Free Ice Games by Jessica Clare Page A

flirty implications. “Come on, Zara. Time to go party.” And he offered me his arm.
    I took it, smoothing my hand over his jacket sleeve. He looked hot tonight, too. The jacket hung just loosely enough to emphasize his big, meaty shoulders, but it cut in to hug his trim waist. He didn’t wear a tie—no surprise there, because I doubted his thick neck would squeeze into one. Instead, his collar was open at the throat, showing darkly tanned skin against the pale blue of his shirt. He was freshly shaven and smelled fantastic.
    I sniffed him. “Wow. Why doesn’t this great-smelling guy show up to practice?”
    “Oh, he can if you want him to.” And Ty winked at me again.
    I snorted. “Let’s just go already. I’m freaked enough as it is.”
    “Don’t be nervous,” he told me, and his expression was grim, firm. “You have every right to be there, just as much as anyone else.”
    And that kind of made me feel warm inside. If nothing else, I had the support of Ty the MMA Biter.

CHAPTER SIX

    So…Okay, so that comment I made about Zara being hot? It was true, but I also didn’t mention that I find her hot all the time. Like 24/7. Even in her leotards. There’s just something about a girl that can pull her ankle over her head. — Ty Randall, Preliminary Practice Rounds, Ice Dancing with the Stars

    ~~ * ~~

    The party was an intimidating affair. There were suits everywhere, clearly network aficionados. A few of the stars from last season had shown up, along with the heavily pregnant Svetlana, Ty’s manager, Chuck, and a few other VIPs.
    I wasn’t good at working a crowd, so I stuck to Ty’s side like glue. He turned out to be incredibly charming, much to my surprise. Everyone knew his name and had a friendly word for him. Annamarie Evans had flirted heavily with him, giving me meaningful looks that indicated that she thought I should leave. I even tried to, but Ty’s arm remained tight around my waist.
    The female executive from that first meeting had showed up, too.
    “Gloria,” Ty said, holding his hand out for her to shake. “You look lovely tonight. You remember Zara, my partner?”
    I held my hand out. “Hi again,” I said awkwardly.
    “How are things going?” Gloria asked politely, her gaze moving back to Ty. “Ready for the premiere tomorrow?”
    “As ready as we’ll ever be,” Ty said, looking over at me. “Right?”
    “Absolutely,” I said, and began to gush nervous words. “Ty’s footwork is just a bit of a step behind during the main chorus sequence, but I’m sure that we’ll have it down by tomorrow once we get our costumes. I mean, we can take the day to practice and make sure we nail it in time. All it takes—”
    Ty gave my waist a bit of a squeeze, cutting me off. “We’ll be ready,” he told her. “Don’t you worry.”
    She gave us a patient smile. “I’m sure you will be. Enjoy the party, will you?”
    “We will,” Ty said. “Next time, though, do me a favor and make sure that Zara’s invite gets to her? I think it got lost, and I’d hate for one of the assistants to get fired over something so small.”
    One eyebrow rose. She looked at me, and then gave Ty a curt nod. “I’ll speak with the staff.”
    “See that you do,” Ty said, and walked away, dragging me along with him.
    My eyes felt like they were the size of saucers as we left her behind and stepped down onto a lovely garden terrace. “You just told her to invite me to the next one.”
    “I did. They have these fairly regularly. It’s a good networking opportunity. You should go to all of them.”
    I didn’t tell him that I probably wouldn’t have the chance to go to another. I was just the fill in for Svetlana, after all. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    He gave me a long look. “Maybe don’t talk too much, though.”
    I grimaced. “Yeah, I’m a nervous talker.”
    “You’re a talker, full stop,” he said, but he gave me another comfortable squeeze at my waist, his thumb grazing my bare