AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Now get in the shower. We need to pack quickly. Don’t forget your swimsuit.”
Her brows scrunch down. “It’s freezing outside.”
“I have a hot tub.”
The corner of her lip quirks up. “You do? Why didn’t you say so?” The woman practically jumps out of bed, her hips swinging as she walks naked to the bathroom. I watch and admire.
And try to ignore the persistent pulse of my need.
I’ve gotta be honest, it’s an act of supreme discipline that allows us to get out of her apartment within an hour, without me ravaging her. She’s wearing a pair of tight yoga pants and a gray hoodie that stops mid waist, and all I want to do is drag her back to bed.
The rink is empty when we get there. Still grumbling, she slides her skates on then looks up at me.
“Are you putting your skates on or what?” she asks.
“Or what. You’re on your own.”
There had been a ghost of a smile on her lips. It disappears completely, though, replaced by a frown. She looks at the rink and back at me.
“No. I need you with me.”
I cup her face, then lean down to brush my mouth against hers. “You don’t. You can skate, you’ve done it a few times now.”
“When you’ve been there to catch me.”
“All I want to do is see you skate across the ice and back,” I tell her. “That’s it. Then we hit the road for hot tub time.”
A soft sigh escapes her lips. I know how hard this is for her. The fear that’s built up over the years. The embarrassment from her viral video. The feeling of being less than because her family ignored her.
“What if I fall?” she asks.
“Then you’ll get up, skate over to me, and we’ll head out.”
“Do I still get the hot tub?” There’s a quiver to her voice. This woman who’s so confident about everything.
Except this.
“You still get the hot tub and me in it,” I tell her.
Her lips part as she lets out another ragged breath. A look of determination comes over her face as she stands on her blades. She reaches for the handrail and puts one skate onto the ice, and I’ve never been more proud of anybody in my damned life.
“At least I’m wearing panties,” she jokes.
“More’s the pity.”
She puts the other blade on the ice, still holding onto the rail. Her back is to me, and I watch as her shoulders straighten, her back tightens.
And then she pushes away and glides on the ice. Okay, glide isn’t quite the right word. Wobbles maybe. Whatever it is, she’s doing it. All alone on the rink, with nobody to hold her or race to catch her.
Just Mackenzie and her biggest fear.
I hold my breath until she reaches the other side, stopping dead as her fingers cling to the wooden boards. She doesn’t move for a minute, and I start to worry she’s having a panic attack.
“You okay, Hunter?” I call out.
She’s facing the other way but I still hear her. “Just catching my breath.”
No, she isn’t. But it’s fine. “Did I tell you I’ve got a chef coming to cook us dinner tonight?”
