Kat had made it perfectly clear where she stood.
It didn’t matter that four weeks had passed since that walk in the snow when he’d allowed himself to show a little vulnerability. Sure, he’d masked it with his cocky grin and cheesy lines. But it had been the complete and utter truth.
She stood with the foreman going over some details. Leo couldn’t tear his gaze from her. He hadn’t seen her in a skirt and heels since that first day. Her turtleneck sweater clung to her form, accentuating every one of her curves. Jeans had been tucked into her boots and she stood with one hip popped to the side. Her expression left no room for argument as she told the guy what she needed from him.
Leo’s focus flicked to the older gentleman. His hair had greyed and there were plenty of lines around his eyes and his mouth. He’d been around the block more than once and it was clear he knew what he was doing. Yet, that slip of a woman had him standing at attention. It still impressed him the way she could command the space around her. She was made for the corporate lifestyle.
He frowned then. Maybe she was right about not wanting a life here. But then she’d go riding with him and he saw her carefree joy rise to the surface to snuff out all the control she clutched onto for dear life. Kat needed this place just as much as he needed her. Just a few more months. He only had a few more months to convince her what he already knew to be true.
“Hello, Princess,” he murmured behind her right ear as soon as the foreman stalked toward his crew.
She gasped, turning toward him with a surprised smile. “I thought you were out running errands.”
“I was.” He brushed the strands of her hair away from the back of her neck with a sweep of his fingers. “But I’m back now, and you want to know what I want to do today?”
Kat hummed but it sounded more like a groan. Goosebumps lifted on her skin and the temptation to kiss her there ripped through him like the winter winds. She shivered and whispered, “What do you want to do today?”
“There’s a pond in the next town over that’s completely frozen over now. I thought you and I could go ice skating.”
She turned wide, excited eyes toward him. “Really?”
“Really.” This was the sort of excitement he adored. This was the reaction he wanted to see. Kat could move out here. She was as adaptable as they came. “Put that clipboard away and grab your coat. I’m taking you out.”
Leo laughedas Kat’s gloved fingers dug into his forearms. “I thought you’d been ice skating before.”
Her eyes shot daggers his way. “When did I ever say I knew how to skate?”
“The way you reacted to my invitation. What else was I supposed to think?”
She harumphed. “I never said Iknewhow to skate. I can’t help it if this sounded exciting because I’ve never been.”
“Isn’t there like some famous ice rink in New York?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, but I’ve never been to that one either.”
He tugged her to a stop, his hands holding her tight around her upper arms to keep her on her feet. “Why not?” This woman was perfection in every way. Even if she confessed right here, right now, that she was terrified of skating, he wouldn’t have believed her. She didn’t exactly look scared in this moment.
In fact, the way her face flushed red made it perfectly clear she wasn’t scared but more… embarrassed? She avoided his gaze and pulled her lips between her teeth. “No reason.”
Leo chuckled. “I don’t believe that for a second. Why haven’t you been skating before? And don’t tell me you’re not interested, because…” he gestured toward her and smirked. “Clearly…”
Kat rolled her eyes but the smile she sported was more than enough evidence to keep him going.
“Come on, Kat. You gotta tell me how someone who probably passed the ice rink every single day going to work never took a detour… never played hooky.”
At that, her smile faltered. He’d hit a nerve without actually meaning to. And immediately all he could think about was apologizing. He shifted closer to her and took her hands in his. Waiting expectantly for her to answer him, he wasn’t surprised to sense all her walls coming up again.
“I never had time.”
“Really? Not even when you were a kid?”
The beautiful blush from before came back with a vengeance. “My dad never had time to take me, either, okay? Ice skating wasn’t exactly a top priority when it came to how I spent my time.” Her eyes cut to his and then darted away to scan their surroundings. People continued to skate around them, paying them no mind. Kat fidgeted and more than once attempted to tug her hands from his.
He kept her hands tightly within his, frowning at her reaction. “Why are you upset?”
“I’m not,” she practically snapped. Then her eyes darted once more to meet his. “I’m not. Really.”
He cocked his head slightly. “You can talk to me, Kat.”
