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He teased his fingers along my jaw to tilt my head up and claimed a quick but tender kiss. A giddy shiver ran through my chest as I kissed him back.
Niko’s arm tightened around me just for a moment, and I could feel him force himself to ease away. He laughed lightly and gave my temple a peck too.
“But as much as I enjoy your company, I don’t want to distract you from what’s most important.” He glanced across the restaurant to where Jasper was just emerging from the restroom. “I feel that right now it’s your skating partner you should be focused on.”
“Yeah,” I said with a lopsided smile. “I’m still working on that whole partner thing.”
“You paid?” Jasper demanded, striding over to us with a frown at Niko.
Niko held up his hands. “What is it you say—guilty as charged?”
Jasper let out a huff but seemed to already realize he wasn’t going to get very far trying to change Niko’s mind.
After we’d stepped out onto the sidewalk, Niko offered us a cheerful wave, turning toward his apartment, which lay in the opposite direction from where both Jasper and I would be heading. “Well, I’m off. Good work, you two. We’ll keep at it tomorrow.”
I waved back and glanced at Jasper, catching a flicker of a deeper frown that crossed his face as he watched Niko vanish around the corner.
Was he beating himself up about how our training was going, just like I was? Fretting that we were disappointing our coach, who’d come so far specifically to drag him out of his slump?
Maybe Niko had made a good point just now. We could stand to focus more on each other—possibly without anyone at all looking on.
I wet my lips, a little nervous about Jasper’s possible response. “Hey, do you want to head back to the arena for a bit right now? We could get in a little extra practice off the ice—see if we can at least nail the position for that one lift. Niko left the storage room set up with the foam padding.”
Jasper looked at me, shoving his hands in his pockets. I got the impression he was evaluating me, and with a certain amount of wariness. “You want to go back?”
I offered a cautious grin. “What better things do I have to do? Maybe we’ll surprise Niko tomorrow with our newly perfect form.”
My partner wavered for a few seconds longer and then tipped his head, although I still got a reluctant vibe from him. “Fine. Couldn’t hurt.”
Gosh, what an enthusiastic endorsement. I restrained myself from rolling my eyes, which definitely wouldn’t help smooth things over.
We walked back to the arena, the awkward silence making me twice as glad for Hobb Creek’s small size. It was only five minutes before we reached the darkened doors—but Jasper had his own key.
No breaking and entering necessary!
I refrained from making that comment out loud and glanced behind me while he unlocked the door. Rafael would be shadowing me from somewhere nearby.
Slipping one hand behind my back, I made a quick gesture with a flick of my fingers, giving him the signal that I needed some privacy.
He’d do a quick sweep of the arena just to be sure no dangers were lurking, and then he’d hang back near the reception area rather than keeping me in view. That way I really could focus completely on Jasper without worrying another tumble—of whatever kind—might bring out Rafael’s protective impulses again.
My partner and I tramped over to the storage room Niko had converted for our off-ice training. The foam rectangles still littered the floor.
I brushed my hands down my tartan pants and decided they and the long-sleeved band tee I had on would work just fine for a brief stint of training. I’d already dropped my sweaty athletic clothes back at the bungalow, if I’d even have wanted to get back into them.
“So,” Jasper said with a hint of doubt in his expression as he looked around the room. “You wanted to practice that last lift.”
I squared my shoulders. “Yeah. It seems like the one we’re having the most trouble getting in sync for.”
He nodded, not disputing my assessment, and motioned me over to him. His expression stayed grim, all business, but I thought I caught a flicker of heat in his gray-green eyes when he lowered one hand to settle on my hip.
An answering heat coursed through me, having his brawny frame so close. I could smell his woodsy, musky scent, even more delicious than the dinner I’d just eaten.
“Ready?” he asked, with the slightest husky note in his voice.
I lifted my hands into the best starting position. On cue, Jasper grasped my fingers and hefted me up and over his broad shoulders.
I arched in his hold, noting every place my weight needed to balance, tightening my muscles to make the position as easy as possible for him. Getting into the pose from standing rather than skating into each other wasn’t the same—no momentum, no flow of movement. When he set me down again, without the benefit of a glide to carry us through the motion, his hand slipped against my leg and I teetered too far to the left.
