AllFreeNovel
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“I know.” My pulse is going nuts.
She’s so pretty. Her hair is down around her shoulders. The other day in the shower, I jerked off to thoughts of running my nose along the column of her neck, skimming my hands over her hips to feel whether she was wearing something beneath those leggings.
A shudder rolls through me and I swallow, glancing at her plush mouth. Could I get away with kissing her here? Ward isn’t even looking.
She gives me a strange look as we skate. “What?”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“You’re being weird.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.” Her head tilts as she studies me, and there’s another jump of nerves in my gut. “Oh my god. Are you nervous around me?”
I laugh, looking away. “No.”
She loses her balance, and my hands come back to her waist to catch her. “Yes, you are. You’re nervous.”
A smile creeps up on my mouth. “You’re terrifying.”
She snorts, and I love the way her lips tilt. “You know I’m not actually a dragon, right?” Her tone is soft and teasing, and it trickles down the back of my neck, warm like honey.
We start skating again, and I slip my hand back into hers. “Why do you teach on Zoom? I thought you taught in a studio.”
“Sometimes I do. The studios value seniority, so it’s tough to get classes.” Her mouth twists. “And it’s an accessibility thing, too. It’s easier for people to log in online than get to a studio. Elaine likes to travel but wants to keep up her practice. Clarence’s elevator is always broken, and with his hip stuff, stairs are hard. Vatsi’s about to have a baby, so her life is about to get busy. Hyung likes not having to commute all the way from the university, that’s like an hour on the bus each way. And Laura—” She stops abruptly. I catch a flash of fury in her eyes before it’s gone. “Well, Laura hasn’t had the greatest experiences with studios. Zoom yoga is the best option for a lot of people.”
The fire in her eyes lights me up. “You really love it, don’t you?”
“It’s my purpose,” she answers quickly, effortlessly. “One day, I want to open a fitness studio. We’d offer yoga, Pilates, dance classes, even physio and massage therapy. There’s this woman in the States who opened a body-positive studio. It’s in New York.” Her eyes sparkle. “They have Beyoncé dance classes. It’s so cool to see her videos of them all dancing. All ages, all genders, all body types.” She shrugs. “I want to create that here.”
Something taut plucks in my chest. I should feel that way about hockey, and yet I don’t.
Our eyes meet, and her expression stills. “I don’t know why I told you that.”
I hate that her walls are back up. “I’m glad you did.”
I want to stay here forever with her, listening to her talk about the things she loves.
“I assume rooming with Connor went okay,” she says.
What he said about waiting for me to fuck up so he can swoop in replays in my head. “It was fine.”
If I tell her, it’ll just upset her.
“He tried to piss me off, but I gave as good as I got.” I wink at her.
“If anyone can get to him, it’s you. You’re cut from the same cloth.”
My brow furrows. She’s joking, but she’s not joking. “What do you mean?”
“You know.” She shrugs. “You guys are the same.”
My frown deepens. “No, we’re not.”
She gives me a derisive look, likewho are you fooling?and the ugly feeling settles inside me.
“Hartley.” My voice is low. “We’re not the same.”
