She'd never wanted to pull someone closer and push them away at the same time. His kiss vibrated through her, sending a shock all the way down to her toes.
True to the girl she was, her mind wouldn't quiet, wouldn't let her enjoy the moment. Each answer his lips gave her opened up a thousand new questions.
The biggest one of all—why was Jesse Carrigan kissing her?
And why didn't she want him to stop?
A buzz from her pocket jerked her back to reality. She lurched away, widening the distance as her chest heaved. "Why..." She touched her lips.
Jesse looked just as bewildered as she felt.
Her pocket buzzed again, and she pulled her phone free, thankful for the distraction until she saw who it was. "It's my dad."
Jesse took a step back, widening the physical distance as well as the metaphorical space between them. The kiss shouldn't have happened, and they both knew it.
She pressed the phone to her ear. "Hey, Dad."
"Charlotte, your mother and I have been worried. We closed early tonight because of the storm and arrived home to find you missing." He sounded stressed.
She looked at her phone, noticing five missed calls from her mom. "I'm sorry. I'm at..." She glanced at Jesse. "Hadley's. I'll come home."
"Okay, be safe, Char."
"I will." She hung up and met Jesse's gaze once more. "I need to leave. I'm sorry."
He reached forward, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips grazing her cheek. "I thought I told you to stop apologizing for everything."
She pulled her keys out of her pocket. "Okay, um, bye."
Jesse looked like he wanted to say something else, but she ducked out of the way and booked it to the door. Gathering her wet clothes, she'd left near the stairs, she avoided the living room where the rest of Jesse's family was.
By the time she made it outside, the rain still pounded into the pavement, but she barely felt it. The water slicked off her skin, not permeating the warm cocoon she found herself in.
Relaxing back in the seat of her car, she traced the curve of her lips with her fingers and spared one final glance for Jesse's house. She wasn't sure what she'd expected as she drove away—for him to come after her to say goodbye? For him to plead with her to stay?
She shook her head. What was the point? No matter how deep she'd felt that kiss, it couldn't happen again.
The rain let up as Charlotte pulled up to her house. Unlike Jesse's, there was never a thing out of place. Her mom paid a landscape service to keep everything looking impeccable, even in the dry Florida winters.
She looked to the dark sky. Not like you'd know it was a dry winter from a day like today. They had a lot of storms all summer and fall during hurricane season. Few hurricanes actually hit them, protected as they were to the south by the Bay in Tampa. But the outer banks could be rough.
That ended months ago. Who knows? Maybe this storm was a signal of things to come when she walked into her house. She laughed to herself. No, it more likely represented the war raging inside of her, spanning both her worlds.
With a sigh, she squeezed the door handle and pushed in, revealing a well-lit marble entryway. She set her bag down near the door and turned to the stairs, cursing herself when the click of heels told her she wasn't fast enough.
"Charlotte." Her mother appeared from the living room, arms crossed over her silk blouse. Even at home, she didn't relax in anything more comfortable. "Where have you been?"
"I told Dad I was at Hadley's."
Her lips tugged down. "Tone, Charlotte. Watch it."
"Yes, Mom." She settled her eyes on the ever-growing puddle around her on the floor.
Her mom never yelled, but her exaggerated sighs were chastisement enough. "Honey, you're getting the floor wet. Go put on some dry clothes, and then come into the kitchen so we can talk."
If her parents coming home early wasn't a sign, them wanting to talk sure was. She swallowed down her questions and climbed the staircase. In her room, she hung the clothes she'd worn to Jesse's on the back of her desk chair to dry and changed out of Cassie's outfit.
Each step closer to the kitchen deepened the well of dread inside her. She'd never been a troublemaker, always doing what her parents expected of her.
She stepped through the arched doorway and let her eyes scan the room. Where Jesse's kitchen had been light, hers was dark. Where his held laughter and kind smiles, hers only had concerned frowns.
Her parents had perfected the worry face, the "we only care" expressions. Sometimes she wished they'd get mad at her. Then she'd know they truly did care.
All of this concern only felt like an act, designed to show the world they were a perfect family.
She placed a palm on the black marble countertop and tapped a finger, waiting.
Her dad wrapped a hand around his beer and took a sip, his eyes never leaving hers. He stood leaning against the counter only paces away.
Her mom pulled something from the oven and carried the dish to the table. Charlotte studied them, wondering who these people were. She couldn't remember her mom ever cooking outside of her Sunday meal prep routine. She was a creature of habit if nothing else.
"Dinner is ready." She gestured to the dark oaken table where the casserole sat beside a basket of rolls.
Charlotte approached the table slowly, eying the rolls. Her dad loaded up a plate and sat down. It was all so... normal.
She lowered herself into a chair and reached for a roll, but her mom stopped her hand before she could take one. "Half."
Charlotte should have known her mom hadn't changed that much. She took the ripped roll her mom offered.
"And no butter."
"Sure, mom."
Her mom served her a small portion of chicken and rice casserole before focusing on her own. She took small rabbit-like bites.
They ate in silence, no one remarking how odd it was to sit down to dinner as a family.
But Charlotte's appetite was replaced with apprehension. They hadn’t come home early for no reason.
Finally, her dad put his fork down and wiped his mouth. "Charlie, we know you weren't at Hadley's. She stopped by looking for you."
"Oh."
To his credit, his expression didn't change. "Honey, the storm had us worried for you."
She'd never been a liar, so the truth came spilling out. "Jesse needed my help to pick up his sister. She was alone and scared. And then we went back to his house. I didn't think you'd mind since you're never here for dinner anyway, and—"
"Charlotte," her mom cut her off. "We aren't here in the evenings because we are doing everything we can to provide a life for you."
Her dad's fork scraped against his plate. "I don't want you spending any more time with Jesse."
She shot from her chair. "Why? Am I not allowed to have friends now?"
"Don't be dramatic, dear." Her mom sighed. Again. "You have Hadley."
"I—"
"Now is not the time for a change in your routine. The biggest competition of the season is next week. That should be your focus. Not hockey. And not this boy."
Of course, it all came back to figure skating. And there was no end in sight. While she went to school at USF in the fall, she'd have to live at home and continue training with her mom.
She didn't want any of it. Not anymore. How had something she loved so much become a weight around her neck?
"Are you done?" She pushed her uneaten food away.
"Charlie..." Her dad started to play his usual peacekeeper role, but even he didn't have the words. "I don't think you should come to practice again."
Had it really only been hours ago she'd seen the pride in his eyes as she worked with his players? They were going to play better because of her. But that didn't mean anything because she was just an ice princess, right? Even to her own parents.
"This is just perfect." She stood.
"We haven't excused you, Charlotte." Her mom's eyes weren't unkind, but she didn't
hear how constricting her own words were.
"I'm excusing myself. We've talked enough. Don't worry, guys, I'll continue to be your skating monkey." She glanced down at the table, only deliberating a second before taking two rolls from the basket. "Thanks for the bread, Mom."
By the time she got to the stairs, she'd already stuffed one of them in her mouth as tears ran down her face.
No Jesse, but she'd known that wouldn't amount to anything.
No hockey, but that was only a pipe dream.
She kicked her door shut and grabbed her phone before falling face first onto the bed. Lifting her head, she blinked tears away to see the messages on the screen. Two from Jesse—she deleted those without looking at them.
Five from Hadley ranging from "I'm sorry" to "If you don't call me soon, I'll assume you were kidnapped."
She dialed her friend's number.
"About time," Hadley answered.
Charlotte swallowed back a sob. "Hads, princesses have no power."
A laugh burst out of Hadley. "And..."
"They do what people tell them and get locked in towers. It's me. All this time I've been fighting the name, but I really am an ice princess."
"Hun, you're not making any sense."
Charlotte sniffled. "I am making sense. It's just ridiculous sense."
"Well, why are you being ridiculous tonight?"
"Because I kissed Jesse Carrigan, and now I want to do it again."
She could practically hear the grin in Hadley's voice. "Well, why don't you?"
"Because I'm going to be stuck in a stupid tower for the rest of my life, always kept from what I want."
"Oh, Charlie. Babe, all you need is a knight to rescue you."
"Now who's being ridiculous?"
13
Jesse
"There's nothing," Jesse mumbled to himself as he shifted in his uncomfortable ice-side seat at the rink. "Absolutely nothing." He traced his finger along the line of text in the league rulebook, trying to find anything that would prevent Charlotte from joining their team for good.
He didn't know where they stood or if she'd even agree, but he had to try. Whether she wanted a repeat of the other night or not, she was good, and she deserved to know that.
He wasn't too proud to admit she might even be better than him. In fact, he knew she was.
Damien dropped onto the chair beside him. "What are you doing?"
Jesse only spared him a quick glance. "Trying to find something. Shouldn't you be in class?"
Damien shrugged. "Shouldn't you?"
Jesse skipped last period World History because he had more important things to take care of. Once school was out, the team would show up, and he'd have to lace up his skates.
"I came to talk to Coach." Damien relaxed back into his chair. Jesse didn't know him well despite the fact they'd been playing on the same line for two years.
"About?"
"I want to take Charlotte out."
Irritation flashed through Jesse. What did Damien Lee know about Charlotte? Nothing.
But was it that much less than Jesse knew?
"Don't leave me hanging, man." He stared back down at the rulebook. "What did he say?"
"Should I be offended he just kind of laughed?"
A smile spread across Jesse's face. "Probably. He knows the team wouldn't want to break his rules. He won't hesitate to kick you off if you do."
"That's why I came to ask first." He rubbed the back of his neck. "He... uh... said I was welcome to ask her."
That surprised Jesse. Why would Coach give Damien of all people the go-ahead?
"You going to call her?" His voice rose an octave.
"Now?" He pulled out his phone to check the time. "School did just end..."
"Go for it, man." He didn't know why he was encouraging Damien when all he wanted to do was punch the guy in the face. He tapped a finger against his lips as he'd done a million times since the kiss the night before. A kiss he couldn't forget if he tried.
Charlotte Morrison was nothing like he'd expected, and he wanted more, he wanted to find out what made her so driven, so fierce.
Damien held the phone to his ear. "Um, Charlie, this is Damien."
Jesse could hear her through the phone. "Charlie isn't my name."
"Oh." Damien's cheeks reddened. "Sorry. Look, I wanted to see if you had any interest in getting a coffee this weekend."
"With you?"
"Well, yes. That's how a date works."
"You want me to go on a date? With you?"
Jesse bit back his smile.
"Yes?" Damien's panicked eyes found his.
"Was that a question? Do you or do you not want to go out with me?"
"I..." He pushed out a breath. "I asked your father. He said it was okay to ask you."
"He did?" She laughed. "He's such a generous dad." Jesse detected sarcasm in her words, but Damien didn't seem to notice.
"I like Coach."
"Mhmm, he's good to his team." She paused. "Okay, Damien. I'll go out with you."
Jesse's heart jumped into his throat as they made plans, Damien grinning like he'd just won the lottery.
Jumping from his chair, Damien hung up and patted Jesse on the shoulder before walking in the direction of the locker rooms, an extra bounce in his step.
Jesse slammed the rulebook shut, hating that it didn't make a sound. Charlotte, the girl he couldn't stop thinking about, had a date with his teammate.
Wasn't that just peachy?
Practice sucked.
That was all there was to it.
Coach started the session with a lecture about what winning their game against Venice would mean for them. As if they didn't already know.
It wasn't a pep talk kind of thing though. Something about him was... off.
He put the team through rigorous skating exercises that left half the guys bent over trying to catch their breath.
By the time they got to skills drills, no one wanted to be there anymore. After the last practice when Charlotte wowed them all, this was a letdown.
Roman skated up beside him while they stood in line waiting for their turn at a passing drill. "Something wrong with Coach?"
Jesse shrugged. "How would I know?" His friend said something else, but all he saw was Damien preparing to skate forward.
Rage tore through Jesse, a feeling unfamiliar to him. All he could hear was Charlotte agreeing to the date. Coffee, how lame was that? Or normal, okay, it was normal.
Before he knew what he was doing, he'd crossed the ice, looking for his line mate. Damien lifted his gaze at the last moment before Jesse crushed him into the boards with a thundering hit that shook the glass.
Damien fell to the ice as the play stopped around them.
Jesse came back to his senses before crouching down. "Are you okay?"
"No thanks to you." Damien sat up, the fog clearing from his eyes.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"Carrigan," Coach yelled, pushing his way through. "What is wrong with you? This is no way for a captain to behave." He looked down at Damien and extended a hand. "You okay, kid? Didn't hit the old noggin?"
Damien shook his head. "I know how to take a hit." He glared at Jesse. "Not like I should need to in practice."
Coach released Damien and turned blazing eyes on Jesse once more. "My office. Now. You're done for the day. You can wait there for practice to finish."
Jesse couldn't look the rest of the team in the eyes as he left for the locker room. He didn't bother showering after stowing his gear. Instead, he strode into Coach's office in his sweaty workout clothes and sat in an empty chair.
He checked his phone, finding only texts from his brothers and sister. Nothing from his dad or Charlotte.
Just like he should have expected.
Not like it mattered. It had been a long time since his dad was anything more than the man putting a roof over his head.
And Charlotte... that had been an impos
sible situation since it started.
After what seemed like hours, Coach strolled in, his face pensive.
"Jesse." He sat behind his desk and rubbed his eyes. "Is something bothering you, son?"
"No."
"It's not like you to be reckless in practice."
"It's not like you to be a jerk in practice." He'd never spoken to Coach that way, but maybe being the best captain he could be meant being brutally honest.
Coach stared at him for a long moment. "Talk to me, Jesse. What's going on? Did something happen at home?"
Jesse’s lips pressed together, studying his coach, before letting the words slip through. "Do you ever ask Charlotte those questions?"
His eyebrows drew together. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing." He glanced toward the door. "May I go?"
"No."
"Fine." He crossed his arms. "Let me ask a question then. Why did you let Damien break the rule and ask Charlotte out?"
A glint of humor appeared in his eyes. "Because... she won't say yes."
Was the man really that sure of himself? "She already did."
His gaze locked with Jesse's. "What?"
"Charlie..." He swallowed heavily. "She's going out with Damien. He even told her you gave him permission."
A curse flew out of his mouth. "That girl..." He rubbed his eyes. "Her mother is going to kill me."
"Well..." Jesse slapped the rulebook down on the desk. "If she's already going to kill you..."
"Spit it out, kid."
"I think we need Charlotte to beat Venice."
"Jesse... she was never going to be able to spend enough time teaching the guys to make a difference in that game."
"No." He leaned forward, forcing Coach to meet his eyes again. "We don't need her to coach. We need her to play."
His eyes widened as the meaning struck him. "She can't. Her mother—"
"Would get over herself once she saw how happy it made Charlotte."
"Happy? Son, my daughter is not a hockey player. She trains every day for figure skating. That is where her immediate future lies."
"But why? You saw her, Coach. Can you honestly say you've ever seen her have that much fun on the ice? Does she smile that wide when she lands her jumps or completes each rotation on her spins?"
Jesse and the Ice Princess (Gulf City High Book 1) Page 10
