In Dreams by J. Sterling Read Free Book Online Page B

ceiling. Cooper continued, “They redid it not too long ago, but it was important to the school administrators, the boosters, alumni, and the team at the time, that the look of the rink was to remain unchanged. You know what I mean?”
    He paused to look her in the eyes and let her know that it was important to him as well. She smiled slightly and nodded her head. “There is so much history here that no one wanted it torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. So the majority of the changes are behind the scenes. The locker rooms…the way the ice is refrigerated and cleaned….the lighting and the glass around the rink. All necessary updates, but you wouldn’t know it didn’t always look this way if someone didn’t tell you.”
    There were light fixtures that hung in between exposed steel beams. It was bigger than she thought it would be and far less extravagant. He explained to her how he thought the size was perfect because there weren’t any bad seats in the house. He took her around the whole rink and they sat in different areas just to prove it. “See? No matter where you sit, you’re never far from the action.”
    She agreed and smiled. She liked to see him talk about the sport that held his heart. He was excited, knowledgeable and passionate. “You’ve seen the rink from every seat in the house. Now come see things from my point of view.” He walked her through a door and onto the ice.
    “Am I allowed to be on here? Isn’t this sacred ground or something?” Her shoes were slippery on the ice and she half expected to fall.
    He laughed, “Just look around, California. This is how I see things.” She imagined what it was like to be him in a game as she looked at every seat from every angle. She agreed his view was the best.
    “Tell me what you love.” He looked at her and her pulse started to sprint. “About hockey, I mean,” she clarified.
    He smiled. “I love the smell of the ice. When we first walked in here, did you smell it? And the cold. The sound the puck makes when it’s sliding across the ice or when it hits the net for a goal...as long as it’s our goal,” he smirked.
    “I love the sound of hockey sticks crashing against each other. The sound my skates make when I come to a hard stop. The roar of the crowd. The way I feel when I’m playing. I can do things on this ice that I can’t do anywhere else.” He looked at her. “How’s that for an answer?”
    “It’s perfect,” she told him.
    “You’re perfect.” Cooper looked down and gently tucked a strand of hair that was out of place behind her ear. Then he looked her in the eyes and angled her face up toward his.
    She knew what would come next. She closed her eyes and his mouth was on hers. His lips were incredibly soft and his kiss was so gentle. He seemed to handle everything he touched with care. Especially when it came to her.
    His hand had moved to the back of her head and his fingers were lightly entangled in her hair. She lifted her hand and placed it on the side of his face. Her other hand was on his shoulder, partly for balance. She felt that kiss from Cooper Donovan all the way down to her toes.
    When he finally pulled away from her she kept her eyes closed for just a moment longer. When she opened them, he looked right at her and simply said, “Wow.”
    She couldn’t agree more. It was one hell of a “wow.” That was the kind of kiss people wrote books about…or made movies about. “I don’t mean to ruin the moment, but we should probably go,” he apologized.
    Her mind was so wrapped up in that kiss, she barely heard him. And Cooper couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He helped her off the ice and then took her hand in his. He led her up the stairs and out the door. He turned to lock the door and they walked silently for a few minutes before Katherine said, “Cooper, can I ask you something?”
    “Anything,” was his response.
    “Why me?” Her question was innocent enough. Hadn’t she witnessed girls