Page 43 of Stay
Even more amazing than that, I hadn’t felt a moment of panic. No anxiety or chest tightening.
Nothing.
I’d felt safe, and more importantly, in control of the situation. It was as if Cole had known exactly what I needed and how to give it to me.
“Cassidy?”
I’m snapped out of those thoughts when he waves a hand in front of my face.
My gaze snaps to his. “Yeah?”
A slow smile spreads across his face as if he knows exactly what had been running through my mind. He steps closer before wrapping his arms around me.
“Whatcha thinking about that has such a sexy little smile lighting up your face?”
My eyes widen as my cheeks fill with heat. It takes effort to clear my throat. “Just wondering if this little surprise of yours will end with a ride in the back of a police cruiser.”
A chuckle escapes from him before he tugs me closer and nips at my lips. “Aw damn, how’d you guess?”
His eyes flare with heat as liquid warmth floods through me.
I am in so much trouble with this guy.
The tendrils of need that had been curling at the bottom of my belly dissipate as I elbow him in the ribs. With a quick kiss, he leads me through the deserted lobby to the counter where they keep the rental skates.
Disappearing through the side door, he asks, “What size are you?”
“Eight,” I answer, still wondering what he’s up to.
A few moments later he returns with an ugly pair of brown rental skates, which he holds by the blades in one hand. “Okay, let’s go.”
“We’re seriously going to skate?” I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. We are, after all, at a skating rink. But it’s an empty, closed skating rink.
Misunderstanding the question, a smile tumbles across his face as he teases, “What, you don’t know how?” He reaches out, gently stroking the curve of my cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. It’s not that hard.”
One of my brows quirks, but I remain silent. He thinks I don’t know how to skate, huh?
Well, this should be amusing.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he says, as if trying to convince me, which is kind of hilarious. “I promise.”
“Oh, it’ll definitely be fun,” I agree.
“I’ve been teaching skating lessons since I was in high school. If I can teach five- and six-year-olds, then I can teach you in no time.”
That comment almost has me skidding to a halt.
Instead of giving myself away, I bite back the sharp retort about my skating abilities. This guy is definitely in trouble now. I grab the skates before forcing my lips into a tight smile.
“I can’t wait.”
Cole turns on the lights while I drop down on a bench inside the frigid rink before unlacing the boots and shoving my foot inside each brown skate. These are the ugliest things I’ve ever seen. I’ll probably be falling all over the place. Silently, I inspect each blade. They might be crappy skates, but at least the blades appear to be freshly sharpened, which should help.
Hopefully.
Then again, I haven’t skated since last December. It’s entirely possible I’ll end up on my ass no matter what. I can’t believe how strange it feels to lace these things up. Especially since they aren’t mine. A year ago, I wouldn’t have been caught dead in crappy skateslike these. In the past, I’ve always had the newest and best equipment on the market. Each pair of skates molded to the contours of my feet for a perfect fit.
This situation is so rife with irony, I’m almost choking on it.
