Crossing the Ice Read Free

were reunited in the hotel lobby, I threw my arms around him and didn’t let go.
    “You were amazing!” I cried.
    He hugged me back and then slowly worked himself out of my embrace. “I think that was the best I’ve ever skated.”
    Two tipsy fan-girls raced over and asked Kyle for a photo, which I took while they cozied up to him. As they walked away giggling, I grabbed one of Kyle’s two huge bags full of stuffies and other gifts thrown by the fans.
    “I’ll help you bring all this to your room,” I said.
    “You don’t have to do that.”
    Does he not want me to go up to his room with him? We hadn’t spent much time alone together that week because of our busy schedules, but I’d hoped this would finally be our chance. Maybe he just didn’t want me to carry his stuff.
    “I’ve got it.” I smiled and slung the bag over my shoulder.
    Kyle hesitated before following me up the escalator to the elevators. His silence on the way upstairs unnerved me even more, but I rationalized that he was probably still decompressing from the frenzy at the arena.
    Once we reached his room, I set down the bag and took a peek at the bed. Kyle and I hadn’t gotten that far in our relationship (I hadn’t gotten that far with anyone ), but I felt like I was ready. I’d thought about this for a while, and I wanted him to be my first.
    Surely, he wants it too, right?
    I walked over to where he stood in front of the desk, and I slipped my arms around his narrow waist. Softly touching my lips to his, I waited for him to respond and pull me close. Instead he stiffened and unwound my grip.
    “Court, don’t…” He raked his hand through his hair.
    I took a rocky step backward and shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
    “I wanted to wait until after we competed to tell you.”
    “Tell me what?” I asked shakily.
    He stared at the carpet for what seemed like an hour before he finally answered, “I met someone.”
    My stomach flipped upside down, and anger quickly chased the hurt.
    “Have you been dating her behind my back?” I demanded. “Who is she?”
    “She works at my gym. We started talking one day, and then we kept talking longer—”
    “Is that all you’ve been doing? Talking? Or did you hook up with her?”
    He took a tight swallow as he avoided the furious burn I felt in my gaze. “We’ve been seeing each other.”
    I balled my hands into fists at my sides and inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. “So that’s a yes, then.”
    “I didn’t want to break things off with you over the phone. I thought the right thing to do would be to wait until after the competition and tell you—”
    “The right thing!” I shrieked. “The right thing would’ve been to not sleep with some other girl while still acting like my boyfriend.”
    “I’m sorry. I really didn’t want to hurt you.”
    I choked out a bitter laugh. “Well, it’s too late for that. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think you were worth…”
    I glanced again at the bed, and a sickening sensation swirled in my gut. I stormed away from Kyle and then spun around, stopping just before the door.
    “You’re not worth a second more of my time.”

Chapter Two
     
    “He cheated on you?” Mark paused with his sandwich aimed at his mouth. “That little prick.”
    I poked and prodded my chicken Caesar salad but didn’t know if I could stomach actually eating it. My insides had been twisted since the previous night when Kyle had dropped his bomb on me and exploded all my hopes for us to smithereens. I’d thought soaking up some L.A. sunshine at an outdoor café might make me feel better, but there was apparently no quick cure for heartbreak.
    “I hope you told him off,” Mark said.
    “I don’t even remember what I said. I was just so blindsided.”
    I put down my fork and pressed my fingers to my temples. To think I’d been ready to lose my virginity to Kyle. My eyes misted from both the hurt and stupidity I felt, and I pushed my