Heat it Up: Off the Ice - Book One (8 page)

She’s with a girl and a guy, and is laughing. My eyes scour the crowd near her. If Joni’s here, I don’t see him. I let out a slow breath and the tension that’s been building trickles away like a water from a faulty faucet.

I continue staring at Sofia until she must’ve sensed me watching her and looks over. She smiles and everything instantly feels better with the world. Without saying anything to the girls, I walk over to her, bumping into people as the alcohol kicks in. Shit. Not how I want Sofia to see me.

I stop in front of her. Her smile wavers and she glances at the dance floor, her mind spinning over something. She then grabs my hand. The warmth of it seeps into my skin and sobers me a little.

“Let’s dance.” She pulls me toward the crowded space.

We don’t get that far. As if summoned by my thoughts of her earlier, Snow White steps in front of me and rests her hand on my chest. The seductive curl of her lips makes it clear she wants a repeat of the other night. “Hi, Kyle.”

The woman steps closer to Kyle, her manicured hand still on his chest. Everything about her is the opposite of me—if you don’t count my newly manicured fingers and toes.

She’s about my age, but her chin-length black hair and slim fitting red dress scream sophistication. Her long legs appear never ending, especially with her stilettos and short dress. She’s obviously not living out of a suitcase with only a limited supply of clothing.

I glance down at my short skirt and the white tank top that Kyle has seen me in before.

“I’ve missed you,” she purrs and my stomach twists. “My bed’s been lonely without you.” Her hand moves south, stopping just above the waistband of his jeans. She either hasn’t noticed me standing next to him or just doesn’t care. Clearly I’m not much competition as far as she’s concerned.

And she’s right.

I step away and return to Maija and her boyfriend. Guys like Kyle aren’t interested in girls like me, not when they can have women like the one now whispering in his ear about all the hot positions they can do tonight.

My stomach pinches at the thought. Silly stomach. But really, what did I expect? He knows I’m not interested in a boyfriend and that my last one cheated on me. Kyle’s probably already guessed why Ian did that. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out I wasn’t all Ian had hoped for. This woman knows how to please a man; I’m a million miles from there.

“Hey,” Kyle says, catching up to me. “I thought we were going to dance.” His words hold a slight slur.

“You were busy.” I cringe inwardly at how petty that sounded. Kyle doesn’t seem to notice.

“Sorry about that. She surprised me by showing up like that.”

“Who is she?” I glance around but can’t see her anywhere.

Kyle doesn’t say anything. He reaches for my hand and tries to pull me to the dance floor. I hold my ground.

“I’ll still dance with you,” I say, “But I just want to know who she is?” And if you’ve slept with her.

He releases my hand. His shoulders slouch forward, my words knocking the wind out of him. “She was a one-night stand. Nothing more than that. I haven’t seen her since then. At least not until tonight.”

“Okay.” I smile, the movement small but genuine. “Thank you for being honest with me.” I place my hand on his biceps, the muscle hard from hours in the gym. “And I believe you owe me a dance.”

We manage to find a spot on the crowded dance floor, our bodies pressed together. I wrap my arms around his neck and move my body with his. It’s been a while since I last went dancing. I’ve missed it. I just didn’t realize how much until now.

I turn around, my back against his chest, my arms around his neck. My tank top raises, exposing my stomach. His fingers trace the skin above my waistband. Tiny shivers glance across my skin at his touch and I suck in a sharp breath.

I move my body to the beat, the song fast yet sensual. The limited space keeps me against Kyle, and he takes advantage of the situation. His slight state of drunkenness has to do with that, too. His lips press the skin on my shoulder. Then his tongue flicks lightly against it, turning my legs into molten lava. It’s a good thing his arm is around my waist, keeping me upright; otherwise, I’d melt onto the sticky floor.

The feel of Kyle’s lips on my skin triggers the memory of them on my mouth, all of them good, which is part of the problem. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since the kiss. I haven’t stopped craving him since the kiss. Even at Linnanmäki, when he challenged me to face my fear of heights, I wanted to kiss him, really kiss him. But I couldn’t.

His lips continue their path, marking their way along my shoulder. He pushes my hair aside, and his mouth is back to teasing me. As if it has a will of its own, my head drops to his shoulder, encouraging him to keep going. My brain tells me to stop this from continuing further. My body says to hell with it. I deserve this just once.

The song slows, but we stay the same, moving in a way that makes me dizzy with want. His hands slide down my hips. I sway against him. His breath is raspy in my ear and he moans, the sound barely heard over the loud music.

I turn around to face him and rewrap my arms around his neck. My gaze falls on his mouth. I want to kiss him so badly. Maybe things will be different with Kyle. Maybe he can teach me to be a better lover. Maybe he can give me the confidence I’m missing, like he did at the amusement park when it came to my fear of heights.

I kiss him. Lightly. Hunger gleams in his eyes. Hunger and uncertainty. Before I can speak, his mouth is back on mine and I welcome him in.

His kiss is as amazing as I remember. Our tongues stroke, glide, feel in time to the music and the swaying of our bodies. Nothing else exists. Just us. And the kiss.

Kyle’s hands drift from my hips to my lower back and pull me closer. Every cell in my body hums, until I’m positive the vibrations in the floor are caused by me and not the music. Our swaying stops. The kissing doesn’t.

It’s not until someone bumps against us that I realize the music is no longer slow. Kyle takes my hand and leads me off the dance floor, my breath still ragged. He pauses, looks at a group of girls and the guy from that day in the sauna, then heads toward Maija and her boyfriend.

His expression looks torn, but I can’t tell what he’s torn about. Is it because he’s with me instead of those girls? If they gave him the chance, would he go home with one of them?

“Is something wrong?” His thumb slides along my lip and pulls it away from my teeth. Until then, I hadn’t realized I was chewing it.

“No, I’m good.” I glance over my shoulder at the girls again. I’ve never done a one-night stand before. I’ve only been with Ian. I flirt with guys all the time, but when it comes to taking things further, the art of seduction is lost on me.

I look back at Kyle. I guess there’s a first for everything.

I introduce Maija and her boyfriend to Kyle. Kyle and Toivo hit it off immediately, and start talking hockey.

Kyle’s friend joins us with his three-girl entourage.

Maija pulls me aside. “Watch out for the girl in the pink shorts. I heard her talking to her friend in the bathroom. She’s very interested in Kyle, if you know what I mean.” I know what she means. The girl isn’t touching him, but she’s close enough that if she shifts slightly, there’ll be a lot of bodily contact.

“Thanks for the warning.”

Maija wraps her arms about her boyfriend’s waist. I do the same to Kyle, sliding between him and Pink Shorts. She gives me the death glare but moves back a step. Kyle gives me an amused grin. I almost reach up and kiss him, but decide it might be too much. He’s not territory to be marked.

Kyle’s not the only one looking amused at the situation. His friend, Nik, keeps eyeing both me and Pink Shorts, as if he expects us to Jell-O wrestle at any second.

I’m not sure if Pink Shorts thinks we’re in some sort of contest, and Kyle is the prize, but she moves to his other side and rubs the front of her body against his hip. Maybe if I were another girl, I’d kiss him and tell her to back off. Instead, I move away, realizing my plan isn’t working, and toy with the swan charm around my neck. I’m not her. I’m not trained in the art of seduction.

I don’t get too far. Kyle tightens his hold on my waist. “Where do you think you’re going?” He chuckles against my cheek.

I lean against him, victory coursing through me.

With a huff, Pink Shorts leaves to dance with her friends and some guys, and I’m left contemplating the next step in my plan.

And come up with a blank.

Not paying attention to Kyle and Toivo’s current conversation, I covertly watch the girl with Nik. She’s wrapped around him, her hand on his butt, her mouth on his neck. Half of his attention is directed at her, the other on the guys’ conversation. He takes a break from listening to them to shove his tongue down her throat and grab her breast.

Ewww.
Lesson plan aborted.
I quickly return my attention to Kyle and Toivo.

Maija and her boyfriend soon say their goodbyes. I’m about to leave with them, so they can walk me to Muumu’s car, when Kyle stops me.

“Do you have to leave? I thought maybe you could stay and protect me.”

“Protect you from what?”

He nods toward Pink Shorts and her friends.

I start to laugh but it turns into a yawn. “I should go. I have to drive home.”

“Then let’s get out of here. I’ll walk you to your car.” He tells Nik he’s done for the night, and his friend winks at me. Inwardly I groan. I might want to have sex with Kyle, but I don’t want Nik to know about it. Then again, what difference does it make? If I have sex with Kyle, he won’t want anything to do with me after that. Isn’t that how it goes with one-night stands? He had sex with that woman from earlier and he wasn’t interested in sleeping with her again. Was that because she wasn’t so hot under the covers after all, or because he doesn’t do repeat business?

A sad ache slams into me. Is that really what I want? Exploring Helsinki with Kyle has been more fun than I ever expected. Am I ready to risk it for sex-ed 101?

As I deliberate the pros and cons of my plan, we walk to where a man’s stumbling to the driver side of the car. His girlfriend is sitting in the passenger seat. My entire body goes numb at the realization of what he’s about to do.

“Hey buddy,” Kyle says. “You aren’t driving, are you?”

The man responds, but his words are slurred. I can’t tell if he answers in English or Finnish. He turns and opens the door.

Before the man can climb in, Kyle grabs hold of his shoulder and whips him around. The man staggers but manages to steady himself with the car door. The girl in the car shrieks at us in Finnish.

“You’re too fucking drunk to drive,” Kyle yells in his face.

The man shoves Kyle away and slurs what I guess to be obscenities. Kyle’s jaw tightens and he shoves him right back, pushing him against the car with a lot more force than is called for.

I don’t know where the man gets his strength from—maybe from fear or from anger or from the alcohol—but he knocks Kyle’s arms off him and swings at Kyle. Kyle’s own anger isn’t enough to dull the effects of the beer he drank. And he’s not fast enough to block the blow. The man’s fist slams into Kyle’s jaw.

There’s a misguided belief that a woman needs a man to protect her. He’s the hero of her story, the one who makes her feel loved and safe. To hell with that.

Sometimes men need saving, too.

I grab the jerk’s arm and attempt to yank him from Kyle. None too thrilled at my attempts to intervene, the man lashes his hand out at me. His ring digs into the flesh below my right eye, and gouges the skin. Blood trickles down my cheek but there isn’t time to worry about it. Kyle lies sprawled on the ground, stunned, his glasses on the asphalt near him. The man sneers at him and moves his leg back, ready to kick Kyle in the ribs.

“Kyle!” I scream out.

Kyle looks over at the man, and rolls out of the way. He staggers up but doesn’t move fast enough. The booted foot hits him low in the ribs, below his arm, and Kyle collapses to his knees.

I throw myself at the man. It’s a stupid move, but it’s all I can come up with to buy Kyle time to get up.

The man’s girlfriend goes back to shrieking and jumps into the brawl. She grabs hold of my hair and yanks my head back. I cry out in pain.

Just as I expect them to both turn on me and beat me to a pulp, someone yells in Finnish and the woman is lifted off me. Dazed from being hit in the face, it takes me a minute to realize two cops have stepped in. The man and the woman are talking to them in Finnish. The man slurs while the woman’s shrill voice digs into my brain. Kyle is still on the ground but is now sitting, his glasses back on his face.

“He was going to drive while drunk.” I point at the man. “Kyle was stopping him before he got behind the wheel and killed someone. He assaulted Kyle and kicked him in the chest.” I kneel next to Kyle and tenderly touch where the boot hit him. He flinches.

His gaze lands on where the ring dug into my cheek. I can’t tell if the cut is still bleeding, but it stings like crazy. He cups my cheek in his hand and brushes his thumb below the cut. “Did he do that?”

I nod.

The cop crouches next to me. “The man assaulted you?” His voice is gentle yet firm. English comes easily to him.

“I was pulling him away from Kyle and he hit me.”

“What about the woman? Did she do anything?”

“She was in the passenger seat and shrieking for most of it. When I tried to keep the man from kicking Kyle again, she grabbed my hair.” My scalp still hurts from the vicious attack. I can’t imagine it will be too thrilled next time I brush my hair.

Realizing that Kyle and I are the innocent ones in this whole mess, the cop asks us more questions and lets us go. Kyle and I walk back to my car. I had suggested that I could drive him to the hospital to have his ribs checked out. He waved it off, claiming he’s not hurt.

“Why don’t you come over to my apartment and I’ll deal with your cut?” he says once we reach my car.

I hesitate for a moment. The one-night stand I was considering is now a distant thought. He won’t be in any shape for it to happen. Knowing that is a huge weight temporarily knocked off my shoulders. “Okay.”