Jeremy’s lips pull up into a playful grin with one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other. “I can’t hold on to you forever, Sergio.”
He stares right into Jeremy’s eyes and swallows. “Bold of you to assume I ever want you to let go.”
Jeremy stops his motions, and slowly they come to a stop in the middle of the rink. His smile fades, and he bites his lip. “Is that so, Mr. Durand?”
Sergio, standing stock still, nods his head yes. Whether it’s Jeremy gazing directly at him or his paralyzing fear of losing balance on the ice, right now is the most earnest Sergio has ever felt in his life. His heart beats wildly in his chest as he gazes at Jeremy. Pleading, hoping his little gamble today will be rewarded with a shared moment of exchanged affection in the shape of a kiss with the man he never should have let go of.
“And why is that?” Jeremy pulls at Sergio’s hands, drawing him in closer so they are a mere few inches away from standing chest to chest.
Careful not to lose his balance, Sergio releases one of Jeremy's hands. He brings his now free hand to Jeremy’s cheek and lets his thumb drag gently at the corner of Jeremy’s left eye. “You’re so beautiful on the ice,” he says, as he slides his hand away from Jeremy’s cheek to cup the back of his head with his palm. With his fingertips, he feels the softness of the hair on the nape of Jeremy’s neck. “You look … free.”
Jeremy tilts his head and looks at him. He lets out a low hum. “I guess I am.”
Daring to lean in, Sergio places the gentlest of kisses onto Jeremy’s lips and holds his breath waiting for Jeremy to respond. The moment Jeremy opens his mouth slightly and begins to kiss him back, he feels his head spin. If he gave into it, he would pass out in relief.
“Are you two kissing?” Henry’s voice echoes through the rink, causing them to quickly pull apart and for Sergio to lose his footing.
Slam!He lands on his back with a thud, and his legs fling his feet into the air.
“Henry!” Jeremy calls out, visibly trying not to laugh. He holds out a hand for Sergio to grab and helps him up. “You should see your Uncle Sergio on skates. He’s terrible.”
Chapter thirteen
Sergio’s back hurts from slamming it against the ice, but he’s flying so high from his latest kiss with Jeremy that he’s able to ignore the pain. He can’t, however, ignore Rose as she slides up next to him at the bar at the New Year’s Eve party.
“So,” she says, staring him up and down with pursed lips. “Henry told me you kissed Jeremy.”
“So what if I did?” Sergio challenges, looking at her over his shoulder. One of these days, he’s going to have to give Henry a talk about what happens to snitches.
She meets his gaze. “I don’t want you messing with him. He has enough going on without having to deal with you.” She jabs her finger into his arm, emphasizing her point.
“Maybe he wants to deal with me. Did you ever think of that?” He grabs the sparkling water for Jeremy and the glass of champagne for himself that the bartender places in front of him, then starts to walk away. He’s in too good a mood to have this conversation with her.
“Oh, of course.” She steps in line with him, not letting him get out of her lecture. “How could I forget. Because you’re so irresistible.”
With his eyes focused on Jeremy across the room, where he’s being cornered by Chadwick Levinson, Sergio picks up his pace and weaves through the crowd. Rose stays right on his heel. She seems as determined to make her point as he is to get another kiss from Jeremy before the clock strikes twelve. So, he makes her point for her. He looks at her over his shoulder as he walks.
“Look, Rose, I get it. He’s your friend, and you think I’m a piece of shit.”
“I don’t think you’re a piece of shit,” she says unconvincingly. “I just don’t want to see Jeremy get hurt.”
“And you won’t, because I’m not going to hurt him.” He dodges a server passing around a tray of canapes. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to help him get away from that Chadwick Levinson asshole.”
“Ugh.” She groans. “He’s still here?”
“Yes. And he’s been trying to poach your skater all night. So maybe you should worry less about my intentions and more about his.”
“Fine,” Rose says. “But I swear to god, Sergio Durand, if you hurt him, I’ll kick your balls off with my skate blade.”
Sergio dodges another server and catches her eye one last time. “Only if your son doesn’t beat you to it.”
She smiles as if that statement has made her proud. “Like mother, like son!”
“You have no idea!” he yells as he breaks away from her.
He turns and focuses back on Jeremy. When he reaches him, he roughly shoulders Chadwick out of the way. “Excuse us,” he says to Chadwick, then hands Jeremy his drink. “Here you go.”
“Thank you,” Jeremy says, letting Sergio lead him away from Chadwick to a less crowded corner of the room. “How’s your back?”
