Chapter 21 Kairo
KAIRO
“You weren’t kidding!” The laughter coming from Devon as she doubles over next to me, clutching her side, might be the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard in my life.
Even with the cold seeping into my back and the scratch of other skaters in my ear passing us by, none of it matters because Devon’s struggling to remain upright with how hard she’s laughing.
“You—” She gasps and flaps a hand in front of her face. “You flew! Like a starfish!” Peals of laughter escape her, and it’s infectious.
Even with my ass throbbing, I grin up at her, slightly dazed from where I landed, and watch as tears of mirth bead her eyelashes.
“Oh my God, I can’t breathe!” A scrape of skates comes dangerously close, and I glance up at Martin who’s arrived next to us. Within seconds, he’s smiling too.
“You good?” he asks with a grin.
I nod. “Ow.”
“Oh, no! Are you hurt?” Devon fights to keep her laughter under control and reaches for me with her good hand. “Please don’t be hurt!”
“Would that make you laugh less?” I ask, taking her hand.
“Maybe!” As much as she tries to contain her laughter, she can’t keep a lid on her giggles and she’s only able to pull me to my feet with Martin’s help.
“You’re hopeless,” Martin says and as he skates away, I get the distinct impression he’s not talking about my skills.
It’s Devon.
I can’t stop watching her as she moves around me brushing off any ice dust that hasn’t melted, ensuring I’m not hurt.
As she stops in front of me, her face is flushed and rosy against the cold and she’s gripping my hand with more strength than I’ve ever felt from her before.
She’s trusting me.
I can’t express how that makes me feel. It’s like light is blossoming inside me and trying to escape with a swell of pressure that just makes me laugh once more. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” She dabs her fingers at her eye. “You spun at least three times.” Another wave of giggles hits. “Come on, lean on me when we go around the corners, okay? And keep your feet pointing out. Each push forward should be in an arc. Like this, try and follow me.”
I try my hardest.
Each instruction she gives me is followed to the best of my ability, but my attention is split between her hand in mine and the beaming smile on her face.
She crosses the ice with a strength and elegance I can only dream of, but not once does she leave me behind.
She’s with me for every skate, every push and slip on the ice.
She even clutches me close by the seam of my shirt when I skate too close to a child.
“You’re doing it!” Devon cheers fifteen minutes later with her fingers threaded with mine and her gaze down on my feet as we skate alongside each other. “Look, you’re doing it!”
One step after the other slowly grows smoother and smoother.
I glide on the ice, and the nerves along my spine only jump occasionally to redirect my posture away from falling backward.
I push my foot out, then weave back in.
Out and then back in.
With each strong movement, Devon cheers while Martin skates easily by with light, mocking laughter.
I might dock his wage.
Three loops of the rink and I think I’m getting a proper hang of it. “This is hard work!” I gasp as we start our fourth loop.
“Do you want to try by yourself?” Devon asks.
“Sure!” My agreement comes easily in case Devon is seeking a polite way to end our contact, although I miss the warmth of her touch when she retracts her hands.
Adjusting her fluffy earmuffs, she skates in front of me and then turns around, drifting backward while watching me. “Come on!” she calls. “Skate to me!”
As if I need any further enticing.
Gritting my teeth, I focus on pushing forward on one leg, then the other.
Her instructions echo in my ear and I fixate my gaze on her beaming smile and her sparkling eyes.
She is my goal.
“That’s it!” Devon cheers, clapping her hand against her cast. “Look at you go! You’re amazing!”
I’m amazing.
Warmth surges through me, unlocking everything else I try to keep in control of.
Appreciation of her.
Desire for her.
The aching urge to take her in my arms and kiss her until she’s trembling and breathless.
It’s all I can think about—
“Whoa!” My thoughts become my downfall, and the ice sweeps out from under my feet.
As I stumble, Devon’s suddenly right next to me and she wraps both her arms around my middle.
“I’ve got you!” She braces down on the ice and uses her body weight to rebalance me.
I have no choice but to clasp her shoulders, and she doesn’t seem to mind, but as we come to a slow stop, she’s trembling.
My heart spikes with worry. “Devon, are you okay?”
My concern melts away the instant she lifts her head from being pressed against my chest and reveals she’s laughing hard again.
“I’m sorry!” she gasps. “Your face was just—” She breaks into peals of laughter once more and pats my chest with her hand. “Come on. You deserve a break.”
It really is the warmest sound I’ve ever heard.
“This is how we count down to Christmas,” Devon explains twenty minutes later as we wander the Christmas market with hot chocolates clutched in our cold hands.
“As a town?” I ask. “Or as a family?”
“Both. For me and my parents, it was never Christmas until the first skate touched the ice. I think that’s a tradition dating back to when my dad used to play ice hockey. A long time ago.”
“Did you?”
“Oh, no.” She laughs softly. “I learned to skate, did a little performance dancing when I was a kid, but that’s all.
” Sighing wistfully, she gazes up at the strings of lights weaving across sky, spun between the lampposts and the roofs of each little stall set up to celebrate the festivities and sell their creations.
“This is my first one in five years. It feels nice.”
She sips her drink, and there’s a flash of something in her eyes.
Unspoken pain.
It’s gone as quickly as it arrived, and I’m left to study her beautiful face as wooden Christmas decorations catch her eye.
“I’ve not celebrated Christmas in years. Not fully since my father passed and before that, I would be out of town on a deal or wrapped up in some fancy soiree my mother organized to seal a deal or persuade someone to make the right choice.”
“Poor little rich boy,” Devon teases, her expression soft.
“Stick around here long enough and you’ll be swept up in the magic in no time.
We have this fair which, if you really want to leave your mark, you should buy something from every stall.
There’s the Yule festival usually held on my street with the bakery, with lots of food and hot drinks. I’m not sure about this year, though.”
It seems that will hinge on her success with the land rights.
“There’s a parade near Christmas where everyone dresses up and leaves presents under the tree in the town square. Those presents are usually donated the day after Christmas. We also do a bakery sale and the school puts on a show. Everywhere you look, there’s magic. My favorite thing, though?”
“Tell me,” I coax gently.
“The lights down here.”
We turn away from the stalls laden with candles, decorations, handmade wax paintings, and more, onto a smaller street where several bare trees line the middle of the path.
Each one is wrapped entirely in bright white crystal lights, making them look more like twinkling icicles than trees.
Above them, bright blue lights stream from one branch to another, connecting each tree in a river of sparkling light.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t it?” She beams up at me. “And it’s quieter with everyone busy at the market so you can walk and just… listen.”
Her eyes close and her hand slips into mine, then we walk slowly down the street.
It’s magical.
Snow crunches underfoot.
The hum of conversation behind us at the fair grows faint.
A comfortable silence drapes over us, broken by our own footsteps, and as we walk, snow starts to fall.
It drifts down between the sparkling lights and the air turns a bite colder, but this place is far too magical for the cold to be an issue.
Slowly, we stop and Devon opens her eyes.
Every star above sparkles in her eyes like they’ve drifted down to kiss her.
Her lower lip shines, her gloss reflecting the lights sparkling all around us, and she looks utterly at peace.
Those dazzling eyes turn to mine and her smile widens.
“What do you think?”
“Beautiful.” Before I can stop myself, my other hand reaches for her jaw and I very lightly curl my finger and place it underneath her chin.
Her head tilts at my very brief encouragement, then I duck and I kiss her.
A snowflake gets caught between our kiss so there’s a nip of cold when our lips meet.
It’s a sudden, reckless decision, but something in me can’t pass up how utterly beautiful she is.
Every part of me craves her beyond my control.
Her soft, plus lips melt against mine and her hand tightens around my fingers.
Devon’s sweet vanilla scent washes over me, invading my every sense as the tart taste of hot chocolate mingles between us.
But just as realization and sense catch up to me, just as I realize how terrible giving in to this urge might be, Devon does something magical.
She steps closer, pressing into my warmth, and she kisses me back with as much care and as much tenderness as I offer her.