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Luke’s fingers brush the bare skin of my ankle as he rolls up the bottom hem of my jeans, and I feel the zip of his touch run all the way up my leg.
My eyes stay locked on his fingers as he laces the skate up.
It looks like a delicate task, but his large hands make quick work of it.
We repeat the process for the next foot, and when he rolls up the bottom of that pant leg, I swear his fingertips linger just a little longer, drag just a little farther around my ankle.
“I’m gonna have you stand up for me.” Luke pats the top of my foot. “If you need to, keep a hand on the wall, but move your feet around. Make sure they feel okay.”
He had me so distracted with his little touches that I totally forgot the reason he was putting ice skates on my feet.
Because we’re about to go fucking ice-skating.
Resigned, I take his offered hands and let him pull me up.
Luke grins again.
“What?” I ask, getting my balance.
“I forgot that wearing skates puts you at the perfect height.”
Heat fills my cheeks, but I still have the wherewithal to slap Luke’s hand away when he lets go of mine and reaches for my side. “Luke, there are kids.”
His grin doesn’t fade as he moves to sit on the bench to put his own skates on.
Doing as he said, I walk in place, shifting my weight around to test the fit.
The skates are shockingly comfortable. They don’t pinch anywhere, and the padding inside feels like it was made just for me.
I’m not saying I’ll skate any better than I did before, but if I’d hadthese on during that stupid game, I bet my feet wouldn’t have been killing me at the end of the night.
Finished with his laces, Luke stands, putting our height difference back to normal. “How do they feel?”
I take a few more steps in place. “They’re really comfy.”
“Too tight? Too loose?” He’s asking me seriously, but his lemon-meringue hat ruins the effect.
So, even though I don’t really want to skate, I can’t stop my smile. “They’re Goldilocks. Just right.”
“Just right indeed.” He trails his eyes down my body, then sighs and kicks his duffel under the bench. “Shall we?”
After I pull my mittens onto my hands, I take his offered one. “If we must.”
My steps are still a little wobbly, but Luke’s hold is steady, and we make it out of the warming house with ease.
The snowflakes have gotten even bigger, and I can hear the difference. That quiet of a heavy snow. And it helps calm my nerves.
The little path between the house and the rink is made of long rubber mats, and when a kid darts around us, making me sway, I suddenly feel like a crotchety old lady who wants to shout at all the neighborhood children tokeep it down.
Then I see the kid trip and face-plant into the rubber mat.
He doesn’t cry. Just gets back up and starts running again. But I still feel like a tiny bit of cosmic justice was doled out.
Except then I’m reminded of all the times I fell last time I was on the ice.
I tug on Luke’s hand. “Did you bring any kneepads? Or wrist guards? Or… something?”
Luke shakes his head with a smirk. “Nah, Princess.”
