Page 36 of King

“I’m not jealous,” I scoffed.

“Sounded jealous,” Rafferty agreed. “You got something for her?”

“No.” My denial was swift and sure.

“Good,” Rafferty said with a laugh. “Then I’m going for it.”

“The fuck you are,” I snarled, and both men guffawed.

“I knew it.” Rafferty chuckled as his gaze flicked between me and the road. “You really like her. I said you were smitten when you first mentioned her to me, didn’t I?”

I could have denied it, taken more of their shit, and basically told them to mind their own business, but I wasn’t about to let Rafferty call Willa and ask her for a date. She might just say yes, and since he’s twenty-seven, it puts him closer to her age. She might find that more amenable.

So I ended up telling them the truth… that we were going out on a date. I still had to listen to their shit, but it was more of them being awestruck than anything since I’ve never really shown an interest in women when we’ve all hung out.

It was a lot of good-natured ribbing after that and neither one of them said anything about the age difference. Not that they know Willa’s exact age, but they learned enough about her to know she’s an established doctor and would be a bit older than me. The fact that they didn’t give me shit about it means it’s not a big deal, just the way I told Willa it wouldn’t be.

When I pull into the parking lot of our destination, Willa frowns as she sees the sign, reading it aloud. “Steel City Ice Arena. Are we… going skating?” she asks, a hint of bewilderment in her tone.

I park the car and turn off the engine, then look at her with a mischievous smile. “Something like that.”

“Is this place even open?” she asks as she grabs her door handle.

I can see why she’d ask. There’s only one other car in the lot besides mine. “It’s open.”

“Not a very popular place,” she murmurs as we exit the car. I walk to the back hatch and Willa meets me there. When I pop it open, she gasps when she sees her skates beside a picnic basket. My skates are in a dark duffel bag and I unzip it to grab them.

Eyes wide with surprise, she asks, “How did you get my skates?”

I chuckle as I pick them up and hand them to her before nabbing the picnic basket. “I made arrangements with yoursister before I left your house yesterday. She snuck them into my car last night so it would be a surprise.” I grab my own skates with my other hand and hit the button for the hatch to close.

Willa’s expression is slightly bewildered. “This might be the sweetest, most original idea for a date I’ve ever heard of. And so sweet you got Brittany to grab my skates.”

“I know I’ve only got this one shot to convince you to go on another date. I remember you said at dinner on Monday that you still get out on the ice sometimes. I want to see what you’ve got.”

She laughs, shaking her head as we walk to the building. “I haven’t skated seriously in years.”

“But you still have it in you,” I say confidently, using my hand holding the skates to open the glass door for her to enter. “Come on, let’s go.”

We walk inside, and everything is dark except for spinning colored lights above the ice. Willa’s eyes widen again as she takes in the sight. “Where is everyone?” She looks around, awestruck, and then pieces it together. “Did you rent out this entire place for us?”

I grin, feeling a bit proud. “Being a Titan has its perks. We have the rink to ourselves for two hours. There’s a manager lurking around somewhere, controlling the lights and music.”

A romantic song starts in the background, a little cheesy but I’m going with it. “Let’s skate first.”

We sit on the bench by the ice and lace up our skates. Willa looks at me, her eyes sparkling. “This is beyond charming, King. I’m not sure I believe that story you told me that you don’t have experience dating.”

Chuckling, I nudge her shoulder with mine. “I’m a creative guy. And anything worth doing is worth doing well. Now, let’s see what you can do out there.”

Willa laughs, shaking her head, and that long brown hair pours over her shoulders. “All right, but no judging.”

I grin. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

As we step onto the ice, the smooth surface reflects the colored lights spinning around us, creating an enchanting atmosphere. The lilting melody of “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran fills the air, setting a romantic backdrop for our evening. I don’t know if it’s over the top because again… not a lot of experience. But Willa’s smile as she takes it all in makes me think it was the right call.

I watch as she glides effortlessly across the ice, her movements fluid and light. Her long hair flows behind her, her arms held out gracefully, and she looks like she was born to be out here.

“Let me see something cool,” I call out, eager to witness her skills.

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