Page 67 of Merry Little Sugar Rush
We walk through the bakery, grabbing my phone and keys off the counter and flipping off the lights as I go. When we step outside, I lock the door and face Burk. “Now what?”
“Now, we walk,” he confirms, reaching down and picking up a duffel bag left beside the front door.
“Where are we walking to?” I ask, taking in the freshly fallen snow and the mostly quiet streets of downtown.
“Not far. It’s a beautiful night.”
I glance up, a soft smile stretching across my lips. “It is.” The moon is full and high in the sky, giving off enough light that if the streetlights weren’t in play, you could still see your surroundings. “What’s in the bag?”
His answer is a cheeky grin, one that makes me chuckle. “Fine. Keep your secrets.”
“It won’t be a secret for long. Come on,” he says, leading me across the street toward the town square. When we reach the pavilion near the skating rink, he stops. “Wait here.” Setting the bag down on a picnic table, he kisses my knuckles before releasing my hand then takes off running. I watch until he disappears around the back of the utility building toward the edge of the park.
Suddenly, the lights come on. A million white twinkle lights illuminate the night around me and soft holiday music is piped through the speakers. My jaw drops open as I take in the scene, one I’ve experienced so many times before, but am seeing it for the first time with no one around.
Burk returns, a smile on his handsome face. “Surprise.” He reaches for his bag and pulls out my ice skates.
“What? How?—”
“I stole them yesterday morning when I left to go back to my grandparents’ house.”
Shaking my head, I take the offered skates and have a seat on the bench. “So, you’ve been planning this.”
“I have,” he boasts proudly, pulling a second set of skates from the bag and getting to work putting them on. “I even borrowed skates from Klint.”
When we’re both wearing skates and smiles, we make our way to the rink, which has been freshly cleaned of any snow. We step onto the ice, and he immediately takes my hand. “How did you pull this off?” I ask curiously.
“Well, turns out Jim McMillian still takes care of the park. I ran into him at the tree farm the other day and ran my idea by him, which might have included a donation to the town park fund to help seal the deal.”
I look up and close my eyes. The cold air mixed with the warmth of his hand wrapped around mine, something I feel even through gloves, and the glow of Christmas lights is something that will forever be embedded in my mind when I think back on this night. It’s perfect.
“This is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me,” I confess as we move around the ice.
“Yeah?” he asks, a glint of pride reflecting in his eyes.
“Definitely. You’ve combined my favorite things. Roses, ice skating under the twinkle lights, holiday music, and you.”
Suddenly, he stops and pulls me into his arms. My breathing hitches as his gaze lands on my lips. I wet them quickly with my tongue, a movement he catches sight of if the dilation of his eyes is any indication. “Can I kiss you?”
“Yes, please.”
It starts gentle but quickly turns heated. His tongue delves deep inside my mouth, tasting and teasing in the best way possible. Every problem or stress of the day falls away as westand in the middle of the ice-skating rink and make out like teenagers. It’s exactly what I’ve needed after a very long day.
When we finally pull apart, wet flakes of snow start to fall onto our faces. We both look up and smile. It’s like a Christmas movie or a holiday card come to life, and I’m here, standing in the middle of the magic. It’s the icing on top of the Christmas cupcake.
The sugar rush after eating the most decadent dessert ever.
His gloved hand comes up to cup my cheek as he brushes his warm lips across mine once more. “Come on, Easy-Bake. Let’s skate.”
EIGHTEEN
Burk
“Merry Christmas,”my grandparents holler the moment I come down the stairs to join them for coffee in the kitchen.
“Merry Christmas,” I reply, bending down to kiss Gram’s cheek and squeezing Gramps’ shoulder. “You two are up early.”
“We wanted to see the sunrise together over the tree farm,” Gram informs me, smiling behind her coffee mug.
