But I did have to stifle a laugh when he let out a littleyipas his feet shuffled around.
I started skating backward, pulling him with me. “Just hold still and let me pull you.”
He did his best to listen, calming down enough to glide on the ice. His grip remained tight, and I was glad I was a yeti. Otherwise, he probably would’ve broken some bones with his werewolf strength.
“That’s it. You’ve got it.” I kept skating backwards, and when we neared the end of the lake, I started a gentle curve to turn around.
“Woah, woah, woah!”
“What?”
“What are you doing?” He sounded panicky.
“Turning us so we can start going around the lake since we’re almost at the end.”
He grimaced. “Don’t let go.”
“Dain.” I waited until he looked up from his skates and into my eyes. “I promise I won’t let you fall, okay? I never break my promises.”
His eyes flicked back and forth, searching mine for a moment before he gave a single nod. “Thanks.”
To my surprise, I winked. When the hell had I ever winked at anyone before? Let alone someone I was interested in. “Anytime.”
What looked like a hesitant and very, very, almost-not-there smile formed on his face.
We made it around the entire lake one more time before Dain finally relaxed a little and stood straighter. “Okay, tell me what to do. I want to try.”
I explained how to skate, and as Dain began trying, I stretched our arms out to give him more room. The last thing I wanted was for him to trip over my feet or vice versa.
After about twenty minutes of practicing, he said, “I think I’ve got it. Can we try with just one hand?”
“Sure.” Slowly, I released one of his hands and let him skate for a minute with me still facing him and skating backward. “Can I skate beside you?”
His eyes glanced up to mine. “Will you still catch me if I fall?”
“Of course.”
“Then sure.”
I turned and let him catch up to me without jostling his arm, then began skating side by side with my viramore. Doing one of my favorite activities with the man I knew I’d spend the rest of my life with was… absolutely amazing.
My smile was wide, and my chest was filled with warmth, despite the cold.
He was hiding a grin, so I knew he was enjoying himself too.
I heard his stomach grumble, so I said, “Do you want to go get something to eat now?”
“Um…” He seemed reluctant to stop skating.
“We can come back here anytime, and like I said, the skates are yours. You can even go to a skating rink in the city, if you want.”
He huffed, his breath making a puff of smoke in the cold air. “Alright, fine. Let’s go eat. At a restaurant, right?”
“Of course.”
To be honest, I’d wanted to bring him back to my home and cook for him, but I knew he wasn’t ready for that. He seemed rather reluctant to be alone with me, which wasn’t a nice feeling, but since we didn’t know each other yet, it was understandable.
And besides, I didn’t want to send the wrong message. I didn’t want him to think I wanted a one-night stand or anything like that.
