Page 31 of Center Ice

Jake

How could I think this was stupid? The excitement in the air was palpable, and I’d never, in all my years of knowing him, seen Wyatt Hartman happier.

Who was I to question that?

Maybe I didn’t believe in love for myself, but watching my friends, I knew I wouldn’t take that from them.

“Dance with me?” The words were out before I could second guess myself.

Dani hesitated. “I can’t. I’m on the clock.”

I took her hand and pulled her toward the group. “Hey, Kendall?”

She jerked her head in my direction and smiled.

“Do you, as the bride, want Dani to dance?” I shouted so she could hear me.

She nodded. “Yes, it is my only wish as the bride!”

Dani rolled her eyes but didn’t argue as I put my hands on her waist. She lifted her hands to my shoulders and laughed. “You didn’t need to pull her into this.”

Her hands warmed my skin through my button-up shirt, and I fought to contain my smile. I breathed in her coconut scent and focused on keeping my breathing even. “But it worked,” I pointed out, and she tightened her grip, squeezing tightly until I winced. “You play dirty.”

“Me?” She gasped. “You’re the one who brought Kendall into it.”

I pulled her a bit closer. “I wasn’t going to risk losing this opportunity.”

“Oh, really? So, this was premeditated manipulation?”

I cracked a smile. She sure knew how to keep me on my toes.

“You think I have nothing better to do than think about you all day?”

She bit her lip. “Don’t twist my words.”

“Fine, let’s just say that I saw an opportunity, and I took it.”

She rolled her eyes and slowly smiled. “Fine.”

I stared down at her, and her face relaxed into a smile.

“You look beautiful tonight.”

She closed her eyes and sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re playing so unfair.” She slowly met my gaze.

“What do you mean?” Her sudden change in mood confused me. What had I done?

“You can’t be this flirty version of yourself, because at any moment you’re going to flip and be the cynical man again.”

Her assessment stung, no matter how true it was. “I’m sorry.”

She dropped her head. “Don’t. Don’t apologize for being who you are. It’s my bad.”

I really didn’t like where this conversation was going. Couldn’t we just have fun for one song before we started arguing?