My respect was absolutely present. But my self-control? Hanging on by a thread.
Mel skated backward in front of her, giving instructions. “Bend your knees more! Lower, Eleanor!”
Belle yelled from the sidelines, “Use those gorgeous thunder thighs, babe! POWER!”
Eleanor barked a laugh, cheeks flushed and eyes bright, and nearly toppled again, but caught herself just in time, arms flailing, one braid smacking her own shoulder.
I grinned like an idiot. God, she was adorable.
She made it through the course. Barely. But she made it.
Mel raised her hands triumphantly. “YES! That’s it! I’m calling that a victory lap.”
Belle checked her phone. “Aw, hell. My pretty boy boss has me filling in on a new house. I gotta run.”
Mel added, “And I have a FaceTime date with three generations of aunties who will absolutely hunt me down if I’m late.”
Both of them shot us the world’s least subtle wink as they skated past. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Which means you can do literally anything,” Belle said dryly, following behind her.
Eleanor snorted. I groaned.
And just like that, they were gone.
Leaving us alone on the dim rink, the disco lights refracting pink and blue across her helmet, the place suddenly quiet and intimate in a way that made my skin feel too tight. Deja vu.
She rolled toward me, more steady on wheels than I’d ever seen her be. I reached out, caught her waist, and steadied her. Her breath hitched. Mine stopped entirely.
“You did amazing,” I murmured.
She swallowed, eyes flicking to my mouth. “I fell three times.”
“Still amazing.”
Her hands slid up my chest, hesitant at first, then bold. My pulse thundered.
And then we were moving, not walking, not skating, just drifting into each other like gravity demanded it.
I kissed her.
She kissed me back instantly, hungrily, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt. I pulled her flush against me, her body warm and soft and trembling slightly on her wheels.
Her mouth opened beneath mine, eager, trusting, and heat roared through me so fast I nearly groaned.
We broke only when she laughed breathlessly. “I’m going to fall if you keep kissing me like that.”
“Then maybe,” I said, voice low, “we should move somewhere with fewer wheels.”
Her eyes darkened. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I took her hand.
With skates clacking softly on the wood, we took a seat on the bench and started unlacing our skates. After we slipped off the rink, we walked toward the roller-skate rental room.
I held the door for her.
