Cole steps onto the ice and holds out a hand for me. Without giving myself time to read into the motion, I slide my palm against his. Nothing about it feels forced or awkward, and that thought lights me up inside. More than anything, it feels natural. Like it was inevitable.
The moment my skates touch the ice, it’s as if every single tip Cole gave me was spoken in a foreign language. Don’t lock my knees? Oh, too bad, because they lock up tighter thanMona Lisa’s security at the Louvre. Keep my head up? That’s impossible when I’m wobblier than a newborn foal.
“Relax,” he chuckles. “I’ve got you, bean.”
Holding my breath, I grip his hands like they’re a damn lifeline, which they essentially are.
Cole glides backward with ease and pulls me along with him, his lips twitching in amusement.
“I’m doing it!” I squeal as we glide across the ice at a slow but steady speed. “Look!”
He picks up his pace, and a cool breeze kisses my cheeks. The smoothness of each movement lulls me into a sense of security. We glide to the left, then the right, and before I know it, we’ve been around the rink a couple of times.
Cole slows gradually, eventually bringing us toa stop. “Ready for me to let go?”
My fingers immediately tighten around his. “Um, no. Absolutely not.”
“C’mon, you can do it.” He gives me an easy, reassuring smile. “I’ll be right next to you. Trust me, okay?”
His words hold a request that extends beyond the reach of the ice rink.
Trust him. Over and over, he’s shown me that I can. So I take a deep, steadying breath and pull my hands away from his.
Bad idea.
One moment I’m standing upright, and the next I’m flat on my back, the air knocked from my lungs. I burst out laughing; if I don’t, I’ll cry. And here I was thinking he was a jerk for assuming I’d fall.
Cole stares down at me with a dumbfounded expression on his face. “Fuck. Did not see that coming. Are you okay?”
“Weather’s great down here,” I force out between giggles. “Did you know that figure skating rinks are slightly warmer than ice hockey rinks?”
“I did know that.” He holds out a hand and pulls me up onto my wobbly feet. “Softer ice makes for easier landings. Have you been doing hockey research?”
“If by hockey research, you mean reading a romance where a figure skater and hockey player fall in love despite the odds against them, then sure.”
Cole takes a step back as he chuckles, and I latch on to him like a starfish. I do not want to fall on my ass again so soon. A girl can only take so much embarrassment.
“You’ve got this,” he reminds me. “Take baby steps.”
“Obviously,” I huff. “I’m not about to attempt crazyBlades of Glorytype shit after I just bruised my butt.”
He rolls his eyes. “I mean literal baby steps.” He demonstrates by taking two tiny steps, then gliding forward a bit. “It’ll help you transition into skating.”
“Oh.” I mimic his moves, my feet clunking against the ice in a very ungraceful way. “Like that?”
“Good enough,” he says, biting back a grin. “Now alternate lifting one foot and then the other.”
Despite the cramping in my calves, I do what he says with a strained smile on my face. Soon enough, I’m gliding forward on my own. The squeal that escapes me should be embarrassing, but I’m too proud of myself to care. My motions aren’t nearly as smooth as Cole’s, but considering he’s a professional hockey player who spends the majority of his time on the ice, I’ll take the win.
I don’t make it very far before I’m flat on my ass once again. And again. And again. My respect for hockey players goes up tenfold. Not only do they skate with amazing accuracy, but they’re playing a sport while doing it.
“I think you’re done skating on your own for a bit.” Cole takes my hands in his once again and glides forward slowly so we’re side by side as we make our way around the ice. “Although you do look good in skates.”
I blush under his intense gaze. “You look good… always. It’s kind of annoying, actually.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “It’s been a while since I skated for fun.”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine getting chased around the ice and aggressively slammed into the boards is a lot of fun.”
