesn’t want to skate, he shouldn’t be coerced into doing it,” Aleksei stated, coming to Hunter’s defense and struggling to keep the burst of laughter that threatened to escape at Hunter’s grateful expression from erupting.
“Daddy, it’s just skating. We’re not suggesting he bungee jump off a bridge,” Dani scoffed.
“Now that’s a
manly
sport!” Sergei said with a laugh.
“Fuck you!” Hunter mouthed silently, not caring that everyone was easily able to read his lips.
“That’s a
moron’s
sport!” Dani countered in disgust.
“Oh, leave the poor man alone. If he doesn’t want to skate–for whatever reason–he shouldn’t have to.” Jordan rose to Hunter’s defense, catching the grateful look in his eye at her rescue attempt.
“You’re mother’s right. Leave Hunter alone, he’s here to help keep the three of you safe, not see how many bones he can break falling on the ice,” Aleksei stated, a devilish light glowing in the depth of his dark eyes.
Hunter was out of his depth with this bunch of bamboozlers.
“What makes you think I’ll break anything? It can’t be that hard to stay on your feet on a smooth surface.” Hunter growled.
“Then what are you making such a fuss about?” Dani asked sweetly, her green eyes dancing with mischief.
“Fine! Find me a pair of God damn skates!” he growled, shaking his head in disbelief even as he muttered the fateful words.
Dani’s lilting laughter and mischievous look had him calling himself a fool, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as he watched Dani almost vibrate in excitement as she anticipated his demise on the ice. How he’d been so easily maneuvered into doing something he was determined not to do still had him pondering how he’d so easily fallen into their plan. In the matter of a few moments, this bunch of people had him agreeing to strap on a pair of boots, with a sharp blade on the bottom, and put his life on the line. He’d spent how many hours watching Sergei and Chloe and Dani, skate and fall, and then pick themselves up as if they’d fallen into a featherbed, no complaining, no theatrics, and do it all over again? He wondered if he had even half the discipline of these three people several years younger than himself.
Hell, maybe that was it. He’d had a momentary brain lapse and didn’t know what the hell he’d agreed to. Casting a beseeching look at Dani, and seeing her lift her chin defiantly, he knew he’d find no compassion there.
“Sergei, tell me, does it look to you as if Mr. Macho here is starting to sprout feathers?” Dani asked tauntingly.
Sergei took in Hunter’s unsure gaze and shallow breathing and couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a shot at him. “I think you’re right, Dani. He’s looking just a tad on the fowl side.”
“You two,” Jordan’s attempt at a stern tone failed, and her light laughter filled the air.
“It’s all right, Jordan. I thank you for trying to rescue me from these heathens all the same,” Hunter offered with a slightly wobbly smile and a pale cast to his skin.
“So–are you skating or not?” Dani demanded softly, catching Whittaker’s approaching form out of the corner of her eye.
“Do I have a choice?”
“You always have a choice.”
“If I don’t skate, how long will I have to listen to you rag on me about it?”
“How long do you plan to live?”
“That’s what I thought.” Hunter grumbled.
“What are you thinking about now?” Whittaker growled, handing Dani’s skates to her.
Hunter cast Dani one final pleading glance, caught her return look that clearly said ‘I dare you’ and heaved a surrendering sigh. “Think you can scare up a pair of skates for me?” he asked Whittaker, ignoring the surprised look that crossed his face.
“Hockey or figure?” Whittaker asked, shaking his head in disgust at Hunter’s bewildered look, one that clearly said he didn’t know the difference between the two.
“Let’s go with hockey; no need to introduce Hunter to toe-picks just yet,” Aleksei suggested, sending Hunter a look of commiseration that was filled with both humor at the situation and understanding that he was destined to lose this particular battle.
“Wimp,” Whittaker growled softly.
“What?” Hunter asked.
“I said, what size?” Whittaker corrected himself.
“What size what?” Hunter asked in confusion.
“He’s not going to make it off the ice alive,” Whittaker complained, shaking his head in disgust and disbelief. “What size shoe do you wear? You do know that, don’t you?”
“Size twelve,” Hunter murmured, a sinking sensation beginning to make him feel as if he were moving and thinking in slow motion.
“It’s okay, Hunter. It’ll all be over soon,” Sergei offered with a hearty slap on the back.
“I won’t let them hurt you,” Chloe offered with a smile, stepped behind Dani and whispered in her ear, “You know what they say about the size of a man’s feet!”
Dani’s burst of laughter had everyone’s attention drawn to the two young women, their eyes filled with devilish delight, their laughter filled with sensual wickedness. “I hadn’t thought about that,” Dani finally managed to gasp.
“Well I suggest you do!” Chloe encouraged, laughter making her wobble in her skates as she lost her balance.
“Enough you two. I can’t skate with a partner who can’t see through her tears of laughter,” Sergei complained, one arm wrapping around Chloe’s waist, picking her up and hauling her off toward the ice.
“We’ll be there soon,” Dani called through her laughter, wiping the tears of humor from her cheeks.
Dani went through the procedures of putting her skates on, the same procedures she had run through too many times to count and in no time was standing beside her mother and father as they awaited Whittaker’s return with the skates for Hunter.
“You really don’t have to wait for me, Dani. I’ll be there as soon as Whittaker brings the skates and I figure out how to get them on,” Hunter suggested, casting another wary look toward the ice.
“That’s okay, I’ll wait. Remember? I can only be on the ice for an hour. We don’t want the blades to become too dull or I’ll be back on my butt again and once was more than enough for me today, thank you.”
“But you’re losing ice time.”
“That’s okay, I’ll manage,” Dani countered.
Whittaker’s return five minutes later had Dani’s eyes dancing with glee, Hunter turning an even paler shade of white and Jordan and Aleksei silently commiserating with the tense, silent man.
“Lucky for you, the pro-shop had a pair of barely used hockey skates just in your size. They were even kind enough to sharpen them up a bit to make sure you stay on your feet,” Whittaker stated. Handing the pair of skates toward Hunter, Whittaker frowned and then placed them on the floor in front of him when Hunter sat there like a statue, unmoving, his eyes glazing with fear. “You okay, buddy?” Whittaker asked, concern actually tingeing his tone.
Overhead, the loudspeaker called for Whittaker and Aleksei to come to the main office.
“I’ll take care of Hunter. You two go see what the problem is now,” Jordan encouraged, giving Aleksei a quick kiss and sending them on their way. Jordan returned her gaze to Hunter, called his name softly a couple of times and finally gained his attention. “You don’t have to do this, you know?”
“Dani will never let me live it down, if I don’t,” Hunter answered softly.
“Why should what Dani thinks bother you?”
Hunter looked at Jordan, confusion clear in his eyes, and she felt her heart pause as she recognized the same look she saw in Sergei’s eyes when he talked about Chloe enter Hunter’s eyes when he talked about Dani. No, she wouldn’t believe it; she refused to acknowledge even the possibility. Dani, her baby, was only seventeen; Hunter was eight years older. They barely knew each other; they couldn’t stand each other; they were at each other’s throats constantly. The thought struck her like lightning-just as she and Aleksei had been. Jordan closed her eyes; her mind overwhelmed with jumbled thoughts and pictures of how the two interacted. She suddenly felt very old.
“I don’t know; it just does,” Hunter finally answered in a quiet, deep voice.
Jordan looked into his eyes, saw the turmoil swirling in the dark caramel depths, the confusion, the desire to deny any feelings he might have for her and his failure at doing so, and offered an understanding smile. “As much as I love my daughter, I would suggest you stop letting her bully you into doing things you don’t want to do. You’ll find your life put in precarious situations less frequently and your blood pressure at a safer level,” Jordan offered quietly.
“I’ll try to remember that.”
Jordan held up the skates, a silent question in her eyes and patiently waited for Hunter to make his final decision.
With a defeated sigh, Hunter slipped out of his shoes and allowed Jordan to assist him into the skates, wincing in surprise as she laced them up so tightly he could barely move his feet. “Any suggestions on how to keep from killing myself out there?” He asked, nodding toward the ice where only Chloe and Sergei now carefully practiced and Dani skated slow circles around the edge of the ice.