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Quinn giggled. "Can I come with you to make sure?"
"Funny. You're done seeing any other male naked but me."
She batted her eyelashes. "You're enough naked man for me."
"Good. I'll prove it to you again later."
That familiar electricity snapped between us. Her eyes darkened, and I knew she wanted me right then as bad as I wanted her. I wondered if this connection would ever fade between us. It was more intense than anything I'd ever imagined, and I wanted to burn in it. I sucked in a breath and tried to concentrate on my pizza.
"Have you heard from Mac yet?" I asked. One of Quinn's best friends was a famous country star and went on tour with her boyfriend. I knew both Quinn and her other friend Cassie missed her bad, but were really proud of her.
"Not for a few days. I try not to bother her when she's on the road, but I had her pinky promise to check in with me weekly. She gets crazy involved with her music. Cassie and I want to be sure she's okay--we worry."
"Austin's with her."
"I adore Austin, but he's a boy. I only trust him so far."
"Reverse chauvinism?"
"Absolutely."
"Guess it's warranted." She stuck her tongue out and finished her pizza.
"Ready for the next part of this amazing date?"
She raised a brow. "There's more? Damn, I would've slept with you on the pizza alone."
"I always knew you were easy." She threw the napkin at me, and I laughed. "Let's go."
We bundled back up and headed toward Millennium Park and Michigan Avenue. The festive lights and crowds, even at the late hour on a blustery day, were one thing I loved so much about the city. Also the amazing epicenter of art. I admitted my snobbery. I'd been to Italy and Paris, viewed amazing works of paintings and sculptures, but there was something vivid and alive in Chicago that was purely American. The Bean rose before us, which was really The Cloud Gate, an elliptical sculpture soaring into the air and reflecting back the city's gorgeous skyline. Within the gated arch of the sculpture, the chambers offered a variety of mirrored surfaces that exploded with images reflected back at the viewer.
I'd kind of fallen in love with the damn thing, seeking it out on many days to study and daydream and sit to ponder. Quinn loved it, too, but I hadn't taken her on this date to see The Bean again. Gripping her gloved hand, I led her to the skating rink without pause.
"We're skating!" She stopped short, staring at the rink where crowds lined up, festive music played on the speakers, and hot cocoa flowed freely. "You hate skating!"
"Not really. It's time to break my virginity, and your dad said you loved to skate."
Her face turned into those stubborn lines I knew well. "James, we don't need to go skating. Let's walk around the park, get a drink at the bar. You don't have to do this."
I leaned down and pressed a hard kiss on her cold lips. "Don't argue. I'm about to skate my ass off, so be prepared for greatness."
"You can skate, then?"
Hell, no. I sucked at skating and most winter sports. Skiing was different. I'd gone with my dickhead friends for years to a luxurious cabin in Vermont, all of us trying to top each other with extreme jumps. There was just something wimpy about doing circles around a rink. Still, I hated to wipe the hopeful look off her face, so I didn't answer, just pulled her into the warm interior and got our skates.
We headed into the rink, and I realized pretty quick I'd made a big mistake.
I had figured I'd bully my way through, make the ice my bitch, and it would all work out. Instead, I became the servant as my legs got tangled up and I hit the ground hard on my bony ass.
Fucking A, that hurt.
"Oh, my God, are you okay?" Quinn knelt down, trying to help me up and making the whole thing worse.
"I'm fine, babe. Just need to warm up. Hey, why don't you do a few laps by yourself, and by the time you get back, I'll be ready to go."
She looked a bit suspicious, but I leaned nonchalantly against the rail, which was my friend and protector, and she bought it. I watched as she pushed off on her skate and glided flawlessly around the circle, weaving in and out of crowds with a graceful beauty I'd never tire of watching.
Her long hair spilled around her shoulders, and her face relaxed. It was as if she went someplace else, her happy place, or something. Fascinating. I'd never really seen her get lost in a hobby she loved. I had to insist she do it more often.
But I guessed first I needed to be able to skate.
I manned up, took a breath, and kept a hand on the ledge as I made my way around, trying to get comfortable on the blades. At one point, a child and I had a war of the rail, but I let her win, tried to push off, and fell back down again.
Motherfucker.
Now pissed off, I threw myself into conquering the wussy sport I used to mock, until my ass was black-and-blue, and I had still only made it halfway around.
Quinn did a twirly thing and stopped perfectly in front of me. "Let me help you. Here, take my hand."
I glowered at her. "I can do this."
Her laugh floated to my ears. "You're so stubborn. And prideful. Okay, listen. Clear your mind, find your balance, and try to shift your weight evenly as you move. Trust your body. It's your mind that makes you fall because you're t
hinking too hard."
"Sounds like a yoga class rather than a skating lesson."
She made a face. "Come on, try it. I'll skate right beside you."
I gave it a try, cleared my mind, and started forward. I tilted a bit, but instead of panicking, I went with the flow and managed to stay upright for a few beats.
Then went back down.
And so it went. I finally managed to get a halfway decent flow going, and we skated around the rink. Most of the fun was watching her gorgeous ass, all tight and sexy, swing in front of me, her strong legs pumping back and forth as she went faster around the rink. I grew hard, because damned if the woman couldn't breathe without me wanting her. But there was something even more tempting about watching her skate in the cold, her breath making little puffs in the air, her lips curved in a smile, a look of peace on her face.
It hit me like an uppercut that she got cheated. How many times had I wined and dined women who didn't give a shit? With Quinn, the simplest things made her happy, but she deserved more. And here I was, broke, taking her for pizza and skating like any loser guy would. I always thought I was better.
I was wrong.
My buzz leaked away, and what suddenly seemed romantic now felt flat. I had tons of money at my disposal, but instead I was trying to make it on my own to prove something to Quinn and myself. Maybe it would be easier to just use the trust fund. Technically, it was mine anyway. Hadn't I been tortured enough by my parents' lack of interest to make taking the money worth it?
"What's wrong?"
I shook off my thoughts and glanced at her. She frowned, skating backwards like a pro. "Nothing."
"You're lying. When you get upset about something, you purse your lips and your right brow lifts up."
I blinked. "You gotta be kidding me. I don't do that shit." I felt my damn right brow begin to twitch and noticed my lips felt funny. Great. The woman knew way too much about me. "Are you some kind of witch?"
"I just love you."
And with those words, she nailed me good. No one had ever loved me the way Quinn did. Not with such an honest, raw passion and need that made me drunk and giddy.
"You deserve more," I burst out. I stopped skating and swept my hand through the air. "We started off with yachts and mansions on the beach. Now, look at what I've given you. Pizza and a walk in the park in the middle of fucking winter. I'm exactly what my parents always told me. A loser. You should be with a guy who can give you everything you desire."
