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Jasper and I gave each other an evaluating look. I couldn’t deny that our size difference was particularly striking—that was something we’d played into more than once with our routines. Still, nerves gnawed at my stomach.
Niko held out his phone. I watched as a pair of skaters sped across the ice. The man—who was more than a foot taller than his partner and much broader—swept his petite partner up and over his head like it was nothing. She stretched out into a star position like our own while he gripped her with just one hand—and then in a near-blur of movement, she was spinning over his head again, descending to whirl across the ice in tandem, and immediately launching back into the air with a scoop of his arms to land a perfect triple Axel.
It was fluid and graceful and stunning—exactly the kind of vibe we’d been going for with the whole routine. I needed a moment to find my breath.
“It would be perfect.”
Jasper nodded, his eyes alight now too. “I think we could pull it off with some practice. We have a few weeks left before Finals. Do you really think we can keep it a secret?”
Niko shrugged. “The longer we can, the less chance of anyone trying to top it. We’ll only work on that aspect during our private ice time, and Rafael will keep a close guard. I wanted to be especially careful tonight when we try it out for the first time.” He grinned at us. “If you’re ready to try it out.”
My pulse thumped quickly, but there was at least as much excitement as nerves in the swift beat. “Yeah. Let’s do this! And smash the smirk right off Quentin’s face.”
Jasper laughed, the sound as sweet as maple syrup. “All right, Punk. We shouldn’t rush it. Throws are where the most injuries happen. Even I know Quentin’s not worth risking that.”
I swatted him. “I just mean we should get started.”
We watched the video a few more times and then a couple of other examples Niko had found. I studied every tiny movement from lift off to landing, watching exactly how the skaters adjusted their positioning and balance. Then we took to the ice ourselves.
“We’ll start with a single rotation in the throw and work up to the triple,” Niko said. “So you can get used to the overall feel of it before getting even more ambitious.”
It quickly became clear that the skaters we’d been watching had made the move look easy when it was anything but. The transition from landing to Jasper propelling me back into the air left us wobbling, and once I slipped and bumped my knee, Jasper catching me just before I outright sprained it.
But we got up and went at it again and again. Sweat dampened my skin beneath my training clothes, but the assisted leap began to feel natural rather than awkward.
On my second complete single Axel, my blade hit the ice at a bad angle and I had to shove myself out of a fall with my hands. I brushed the frost from my gloves on my pants and straightened up with a surge of determination.
“Almost!”
Jasper smiled, his gray-green eyes fiery with matching resolve. “We’ll get this. I’m ready when you are.”
It must have been at least another half hour before we worked up to a double jump, but that change was easier than adapting to the initial throw. After a few shaky tries, I felt nothing but exhilaration as I whipped through the air.
When my skates touched down, one after the other, joy rushed through my chest.
This complex move would have stunned me watching it on television as a kid. Now I was actually performing it.
I raised my chin. “Let’s go for the triple.”
Jasper and I flew off into the lift one more time. The feel of his hands supporting me was nothing but familiar. My hair cascaded out in a crimson stream.
He shifted his arms, and I moved with them, tensing and flexing my muscles to match his movements. Then I soared out into the air, the momentum carrying me even higher and faster than before.
One—two—three!
I hit the ice already grinning. The impact radiated through my lowered leg, but I stuck the landing smoothly. I swung around in the finishing spin and then did a little happy dance on the ice with a whoop of victory.
Jasper was beaming too, his face flushed with exertion. Niko applauded avidly from his position by the boards.
“That was fantastic!” he crowed. “I knew you two could do it.”
This would elevate our performance above all the others we’d seen in the qualifying round. Ithadto get us a top spot at Finals. And we’d already proven we were capable of nailing it.
The elation of that success coursed through my veins, and nothing could have felt more natural than grabbing Jasper by the front of his shirt and yanking him into a heated kiss.
As he kissed me back with total enthusiasm, an electric current zinged through my body. His hands were like lightning, the press of his mouth like rolling thunder. Our passion blended, mixing together to form an emotion so ravenous that I thought it would burst.
I wanted more than just a kiss—I wanted every part of him. And not just him.
