AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Grant, Lucy's out here for you. She said hurry up.”
Lucy's waiting for me? Curiosity gets the better of me, so I go ahead out to meet her before it gets any later. Sure enough, she's standing in the hallway, leaning against one of the walls with her camera hanging from her neck. She looks up when she hears me. Lucy looks over my body before focusing back on my face.
“What's up?”
“I need your help with a picture, but we need to do it before the Zamboni runs over the ice. Could you help me? It won't take but twenty minutes, promise.”
“Yeah, give me a second.” I turn and go down the hallway until I find the man I'm looking for. I politely ask him if he would give me twenty minutes before he resurfaces the ice. Then I return to Lucy and lead the way.
“Thanks,” she smiles when she sees me.
“No problem.”
When we reach the ice, I step onto it first and turn to take her hand, so she won't slip and fall. She did say she needed my help. I figure she needs me on the ice with her. She mentioned some shot near the net on the walk here. Lucy eyes me carefully as I hold my hand out.
“Grant.” My name. That's it, but it's enough to stop me.
“What?”
“You're sweaty.”
I run a hand over my short, wet hair, and look down at myself. My skin shines where the light reflects the layer of sweat over me. “Well, yeah. I just finished a game, Lucy.”
She reaches out and runs her fingers down my arm, over the slick sweat. Her touch raises goosebumps along my skin. “Are you sure we won't get in trouble?” Those blue eyes come back up to me.
“If we keep standing here, talking, then I can't make that promise.” No one will really care that we're here, but it's fun to see that flash of panic in her eyes. I wipe my hand over my pants and stick it back out, waiting.
“Couldn't you have at least worn a shirt?” she mumbles, taking my hand as I glide over the ice while she walks slowly over to my cage. I smile, but refrain from saying something. “I need to sit up here to get the angle I want, but I need help doing that.” I nod to show her I'm listening. “And don't let go once I'm up there. I might tilt and fall over.”
“You won't, but I'll hold onto your hips, just in case.”
“And no funny business,” she adds.
I laugh. “If you're sure that's what you want,” I tease. Somehow, I'm always doing what she wants, and I honestly don't mind. I enjoy it, and I have thought about asking her out on an actual date, but she makes me nervous. So freaking nervous and I worry that if I set the pace, so to speak, I'd lose what we already have. What Lucy wants is what I'll give her. Too bad she doesn't know this yet.
Lucy snaps her head over to look at me, almost losing her balance. “I don't
want to fall, Grant!” She clutches her camera tighter, choosing not to comment directly on what I said.
As we come to a stop with her standing in between me and the net, I grab her hips, one of her hands going to my shoulder for balance. I lift her up to sit on the net and murmur, “I'd never let you fall, Lucy.”
“Thanks,” she whispers.
The air is suddenly too heavy, so I clear my throat. “Is this where you want to be?”
“Hold tight,” she orders despite what I told her. I squeeze her hips, ducking a little, as she lifts her camera to check. “Perfect.”
“Do you want me to bend down so I'm out of the shot or move behind the net and hold you from there?”
“Just bend down. I might fall while you're moving back and forth.”
I crouch a little bit, enough to be out of her shot, still holding her hips, but not too far down. It's an awkward position to be in as her camera clicks away. Maybe conversation will help. “Why this shot tonight?”
“I wanted your view, but a little higher. Think one day you could get the guys out here for a few with people on the ice?”
“I can try,” I answer honestly. No telling how many favors I might have to do to get them out here.
“Neil, at least, if he will.” Lucy leans over, her camera over my shoulder.
