“Nah, just confident. Tell me I’m wrong?”
She blushes. “Sex with you is better.”
We fill our bellies with so much food my side hurts when we finish with dessert. I don’t usually make a habit of stuffing my face before ice skating, but we only have an hour left until we have to clear the floor.
I slide my chair out from the table. “Do you know how to skate?”
She stares into the expanse of the arena. “I don’t know. I’ve never done it before.”
“It’s like roller skating, but on blades instead of wheels.”
“I never roller skated.”
I stand, my hand outstretched to her. “Just hold on to me, and I’ll do all the work.”
“What if I fall?” Jemma scans the rink with a worried expression on her face. “Looks like it will hurt.”
“I won’t let you fall.”
Peeking up at me beneath her long lashes, she places her hand in mine, the trust between us slowly rebuilding. I help her across the ice and to the penalty box, where my dad said he would leave our skates.
“I guessed your size.”
We sit on the bench, and I hand her a pair of skates.
“I hope they fit.”
I lace up my skates and bend down on one knee in front of her to slide a sock onto her foot.
“I feel like Cinderella right now.” Her beautiful laughter fills the air. “Except instead of a glass slipper, you’re fitting me for skates.”
Laughing, I slip another sock onto her foot. She squirms as my fingers brush her skin. I help her into her skates and lace them up.
I look into her eyes and smile. “Perfect fit.”
“You guessed right.”
“I had Jamie do some recon for me. Shannon checked your shoe size. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise by asking you.” I push myself up from the floor and extend my hand to her.
She slips her fingers between mine, clinging to my side as we step onto the ice. Her fear shakes me, and I try to steady her nerves.
“I can’t believe you’ve never skated before,” I say as we glide down the ice. “I would have thought everyone from Pennsylvania has done at least once.”
“When I was a kid, the creek in the woods behind my family’s farm would ice over. I would glide with my friends from one side to the other, but I never did it wearing skates.”
“The city must shock you after growing up on a farm.”
“It was at first. I’m getting used to it now. Sometimes, I miss the comforts of home and knowing where everything is. But I like city life.”
“What made you transfer to Strick U?”
She clutches my hand tighter. “My ex. He asked me to marry him this summer. We’ve been friends since we were kids and started dating in high school. But I wasn’t ready to settle down and have a family with him.”
“I don’t blame you. Who’s ready for that at our age?”
“Exactly. I think he proposed because he figured it was the next logical step.”
“If he’d waited until after you finished college, would you have said yes?”
