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He shook his head. “I meant were you happy taking the money?”
“No.” I sighed. “Music made me happy, but the business didn’t love me back.”
He put his finger under my chin, tipping my gaze to him. In his natural form, he filled so much of the backseat of the van. He was warm and strong and safe, even though our time together had been laced with danger.
“I want you to promise to only do things that make you happy from now on.”
“Deal.” Goosebumps blossomed on my arms from the way he was looking at me. “You make me happy.”
“You make me happy too, Hannah.”
The Mating Gamefangirls did not disappoint. They’d assembled outside the rink, cheering as we arrived. Everyone had their phones out, and the videos were probably getting livestreamed on the forums. The crowd fell silent when Lars climbed out of the van. Even though we’d done our best to assure everyone he wasn’t responsible for all the chaos in the forest, I realized so many of the fans had never seen anyone like him up close and personal.
“Lars!” someone called to him and waved.
“I feel like I know them,” he said to me as he waved back. “From my time on the forums. I wonder who they are.”
“It’s so good to see all you,” Bibi greeted the crowd, and she waved and posed for pictures. But she wasn’t her usual relaxed self. “Hannah and Lars have a fun date planned, and we’re headed inside. We’ll see you all soon at the amphitheater, and then at the claiming ceremony.”
“What’s the surprise gonna be?” someone called out.
“What surprise?” I asked Bibi as we headed inside the rink.
“There isn’t one. Oh, this brings back so many memories,” she gushed.
The crew already had the multicolored lights on, and the music was pumping. All nineties’ throwbacks, just like I’d requested. Two attendants waited for us. One of them handed me my skates, and the other stared open mouthed at Lars.
Not that he noticed, because his eyes were wide, taking in the scene. The only thing that was kind of eerie was that we were the only ones here. When we planned the date, I thought it might be kind of romantic. We could still claim that vibe.
There were two production assistants waiting to help Lars with his skates. A pair was waiting for me and I took the bench opposite him and laced myself up. There were knee and wrist pads too. I considered leaving them behind, because they weren’t the sexiest—even though I could imagine the comments on the forums about what else I could do with those knee pads—but it had been a while since I’d been on skates, and I definitely wasn’t in the same shape I was in before. It would take a minute before I got my groove back.
I did a couple tight circles in the room and turned to see the assistants helping Lars up. His skates had to be specially made. His feet were massive in his natural form, hence the name, and he needed eight wheels per foot to support his height and weight.
He swayed, getting his balance, but he managed to stay upright. “What do I do?”
“It’s hard to explain, but you glide.” I did a demonstration for him. “The brakes are the balls on the front. Looks like you have some on the back, too. Once you get a good speed going, you can coast a little.”
“Why do you do this? To escape predators?”
“I suppose you could, but we do it mostly because it’s fun.” I did a circle around him and took his hand in mine. He swayed, and then raised his arm so I spun in a circle. “Something tells me you’ll be a natural. Come on, let’s go to the rink.”
Lars put one foot in front of the other, slowly, growling softly when he rolled forward. His first strides were unsteady, but then he threw his shoulders back and took the next few with determination.
“You’re a pro.”
“Haven’t tried to stop yet,” he chuckled.
I brought him out to the rink. He let the roll naturally come to a stop, and I went around a lap. I loved the way his eyes were on me, full of wonder and lust and love like I’d made him forget all the bad things that had happened. He’d lived so long by himself, he deserved a little fun at the very least.
“Join me,” I said as I cruised by him.
His chest rose, but he didn’t move. I managed to turn around, skating backwards. Didn’t know how long I’d be able to keep this up. He rumbled loudly enough for it to shake the ground. Sweet moon, that was hot. He took one long stride, then another. The lights flashed on his fur, and he came closer. I turned around, picking up the pace.
I looked over my shoulder, and there was something primal in his eyes. His fur blew back as he moved faster.
This way hotter than I expected. I thought it would be a cute date, my version of showing Lars some nostalgia from my childhood, but now it had turned into a chase scene worthy of the fan fiction section of the forums. I was going so fast now I wasn’t sure if I could stop without wiping out or banging into one of the sideboards.
Lars was closing in on me. My heart was pounding, my skin was dewy, and I was so turned on I couldn’t even see straight.
