Chapter Six #2
The moment I turn the corner, I suck in a breath.
It’s magical. From the soft yellow lights strung from one pole to the next, to the snow falling in thick flakes down on the couples skating hand-in-hand around the oval rink.
There’s a small hot-cocoa stand with an antique sign proclaiming its fresh cocoa for only fifty cents.
The soft Christmas lyrics mingle with the laughter coming from the couples.
The smell of freshly roasted chestnuts wafts through the air, combining with the smell of the beautiful pine trees coated in snow. It’s picturesque.
As my eyes scan over the scene, that’s when I spot him, leaning against a post watching the couples go by. The breeze ruffles his dark hair, his white scarf peeking out from beneath his coat as he watches the skaters with the same silent, melancholy look he wore outside of Macy’s.
His head snaps in my direction before I can even think to hide behind Mr. Frosty and use him for emotional protection. Shit, why does he have to be so damn beautiful? How am I supposed to stand next to this man and not feel like a sack of rotting potatoes in the process?
A grin spreads across his face as he takes slow, calculated steps towards me.
I’m feeling a bit more like prey as that smile turns knowing, almost lethal in its disarming abilities.
I’m frozen in place, a deer staring at the bright headlights barreling towards it with zero ability to move.
I’ve always wondered why they didn’t just jump out of the way, now I know.
It feels as though every muscle in my body is locked like a coiled spring compressed down.
Between the combination of nerves, the biting cold, and the betrayal of my libido, I do nothing but curl into myself as he stalks towards me.
I’d run if I could. Who am I lying to? I want him to sweep me off my feet and show me exactly what those muscles are built for.
But, I can’t help the nagging feeling this isn’t real.
He closes the distance in long, confident strides, and suddenly he’s there—his warm hands enclosing around my arms, the heat seeping through the layers, and down into my soul.
“You made it,” he breathes, that dimple flashing as his pearly white teeth gleam.
“Barely,” I laugh breathlessly. “My insecurities almost convinced me I dreamed you up and that I’d show up to an empty park.”
His gaze sweeps over me, lingering a bit too long on my chest pressed against his. My breath halts as his eyes darken. What’s he thinking about?
“I’m glad you won the battle and decided to come.” His voice dips, his pupils blowing as he leans closer. My pulse shifts into overdrive when he pulls me even closer, bringing his lips to my ear. His beard tickles against my cheek as he says, “You look like Christmas came early this year.”
Holy mother and sweet baby Jesus. My legs almost give out on me. If I make it through this date without making a complete fool of myself, I’m buying that Christmas dress I’ve been eyeballing at work for weeks now.
He leans back, lifting the skates into the air beside us. He twists them from side-to-side as if he’s offering me a crown and not a guaranteed trip to the emergency room. “Ready?”
I lean to the side, glancing around him at the perfect couples skating gracefully around the rink.
Men are spinning the women around and laughing as if there aren’t literal blades underneath their feet or ice thick enough to stand on.
“Ready is a really strong word. I’m leaning more towards emotional available to the idea of ice skating. ”
He chuckles as that damn grin spreads across his face again. It should be outlawed, criminal offense, really. “Don’t worry, Berry. I’ve got you.”
Oh, sure. That really enhances my confidence on this date. So, I’m going to look like an idiot, and he’s going to have to save me every five seconds. Wonderful.
His hand runs down my arm, each of my nerve endings firing at a rapid rate just knowing how close he is to us.
His hand wraps around mine as he leads us towards the rental benches.
Every brush of his thumb along the back of my hand sends heat up my arm and straight to my very active imagination.
The one that has already started the storyline that we are back at his place and there isn’t clothing between us.
He doesn’t hesitate or even ask the words aloud.
No, instead he bends over, hooking his hand around the back of my calf as he waits for me to confirm it’s okay.
Swoon. He’s got the looks and the manners?
Whoever raised this man needs a serious trophy of accomplishment.
After I nod my head, he brings my leg over his lap and unlaces my boot.
Slipping it off, he slips on my skate, and laces it with the type of practiced ease that only comes from years of doing this.
I watch in fascination as he finishes my other foot and laces his own.
The ease in which he stands up has me narrowing my eyes. He’s a little too good at this. Is he a professional ice skater, and does he think it will be hilarious to take out the newborn reindeer to see how well she can skate on shaky legs?
“Comfortable?”
I stare at him, brain somewhere between Cinderella and how do feet work again? “Yeah, I’m totally comfortable and not feeling like a newborn giraffe trying to figure out how legs work.”
His lips twitch. “You ramble when you’re nervous.”
“Yeah, well, I won’t lie and say I’m not nervous. You already are excelling at this, and we are only standing.”
He looks down at me, eyes gleaming with mischief. “I won’t let you fall.”
“Fantastic.”
He offers me his hands and pulls me up—as if I weigh nothing more than a bag of feathers. My knees wobble the second all my weight and height are balanced on the thin blades. Yeah, I already see a hard fall in my future.
“Alright, you are going to walk the few steps from the bench to the rink. Think of yourself as walking in high heels. Just the toe of the skate needs to touch the ground. I’ll be right here the whole time.”
“You’ve clearly never seen me walk in heels if that’s your best suggestion.”
I follow his horrible suggestion, doing everything I can to walk only on the toe of the skate, but the best I can offer is a fast wobble as I cling to his arm for dear life. We made it though, thankfully no injuries have happened…yet.
The second my skate hits the ice, it shoots out from underneath me, and Ryatt pulls me quickly back to his chest as he perfectly balances on his skates as if they aren’t underneath him.
“Whoa!” I shriek, grabbing onto him. My hands land squarely on his chest, which is, for the record, entirely unfair. Firm, warm, broad. Perfect for hugging. Or falling against. Or both.
“Easy now,” he murmurs as he guides me to standing a little more by myself. “Lean into it, feel the movements as they come.”
I huff indignantly. “What I feel coming is a crash against the ice and my fingers gone for good.”
He chuckles low in his chest and the sound vibrates through me, tickling my senses. “Do you trust me?”
That’s the thing, isn’t it? I already do. I trust this perfect stranger more than I’ve ever trusted a man in my life, outside of my Pa.
“Yes,” I say, the word puffing out of me in a cloud of fog.
He nods his head curtly. “Good, now we are going to take this nice and slow. Don’t worry about the other couples. It’s me, you, and our little bubble.”
He glides us forward, guiding me step by step.
His movements are effortless and fluid. Somewhere between an amateur skater and the pro’s who are paid to do it.
Me? Yeah, I’m either as stiff as an old man walking or floundering like a fish out of the water.
There are zero things graceful and poised about me right now.
But even with all that happening, he doesn’t take his eyes off of me or skate away in embarrassment. No, instead he’s right here letting me cling to him, likely putting nail indents into his bicep, but he keeps smiling and encouraging me.
“See? You’re getting it.” He says, pride beaming from him. He’s far too confident about my skills as I cling to him like my own personal life raft.
“Sure,” I pant. “If the goal is for wild goose instead of swan lake, then I’m definitely nailing it.”
He spins me in a circle, the laughter bubbling out of me as the world blurs.
Colors, lights, and the people all blend into a kaleidoscope of colors.
When he stops me, I’m pressed against his chest, one of his hands pressed firmly against my lower back, and the other pushing one of my amber curls away from my face.
“Ryatt.” I breathe out, my eyes flicking between his. For the first time tonight, I don’t think about anything other than him and us.
“Hmm,” he says as he leans closer, his nose almost touching mine. If I just barely stood up, I’d get the kiss I’ve thought about since I saw him this morning.
“If you tell me that you are secretly a professional skater, I’m walking into traffic.”
He grins, the corner of his lip slowly lifting as he leans closer. My eyes cross as I watch him move his head from side to side, grazing his nose against mine.
“Let’s just say…” he leans back, his eyes twinkling in the lights. “Balance runs in the family.”
Before I can even think of a witty comeback, a blur of a neon scarf and flailing arms comes into view just as a kid screams “watch out.”
Faster than I can even process, Ryatt whirls me around guarding my entire body with his, taking the full blunt of the hit. But that isn’t our last problem, nope that comes when I feel myself falling backwards. Even with him taking the hit, the momentum knocked my skates out from under me.
In slow motion I feel myself falling towards the ice and I fear my concern from earlier is about to come true. Bracing for impact I slam my eyes shut, squeezing them tightly as I wait for the thunk and the pain. But it doesn’t come…how long does it take to fall?