Page 104 of Hot Ice, Tennessee

He gave me a smoldering look. “If you think I’m tame, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I leaned in and kissed him. “Yeah. I take it back. Don’t ever become tame, because I still need to punish you.”

He groaned, nuzzling against my neck. “You are so hot.”

The ice rink beside us had slowly been filling up as we talked, and I became aware of it again now, looking out at a couple of dozen people out there, making their way around the ice.

I was able to be here with Mason—publicly, and unashamed—actually acting like he was my boyfriend.

It was a gift.

The simplest thing, but something I’d wanted for so long. I’d thought this summer would have to be a slow process of focusing on only myself, getting back to hard work on classes, and lone-wolfing it the only way I knew how.

Instead, the summer bloomed.

Hell, it was a fuckingriotof blooming color, since Mason walked into my world. Always unexpected, and never tame. And you know what?

I fuckingloveda hot mess.

EPILOGUE

MASON, TWO MONTHS LATER

I reviewed the details of the appointment, my finger hovering over the button to tapconfirm.

“You look hot when you’re nervous,” Jesse called over from across the room.

I was on the couch, and he was in the kitchen. We had all of the windows open in the living room, letting in the warm, breezy summer air. Yesterday there had been a thunderstorm, and all day today, the air had been clear and bright, like the rain had washed away the haze.

Jesse was putting dishes into the dishwasher, because that was just something he’d starteddoing, since the first time he’d ever visited my house.

He helped. Without me asking, and without any expectations.

It was just one of the ten billion things I loved about him.

I pulled in a long breath, looking back down at my laptop.

“How did you know I was nervous?” I asked.

“I can tell. You still look good, though.”

“You always say that. Whether I’m nervous or sad or happy or…”

Jesse smiled over at me. “Because you always look hot, babe.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. But whatever you’re nervous about, you can do it.”

I used that energy to reach down to the laptop and just clickconfirm.

“Okay. I did it,” I said, shutting the laptop and standing up. “I… have two riding lessons booked for this week.”

Jesse put down the towel he was holding, looking up at me. “Really?”

I nodded slowly, crossing over from the living room to the kitchen. The moment I was near him, he reached for my waist, sliding his hands around me to pull me in close.

“One on Tuesday, one on Thursday.”

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