Chapter 13
13
CLAIRE
“ I ’m still a little surprised that we’re on a date,” I said, the words slipping out from my mouth before I even realized it.
Kingston took my hand and raised that very sexy brow of his.
“Really? Considering all we’ve done. You’re surprised about the date?”
I blushed, and ducked my head as we made our way to the check-in of the ice-skating rink. I was not great at ice skating, although Kingston was as he had played club hockey in school, but I was going to try. If I accidentally cut myself or fell or broke a hip, I would just have to deal with it.
The fact that I could even look at the blades on those skates and not have a panic attack meant I was breathing through some trauma at least. Therapy might be helping. Another shocking event for the day.
“We go on dates,” Kingston said with a frown, and I realized I may have said the wrong thing.
“We do dinner, usually at home because we’re both working too hard, or we meet up with our friends when we’re already out. I don’t think we’ve done a full date that wasn’t part of a larger plan. Not that it’s a bad thing. I mean, I’m not complaining. We’re both just so busy. And I like staying home. I like watching movies with you, even if we’re watching them from two separate beds.” My face fell as he continued to frown before he walked away to get us our skates. He went for hockey skates, while I got the figure skates. He knew my size without even asking. Had I told him? Or had he just known?
“Kingston?” I asked softly as we moved our way to the bench to put the skates on.
“I’m just thinking. You’re right. I’ve never taken you out on a date.”
“You have. In just our way. I mean we did start off on a cabin date.”
“That happened accidentally because of a storm.” He scowled once again, before leaning forward to take my chin between his thumb and forefinger and brushing his lips over mine. The sensation was so smooth, so soft, that my toes curled .
“Happy first date then,” he whispered. “And I’ll do better. Because I like dating you, Claire. Because maybe if we actually went on dates, you wouldn’t look shocked every time someone calls you my girlfriend.”
I shoved at him playfully, and unlaced my shoes so I could put on my skates.
“I don’t look shocked.”
“Your eyes go wide, and your mouth drops open, before you stumble your way into agreeing.”
“And you seem perfectly okay with it. You don’t freak out at all?” I probably shouldn’t be asking these questions, especially not in public. But dating was so you could get to know one another. And while I knew Kingston because we had been friends for so long, I liked getting to know this version of him.
“I don’t know, I worry about so many other things, something like being called a boyfriend doesn’t bother me. Should it?”
“I’m not the right person to ask that considering I look like a guppy apparently every time someone mentions it.” I laced up my skates, as Kingston’s shoulders shook next to me.
“More like a goldfish.”
“Jerk.”
“But your jerk. At least according to other people.”
He stood up first, and I did my best to pull my gaze from the way that his jeans molded his ass .
There was just something about Kingston Montgomery that did things to me. But that had always been the case with him, even when he hadn’t seen me the way that I might have wanted before.
He held out his hand, and I slipped my smaller one into his calloused one and let out a sigh.
“I’m really not good at this.”
“Dating or figure skating?”
“Let’s go with both on that answer.”
He let out a rough chuckle. “You’ll get the hang of it.”
“I really don’t think I will. But I can try.”
“That’s all that I ask.”
“That’s asking a lot.”
He kissed my temple, and I grinned, doing that wobbly thing on skates before we got onto the ice. My feet immediately went out from beneath me, and I fell hard on my ass. A couple of teenagers laughed, and Kingston ignored them, leaning over to pick me up without even sliding. The man was diabolical. And I was totally going to fall in love with him for real. That was going to be a problem.
“You okay? I’m sorry I didn’t catch you.”
“We’re at the entrance, if you would’ve caught me, you would’ve had a blade up somewhere you didn’t need to.”
“Well that sounds lovely,” he said, cringing .
“Let’s just get out of the entryway so I don’t embarrass us any further.”
“You’re doing just fine.” He took my hand and set me next to the wall so that way I could hold on.
“Maybe I should have gotten hockey skates.”
“You don’t have the toe pick, but they are a bit easier for me.”
“I feel like the toe pick will just make me fall. Case in point, that incident right when we got on the ice.”
“I don’t think that’s the toe pick’s fault.”
“I would push you, but then I would probably be the one that fell, and I’d hurt a small child.”
“You’re doing just fine. Plus I get to hold you, I think it’s a win-win.”
“Look at you being all smooth.”
“I try.”
“So, you take a lot of dates out on ice skating rinks like this?” I asked despite myself. I seriously could have kicked myself, but then I would’ve fallen on the ice again and I already knew I was going to be bruised from it.
“Yes, just last week I was taking my other girlfriend out.”
“You are very lucky that I know that you’re joking with me, or I would’ve pushed you, my falling be damned.” Not an inkling of jealousy slid through at his joke though, so was that progress? Or was that just denial?
“Okay, I think I’ve got the hang of it,” I said, as I let go of the wall. Kingston held my hand, and when I wobbled, I leaned into him.
“There you go, you’ve got it!” Kingston practically shouted, and I ducked my head, blushing.
“Why are you so good at everything?”
“It’s a gift.”
“You were supposed to be modest.”
“Have you met my family? There’s no modesty in us at all. That’s the whole point.”
“I wonder how long this outdoor skating rink is going to be going for?” I asked. “Maybe I can take the niece and nephew out here.”
“It should be open for a few more months. We haven’t even hit the cold part of winter yet.”
I shuddered since it was actually cold right now. And would probably stay cold through at least March. We had been known to get snowstorms in June before.
“They’ll probably be better at ice skating than me.”
“You’re doing great. Just lean into me. I’ll catch you this time.”
“I love that you qualified it this time. And yes, maybe I’ll bring the kids out, and Hudson too. He needs to get out of the house.”
“He doing okay? ”
I shrugged as we continued around the oval rink. “I think so. I mean, I don’t really know if you ever get over that kind of grief, but more go through it. So it’s always going to be there for him. But he has the kids and loves his job.”
“He’s a talented artist, I can’t wait to actually get my tattoos.”
“Oh yes, you had to postpone it right?”
“For Eddie, and then well, I’m going to continue to wait until we know more about Buckley.”
I squeezed his hand and knew that we were all waiting for news about Buckley.
“Well, we’ll just keep waiting. I want to get a tattoo as well, but I don’t know who to go to. Everyone has such a long waiting list.”
“Are you at least on the random waiting list?” he asked.
“I am. For the Legacy shop. Not the one down in Colorado Springs or in Downtown Denver. But for Hudson’s.”
“Would you have him do your tattoo?”
“Not for this one. I want one around the scar when it’s ready, and I think it would be too much for both of us if it was him.”
“All of them are trained to work with scarred flesh.”
“Thankfully. They’re all great at what they do. So maybe I’ll just go with random and get whoever I get. ”
“So a Montgomery will be doing your tattoo then. Sounds like a plan.”
“You do realize that Nick isn’t a Montgomery, right?”
“He’s married to a Montgomery, best friends to a Montgomery, and works with them. He’s one of us now.”
“That’s a little worrying,” I said with a laugh.
“Yes, but we can’t help it.” We continued around the oval a couple of more times, before my legs started to burn, and we went for hot chocolate. Of course Kingston was fine and didn’t look tired at all.
I was the one that needed a breather, so I was grateful when he spoke first.
“What do you say to dinner?” he asked, as we made our way to his SUV.
“I’m honestly starving, but I think this hot chocolate may fill me up.”
“I think I have a joke about that, but I’m just going to hold back.”
I rolled my eyes. “You do realize that I grew up with a brother, right? I can dirty talk just as much as you.”
“Prove it. Later.”
I blushed and let him help me into the SUV. “You know I can hop in myself.”
“And I like touching you. Deal with it.”
Everything fluttered inside, and I told myself that we were taking it slow, even though nothing felt slow. How about we needed to take it slow? That made a lot more sense.
We walked into a nice American restaurant that had a bunch of different plates that you could choose from, and a cool bar. We ended up in a booth near the back, but we could still see most of the rest of the restaurant since it was a horseshoe shape.
“I love it here. They have the best Korean ribs.”
“They also have a quesadilla on the menu. I don’t really know what mood they were going for.”
“Everything and anything.”
“Well, I’m starving, so let’s share a couple of things? Are you okay with that?”
“Oh thank God.” I laughed as I said it, and he just stared at me.
“A couple of guys that I’ve dated in the past never shared things. They only wanted what they had, and never even wanted to trade bites. And I want to taste everything. And I’m not one of those girls who will just order a salad and then steal all your fries. If I’m going to eat, I’m going to eat, but I also want to try it all.”
“I like leftovers, so anything you want, we get.”
“I don’t mind sharing.”
“Then I guess we’re a perfect pair.”
Again that flutter came back.
After we ordered our drinks, with the Korean rib appetizer in between us, we just talked. About everything and nothing. With both of us going at full speed recently with work and life, it felt nice just to sit back for once.
“I still can’t believe I missed the bear completely,” Kingston said, and I laughed into my drink.
“I didn’t even get to really see it. Only a glimpse of it, then I was shoved back into that bathroom. And that woman was mean.”
“Meaner than the bear?”
“The bear just waddled past and didn’t do anything. Although from the way Phoebe tells the story, she frantically ran and got into the first car she saw.”
“Which happened to be Kane’s.”
“Well, that’s a meet cute, right?”
“Damn straight. And I got to meet you that day too.”
“And you barely even noticed me.”
“I noticed you, Claire. But you were Phoebe’s friend, and I figured it would complicate the situation if I hit on you while he was hitting on your friend. What if it didn’t work out?”
Flabbergasted, I sat back in the booth.
“Are you serious right now?”
“Yeah, and then well, I didn’t know what to say. And Phoebe and Kane got serious, and then they broke up, and things just got complicated. ”
“And I was too nervous to say anything at all.”
“Well now we’re here.”
“And now we’re here.”
We finished our dinner, with both of us eating way too much food, but I couldn’t help it, he’d gotten an extra meal, that way we could indeed try everything that we wanted, and it looked like he would be living on leftovers for the next couple of days. While we waited for the check and our boxes, I blinked when I realized I recognized a couple of people at the table across the way.
“Is that Aria and Travis?” I asked, my voice low. Kingston turned slightly so he could see and nodded.
“Yep. Looks like a double date.”
“But I thought they were dating.”
He shook his head. “No, they’re just friends. Aria might feel something for Travis, but Travis has his head too far up his ass to see.”
I raised both brows at him, but he didn’t elaborate.
Before we could say anything, we got the check, and then packaged up all of Kingston’s leftovers. As we made our way out, Aria waved at us, but didn’t beckon us over. We gave her space, since we didn’t want to make anything more awkward, but something just felt off.
“So where to next?” I asked, my heart in my throat .
“What do you say to dessert?” he asked, again raising that single brow.
“Is that a line?”
“Of course.”
“Okay then, let’s go.”
His eyes widened for an instant, then he leaned over the center console, and brushed his lips against mine.
“Let’s go.”
And dessert might have taken all night.
Who needed sleep when you lived in the moment?