4. Parker
The ice isempty this late at night. It would typically have some maintenance happening, but Erik and I visited them earlier and had a little chat. It”s amazing how receptive people are when you tell them you need something for a romantic date. The crisp Franklin slipped into his hand helped, too.
The ice is quiet with no crowd. It”s haunting, the bright lights dim, the seats empty. Even the air is colder, the body heat of thousands no longer warming it.
”Wow. It”s a lot nicer when there”s no one here,” Sofie observes.
”I figured you would like it more like this. Crowds aren”t your thing, right?” I smile at her.
She smiles back, a rare treat. Her camera is hanging off its strap by her side as I help her tie the laces of her skates. Sofie doesn”t skate, but I told her she needs to be on the ice to get the shots she wants.
Even if it doesn”t work, this is just phase one.
”People aren”t my thing,” she corrects with a smile that could melt the ice. ”They”re loud and noisy. So many moving parts. My brain isn”t a quiet place to begin with, but people make it worse.”
I kneel down in front of her, taking one slender ankle in my hand.
”Even me?” I ask easily.
She bites her bottom lip as I tighten her laces. With me kneeling and her sitting, we”re perfectly at eye level. Her eyes draw me in, and suddenly, I can”t think, can”t breathe. They”re eyes that are constantly laughing at some clever joke that no one else knows.
I desperately want to know the punch line.
”No,” she whispers. ”You quiet my thoughts.”
The moment is suddenly tense. I want nothing more than to lean forward and kiss her, but I don”t want her to run off again. Especially in skates.
”Come on. Don”t worry, I won”t let you fall,” I pull her hand as I stand, tugging her off the bench and out onto the ice with me.
Sofie flashes me another smile— and then Promptly slips.
Her forward momentum sends her crashing into me, but I”m ready. I wrap my arms around her, catching her and holding her steady. Her full figure molds itself to my body, her breasts pressing against my chest in a way that makes me want to burn our clothes and become nudists.
”Easy. There you go. Just follow my lead, alright?” I ask.
”Don”t let go,” Sofie”s eyes flash with fear as I separate from her.
I give her hand a squeeze. I can still feel the warmth of her skin, the feel of her hand in mine intoxicating. Let go? I would sooner die.
”Don”t worry, you”re safe with me,” I tell her, smiling over at her.
”It”s not my ass I”m worried about, it”s my camera. These things aren”t cheap, you know,” she says, using her other hand to shift it around and hold it up.
”Strange, my priorities are the opposite,” I grin as I kick off, building up a little more speed.
She blushes but doesn”t comment. For a few minutes, we just glide around the ice. Sofie slips a few times as she learns how to shift her weight on skates to turn, but I”m there before she even knows she needs help.
”This isn”t nearly as hard as I thought it would be,” Sofie observes after a few laps.
”Try it with five gorillas trying to smash your brains out,” I fire back.
”Sounds awful. Ice skating, I can enjoy. I”ll leave the hockey to you, though,” Sofie says with a grin.
”Alright, I”m going to let go of your hand now. You wanted a few shots, right?” I ask, reaching down and gripping the hem of my shirt.
”Uh,” Sofie stammers as I pull my shirt up and over my head. ”Yeah. Not sure if Payton will be able to use these for social media, though.”
”Who said anything about Payton? These are just for you,” I flash her my best sexy smile as I skate away backward.
Sofie is beautiful when she blushes. The pink flush creeps up from between the peek of exposed cleavage, climbs her throat, and settles on the apples of her cheeks. Much deeper than her skin— Sofie blushes with her entire body.
I want to strip her down and follow that blush as it spreads all the way down.
”You don”t have to pretend like you don”t enjoy looking. I like it, you know. I”ve always performed better with an audience,” I say.
Sofie is standing in the middle of the ice as I literally skate circles around her, never turning my back on her. She”s watching me, but I”m determined to watch her right back.
”See, that”s crazy to me.” Sofie”s incredulous tone is punctuated by the constant shutter clicks of her camera. ”What if everyone sees you fall on your ass?”
She tilts her head, snapping another shot as I skate past. She nearly lost her balance before righting herself quickly. Her fingers are a blur as she focuses and adjusts a million things at once.
”Just makes me work harder not to fall, or fail, or miss my shot. Unless pretty little dark-haired voyeurs are flashing me,” I tease.
She peeks out from around her camera and bites her bottom lip.
”If I really flashed you, you”d die, hot shot,” she calls back.
Sofie”s eyes widen. She looks surprised at the words coming out of her own mouth.
I cut my circle in half, skating up close to her and stopping with such intensity that I send a spray of ice at her.
”I”m on to you, Sofie,” I lean in close, watching the way her chest rises and falls with her every breath. ”See, the way you tease and hide behind the camera? It might work on everyone else, but you can”t push me away.”
Her eyes grow wide as the camera drops to hang limply in front of her.
”At first, I thought you were just a shy little voyeur, but that”s not quite right, is it?” I”m close enough to feel the warmth of her breath now. ”You like showing off, don”t you, Sofie? But you”re selective about your audience. You want to be watched by me.”
She looks completely lost for words as I lean in even closer. Her breath fogs the cool air around my face.
”Asshole,” Sofie mutters, but her eyes are half-lidded, looking up at me with anticipation.
”That”s not a no,” I whisper back.
Then I kick off with a laugh, sliding away from her and putting distance between us.
”Alright, maybe it”s true. Not all of us have talents that are good for showing off. Not everyone is comfortable being the center of attention. I”ve never had anything but pain from that,” Sofie crosses her arms, glaring at me as she shivers.
Damn. Alright, it”s time to move on. Navigating Sofie is like crossing a minefield. You never know when you”re going to step on something and explode.
”Give me a chance, Sofie. I promise I won”t hurt you. Well, not unless you ask me to,” I give her a teasing smile.
She rolls her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitch up. She”s fighting a smile.
Oh, my little voyeur likes it rough.
”Fine. But this ice is pretty cold, and I did not wear the right outfit for this,” Sofie says.
I grab her hands and begin to tow her away from the ice.
”Give me a little credit, would you, Sofie?” I pull us toward the edge of the rink. ”Any bozo could clear a stadium and take you on the ice. There”s more to this date than just a little skating.”
We settle on the bench, comfortable silence stretching between us. Sofie pulls her shoes back on almost as quickly as I do. When I reach for my shirt, her hand closes around my wrist. Her eyes are dark with heat.
”Leave it,” she says after a beat. ”I like looking at you.”
Fuuuck.
I want to take my time with Sofie, but she”s making it hard— making me hard. The way she nibbles at her plump bottom lip turns me on so fucking much. If she keeps it up, I might not last until the end of this date.
”Alright, but no more pictures. Leave the camera here, alright?”
Sofie frowns but slips the strap up and off her shoulder. She sets it on the bench beside her, a million thoughts chasing across her big brown eyes.
”I still need a picture of you I can use, you know.” Sofie”s brow knits together, even as the corner of her mouth quirks up. ”I don”t think any of the ones I just took are going to cut it. It would be hard to sell Payton on them anyway.”
I take her hands and lead her over to the stairs.
”Trust me, Sofie,” I watch the words sink in. ”You wouldn”t be able to use any pictures tonight anyway.”