Chapter 14TRAVIS #2
I’m breathing hard as I keep my grip on her, letting her sag against the window from sheer exhaustion.
We stay like this for what seems like hours, but it’s only mere minutes.
When I can finally feel my body again and able to take a normal breath, I slide out and turn her toward me, wrapping my arms around her.
She sinks into me as I feel her heartbeat match mine in a steady beat.
“I think we’ve set a pretty high standard for our first fuck of the year. It’s going to be hard to top that,” she says, her voice muffled against my chest.
“You really shouldn’t have said that. I’m competitive as fuck, and I’m going to make damn sure I win this challenge,” I chuckle against her hair.
“Why do you think I said it? I knew you wouldn’t pass on the challenge. I’m looking forward to you trying to break our record,” she giggles.
I throw my head back and laugh. “God, I love you.”
I feel her grin against me. “I love you too.” Her lips touch the tattoo we share over my heart, and I do the one thing I haven’t been able to stop since I met her. I smile.
“I can’t believe I found the one thing you aren’t good at?” I laugh as my wife hangs onto me for dear life.
“People are not meant to balance on a single blade of steel,” she mutters. “And since when did you become Wayne Gretzky? How did I not know this about you? You were born in Florida, for Christ's sake, not Canada.” Her green eyes find mine when she finally finds her balance.
I grin at my worked-up wife. She does not like it when she’s not good at something.
The competitive part of her is screaming right now.
Today is our last day here, and I wanted to take her someplace fun.
I haven’t been ice skating in years, so when I heard about this outdoor rink in the heart of their small town, I wanted to check it out.
“We still have skating rinks in Florida,” I chuckle. “Our hockey team is kicking ass this year, too, I might add. You watch all the games with me, so I know you love it just as much as I do.”
“I’ve always loved hockey. Maverick and his friends would let me watch the games with them whenever he hosted at our house. It doesn’t mean I can skate, though.” She lets go of me and starts to skate slowly toward me as I skate backward, keeping an eye on her.
“Remember the guy that saved Savi that night at the party? Miles’s best friend?” I watch her brows furrow in concentration with each movement. She’s determined to learn today. I bite back my smile at how fucking cute she is right now.
“Yeah, the one that pulled the guy off of her. I remember you telling me that.” Her eyes flick to mine before focusing on her feet again.
“Don’t look down. It will only make you more unstable.” I lift her chin to meet my eyes. “Just let the skates do the work. Skating is a lot like dancing. Try to relax your body and just feel the movement of the blades against the ice.”
I skate backward and feel her relax a little bit more as she focuses more on the feel of the ice rather than the part of her brain that is focused on falling. A smile lights up her face when she starts to glide more steadily.
“See. You’re a natural.” I keep a hold of her hands as I skate us around the rink.
“Anyway, to answer your question. Miles’s best friend also played hockey.
My brothers and I would go to the rink with him and mess around on the ice.
I learned at an early age to either learn how to skate, or I was going to get pummeled out there,” I laugh.
“Does he still play hockey?”
“He does, and he’s damn good at it. He was captain of the hockey team in college, and from what Miles has told me, he could be drafted to the NHL at any point.”
“We should go to one of his games sometime.”
I glance down and smile when I see how steady her skates are now that she isn’t focusing on them. “He’s up in New York right now, but it could be a fun weekend getaway. I’ll check with Miles and see if we can all plan a trip up there.”
“That sounds like so much fun. I’ve never been to New York. Maybe we could get Savi to go with us? I know she loves hockey, too.”
“Good luck with that,” I chuckle. “She loves hockey as long as it’s not Knox that she’s watching on the ice.”
“What do you mean? He’s the one who helped her that night, right?”
“Yeah, but ever since then, those two have butted heads, and no one understands why. Neither one of them will talk about it, so we just ignore their little attitudes toward each other whenever we get together.”
“Hmmm. Well, maybe I can talk her into going if she has me there with her.”
“Maybe. Just be prepared for world war three if it happens,” I laugh before getting serious. “You’re skating, wildcat,” I say quietly. I dropped her hands a few minutes ago, and her body naturally kept up with me.
She grins when she realizes she’s doing it all on her own.
“I didn’t even notice,” she laughs. I circle her with my skates and watch her glide effortlessly on the ice.
When she picks up speed, I get in front of her again to keep an eye on her if she falls.
My blades match hers as I skate backward, meeting her stride.
I sense it the moment before I see her lose her balance on a turn. I break her fall as she lands on top of me instead of the ice.
“Are you okay?” She peers down at me, and I see her eyes search my body for any signs of injuries.
“I’m okay,” I groan. “Although I don’t remember the ice being this hard as a teenager.”
“Well, I did land on you. Why did you let me do that? You could have been hurt.” She swats my chest and starts to get up, but I hold her in place against me.
“And miss the chance to feel this body against mine?” I tease, seeing a smile trying to escape those beautiful lips. She’s crazy if she thinks for one second I would ever let her get hurt.
“There are better ways to feel my body against yours.”
“Yeah, but how often do we get to do it like this?” I glance up as a snowflake hits my face before more fall behind it.
The lights strung across the rink cast a warm glow on the place, along with the lighted trees surrounding us.
There are only two other couples out here this late at night, and both are in their own little world as they skate close to one another.
I watch Sophia take it all in before her stunning green eyes focus on me.
“It’s so beautiful,” she whispers.
I reach up and swipe my hand across her cheek, catching the moisture of the melted snowflakes. “It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever laid eyes on,” I say quietly, never taking my eyes off of her.
“I think we can both agree on that,” she breathes, bending down closer and brushing back a piece of my hair. She looks at me with such love that it always surprises me, no matter how many times I see it. How can one single emotion make me feel thousands?
Her lips part seconds before they meet mine, bringing us together right where we belong.