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“What about the rest of the errands?” she asks.

“Eh, they’ll get done later.” I wink. “I have a surprise for you.”

Before we left this morning, I called the local ice rink. Nina loves winter and everything that comes with it, so I rented out the whole rink for the afternoon.

I don’t tell her where we’re going when we get back in the car. But as soon as we pull up in front of the rink, her eyes light up.

“Ice skating?” she asks excitedly.

The sheer joy on her face is all I need to put that whole damn phone call out of my mind.

“Come on!” I walk around to open her door and take her hand. “Let’s see how you do on the ice!”

CHAPTER 19

NINA

I can’t believe my eyes. An entire ice rink.

Jarek rented out the whole venue, in the middle of the busiest season of the year, just so we could skate for a few hours. I’m starting to feel more like a princess than an employee.

These men are cooking me dinners, giving me baths, and now this—skating around an empty rink all to ourselves. If this weren’t already established as a temporary “arrangement,” I might be tempted to call it a grand romantic gesture. The kind that doesn’t come with an expiration date a couple of weeks away.

I lace up my skates and watch Jarek do the same. His athletic build and the way he takes to the ice the second he steps onto it make him even more attractive than he already is. Honestly, I don’t think these guys could get any more tempting if they tried. And some of them do seem like they’re trying, despite insisting this is only “casual fun.”

“I think I might be a bit rusty,” I say nervously as I step onto the ice.

I’m worried I’ll fall and hurt my wrist again after it’s been healing so nicely. I even got to take the brace off the other day.

“Don’t worry,” Jarek says, as if reading my mind. “I won’t let you fall.”

He takes my hand and pulls me against him as my skates slide across the ice. Then he wraps an arm around my waist and guides me along. It feels a bit like flying, and I love it. I also love getting one-on-one time with each of the guys. It’s almost like they have an unspoken rule: each has his own “thing” with me that the others don’t intrude on. It’s nice. It makes each of them feel like something special.

“See? You’re doing great,” Jarek says.

“I think you’re doing great, and I’m just along for the ride,” I laugh.

We skate circles around the rink until I lose track of time. It’s the most carefree fun I’ve had in a long while. Even after I find my footing, Jarek’s hand hovers at my lower back, and it makes me feel protected. As independent and headstrong as I’ve always been, I like the feeling.

By the time we’ve skated ourselves into exhaustion, my muscles ache in a way that feels good, and I have a feeling I’ll sleep great tonight.

“Oh wait!” I say as we head to the car. “What about the rest of the errands?”

I step off the curb without looking, too busy remembering that it’s getting late and I still have a few things to do before I can relax by the fire with a glass of wine. My boot hits a patch of black ice, and my feet go out from under me.

Jarek catches me before I hit the ground, one arm locked around my waist.

“Told you,” he says. “I won’t let you fall.”

Too late. I think I already have, I muse.

It starts to snow, big, fluffy flakes that drift down slowly and catch in my hair. He reaches up and brushes the snow from the strands beside my face. In this moment, I understand exactly why millions of women are half in love with this man.

“What do you still have to do?” he asks as we reach the car.

He opens the door, and I sink into the warm seat while he comes around to the driver’s side.

“I need to pick up Zander’s suit from the tailor, the one he’s wearing to the gala,” I say, going through the list in my head. “And look over Pascal’s speech. Or toast, I guess he calls it.”