Page 109 of Hard Hitter
“Yeah. In middle school. But then it got really competitiveand I stopped. I liked the skating more than I liked the pressure.”
“Ah.”
She grabbed his hand. “Come on, you can be my partner. Back crossovers.”
His smile was amused as they began to cross the ice backward, hand in hand. “Do I get to hold your butt and hoist you over my head?”
“I don’t think we’re up to that.”
“Skate with me, sweetheart.” He gave her hand a tug.
She turned, allowing him to grasp her free hand. They were face to face, with him skating backward. She reached up to put a hand on his shoulder, mindful to keep her strides in synch with his so their feet wouldn’t tangle. She’d never skated with a partner before. It was harder than it looked on TV.
“That’s it,” he encouraged, slipping a hand onto her waist. “I’ve got you.” He kept his stride nice and even, and she discovered she didn’t have to look down to know where his feet were.
“Fancy,” she breathed as they glided past the penalty box.
“I’ll show you fancy.” He grabbed her hips and lifted.
Suddenly she was airborne, her hip on his broad shoulder. It might have looked cool, except for the fact that she hugged his head in terror. Laughing, he skated in a tight circle, spinning her until she let out a shriek. Strong arms slowly lowered her back toward the ice, and he came to a stop before setting her down.
“That was terrifying,” she complained, although the dizzy smile on her face made her a liar.
He kissed her forehead. “I’m hoping for a ten from the Russian judge.”
“Omigod!” a voice squeaked from nearly. “You guys are adorable. I could kill myself for not having my Katt Phone handy... Whoa!”
There was a small thud, and Ari looked behind Patrick to find Rebecca sprawled out on the ice. “Becca! Are you okay?”
She scrambled over to Becca just as her friend lifted her head. “Fuck!”
“Here.” Ari offered a hand, but Patrick was quicker. He crouched down and scooped Rebecca up off the slick surface and set her on her feet.
“This is so embarrassing,” Becca said, rubbing a hand along her jaw. “You two were having so much fun, though. I realized I’d never set foot on this ice in two years. But I should have gone for three.”
“Are you okay?” Ari asked for the second time.
“Of course,” her friend said.
But she was leaning on Patrick, and Ari didn’t like the weird squint she was making. “Just humor me and sit down for a minute.”
Becca grumbled, but she let herself be led off the ice and over to a bench where she sat down heavily. “I was just looking for you,” she said, rubbing her temples. “Henry said he forgot to ask you in the meeting whether your hands are okay for a full slate of massage appointments tomorrow. He couldn’t find you but your phone was still in the building.”
“My hands are fine,” she said quickly. “Did you hit your head?”
“No.” Becca sat up straighter. “I’m fine, I swear. And I don’t want to interrupt date night or whatever.”
Patrick gave her a smile over Becca’s head. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.Is it date night?
Ari supposed it was. She sat down and began to remove her skates. “We were just about done skating anyway,” she reassured her friend. “Want to get some dinner?”
“Nope.” Becca stood up slowly. “But I want you two to get some dinner. Together, in case that wasn’t clear.”
“Subtle,” Ari murmured.
“I don’t do subtle.” Becca gave a wave and walked toward the door. “See you in the morning!”
Patrick waited until she was out of earshot to ask, “Want to get dinner?”
