Page 92 of Escorted

** *

“Whee!” Lori exclaimed in pureglee, sliding over to Ander on the ice. “Did you see me? I didn’t fall once!I’m so much better this time.”

Ander laughedand drew her smoothly beside him. “Much better. I told you you’d be good at iceskating if you’d just relaxed a little.”

Lori gave him alittle frown, although inside she was brimming with happiness. “Just once, I’dlike to see you be wrong about something.”

“Oh, I’ve beenwrong about plenty of things,” Ander murmured, pulling her toward him anddraping both arms around her waist. “I just don’t like to advertise the fact.”

With a sniff, Lorisaid, “You don’t like to advertise much of anything.” She still wasn’t adept atkeeping her balance on her skates while standing still, so she clung to Ander’sshoulders.

Ander’sblue-gray eyes softened, a familiar look igniting as he gazed down on her. “Ibelieve I’ve advertised how incredibly gorgeous you are.”

She felt likemelting, even in the middle of the ice rink. But it wouldn’t do to collapseinto a pile of sap, so she lifted skeptical eyebrows. “You’re stretchingcredibility at the moment. My hair is a mess, my cheeks are beet red, and I’m alittle suspicious of my nose.”

His lipstwitched. “Your nose is red too.”

Lori releasedan outraged huff at this horrifying information and tried to pull away.

Ander wouldn’tlet her go. He laughed and pressed a kiss on the side of her mouth. “I’ve neverseen anything more gorgeous in my life.”

Lori couldn’thelp but laugh too. She gave him a little hug, privately swooning with giddyaffection and tender reassurance. The wounded part of her psyche that hadalways been insecure couldn’t help but bloom at his words.

But she wasn’tfeeling entirely stable on her ice skates, despite the improvements she’d madesince the first time they went almost five months ago.

Plus, she had aplan for the day, and she couldn’t let Ander’s irresistible sweetness distracther from that plan.

So she drewback and started to skate again. Ander easily overtook her. He circled the rinka few times as she went around more slowly. She didn’t mind. She was sure itmust be frustrating for as good a skater as he was to keep pace with her. Andanyway she suspected he might be showing off a little.

He deserved it.She couldn’t help but admire the surety, speed, and strength with which hecrossed the ice. Ander might be as intelligent and experienced a man as she’dever met, but he was still a man.

And men likedto show off.

She was havinga private giggle over this when Ander fell in beside her. He eyed her warily.“Why are you laughing?”

“I wasn’tlaughing.” The lie would have been more convincing had her lips not wobbled.

Ander narrowedhis eyes. “Lori?”

“You’re amarvelous skater,” Lori said, wide-eyed and just a tiny bit exaggerated. “It’sbreathtaking to watch you. If only I could skate half as well as you.”

He wasn’tfooled for a minute. “Fine. I get it. If you want to mock the urge to show off,we can discuss your insistence that we play a certain board game the othernight, just so you could beat me and gloat about it for hours afterward.”

“That wasdifferent,” Lori said, absently reaching over to take his hand despite herindignant tone, “It’s one of the few things I can do better than you. You can’tbegrudge me a little gloating, when you do everything better than poor inferiorme.”

“Stop it.” Andergave her an impatient, sideways look.

“Don’t snap atme,” she said, forgetting her plan in her annoyance. “And don’t tell me to stoplike you’re the boss of me.”

Ander made asudden move, so quickly she couldn’t follow it. One minute they were skatingalong hand-in-hand, and the next Ander had her pressed up against the wall ofthe rink, his body holding hers in place and his eyes intense, almost fierce.“Iwilltell you to stop. I’ll tell you to stop every time I hear yousay something that implies you’re not valuing yourself. You might as well getused to it. Because it’s the only way we’ll be together.”

Lori’s mouthdropped open. She gaped up at Ander, breathless and startled and (absurdly) alittle bit thrilled.

After a stretchof silence, Ander’s fierce expression softened a little. “Lori?” he prompted.

She swallowedhard and managed to speak. “All right. I get that. But I’ll only accept it ifit goes both ways.”

Ander’s lipstightened slightly. “What do you mean?”

---