Page 51 of Second Chance Christmas

“It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.” He gave the other foot the same treatment and while she laced up, he did the same for his own.

“Ready?”

“To die a horrible death of embarrassment and fall flat on my face with witnesses.”

“I’m the only one here.”

“Yep! And Max. You’re forgetting our furry friend.”

Hearing his name Max barked from the gazebo where he was nice and dry out of the snow. “I’m sure he won’t talk and my lips are sealed. Trust me?”

He extended a hand.

As soon as their blades hit ice he marveled at the total throwback. Her long brown hair furled in the air and the more speed she picked up, the more relaxed she looked. Within seconds her body moved with the flow, all the stiffness he’d witnessed in her moments ago melted away to the woman beneath all the strain.

“I forgot how good this feels.” Laughter filled her voice as she spun, twirled and danced on the ice.

She swung his way and grabbed his hands. They glided in unison and for a brief moment, nothing else existed. Just him and her.

“In Seattle, you forget how peaceful it is here. How much I used to love the pure sound of nature. No motors or horns. Angry drivers.” With her arms out and head thrown back, he looked on as she spiraled.

While he was busy mulling over how to ask her out on that dinner date again, she slowed and raised her head to peer at him from beneath long lashes.

“You get so swept up in the bustling of the city and don’t notice what you’re really missing.” She looked around, taking in the peaceful lake locked in winter’s grasp.

His cheeks stung from the cold and he could see the same for Ivy but it didn’t seem to bother her. She reveled in it as he did in having her close.

“So tell me more about this Christmas tree farm?”

“What’s there to tell? Jace and I wanted to have a farm for a long time. We talked about it if we ever settled down somewhere. California or here. We weren’t sure, to be honest. We loved the woods, trees. I think it’s what pushed us into being firefighters in the first place after college.”

“What’s stopping you now? Or are you still wondering if Dixen is your last stop.”

“No debate there. Just not sure I want to do it alone.”

Ivy skated over to him and took his hand. “I know the feeling.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and the soft scent of summer hit him again. “Sort of. Feeling alone. It’s not such a good thing. But maybe it’s something Jace would want you to do. If the Christmas tree farm is meant to be, it will be. When I talked to Jon the other day, he told me to believe in miracles. Christmas miracles to be exact.” Her nose scrunched up as though the thought completely perplexed her.

She went to move forward and he intended to follow but at the last second, she changed her mind.

“All I’m saying is that you never…ohhhh…”

Her abrupt turn around caught him off guard. He came nose to nose with her and then ass to ice. The frozen surface did nothing to cushion their tumble as their skates locked together and took them down faster than rocks in a mudslide. Her weight landed on him as he pulled her to his chest, shielding her from the fall.

Sprawled on top of him, they locked gazes and she leaned in close enough to kiss. “Are you all right,” she whispered frantically, her lips a mere inch from his.

He nodded, as his hands trailed up her arms and buried in the long tresses. “You?” he countered, unable to stop the force that brought her lips to his, her leg to slide over him. He gripped her hips and brought her closer. Close enough she could feel what she did to his cock just by being near him. By the sound of her gasp and groan he bet the little bead between her pink pussy lips throbbed, demanding attention.

“Chief, you’re needed in town as soon as possible.”

Radio static rent through the peaceful silence. Damn. His brother had the worst timing of all. In the fall his radio had come unhooked and now lay beside them on the ice.

Ivy pressed her hands against his chest and pushed herself up. He stood and helped her the rest of the way up. As he retrieved the radio, she skated back to the bench and started to unlace.

Without looking at her, he could feel her shield slip into place and his gut told him not to push her too hard, too fast. “Copy, home base. Heading that way now.”

He sat down beside her and made quick work of switching out his skates for his boots.

“Thank you for today,” she said, turning to him. “I totally owe you for that. The help with the B&B I mean. Not the…

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