Page 91 of My Last Dance

Gathering up a little courage, I clicked on the first song that came to mind and stroked back to him.

He listened with his head down for a second, a frown etched on his serious face. “I don’t think I know this one. What’s it called?”

“‘Maybe I’m Afraid’ by Lovelytheband.”

His brown eyes locked on mine. “I like it.”

Feeling a slight blush, I dropped my eyes to his skates. “This would be a good song for footwork, wanna learn an easy step-sequence?”

“Lead the way.”

He was able to nail my little rocker-choctaw-edge roll into a twizzle sequence on his third try. By the fourth try, he didn’t bobble a single time, not even during his twizzles.

I blinked at him. “You’re really getting better, I’m impressed.”

He cracked a grin. “Thanks, I think you and Patrick forget that I’m a professional athlete as well.”

I shook my head. “I never forget.”

I was rewarded with a flash of dimples as he skated off to choose the next song.

When Hozier’s “Work Song” echoed through the empty rink, it shocked me to my core.

His face looked haunted by deep thought as he extended a hand to hold mine, and then it felt like we were flying around the rink with long extended strokes, moving in sync to the music, letting go here and there to move independently. I felt each beat in my heart as he spun me around so naturally, and while Hozier vowed that nothing, not even death, could separate him from his true love, it’s like something clicked into place for us.

“Wanna try a lift?” I asked breathlessly as we continued skating. “The one we’ve been working on off-ice?”

He did a double take. “Really?”

Nodding, I squeezed his hand. “I trust you.”

With a quick nod, he smoothed away from me, waiting.

Sucking in the cold air, I jumped into him with reckless abandon and moved through the lift with the same precision I was used to with Patrick, knowing that Kappy would sacrifice himself before letting me fall.

He held my calves, and I balanced on his thighs. My ponytail flowed behind me, and it felt like I was flying through the cold air as I extended my arms.

A few seconds later, he smoothed me onto the ice, and his mouth gaped open. “We did it. We fucking did it.”

I laughed. “You sound surprised! Should I not have let you try?”

His whole face lit up with a smile. “Let’s keep going, your choice.” He nodded to the music box.

Gliding away from him, I ran through my song choices. Hozier’s slow ballad was beautiful, but heavy and a bit somber. I needed to lighten the mood.

Skating back to him, Sabrina Carpenter’s voice crooned, “Please, Please, Please.”

He dropped his neck back with a chuckle. “Ahh, I see how it is, you get to play sassy and I play the simp?”

“Is that not accurate?” I feigned innocence and struggled to keepa straight face.

He pushed into a little spread eagle to circle me. Dipping closer, he whispered in my ear, “Careful, Viper.”

Whipping around, I placed a hand on his chest and pushed into some sassy skate-steps. “When have you ever known me to be careful?”

With a wicked grin, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a twist. We exited on the perfect beat. The next beat, he dropped me into a dip.

“You’re gelling!” Patrick’s voice boomed over the music, making Kappy flinch and almost drop me.

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