Chapter 9 #2
He tried to help me, but as soon as he put his foot on the ice, his body was pitched backward.
Which meant mine was as well.
I tugged him forward, but being on skates, I yanked us across the ice by several feet.
His weight pulled me backwards once again.
This time with the momentum from the centrifugal force, the two of us went flying into the air about as ungracefully as a newborn fawn.
The brutal thud as his back was driven into the ice knocked the wind out of him.
The sharp, heavy gasp erupting from his chest was followed by another when I was slammed directly on top of him.
Together, we skidded across the ice toward the center of the rink. When we finally came to a stop, we were both gasping.
The sudden silence was one of those deafening moments.
One leg was bent, my knee pressing against his chest. With every movement, my hips shifted back and forth, which had me grinding into him.
And he appeared very excited to have me in his arms. We didn’t breathe, didn’t say a word, our lips mere inches apart.
The only real movement was the way his cock throbbed against my stomach.
But even that had my body betraying me with a deep, penetrating throb between my legs.
The few lingering seconds turned into something else until both the uncomfortableness of the position and the frigid chill of the ice broke through the ridiculous fog that had formed around the two of us.
Usually, I was much more graceful than the awkward way I crawled off his massive body. With another instinctual move, I offered my hand to help him get up. The way a mischievous grin floated across his face was far too beguiling.
It was a word my mother would use, but she was always prim and proper in both words and actions.
If she’d ever had a period in her life where she’d let loose and sowed her wild oats, every scrap of evidence had been destroyed.
Same for my father, although I knew beneath his sophisticated facade was a reckless man. But I digressed.
Zamboni man was milking an opportunity he didn’t have. I wasn’t interested in getting to know anyone or the complications of dating because that would lead to questions asked that I did not want to answer.
Sadly, my body continued to ignore all aspects of common sense as soon as he grasped my fingers. His palm was warm, not sweaty. The perfect level of heat to add to the already tingling flush washing over every inch of my body.
Given he wasn’t particularly helpful in steadying the weight of his body while I helped him up, the rough jerk, while maybe accidental, pulled me directly into his arms again. This time, he pressed his hand against the back of my head to keep himself steady.
Or perhaps both of us since we teetered and shifted on the ice.
That’s the moment I realized something profound.
“You can’t skate. Can you?”
He appeared sheepish, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed. “Never learned how. Don’t tell anyone.” His laugh was nervous.
“Wait. Hold on here. You’re a Zamboni driver and you can’t skate?”
His shrug and the way he batted his long eyelashes was adorable.
Although if he thought I would feel so sorry for him I’d agree to a date, he was freaking nuts.
“It never dawned on me that I’d need to.
Then I noticed the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life on the ice and I realized what a fool I’ve been.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to take such a delicious creature into his arms, skating under the stars.
” For emphasis, he lifted both arms toward the ugly shadowed rafters, even using an expression reserved for someone who actually did have feelings for another.
I remained as quiet as a church mouse. “Are you finished yet?”
“Did it work? Will you have a drink with me?”
“No, and no. Now, I need to head home.”
“How am I going to reach the Zamboni safely?”
Now was my chance to return to my normally scheduled life. “You’re a big boy. You’ll figure that out.” Before he had a chance to try to entice me again with his sizzling good looks and way too charming demeanor, I made it to the area just beyond the ice. Thankfully, he didn’t try to stop me.
Just before I disappeared from sight, I did the unthinkable. I turned to see if he’d made it safely off the ice.
Watching him struggle, even with boots on, his body swaying back and forth as he slipped caused serious giggles to rush to the surface. He threw his arms over his head, dropping accidentally to one knee with a brutally hard thud.
“Oh,” I hissed, pressing my hand over my lips. The fall was very hard.
He struggled, still flailing his arms as he tried to stand. When his body pitched forward once again, I couldn’t stand to see him fall on his face. Even if the guy had been annoying, I wasn’t that kind of terrible person.
Rushing forward, I caught him just before he was ready to take a dive into the ice.
When I did, the only reason the weight of him didn’t plunge us to the ice once again was the half wall flanking the visitor’s area.
But where the structure stopped us from moving, it also pushed the full weight of him against me.
The blow could be considered crushing for some. For me, I was instantly pushed into a fiery moment where desire was so overwhelming I couldn’t think straight.
With me leaning over the wall, his huge form standing over me, he dropped his head even more until our lips were almost touching. I pressed one hand against his chest, in the opening of his jacket kneading his muscles through the shirt. Breathing was difficult to a point I was close to wheezing.
My reaction was ridiculous, too girlie and too soft, but his aura was overwhelming.
I was certain the man was going to kiss me, but instead, he grinned. “I guess we’ll need to stop meeting like this.”
“I guess we will.” I didn’t realize I’d licked my lips until his gaze lowered to my mouth. His chest rose and fell and I’ll be damned if he didn’t lift his arm as if he was going to touch my face.
But he pulled away, lifting me to an upright position. “Sorry about that. You didn’t need to rescue me.”
Chuckling, I gripped both his arms to steady him. “Apparently, I do. Let’s get you off the ice.” He allowed me to guide him to the observation area where I gently eased him onto a bench where I sat beside him. “You’re not destined to be a skater.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
“What if I could prove you wrong?”
He was certainly one persistent man. “Now, how would you do that?”
As he leaned over, his facial expression turned thoughtful. “You could teach me how to skate. I mean just thirty minutes or so. Then I could practice on my own.”
I’d never had a man come close to begging me for anything before. This was honestly kind of unique and I liked it. While he definitely gave off arrogant vibes, there was also something quite puppy-like about him. A golden retriever center with a wolf exterior.
I liked that.
“A lesson, huh? Now, what would my payment be?”
The consternation on his face was equally enjoyable. “I know. A drink. With me. Just one.”
“I’m not worth more than one?” I walked into that one on purpose. Maybe a lesson would allow me an excuse of having a drink with him. Then he would no longer be a stranger.
His eyes opened wide and when he placed his hand on his heart, I thought for certain he was going to burst into tears. “Oh, I feel the pinprick of your knife.”
“Trust me, buddy. If I wanted you to feel my knife’s blade, you would. Skating lesson for a drink.”
“I think that’s fair. More than fair actually.” The slow and steady grin crossing his face was wider than the ones I’d seen before.
“Okay. One lesson. One drink. That’s it. You’ll be on your own from there.”
“Fair enough. What’s your name? I mean I could call you my fairy princess all night. That fits you.”
“I remind you of a fairy?”
“Well, very gothic music.”
“You’re right. I’m Christine.”
“Hello, Christine. It’s great to meet you.” He threw out his hand awkwardly for me to shake, which I did.
“Do you have a name, or would you prefer I call you Zamboni man? Or Flower Killer. It’s entirely up to you.”
His laugh was more boisterous than before. “Danny. Danny Wright.”
“Well, Danny Wright. Since you work here, you should be able to get your hands on some skates somewhere.”
He thought about my statement and nodded. “Yeah, I think I can manage. Will you wait for me?”
“Sure. Why not?” I noticed a guy suddenly appearing out of nowhere.
“Hey, Mr. Wright. Would you like me to put the Zamboni away for you?”
Danny lifted his head, nodding as soon as he did. “That would be great, Steve. Thank you.”
Steve grinned like the two of them had some huge secret between them. Then Danny returned his attention to me, sliding off the bench. “You’ll be here when I return. Won’t you, fairy princess?”
“Yeah, I’ll be here.”
“Good,” he said then headed toward the door, stopping long enough to twist his body so he could see me. “Very good because if you disappear, I will find you.”
When he disappeared out of sight, I realized that a part of me wanted to see if he’d make good on his sexy little promise.