Page 124 of Prized Possession

With each word, Marcus looks more and more vulnerable, and I fall harder and faster. This gorgeous man makes my heart race, and all I can do is pull his lips to mine and show him how I feel with a kiss. I’m breathless by the time we pull apart.

“Thank you for showing me this side of you, but I have to confess, I’ve never skated before.”

He shrugs his shoulders and pulls me towards the entrance. “That doesn’t matter, love, I’ve got you,” he says, and I know he means it.

I’m shocked to find the rink is completely empty, until a sly-looking Marcus confesses to paying the company to close for an hour, so we can have the place to ourselves.

I want to shout at him for splashing out like that, but I’m too caught up in the moment to care.

Marcus walks me through the whole process of picking my skates and putting them on. I’m anxious to even step foot on the ice, and I want to be certain he won’t let me fall.

So he tells me to take a seat ringside, and he then glides out onto the ice, showing me that he can definitely skate.

He moves so quickly I can barely keep up with him, gliding over the ice like he’s been doing it his whole life. He changes direction with ease, and when he starts skating backwards, I smile at him showing off.

When he finally stops in front of me, a thin sheen of sweat across his brow, dampening the hair that’s flopped onto his forehead, the grin on his face makes him look boyish and alive.

He’s more than good enough to support me, and he’d never let anything happen to me.

As I predicted, as soon as I step foot on the ice, I look like Bambi learning to walk. My limbs go in different directions, and I’d have landed on my arse numerous times had Marcus not been there to catch me.

After a few quick instructions, we eventually get to the stage where I can stand on the ice, and Marcus takes hold of my hands, pulling me along with him. I’m not exactly skating, but it feels amazing.

Towards the end, I’m finally moving my own skates, propelling myself forward just a bit, even if I do cling onto Marcus like he’s my life raft. For someone who’s never stepped foot on the ice, I can't stop smiling.

As our time comes to an end, the owner signals that he’s going to reopen the rink, and Marcus helps me off the ice.

It doesn’t take long for the place to fill up with kids, who are all taking lessons. Figure skaters are on one side of the ice, and hockey players on the other.

Grumbling about the influx of people, Marcus picks up our things in one hand and grabs mine with his other.

With our skates still on, he pulls me towards one of the doors just off the rink. It readsPrivate, yet Marcus knows the code to unlock the door.

Once he pulls me inside, I look around to see we’re in what appears to be a private changing room. Lockers line one wall, with benches in the centre, and a row of vanity desks and mirrors are on the other side. There’s a door beside the mirror, which I’m assuming leads to a bathroom.

“What’s this place?” I ask.

“It’s a private VIP changing room. Not many people have access,” he explains, and I roll my eyes at how posh he sounds.

“But you do?”

He simply nods, helping me to take a seat on the bench in the middle of the room. He takes off his own skates before kneeling down in front of me, so he can begin unlacing mine.

What starts as him simply removing my skates, soon becomes more. His gentle touch on my calves and my feet has my heart racing, but it’s seeing him on his knees for me that really makes my head spin.

Marcus becomes aware of my shallow breathing straight away, completely in tune with me.

“Take your clothes off,” he instructs, and my eyes go wide.

“Here? But anyone could walk in.”

“Very few people have access to this room. Besides, the risk of getting caught will only make this more exciting,” he growls.

I happen to agree with him, so why the fuck do I argue?

“But—”

He quickly cuts me off. “If you argue with me, I’ll turn this into a punishment, and won’t let you come.”

---