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I glanced at Jasper as he lowered me, trying to judge the ratio of grumbling to dry humor in his voice. I was pretty sure this time he was leaning more toward the latter.
“As long as you don’t gouge my thigh with that deadly thumb of yours,” I retorted cheekily.
His mouth gave a twitch that I was pretty sure by now indicated a suppressed smile, because my new partner never seemed to worry much about showing his frowns and grimaces.
Of course, it was hard to tell with him, even with a few practices as a pair under our belts. I couldn’t say he’d ever been actuallyfriendlywith me.
Did he really have a problem with skating with me, or did he simply feel like he had to maintain his reputation as a grump?
Niko clapped his hands together. “You’re getting closer every time! Let’s see that once more.”
I shook the tension out of my limbs and glided around the rink to get back into the starting position for the simple star lift we’d been working on. Jasper synchronized his movements with mine without complaint.
From the corner of my eye, I tracked the rhythm of his blade strokes and the power that emanated from his brawny body. There was no denying that he could make a spectacle on the ice—one it was impossible not to appreciate.
We reversed course and glided backward, me veering in front of him. As I turned toward him, Jasper grasped my hip and one of my hands to sweep me into the air as if I weighed nothing at all.
I caught the start of a wobble with my hand against his broad shoulder. Extending one leg toward the ceiling, I stretched the other straight behind me.
Jasper whirled around and around, and my ponytail streamed out from my head. The exhilaration took my breath away.
Then he eased me down and set me on the ice at just the right pace for me to pull away from him.
No matter how much he grumbled, nothing mattered more to him than creating a beautiful image on the ice. If I hadn’t been able to tell that from watching his performances on TV, working with him would have proven it.
I could respect the desire even if I wouldn’t mind him getting an attitude readjustment. He had to realize how committed I was and warm up to me eventually, right?
As we skated toward Niko again, our self-appointed coach stretched his arms with a languid grace that reminded me of a cat in the sun. “I think that’s enough for one day. Great job, you two. You’re really killing it out there.”
Jasper snorted and stomped toward the benches to grab his bag. “I guess we look alittleless like idiots now.”
I tried to restrain my wince at the sting of his words. Ouch.
I knew I was learning a hell of a lot from working with him, but maybe I was holding him back. Diverting him from the training that would put him back in the spotlight as a star.
That’s what Coach Balakin would have told me, wasn’t it?
I moved to retrieve my own duffel bag with my chin high, doing my best not to let my dampened spirits show in my posture. Apparently I didn’t do a good enough job at hiding it.
“Hey.” Niko planted himself next to me as I hefted my bag over my shoulders. He caught my gaze with a typical twinkle in his bright brown eyes. “Don’t mind him. He just doesn’t like being outside his comfort zone. The two of you really are making fantastic progress.”
I couldn’t exactly accuse him of lying. “It feels good,” I admitted. “Working with someone, building a routine together instead of being limited to what I can do on my own.”
Niko grinned. “Then my plan is succeeding. I can tell Jasper appreciates it too, even if he has a funny way of showing it.”
“‘Funny’ is not the word I’d use,” I muttered.
Niko muffled a snicker with his hand. “That’s fair.”
His gaze slid over me, stirring a sudden heat beneath my skin with the memory of our interlude in the change room a few days ago. “We’re finishing a little earlier than usual. Do you feel up to adding a little endurance work to today’s practice.”
Curiosity sparked in my chest. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”
He motioned to my bag. “Get changed and toss that in your car, and we’ll go for a hike.”
That actually sounded like exactly what I needed right now to clear the cobwebs of doubt from my brain. I shot him a smile that I hoped didn’t look too fawning. “Perfect. I’ll meet you out front in ten.”
When I found Niko in the parking lot, he didn’t actually look like he’d changed much other than pulling off the fleece pullover he’d been wearing against the arena’s chill. The black fitted tee showed off his lean muscles to delicious effect.
