The Boss's Proposal (Billionaire Bad Boy BBW Romance)(18)

''Wow, this place is epic'' she exclaimed looking around.

Laurel quickly tied up her skates, hopped onto the ice and started  making figure of eight patterns, starting wide and getting gradually  tighter and faster as her confidence grew. She finished with a small  jump and a spin, her left leg held high above her head, the picture of  elegance.

''Woo hoo!!'' yelled Jennifer from the side. ''That was awesome!''

Laurel soared over to her friend, beaming. ''That felt awesome!'' she  agreed. ''But listen, I think I just want to stay here a bit longer and  practice some more. Do you mind if I take a rain check on meeting the  others?''

'''Course not'' replied Jennifer with a grin, ''I'll tell them you said hi. You owe me a milkshake though, don't forget!''







''Ha, as if you would let me!'' Laurel winked as she glided off  effortlessly, ''Thanks for this sweetie. I owe you more than a milkshake  for getting me back on the ice!''



After another hour of drills, routines, and practicing a few easy jumps  and spins, Laurel took a deserved break and laid out like a star on the  ice. The coolness beneath her was a welcome relief to her tired and  aching body. She enjoyed the silence of the huge space and watched her  breath escape from her mouth in steamy puffs. As she gazed at the  hundreds of seats surrounding her she wondered what it would be like if  they were all filled, everyone looking down, the spotlight on her.

She jumped up with renewed energy and performed her practiced audition  routine to perfection, even ending with a triple jump, which she rarely  managed to pull off. She laughed and bowed deeply, enjoying the moment.  In her head the crowds were roaring deeply, cameras were flashing,  people were calling her name, ''Way to go Pompoms!!'' Wait a minute …  She  swung round to see the brute standing there laughing at her, hands  moving slowly in an exaggerated clapping motion.

Fuck, she thought to herself. What was he doing here?

''The training session for untalented cheerleader wannabes is over  honey. Off the ice now and go and play with your silly friends. That's a  good girl.''

Tears stung her eyes as his mean comment went straight to her heart and  she realized he'd just confirmed that all her insecurities were true.  She fled the ice, speechless, pulled off her boots and grabbed her bag.  He appeared behind her and grabbed her hand, pulling her close to face  him and then gently wiped away her tears. ''Look, sorry Pompoms, maybe  that was too harsh.'' He looked down at her sincerely and she felt  herself melt. She held his gaze but then looked away, bemused. This was  enemy no.1 and he had humiliated her yet again.

She tore her hand away and strode angrily towards the door. But her  heart was still beating hard from their brief close encounter and the  glimpse of something good and true in those dark eyes of his.

''I thought you cheerleader types were made of sterner stuff, or maybe  more delusional stuff anyway. You all think you're going to be the next  big star or something don't you. Even though all you do wear cute  outfits and do a few stupid jumps'' he sneered, returning to his usual  cocky self.

He followed Laurel to the door and continued, ''The building's off  limits after 9pm ok? Only real athletes allowed, more specifically only  ice hockey players. Understood?'' He looking at her, eyebrows raised,  waiting for her response.

''But I thought … '' started Laurel and she glimpsed at the security guard, confused.

''No buts. See that name on the sign there. That's my Dad. He built this  arena. He owns it. So if I say you can't be here, you can't be here.  Ok?''

''You can't do this,'' she muttered, but she left, scowling at him and  then remembering to smile sweetly at the security guard. Something was  amiss she thought, and it wasn't just the feelings she got inside of her  whenever he was near or in her thoughts. She was going to find out what  he was up to.

''Look, I just have to pop back inside,'' Laurel pleaded to the friendly  guard. She had mulled over her problem for a good half an hour over a  coffee before deciding that she needed to go back and confront him. If  she had to apologize, beg, humiliate herself in front of him, she didn't  care. She needed to be able to use the rink. Obviously she was also  curious as to what he was up to seeing as the security guard said no ice  hockey players were allowed in. And a tiny part of her wanted to see  what he was like on the ice. Was he as fast and furious as everyone said  he was?

''Miss, I don't mind you using the rink, really I don't. But what Mr.  Jackson says goes. His Dad built the place you know. He's an important  young lad around these parts.''

''I'm not going to use the rink, I promise,'' Laurel said earnestly, ''I  just want to go to the girls' locker room. I think I must have left my  cell phone there.''

''Well, ok then, but come straight out again, won't you?'' the kind old man agreed eventually.

Laurel nodded, entered the building, walked straight past the locker  rooms and crept quietly up to a darkened seat in the huge arena. She  waited patiently in the shadows and again watched her breathy puffs  appear short and fast due to the rapid beating of her heart.







At first he was nowhere to be seen and Laurel was beginning to think she  was wasting her time. But finally he glided onto the ice. He was as  graceful as an eagle soaring through the sky. But he had ruggedness on  the ice that left his performance as masculine as much as elegant. She  marveled at the incredible power he used to propel himself faster and  faster around the rink. He was indeed fast and furious but she had no  idea that he could dance as well as he could smack pucks into a net. He  plummeted from spin to jump to triple jump to spin to backwards jump to  backwards spin.

Laurel was mesmerized. He was by far the most talented figure skater she  had ever had the privilege of seeing in real life. As he ended with a  magnificent final leap into the air she completely forgot where she was  and who he was and let out a loud wolf-whistle and started clapping  wildly.

''Oh my, that was amazing'' she gushed as she ran down the stairs to the ice. ''Who trained you?''

She stopped suddenly as she saw his face, a moment ago serene and determined, was now a shade of red, his eyes ablaze.

''You dirty little spy. I thought I kicked you out!'' he shouted  angrily. ''That dumb security guard, I knew I should have fired him ages  ago.''

''Don't blame him'' cried Laurel, suddenly worried that her actions  could have caused someone their job. ''He's just a sweet old man, and I  lied to him to get in. It's my fault. Don't fire him, please!''

''You can't tell anyone what you saw tonight'' he threatened, ''Do you  know what my dad would say if he knew I was still doing this? And the  guys from the team? Fuck!''

He rubbed his head with his hands and looked so vulnerable and anxious  that she almost wanted to hug him and tell him everything was going to  be ok.

''I swear I'll destroy your life if a word of this ever gets out,'' he  hissed in her direction. Ok so maybe a hug was out of the question but  her head was suddenly whirring with possibilities.

''But you're so talented'' she hardly dared to whisper, ''I've never  seen anything like it in my life. So much power. So much speed.''

His face softened slightly and he walked towards her. ''Well, well,  Pompoms. If I knew if it was that easy to get your knickers wet, I  would've brought you here before.''

Laurel scowled with disgust. ''You're not doing much to convince me to keep my mouth shut you know!'' she shot back.

He sighed. ''What, you want money do you? Will that keep your loose little cheerleader mouth quiet? How much do you want?''

''What on earth do you have against cheerleaders? You started this  ridiculous feud with your discrimination against all cheerleaders and  pretty much women in general'' she suddenly yelled. ''And no, I don't  want your money. I want …  you!''

''Baby, why didn't you just say?'' he jumped off the ice, pulled off his  boots and sauntered towards her, cornering her against the wall.

''No, no, that's not what I meant,'' Laurel protested but he was  towering above her, looking down at her with those dark mysterious eyes,  forehead still glistening with sweat from his vigorous routine. His  lips, so close, and so soft, for someone so rough and chiseled,  captivated her. His skin was smooth, his eyebrows heavy, and his jaw  strong. She admired his Greek-god like features and before she knew it  his lips had landed on hers.

I'm an idiot. I'm gonna get hurt. I can't start liking him. He's an  arrogant, self-centered, pig of a man. She kept telling herself these  things and kept telling herself to pull away but as his lips continued  to encase hers, his tongue gently exploring, his arms holding her strong  and close, all reason in her head became smothered by lust and  adrenaline and desire.

Their steamy embrace came to an end and he grinned down at her. ''There we go'' he said, ''We're square now, right?''

''You self-obsessed idiot'' she said, coming back to her senses, ''If I  found a penny on the street I wouldn't trade it for a kiss with you!''

But she had seen something in his eyes. The kiss was real. He had felt it too. She just knew he had.