Her arms start to wobble. I catch her. “Jesus, this is terrifying when I’m not holding the boards.”
“I’ll be the boards.” I tighten my grip on her waist. “Just listen to what I say.”
She sucks in a breath and I guide her forward a few inches. “Push with your right foot. Just a little, like you’re gliding.”
She moves on unsteady skates. I correct her posture with a firm pull at her hip. “There.” We move again, a little slower but smoother. Every slight shift of her body rubs up against mine. I slide my hand lower.
“If I asked you to trust me,” I murmur, “would you?”
“No,” she huffs dramatically.
“I’m holding you,” I say, gliding her forward another foot. “I haven’t let go once.”
“I noticed,” she breathes.
We start a curve. Jessica jolts. “Why are we turning?”
“Because life doesn’t happen in straight lines.”
“Don’t get philosophical when I’m on death blades.”
I laugh and drag my hand up her thigh. She stiffens. “Relax, or you’ll fall.”
“Hard to relax with you grabbing my—”
“Balance comes from your center.” I curl my fingers into her lower stomach, right above her core. She sucks in a sharp breath, stomach tightening under my fingertips. “Everything you need to stay standing starts right here.”
Her movements are cautious and shaky, but she’s doing it. Not falling. Not clinging. Barely gliding, but gliding.
I shift beside her, hand sliding up her back to keep her steady. She sways, and I grab her waist again.
“I’ve always wanted to be able to skate,” she admits quietly. “Not professionally or anything. I just… I don’t know. It always looked effortless. Powerful. Like flying.”
My gaze drags over the side of her face—prideful mouth, fire in her eyes, still burning while she wobbles. “I didn’t know that.”
“You never asked.”
Fair.
I let her glide forward before catching her. My palm settles over her stomach, holding her upright. Both hands on her waist now. Her legs aren’t locked. Her posture’s better. Progress.
“Okay,” I murmur near her ear. “You ready for the next step?”
“What is it?” She tenses.
“I’m gonna let go.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Just for ten seconds.”
“Dominic!”
“You don’t have to move. Just stay upright.”
“I’ll fall. I know I’ll fall.”
“No. You think you’ll fall. Big difference.”
