“As long as you’ll have me, I always want to be that for you,” he said.
After another quick kiss, he stood up, hauling me to my feet. I laughed at the suddenness of it, and Lukas took my hat and pulled it back on my head.
“Come on, we have to go do that again.”
I grabbed his free hand as he tugged the sled behind us on our trek to the small lift that would carry us back to the top.
“Are you going to wipe us out again?” I teased.
He turned his head and grinned at me. “Anything to get you on your back again.”
I laughed, loudly. The rest of the day passed in a blur of snow, wind and stolen kisses and I hoped that forever felt like this—that if we got a forever, it was forever this magical, this fun—this vibrant.
CHAPTER 27
lukas
I wasn’t entirelysure Aimee was going to be on board with my plans today. It had been a few days since the sledding date, and I’d been busy. We stole moments—quiet corners in the library kissing, late nights in front of a crackling fire, sharing hot chocolates, and talking. I wanted more of her all of the time, but Petyr—my coach—was pissed at me.
I could admit that I’d been slacking, and wasn't as focused as I should be with a race so close. So, I’d spent the last couple of days making it up to him by practicing runs and doing every ski exercise and workout he insisted upon. I hated leaving her, but Petyr had borderline evil genius ways of making me hate my life, which I’d never resented more in life than right now—but he was also a huge part of why I was so good. And he was right—the race was right around the corner, and he knew that I could beat my PR if I only tried harder. Tough love and all that shit.
I wanted to tell him that my cumulative scores up to this point pretty much meant I could wash and still be good, but he’d roll his eyes and tell me to get back to work. The time I had with her was so limited, I didn’t want to waste a single minute—not that I had any intentions of ending things and the end of thistrip. But here, accessibility was on our side and I wanted to make the most of it.
I’d stood by, leaning against the edge of the rink and watching her watch Zara skate the other day. Occasionally, she’d make comments or give pointers, and I could tell that she missed it. She was terrified to try again. The longing in her eyes was hard to miss—even when she was trying to hide it. She’d been a little quieter than usual since then, and I wasn’t sure if her ghosts were haunting her again, or if she was thinking about her future.
“Mr. Fraiser, the rink is ready for you.”
I smiled at Marianne—one of the head event coordinators here. “Thank you so much.”
She smiled before she walked down the hall.
I resisted the urge to wipe my hands down the front of my pants. I hadn’t expected to be nervous. I planned a picnic dinner, hot chocolate, twinkle lights, and no prying eyes. I’d even spoken to her parents before making any plans to see if they thought it would be a good idea. It had been Orion who’d said to do it. Like me, he’d seen his sister with Zara. Her mother had looked about ready to cry when I told her what I wanted to do.
I wasn’t about to force Aimee to do anything. If we sat on the blanket eating food and drinking hot chocolate under the twinkling lights and stars all night, then it would be perfect. Either way, I wanted to give her the option.
“Lukas?”
I turned around and sucked in a sharp breath.
She was so beautiful.
Her hair was down in soft waves that framed her face. She’d told me how she and Eloise impulsively dyed it more orange, and while I missed the lighter color, I had to admit that the fiery color she rocked now suited her. Her eyes were bright andquestioning. A flush colored her cheeks and a shy smile teased her lips. Her hands were clasped in front of her.
“You’re staring,” she said quietly.
I walked over to her, closing the distance between us in a few strides and put my hands on either side of her face. I kissed her, drawing her face up to mine. I felt her rise onto her tiptoes as her hands moved to my waist to balance herself.
“You’re so beautiful,” I breathed against her mouth before kissing her again.
When she pulled away, the flush was a little deeper, a little brighter, but the grin was out in full.
“You said you had plans for us tonight,” she said.
I nodded and grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the doors that would take us to the courtyard. It would be a short walk to the rink encircled by tall evergreen bushes wrapped in twinkle lights—separating us from the rest of the world.
I glanced at her outfit.
She was wearing dark leggings, and a heavy sweater plus her jacket.
