Another kiss across my jaw.
“Tell me?”
“Patience.”
She huffs and crosses her arms, but her knee bounces with curiosity. I rest my hand on her thigh, and she covers it with hers, threading our fingers together. Being with her like this is comfortable.
The city fades behind us, and the sky is pink and orange from the setting sun. I glance over and catch her studying the colors; her face glowing in the fading light, and I have to look away. She’s too damn beautiful for her own good.
When we pull into the parking lot, she goes still when she sees a private rink.
I squeeze her thigh. “Rented it for the night.”
She stares at the rink, surrounded by trees and lit up with string lights. Steam rises off the ice in the cold air. It’s completely empty except for two people standing by the entrance. I pay the driver and grab the duffel, and then we get out of the car.
“We shouldn’t be in public together,” she says, but her voice is barely a whisper.
“It’s private. The owners signed an NDA. And don’t be surprised if they call me Jameson.” I throw on my brother’s personality. “The happy twin.”
She turns and looks at me. “The boring twin.”
I wink. “Just call me Jamie.”
The laugh that escapes her is full of intrigue, but her eyes are shining.
“I don’t have my skates,” she says.
I hold up my bag. “Brought them.”
Her eyes widen when I pull the white leather boots with the gold blades from inside. She looks up at me like she’s actually surprised.
“How did you?—”
“They’ve been propped by the door since you skated at the facility. I took them last week. Can’t believe you didn’t notice they were missing.”
I pull her closer to me as we move toward the entrance.
I kiss her forehead. “Let’s do this.”
The owners hand me the keys and disappear into a small warming hut at the edge of the property. Then we’re alone. The string lights cast everything in gold while the sliver of the sunset bleeds out over the trees.
We sit on the wooden bench together. She pulls her skates on and runs her fingers over the worn leather before lacing them up. I put on a pair of skates that are different from my hockey ones.
“Would you do me the honor and skate with me?” I ask when we’re both done.
“Absolutely,” she says.
We step onto the ice together.
She takes off first, gliding across the rink with an ease that makes it look effortless. I push off after her, my blades carving into the ice as I pick up speed. She glances over her shoulder and sees me gaining on her. That’s when her mouth curves into a challenge.
She might be fast, but I’m faster. I catch up and circle around her, skating backward so I can watch her face. She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling.
“You’re such a show-off,” she says.
“I could say the same about you,” I tell her, digging my edges in and taking off, but she follows my lead.
I grab her hand and pull her with me as we skate. We’re side by side at first, and then I spin her out like we’re dancing. She laughs, and the sound echoes across the empty rink. I pull her back in, and we’re chest to chest, still gliding, and her eyes are bright from the cold.
