Pairing Off (Red Hot Russians #1) by Elizabeth Harmon Page A

fucking around. I need an answer on Celebrity Detox, pronto. My new GF wants to be on it with me, but Amber’s got Playmate of the Year in the bag, and poor you, this might be your only chance. It’s not like anyone wants you to skate! We both know who the real talent was.
    Bastard. Wouldn’t he just die to know that not only was she still skating, she was skating with one of the world’s best pair guys, and he thought she was just fine. She hit Reply. If she had to read Cody’s garbage, at least she could give as good as he gave.
    But what would it do to Dad’s campaign if Cody learned she was in Russia?
    He might say nothing. In the six years she’d known Cody, he never did anything unless it gave him a clear advantage. She couldn’t imagine what that might be here, but could she risk her father’s election chances?
    She’d hurt him already—arguing with Momma that awful night, sneaking out to a football game when he’d asked her stay home. If she could take it all back she would, but then she’d made things worse by getting dragged into a sex scandal in the midst of his Senate race.
    She turned off her phone.
    The less Cody—or anyone else—knew, the better. Despite the snark about Momma’s family, Cody knew next to nothing. She’d been careful about what she revealed. As Dad was quick to say, family business stayed in the family.
    * * *
    The next afternoon, in Max’s gym, Anton shared her mat.
    She snuck glances as he stretched. For a big guy, he was incredibly flexible. When he eased down into a full split on his right leg, she blew out a breath. Son of a gun, he and Olga must have mind-blowing sex.
    “So that’s how it happened?” she asked, when she’d finished kettlebell reps. “Someone just said ‘you’re big, skate pairs,’ and bam!” She snapped her fingers. “You became a pair skater?”
    “No. Not like...” He grinned and snapped his fingers. “‘Bam!’ Happened like this. Galina and my mom taught skating together and Olga was their student. She was very talented, but not strong to skate singles. I was hockey player, but also good figure skater.” He lifted his chin, looking proud. “I had best toe loop of any goalie in youth leagues. Anyway, they decided to pair us for one competition. We won, and it went from there.”
    “So you had to give up hockey?”
    “In time.”
    She sensed it hadn’t been an easy decision. It might not have been his decision at all. “Was that hard?”
    He gave a slight nod. “It was even harder on my dad, he’d been my coach. But it was the right thing.”
    His hooded eyes suggested this was sensitive territory, so she dropped the subject. Across the gym, Galina waved goodbye, then left. “What does Galina do after she works with us?” Carrie asked.
    Anton took a pair of kettlebells from the rack beside the mat. “She owns rink. That’s how we afford ice time.”
    “So that’s why you don’t train at the CSKA rink, or up in Saint Petersburg.”
    “We trained in Petersburg for short time, but Olga didn’t like it. Too much pressure. Here is good. Max leases downstairs gym space, so it’s convenient. Plus, skating federation is less involved, so we have more freedom. But they don’t provide as much money for travel or competitions. Gets expensive.”
    “It’s expensive in the U.S. too,” she said, though she’d been lucky. Her family had paid most of her training costs, and Cody’s too. Though the top singles competitors landed endorsement deals, most of the pair skaters she knew relied on skating association grants, loans and part-time jobs. “Do you work outside of this?”
    “Olga and I performed in summer ice shows, and I’ve taught with some youth training camps, but nothing full-time. I only finished university this spring. Almost seven years it took.”
    “Gosh, don’t apologize for it. I think it’s great you finished your degree, no matter how long it took. Training and studying at the same time is tough.”
    “Is