All of it.
Every joy she was denied.
Tonight and every night after.
“Well, no time like now to start,” I say with a slow smile.
She finally meets my gaze, those baby blues locking onto mine, her cherry-red lips curving into a shy, perfect smile that makes my heart punch against my ribs.
“Oh, no, I can’t start now,” she shakes her head, but I see it, the longing in her eyes as she watches the skaters glide effortlessly across the ice.
I step close, letting my mouth brush her ear, my voice dropping low.“I love teaching you new things. Let me take your ice-skating virginity.”
Her breath stutters. Her eyes darken.
And just like that, I know I’ve dragged her far from her mother’s voice and straight into mine.
I smile, caught between restraint and the ache to have her against me again.“Trust me?” I ask, pulling her in gently. I kiss her, just a taste…slow, careful, addictive. Her lips answer mine like they’ve been waiting for the pressure, and when I pull back, her smile is brighter, softer.
“I wish I could give you all my firsts, Ethan,” she whispers.
And damn, that one goes straight through me.
“Let’s go, Ice Princess,” I wink, threading my fingers with hers as I lead her toward the rink.
We grab our skates and make our way to the ice.
“Oh my God, Ethan, I can’t,” Summer murmurs, gripping the railing like it’s the only thing keeping her alive.
“Hold on to me,” I tell her. She takes my hand, slips a little, and I pull her tight against my chest. Her warmth sinks into me, and suddenly the cold doesn’t matter.
“Ethan, I don’t want to hurt your arm,” she whispers, glancing at my sling.
“The only thing hurting me right now,” I murmur, nose brushing her neck,“is not being able to touch you.” I inhale her slowly, cinnamon, jasmine, vanilla, like a prayer I didn’t know I needed. I press a line of soft, teasing kisses behind her ear.“Smell you,” I breathe, lips skimming hers without taking them fully.“Taste you.”
Her quiet gasp is pure fire.
I melt into her mouth, kissing her deep and slow, skating backward as if it’s nothing, guiding her with my body, my lips, my hand at her waist. Every glide, every shift of my skates sends a warm jolt up her spine, and I feel her unravel a little more each second.
I finally pull back, our foreheads touching, breaths mingling in cold air that suddenly feels too warm.
“We’re skating?” she whispers, eyes wide with wonder, real, pure, childlike wonder. Something she’s owed. Something I want to give her for the rest of her life.
“I love you,” I murmur, the words slipping out because they’re too true to hold back.
Her gaze lifts to mine, bright, shimmering, fragile.
“I never thought I could be this happy, Ethan.” She rests her head on my shoulder, trusting me to guide her around the rink, and my heart damn near bursts.
“I love you too,” she whispers, soft, trembling, and it takes every bit of restraint I have not to lose myself in her completely.
After we finish skating, we walk hand in hand toward the hot chocolate and churros stand. The smell of cocoa, cinnamon sugar, and fried dough wraps around us like a warm blanket. Lights from the carnival shimmer in her eyes, turning them into something close to magic.
Her fingers tighten around mine.
Her cheeks glow in the lantern light.
Snowflakes cling to her hair like tiny stars.
