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Quentin let out a cool laugh, but his eyes gleamed with what looked almost like appreciation. I’d seen how Jasper acted with him—doing his best to stonewall and ignore the other guy.
Maybe he liked having me sass right back at him.
I grimaced inwardly at the thought of this prick liking anything about me, but at the same time I couldn’t deny that my heart had kicked up a notch too.
His antagonistic intensity made for a good target to let out some of the tension churning inside me, that was all. And as volunteer punching bags went, he was pretty easy on the eyes. The sharp angles of his handsome face matched his penetrating gaze.
It really was a shame those striking looks had been wasted on such a trash bag of a human being.
“Ican recognize talent,” he said with a hint of a sneer. “But it’s not like I can stop you from wasting yours.”
I flipped my ponytail over my shoulder and batted my brightly shadowed eyes at him with a confident smirk. “Come up with whatever excuses you want to justify this growing obsession with me. I think you’re just glad you don’t have to go head-to-head with Jasper again.”
The light in his eyes sparked brighter with what might have been a flare of heat too, but before Quentin could shoot off another caustic remark, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Muttering a curse under his breath, he pulled out the device. When he glanced at the screen, his stance tensed. His jaw flexed as he tapped out a response with his thumb.
He’d just sent it off when the woman who’d glommed onto him before sashayed down the steps and draped her arm around his shoulders. “Why are you bothering with this dope, babe?” She pursed her hot pink lips and narrowed her eyes at me. “Your time’s up, isn’t it, newbie? Let the professionals get to work.”
She thought she was being professional? Jasper and Niko would never in a million years have stooped as low as these two did.
I tilted my head to the side with another stiff smile. “Oh, I’ve been trying to leave, but your boyfriend here just couldn’t bear to let me go.”
Quentin’s lips curled. “Won’t be the first time I’m in your way. Better get used to it.”
He grasped Jess’s hand and tugged her toward the ice, clearing the aisle. Swallowing my last snappy retort, I turned my back on them and hustled up to the doors.
Neither of them deserved any more of my energy. They were only on our case because they knew how good Jasper and I were.
Quentin should be thanking his lucky stars he didn’t have to face off against Jasper this year. And Jess—I might not be totally confident in my competitive abilities yet, but I was sure I could wipe the ice with that catty bitch.
I even had a rival now. I really had arrived.
I laughed softly to myself and quickly changed, eager to get home and relax with the men who actually mattered. Should I tell Jasper about how antsyhisrival obviously was around his return? Or would it just make him irritable hearing about Quentin at all?
Better to wipe the jerk and his stunning asshole face right out of my mind.
When I stepped out of the arena, I drank in the cool outside air, not caring about the tang of car exhaust. Boston was a hell of a lot bigger than Hobb Creek, but I loved that I still got to walk home from the arena when I wanted to. The guys had done an amazing job picking out our apartment.
I strolled down the street through the thickening twilight, peeking through store windows and perking my ears at strains of music that filtered through doorways. We’d be here for at least another month, and I couldn’t wait to check out the clubs and music venues this city had to offer.
As much as I’d enjoyed Hobb Creek’s peacefulness, I had missed a proper nightlife.
The cool air wound around me, but my jacket kept me cozy and warm. Knowing Rafael would be following along at a discreet distance warmed me even more.
Blending in with the big city bustle, I was ten times as anonymous as I’d been in Hobb Creek too. Anonymous and safe.
My bodyguard had never been one to actually hit the dance floor, even though he’d followed me into Austin’s clubs often enough. Would I be able to convince the other men to take a different kind of spin with me?
Niko would probably jump at the chance to let out more of his buoyant energy. Jasper would grumble about the idea… but he might get into it if I could convince him to give the scene a shot. If he brought the same athletic grace to the club that he did to the rink, he’d have everyone watching in envy.
The daydream brought a real smile to my lips. Tonight might not be the best time to go for it since Jasper had been extra sore, but maybe this weekend we could take a little break and work our muscles in all kinds of other ways…
I rounded the corner to our apartment building, my eyes flicking up to instinctively look at the windows of our unit. My steps slowed.
The lights weren’t on, but I hadn’t caught up with Jasper yet either. I’d assumed he’d gone on ahead of me and would already be here.
Hopefully he wasn’t waiting back at the arena someplace I’d missed him.
