Page 36 of Put a Rink on It

Lowering her to the ground, my hands cup her chin, and our gazes meet, my adoration mirrored in hers. I position my lips next to her ear. “Later, people will ask what I spoke in your ear, so be prepared. Also, I’m going to kiss you now, the real reason for my whispering.” I pull back, giving her a few seconds to absorb what’s going to happen.

It doesn’t matter that she mentioned a kiss in her rendition of our proposal, nor that we’ve kissed before. It was only fair to warn her.

“Do it, Nero,” she breathes, her eyes closing and her lips parting, inviting me in. It’s a privilege, and I won’t take advantage of it.

I fit my mouth over hers, unprepared for the onslaught of feelings invading every fiber of my being, every thread in the plot of our story.

Memories of the past flood me, times when it was casual between us, nothing more than a means to an end. Yet in comparison, this one lights the lamp during Game Seven of the Cup finals, a game-ending goal at the last second to secure the victory.

It puts all other kisses to shame, scraping them from my memory, leaving only this one in its wake.

A passionate connection so strong, I can’t believe we haven’t been doing this every time I’ve seen her.

Our mouths fuse, yet it’s her tongue parting them, seeking entrance into my mouth. Not asking permission, but taking it. Intense emotions emanate, and I’m not sure my body can contain them all.

All because Marina Keeley is kissing me, matching her emotions to mine. It’s a heady feeling, one I don’t want to stop.

Until stupid and intrusive thoughts remind me—Marina isn’t truly mine. This isn’t something we get to do on the regular.

With the realization comes the stronger urge to drag this out, to make it last, to catalog the way our mouths meld together.

The way her breath hitches.

The way my⁠—

The cheesy romance book infiltrates my thoughts, and I rip my mouth away from hers. The effect of our chemistry has us panting messes.

Marina withdraws and puts a few inches between us, her swollen lips an edible sight.

“Wow. That was…unexpected.” If I thought she was radiant before, it’s nothing compared to now. A blazing smile claims her mouth, and I swear her eyes are brighter.

I fish the ring from my pocket, holding it out so it glints in the moonlight. “This belongs to you.” She holds out her left hand, and I slide it onto her finger.

She assesses it, her smile never fading. Will the feeling of putting that smile on her face ever get old? Good thing I get to test it out.

“How is it possible it’s more beautiful than before?”

I don’t have an explanation for her, if she’s even looking for one. “It sparkles.” I tip her hand from side to side, catching the ring so it shows off its brilliance.

“It’s ridiculous how much something representing a fake relationship can be this gorgeous. This joyful. This…precious.”

“Maybe because our relationship isn’t fake.”

CHAPTER 12

marina

“As in, you and me. The relationship isn’t fake,” Nero aims to clarify.

“The one regarding the ring is,” I defend, not exactly sure what he’s getting at.

I’ve never been in a long-term relationship with a guy to know what the state of getting engaged should feel like. I’ve seen it with my friends, my brother, my sister, but I’ve never experienced it for myself. The longest romantic relationship I’ve been a part of lasted just shy of a year and nowhere near the “getting engaged” stage. Not even a “let’s live together” phase. Heck, there wasn’t even a lot of “spend the night at my place” instances.

It seems weird to think of it now, but at the time, it didn’t seem strange. It fit us, which is probably why it didn’t work in the end. It wasn’t going anywhere, a truth I learned early on but wasn’t willing to face.

The friendship Nero and I share is as genuine as they come. If that’s what he’s saying, he’s right.

“Our friendship certainly isn’t, I agree. But the rest? It’s pretend. For public consumption. Nothing’s changing between us in private. Except I get to live with you and see your quirks in the flesh.” I’m weirdly excited about that.