A Win

Jaxon POV

The applause continues and I finally release Erin's hand, but I can still feel the pressure of her grip lingering on my skin. We glide toward the center of the rink. Our breathing is still uneaven, but keep our movements graceful and poised. No one in the crowd needs to know how close that was. Actually, no one needs to know that for a second, I thought I might lose control and spiral.

I say that, but Ryker does, he's watched us enough he would have spotted the change.

Erin straightens her costume, smoothing out an imaginary wrinkle as we take out final bow. The energy in the arena is electric, and the cheers crash around us like waves. I look toward the stands, and I know where to focus.

Ryker is there, standing near the edge of the seating section. His arms are crossed tightly over his chest, he doesn't clap, he doesn't even move. Instead, he stares, his expression is hard and unreadable, I don't need to guess at what he's thinking about. I already know.

I just gave him every reason to believe I was going to drop her.

Taking my gaze off him, I turn back to Erin and offer my hand as we skate toward the exit. She takes it without hesitation, when I squeeze her fingers, she doesn't return the pressure like she usually does. She's still focused, her thoughts no doubt elsewhere. As soon as we step off the ice and into the tunnel, she exhales sharply, shaking out her arms.

“That was close,” she murmurs, keeping her voice low so no one else hears.

I don’t argue, it would be pointless when we both felt it. “Yeah,” I admit, rubbing my hands together. They still feel tense from gripping her so tightly, from anchoring her weight when I thought she might tip too far. I stretch and fight back the groan at my back pulling.

She turns to face me fully now, tilting her head slightly. “You saved it, though.”

Shaking my head, I stare at her. “You saved it, too. If you hadn’t adjusted at the last second...”

“But I did.” She cuts me off with a small smile.

Her confidence is reassuring, but my stomach is still twisted in knots. We walk further into the hallway, past other skaters waiting for their turn, but I barely register them. I’m still stuck in that moment on the ice, playing it over in my head.

Before I can say anything else, I hear footsteps approaching fast and I don’t need to look to know who it is.

It's going to be Ryker. Erin hears him, too. She sighs before he even reaches us. “Here we go.”

Turning just in time to see Ryker storm toward us, I wait for him to shout. His hair is damp from sweat, and his jaw is tight, his whole body wound up like he’s barely keeping himself from tearing into me right here in front of everyone.

“What the hell was that?” His voice is sharp, cutting through the hallway noise.

Keeping my expression neutral, I try not to let his frustration push me into defense move. "A successful routine?"

His eyes narrow and he steps closer. “That wasn’t just any routine. You almost dropped her. I've watched enough to know the difference.”

Erin steps between us before I can respond. “But he didn’t drop me.”

Ryker still doesn’t look at her. His glare is locked onto me like I’m the only one he blames for the risk. “That death spiral was too low. You know it was.”

He's right in some ways. I know what he's really saying. He's not pissed about the move, he's more pissed that I put Erin in danger.

Exhaling slowly, I force myself to stay calm. “I'' admit that it was a tight call, yeah. But we had it under control.”

Ryker scoffs, shaking his head like he can’t believe I’m even trying to argue with him. “Yeah? It sure as hell didn’t look like that from where I was sitting.”

Gritting my teeth, I fight back snapping at him, but Erin steps in again. She places a hand on Ryker's arm. "Ryk, stop. It's over, we landed it. We finished strong, and we're both fine!"

Sure, both fine. That's why I'm in fucking pain. I don't say that though. She went too fucking low, but I'm not about to say that and blame her for it.

He finally looks at her, his frustration flickering into concern. His jaw tenses, but after a few seconds, he lets out a sharp breath and runs a hand through his hair.

“I just...” He hesitates, shaking his head. “You scared the hell out of me, Erin.”

Her expression softens, and for the first time since stepping off the ice, the tension eases a little. “I know,” she says, her voice quieter now. “But I trust Jax. You should too.”

Ryker doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t argue with her. Not now, at least. He shoots one last hard look at me before shifting slightly. “Fine. Whatever. I need a drink. He's meeting me and the guys at the bar, no complaining”

He walks past us, disappearing down the hallway. I watch him go, exhaling slowly before turning back to Erin. She’s already rolling her shoulders, shaking out whatever nerves are left.

“You ready for the scores?” I ask.

She smirks. “Always.”

We step toward the monitor, waiting to see if that near-miss was enough to cost us.