Page 90 of Icebound Hearts

Aiden laughs—full, deep, and beautiful—before popping open the trunk.

When he pulls out our skating bags, my eyes widen in excitement.

“We’re going ice skating at my favorite frozen pond.” My entire face lights up.

I clap my hands together, giddy. “Best. Night. Ever.”

Aiden tells me it’s a short hike to the pond, but I shrug and start walking ahead. He quickly catches up, falling in step beside me as we move in comfortable silence.

“Is Alina okay?” he asks after a moment. I shrug again, my lips pressing into a tight line. “I don’t know. She won’t answer my calls or texts.” I pause before asking, “Roman?”

This time, Aiden is the one who shrugs. “I bet he’s self- destructing somewhere. Will said he was going to keep an eye on him tonight.” I nod, reaching for his hand and squeezing it gently.

When we finally reach the pond, I gasp at the sight before me. The ice stretches out, vast and untouched, shimmering under the soft glow of the moonlight.

“Oh my god,” I breathe. “This is a pond?”

Aiden chuckles. “Told you it was big.” I sit onto a nearby rock, grabbing my bag from him and pulling out my skates. Aiden kneels in front of me, motioning for me to stay put before he gently starts lacing up my skates for me. My heart stumbles in my chest. This boy has no idea how much power he holds over me. He could ruin me—completely—because I’m already in too deep. Whatever this is between us, it’s not casual. Not light.

I am falling for him. Every day, more and more. And my heart can’t handle it.

Aiden looks down just as I grin up at him, reaching up to

press a soft kiss to his lips.

“You got to stop doing cute things like this for me,” I murmur, placing a hand over my heart. He smirks. “Why? Your heart giving up or something?”

I chuckle, nodding. “Or something.” He shakes his head, finishing with my skates before lacing up his own. Then, he takes my hand, guiding me onto the ice.

“Just be careful,” he warns. “The ice here isn’t smoothed out.” I nod before pushing off, skating around in slow circles.

Aiden follows behind, keeping his distance, watching me with that soft, unreadable look he always gets when he thinks I’m not paying attention. I spin around once, coming to a stop just as two strong hands find my waist.

“This is the best night ever,” I whisper, pressing my lips to his. We skate together, fingers intertwined, and I fall more times than I care to admit. Aiden tries to catch me each time, but we usually end up tripping together, landing on our asses like a couple of idiots. The last time he falls, I die laughing, struggling to catch my breath.

“Oh, you think that was funny, huh?” he teases, pushing him- self up and skating toward me. I squeal, quickly maneuvering away.

“Aiden, no—”

Too late. He chases me around the pond, but I keep dodging him, giggling as he tries to corner me. Then, a sharp voice slices through the night.

“Hey, kids! This is private property—you can’t be here!” I gasp

as Aiden mutters a low, “Shit.”

The man pulls out his phone. “Stay right there. I’m calling the cops.”

Fuck.

I slap Aiden’s arm. “Move!” We skate fast toward our belongings, yanking off our skates and shoving our feet into our shoes.Grabbing our bags, we sprint toward the trail we came from, slipping on the frozen ground as we go.

We don’t stop running for a full ten minutes, until we make it back to Aiden’s car.

I double over, laughing as I clutch my stomach. “Oh my god—” Aiden bends over next to me, catching his breath before pulling me into him.

“That was fucking hilarious,” he says, pressing his forehead against my shoulder.

I nod, still breathless. “Let’s go before the cops actually show

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