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Chapter one
Amanda
“Watch out!” I shrieked before I crashed into the wall. My ice skates came out from under me, and when my ass hit the ice, I grunted. “This is stupid.”
I rested my back against the hard plastic wall that outlined the rink. It was loud, and the same music that played at my high school homecoming crackled through speakers probably older than me. The surface was scratched with faded lines from a season of teenage hockey games, and wet shards of ice soaked through my jeans. I shivered.
I rolled onto my knees, trying to get one of my skates under me well enough to stand up. When I tried, my foot wobbled and the blade slid along the glassy surface.
“Shit,” I hissed when I roughly fell again.
Pain shot through my knee, and my hands shook as I became instantly aware of the number of people in the skating rink around me that weren’t struggling. What if I couldn’t get up?
“Oh babe,” Dallas said, chuckling. His blades scraped along the ice, sending slush in my direction when he came to a skidding stop. He put his hand out, ready to help me up. “You’re cute, but you’re really not very graceful, huh?”
He tugged, effortlessly lifting me. My feet slid back and forth along the ice, threatening to send me back to the ground, and I clung to him. Dallas pulled me closer, holding me against his body until my legs stilled enough that he could trust I wouldn’t collapse the second he let go.
I forced a laugh with him, hoping it sounded convincing as I struggled to get my balance. The muscles in my thighs and calves burned, and I could feel the bruises already forming on my hips from the several connections they’d made with the ice.
“Why did we come to an indoor ice-skating rink again? It’s March. It’s finally nice out! I’m so tired of the cold,” I said, looking around me at the swarming groups of people wearing coats and scarves.
“Ice-skating is romantic,” he said, letting go of me.
I rolled my eyes. “It doesn’t feel very romantic. You know what’s romantic? Long walks in the botanical gardens. We could’ve gone to the zoo or to that new brewery and had a beer on the patio. Why are we here?” I gestured vaguely at the venue that would’ve excited me as an adolescent.
“I thought you’d have fun, babe. How was I supposed to know you’d be so bad at it?” He chuckled again when I scowled. He was right. I was really bad at it.
I shrugged. “I never told you I was graceful!”
“That’s true. Come on, you have to admit this was at least a little bit fun?” He nudged me with his elbow. It wasn’t fun, and the dark bruises that would decorate my skin the next day were proof of that. Dallas was cute when he was excited, though—when his face lit up with childlike happiness.
I sighed and nodded, slowly dropping my arms to my sides and, finally having my balance, I slid my foot forward. As I did, a group of young kids passed on my right. One of them bumped into me before speeding off in a heated chase, and before I could catch myself, one of the teenage boys toting around a hockey stick whirled by me on the left.
I gasped, spinning in a half circle before my knees and ankles wobbled, giving out beneath me. When my ass hit the ice and another pain shot through my hip, I cringed. “Okay, that’s it. I’m done. I’m ready to leave.”
Dallas reached down when I struggled to stand up again, and each time he giggled, I huffed louder. “Babe, babe, babe,” he said with a grin plastered across his cheeks. He held my hands between his, holding my stare with his hazel eyes.
“Don’t babe, babe, babe me!” I huffed, my legs wobbling. When I waved my hands out to my sides to catch my balance, he grabbed onto me. He laughed again, and I gritted my teeth. Relaxing, I looked up at him, pleading. “Can we please go?”
He let go of my hands. “One more lap, come on. I was just finding my groove.” Dallas winked, and I sighed.
“You do it. I’m going to go take these skates off.” Keeping a hand on the wall in hopes I wouldn’t fall again, I slowly made my way off the ice. I hadn’t even made it onto the thin, cheap carpet before Dallas had taken off.
My feet throbbed when I untied the skates and tossed them onto the bench next to me. I laced my boots up, watching as Dallas finished his lap around the rink and took off for another. I knew it wouldn’t be just one lap—it probably wouldn’t be just two either. The uncomfortable rumble of frustration filled my stomach but quickly disappeared when he turned and winked at me from the other side of the room.
The way he skated backward was graceful, and I couldn’t resist staring at the way his muscles flexed even beneath his coat. Dallas was a handsome man; there was no denying it. I had been instantly drawn in by his marble-like eyes and blond hair. He was good-looking, unspeakably rich, and intimidating. He should be everything I wanted.
The bruises on my hips twinged when I adjusted on the bench, and I whimpered. I dug in my bag for my phone, debating texting Mackenzie to come pick me up. It wouldn’t be the first time my best friend had to pick me up, but usually it wasn’t because I couldn’t get my date off the ice rink. I chuckled.
Before I had my phone out of my purse, Dallas made his way up to me. He was graceful walking across the carpet on the thin blades, almost as if it were as natural for him as walking in a pair of sneakers. His grasp on my hand was firm when he tugged me to him, lifting me into his arms and planting his mouth on mine.
His kiss was sweet and soft, and he pushed his tongue past my lips. I hummed against him, wrapping my arms around his neck. Suddenly, I didn’t feel as annoyed about the extra laps. I only cared about the way his muscles flexed while he held me and how graceful he had been leaving the ice and making his way to me. A small shudder made its way through my body.
“Are you sure you want to leave already?” he asked against my lips.
I nodded, laughing under my breath. “Absolutely positive,” I said. I let go of his neck, signaling for him to set me down.
He smirked, leaning down to unlace his skates but not taking his eyes off of mine. “Alright, alright. We’ll leave.” Dallas stood, kicking his skates to the side and stepping towards me. He towered over me, and I tilted my head to look up at him.
