CHAPTER ELEVEN

HE’D PROMISED TO PICK HER up at the airport. Forty-five minutes she’d been on the ground and he still wasn’t here. Damn. She should have known.

Tabitha scanned the lanes of traffic streaming past the arrival terminal. There were taxis, hotel shuttle vans, including one for the Hilton Bayfront, where she was staying. The hell with him. She could get downtown on her own. She raised her hand to signal the shuttle, but it blew right past. The driver didn’t even look her way.

Maybe Daniil had called to say he was running late. She took out her phone. There were no calls or texts.

It figured.

What was she doing here, anyway? Coming to Vancouver had been a mistake. She ought to be back in LA, helping with the move, rather than here, doing God knows what, waiting for someone who obviously didn’t give a damn. She should grab the next flight back and forget all about this idiotic —

Daniil pulled up to the curb, driving a shiny black convertible. “Ei.”

His irksome grin made it seem like he’d enjoyed making her stand here and wait. And wonder. She had no use for people who thought annoying others was funny.”Where the hell have you been? I’ve been waiting for almost an hour!”

He seemed taken back. “Stuck in traffic, just like I said in my message.”

“What message?” She looked at her phone again.

“The one I sent half-hour ago, while cars were stopped.” He popped the trunk and came around to grab her wheeled suitcase. “Is your phone still in airplane mode?”

Was it? She looked at the screen again. The little airplane icon was still highlighted. The moment she tapped it away, his message appeared. Her cheeks burned. “There it is. Sorry.”

“Ne za chto.” He stashed the suitcase in the trunk and returned for her skate bag. “I’ve got this. Hop in.”

The idling car’s powerful engine made a low rumble that vibrated through the leather seat. She assumed this was a rental, but it was definitely a cut above the economy sedan she would have chosen. She remembered what Brett had said about his father, the shady billionaire. “Nice car,” she said, as he slid into the drivers’ seat.

“It’ll do.” He fastened his seatbelt and gunned the engine. The rumble accelerated into a roar. He flashed the cocky grin once again. “Buckle up. I drive fast.”

He wasn’t kidding. The tires squealed as he pulled away from the curb. Tabitha’s heart was in her throat as he cruised across three lanes of speeding traffic, to settle into the furthest left. Her hair blew wildly, and she tried to gather it into her fist. But holding it all down was impossible. She loosened her grip and let it go.

The open car made conversation difficult, so she took in the city streaming past. She’d been to Vancouver once before but had been too focused on her competition to pay much attention. The highway took them over a tall bridge and through the neighborhoods of South Vancouver, past the cluster of buildings that had been the athlete’s village for the Vancouver Games. They crossed another bridge, this one over False Creek, which was much bigger than any creek she’d ever seen, and onto the island that contained the city’s downtown. Then Daniil left the highway and drove into a chic neighborhood of apartments, lofts, restaurants and bars. “Is the hotel around here?”

“No. Further north. But I wanted to show you the practice rink. Very convenient to where we’re staying.”

We’re staying. The way he’d phrased it sounded so intimate, even with multiple floors between them. Was he expecting there would be sexy times? The way they’d left things in Chicago, he very well might be. Especially given the way she’d kissed him.

But now that sanity had returned, she knew she wasn’t ready for that. If coming here had sent the wrong signal, she’d soon know. And if it had, she needed to set things straight right away.

The ice rink was housed in an unassuming community center, next to a park with athletic fields and a playground. “I like to go over there in the morning before my ice time,” he said.

“To play on the slides?” she teased.

“Of course not. I prefer the swings,” he said, grinning. “Actually, there’s a good trail for jogging that goes through woods. If you run, we could go together.”

“No thanks. I usually work out indoors.”

He drove her next to the hotel, and because check-in time wasn’t for another hour yet he offered to wait in the car with her luggage. “And then, I will take you to dinner.”

“That isn’t necessary,” she said.

“It is,” he countered. “Your coach called mine this morning and insisted we take good care of you. How would it look for me to drop you here with no room available and nothing to eat? Besides, I’ve made reservations at an excellent restaurant.”

When she protested, he was ready. “Early reservations,” he said. “That way, you can have a good meal and good sleep, to be ready for training tomorrow. Peter Flanagan demands nothing less than the best for his favorite student.”

How could she argue that? She’d snapped at him once because she’d jumped to a wrong conclusion. He was being considerate, and she wasn’t a rude person by nature. Just cautious. There was nothing wrong with that was there?

“All right, fine. If my room isn’t ready, I’ll join you for dinner.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t. The smiling clerk assured her it wouldn’t be much longer. She thanked him and returned to the car. “Dinner it is,” she said. “And since you came to pick me up, I’d like to treat you.”

“Another night, I will enjoy that very much. But I have chosen the perfect place for your first night in Vancouver. Everything has been arranged, so this time, the pleasure will be mine.”

He pulled into the busy downtown traffic with the same cool assurance he’d shown on the highway. The wind ruffled his hair, and Tabitha admired his handsome profile. His cheekbones and jawline were so perfect they could have been sculpted, but a faded scar and a bump across the bridge of his nose added masculine allure. Along with his darkly lined eyes and long lashes, it was a face a woman wouldn’t grow tired of admiring. She didn’t doubt for a minute he could have any woman he wanted.

Another reason she had no business getting involved with him. And the sooner she settled that in her mind—-and his—-the better.

He drove east from the hotel along Vancouver Harbor. Just past a waterfront plaza, he slowed, and slipped the car neatly into a parallel space. “The restaurant is further on, but I wanted to come here first, so we could take a picture at the Cauldron from the Vancouver Games. It might bring us luck for Grenoble.”

He reached for the dark suit coat that lay across the back seat. For the first time, she noticed his sharp, vintage clothes. He wore a crisp white shirt and a skinny black tie with a red and white boomerang pattern. He slipped on the jacket and tugged it into place. The skinny 1960s lapels made him look like he’d stepped from an episode of Mad Men.

She smoothed her travel wrinkled cotton sweater as she climbed out of the car. “It’s not fair. You’re dressed up, and I’m in the jeans I threw on this morning.”

He smiled. “You look beautiful, even in the jeans you threw on this morning.”

Another compliment. No matter how much she liked hearing them, it was time to set the ground rules. “Um, that’s nice of you to say, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me today…”

He paused on the sidewalk and raised his brows. “But?”

As awkward as this was, it was time she said what needed to be said. “But I came to Vancouver to work with Misha on my skating. And with you too because I admire your,” her cheeks burned hot, “passion, on the ice.”

“Just on the ice?”

His tone was light and playful. He wasn’t taking her seriously. Her mouth tightened, and she crossed her arms over her body. “Look, as much fun as we had in Chicago, what happened there needs to stay there.”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers and gave her a long penetrating look. “Do you think I am pushing you for something more?”

“Maybe. It’s hard to know for sure.” The heat in her cheeks spread up around her eyes and down the back of her neck. “I don’t have a lot of experience with situations like this.”

“You mean with sex?”

His directness startled her, and she glanced around at the people passing by on the sidewalk. A busy downtown street felt like entirely the wrong place for this conversation. Then again, she’d started it. She dropped her gaze and pushed a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. “Yes, sex,” she muttered. “And the rest of it, too.”

“Tabitha.” His low voice wrapped gently around her name and he stepped forward, taking her hand. “This is not to push you into something you are not ready for. I pay you compliments because you deserve them, not to lure you into bed.”

At that, an elderly woman turned and glared. Not at Daniil, but at her. Talk about double standards! Tabitha pushed her hair back again. “Come on, let’s walk.”

They continued on toward the Cauldron. An uncomfortable silence tainted their stunning surroundings. Vancouver Harbor was drenched in the warm golden light of late afternoon sun, and the mountains in the distance formed a stunning backdrop. Too bad she couldn’t appreciate them. She’d hoped that being honest would make things clearer, not more confusing. Daniil gave a wary glance. “It seems you don’t have a high opinion of me,” he said, quietly. “Did I offend you?”

She didn’t want to get into an embarrassing conversation about untrustworthy Russians or Mafia Dad rumors. “It’s not just you. Like I said, I don’t have much experience with men. How could I? I missed out on college and dating to spend half my life in an ice rink! On the other hand, my mom and my sister have plenty of experience. Most of it hasn’t been good.”

His slow nod suggested he was trying to understand, rather than dismiss her feelings. “So because of them, you think the worst of me. Like today at the airport when you thought I left you stranded.”

“It’s not you personally.” But she knew she wasn’t being entirely honest. Brett had said he was trouble and even if the rumors weren’t true, his suspension was fact. To say nothing of his recent arrest. Though the fact he was competing in Vancouver suggested the whole thing was behind him, knowing he’d been in trouble in the first place, troubled her.

She had a squeaky-clean, drama-free image and intended to keep it that way. She’d never had the luxury of messing up. Being Little Miss Perfect wasn’t necessarily fun. At times, it was damn exhausting, but what choice did she have? Daniil obviously hadn’t lived that way and though she didn’t want to judge him, or resent him, a part of her couldn’t help it.

The brush of his hand against hers made her stop walking. She turned, and they faced one another in the busy plaza.

“Believe me, Tabitha. I didn’t invite you to Vancouver so I could have sex with you. Not that I would mind,” he said, offering a tentative smile. “But I understand that you don’t know me, other than what you may have heard. Which I assume isn’t very good?”

The humorous glint in his eyes had softened into something different. Sincerity, maybe even shaded by regret. Was it possible that he’d learned from his mistakes and wanted to change? If so, she respected that. “I’m afraid not.”

“But just like you are more than an Ice Queen, there’s more to me than people think. So maybe we get to know each other and then decide what comes next. No hurry. No pressure.”

If he could give her the space she needed, could she give him the benefit of the doubt? He awakened feelings that no man before him ever had. Feelings she tried to suppress though it was becoming harder all the time. He was handsome and sexy, but also considerate. Caring. And now contrite.

But the scars left by years of disappointment and chaos wouldn’t disappear overnight. The memory of watching her seven-year-old sister run after the father who’d abandoned her, would never go away. Just two days ago, she’d experienced the turmoil of yet another messy breakup.

Still, maybe for this week, or even just tonight, she could loosen her stranglehold on her fears. She could expect something other than shabby treatment and heartbreak, even from the Bad Boy of Figure Skating.

She dropped her gaze to their hands, linked by his finger hooked around hers. It was a tentative connection easy to sever. Yet it was strong enough to hold them together and make everyone else stream around them. It was a place to start.

The rest of the way to the Cauldron, the sun shone brighter. The air was soft, yet crisp and scented with the briny aroma of the sea. LA was near the ocean too, but Tabitha seldom gave it much thought. Here, land and water were inextricably linked, and the natural beauty surrounding the city felt part of it, not separate.

The Cauldron suggested either a mountain, or a large campfire, with four massive beams laid across one another in a loose pyramid. Twenty feet overhead, were four basins where flames had burned during the Vancouver Winter Games. Underneath, a small fountain splashed and gurgled. Daniil stopped a man in a business suit and asked him to take their photo. They squeezed together in the small V cut into the base of the fountain.

After, they walked beneath the arms of the sculpture, which glistened as if covered in ice. “I remember watching these Games on TV and thinking how one day, I would be competing.” Daniil said.

“You knew even back then?” At the time, she had been downgraded to group classes, as Fiona had lacked the funds for private instruction. Competing in the Winter Games seemed about as likely as a trip to Mars. Sometimes, the Grenoble Games felt that way too.

“Even then,” he said. “When we are in Grenoble, we must take another photo under the torch there.”

“I hope we have the chance,” she said, wishing she felt his confidence.

“The restaurant is another block or two. Do you mind walking?”

She didn’t, and they continued along the harbor. At just after five, downtown Vancouver bustled with workers leaving their offices. They stopped to watch a seaplane buzz across the brilliant blue sky. At the end of the walkway was a large modern building that overlooked the harbor. They took the elevator to the second floor.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded, given the early hour, though a few businesspeople sat at the bar. A young woman in a black dress escorted them to a table with a view of the harbor.

“This is one arrangement I was talking about,” Daniil said. “Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect,” Tabitha said, easing down into the chair he held out for her. Daniil ordered sake, she chose a glass of wine.

“No chocolate martini?”

“Definitely not. I’m in training now. Even a glass of wine is an indulgence.”

“A little indulgence can be good, though. When the mind is happy, so is the body. And that passion you seek on the ice will soon follow,” he said. “For dessert, I hope you’ll try the Adzuki bean ice cream. Delicious!”

She laughed and wrinkled her nose. “Ice cream with beans doesn’t sound delicious.”

“This ice cream is. It’s red and tastes like very intense vanilla. Definitely worth the calories. Your mind and body will thank me.”

She glanced around for a menu. Her knowledge of sushi was limited, and she suspected the prices here were exorbitant. Seeing none, she asked, “What are you having?”

“That’s the other part of the arrangement,” he said, as a pair of black-clad sushi chefs approached. They wheeled a cart laden with platters of colorful sliced fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables. “I thought you might enjoy the chef’s choice, prepared especially for us. Indulgent, yes, but…” he lifted the small curved glass of sake. “Here’s to a happy mind.”

She lifted her glass of wine and touched it to the rim of his. “To a happy mind.”

His mouth curved into that cocky little grin he wore so well. “And passion.”

“On the ice.” She narrowed her eyes and glared though she smiled to let him know she was teasing.

His laugh was warm and rich like chocolate. Hearing it was an indulgence she could get used to. “On the ice.”

The food was a delight, not only in taste and smell, but also to see. The chefs wielded razor sharp knives with amazing precision, slicing slabs of fresh fish, colorful vegetables and fruit into rolls and shapes, adding herbs and sauces. There were chilled dishes, fragrant grilled delicacies prepared at their table on a portable hibachi. As the dining room filled, people passing by slowed to watch the chefs’ performance, which was as much a part of the experience as the meal itself.

After six courses, Tabitha would have expected to feel stuffed, but the lightness of the food meant she was just pleasantly full. She even took a spoonful of the red Adzuki bean ice cream Daniil ordered. “Good?” he asked.

She let the sweet frozen cream melt in her mouth. “It is. Kind of rich though. I think I like this better.” She dipped into her own bowl of melon sorbet.

“Remember,” he said, holding up one finger like a schoolmaster. “Indulging the senses is the key to releasing—”

“Passion, I know. I’ll be ready tomorrow. But I still have to move.”

“You should not have any problem. So what do we work on? Jumps? Your free skate?”

“No jumps,” she said, remembering Peter’s concern. Not that she believed Daniil or his coaches would intentionally sabotage her. She doubted Peter believed it either. But she would respect his wishes. “Antigone, I suppose. But maybe…”

“What?”

The idea had flashed into her brain and initially, she dismissed it out of habit. There were always more pressing things to work on. Time was short, and ice was too expensive for just goofing around. But she kept hearing his words, about indulging her senses to release her passion. This whole week was an indulgence that she hoped would rekindle what she’d lost in her skating.

Perhaps the first step was to try something new. “This may sound silly, and if it’s inconvenient, I don’t have to do it.”

“What, Tabitha? Whatever it is, it’s not silly or inconvenient, and you have to do it! Now tell me, what is this thing?”