Ink and Ice by Erin McRae (novel books to read txt) 📕

Aaron took one of Tasha’s hands between his and rubbed it gently. “You might have a concussion.”

“I’ve had a concussion before, that fall was not nearly hard enough for one.”

“Are you hearing yourself right now?” Aaron was exasperated. “What day is it?”

“Saturday,” she said promptly.

“Who’s the president?” he asked.

Tasha grimaced. “Fuck you.”

“Yeah, right there with you,” Aaron agreed.

Zack snorted at that; he couldn’t help himself.

Aaron jerked his head around, and Zack watched as he let himself be surprised by his proximity for only for a split second.

“You see the cones in the hockey box over there?” Aaron said, pointing. “Do you think you can go grab those and get them back here?”

Zack nodded. “I think so.”

“Then go do that, and set them up so no one skates through the blood,” Aaron said, before turning his attention back to Tasha.

Zack went without question. Aaron—who was playful and sweet and liked approval and for his kisses to be led—knew how to delegate in a crisis, so Zack was trusting that doing as he said was going to result in the least harm possible. Honestly, aside from being terrified by his own lack of skating skill (swizzling with cones in his hands was difficult), Aaron was impressing the hell out of him.

It was not what he would have expected from him or from any skater. Which was, he realized, unfair. Especially after all the time he had already spent around the rink. Skating was kind of metal; there was no other way to put it.

By the time Zack arrived back with the cones, Aaron was holding a wad of clean paper towels to Tasha’s head while Tasha wiped blood off the side of her face with tissues.

“A-minus on the skating,” Aaron said, glancing over at Zack as he set them down. “D-minus on common sense. Next time, you put the cones down and slide them over.”

“I didn’t fall,” Zack protested.

“No, you did not.” Aaron’s eyes had gone back to Tasha. But he did sound impressed.

Zack was still not used to how much he enjoyed Aaron’s approval. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“You can tell him I’m fine,” Tasha said, clearly eager to get up and go back to her day.

“You probably are,” Zack said. Aaron clearly didn’t need any help, but he figured he should be supportive where he could. “You also probably need a few stitches, so I’m pretty sure you have to wait for the EMTs.”

“Ugh.”

“Can you go find Ashley?” Aaron said.

“Who?” Zack asked.

“The zamboni driver. We’re gonna need her to scrape up the blood and maybe cut the ice when this is all over. You’re going to have to get off the ice, put your guards on, and walk around for this assignment,” Aaron added, when Zack hesitated to move.

“Oh, right. Okay,” Zack said, as if he’d only been confused by the directions. But the truth was he was disappointed. Despite the circumstances he was enjoying being on the ice as much as he was enjoying being by Aaron’s side.

Chapter 9

ON THE WAY TO THEIR Usual Café

Near Twin Cities Ice

ONCE TASHA HAD BEEN taken off to the hospital by the EMTs Aaron did his best to muddle through the rest of Zack’s lesson. He was used to working with nerves, but competition anxiety was a different beast than whatever adrenaline rush had hit him. He felt jangly and untethered, and, despite his best efforts, he was prickly with Zack.

The memory of Zack’s serious face when he had said We need to talk didn’t help either. Aaron didn’t have a great feeling about that and suspected Zack was going to give him a speech about why they couldn’t do what they certainly seemed to be on the precipice of doing.

Aaron was used to compartmentalizing and grateful when anyone outside of skating could avoid bringing their problems to the ice. That Zack had kept his mouth shut was a significant point in his favor, even if it had weakened Aaron’s own resolve and focus. Of course, then he’d gone and been helpful when Tasha got hurt. It had all added up to leave Aaron unfairly annoyed at him but also very much wanting to bury his head in Zack’s shoulder so he could soothe away all the emotions of the last hour.

And now, he was probably about to get dumped.

“Coffee?” Zack asked as they sat down next to each other on the bench to undo their skates.

“I’ve got work to do for the restaurant,” Aaron said shortly. He was irritated at Zack, at the universe, and at himself, but Zack was the easiest one to take it out on at the moment. “And I have more practice time tonight.”

“Okay,” Zack said. Aaron could see him out of the corner of his eye, looking back at Aaron out of the corner of his eye as he unlaced his skates. “What did I do wrong?”

Aaron sighed. “You didn’t. Yet. You’re probably going to though. And I’m already mad about it.”

“If I say you’re cute when you’re pessimistic....” Zack nudged his knee against Aaron’s, and it was all Aaron could do not to throw his arms around Zack and hide from the rest of the world.

“I will stab you with your skates,” he said in lieu of doing anything of the sort. If Zack was teasing, maybe he wasn’t about to tell Aaron all of this was a bad idea. A faint bubble of hope rose in his chest, adding itself to the already too-large pile of emotions he was dealing with.

Aaron forced himself to take a deep breath and reminded himself that adrenaline was a nasty drug. Of course he was reeling. Fresh air and a change of scene would probably do him good. Especially if he was about to get preemptively broken up with.

“Gotcha.” Zack gave him a half-smile, and Aaron’s stomach fluttered pleasantly. “Same place we went last time? I do need to bring you up to speed on some stuff, and I’d rather not do it