Page 65 of Icebound Hearts

Jake looks up when he hears me enter and smiles at me. I hold my hands out and give him a spin. “Well, how do I look?”

“Like you do every time you go to play hockey,” Jake answers, and Kelsey laughs.

“You’ve got me there,” I admit, chuckling.

This isn’t one of the suits I usually wear to the arena on game days, but I wouldn’t expect my little boy to know the difference. But despite my dislike for this entire situation, I didn’t want to let Violet down, so I put enough effort in to make myself look presentable. My jaw is freshly shaved, my hair is neatly styled, and my suit is a dark charcoal gray that I’ve been told complements my eyes.

Jake starts to say something else, but then his gaze shifts to the stairs behind me.

“Ms. Violet, you look so pretty!”

I turn to follow his focus and find Violet coming down the last few steps. My jaw nearly falls open, and my heart feels like it’s stopped. I’ve seen her wearing a lot of different things since she moved in—usually casual, comfortable things that effortlessly cling to her curves—but I’ve never seen her dressed up for a date.

It’s… heart-stopping.

The dress she’s wearing is simple but well-made, a form-fitting black material that hugs her frame and shows off her silhouette, falling to just above her knees. Her soft blonde hair is lightly curled at the ends and spilling over her shoulders like liquid gold, and she’s wearing a deep candy-apple red lipstick in a matte sheen that makes her full lips stand out even more.

“She looks like an angel, doesn’t she, Daddy?” Jake asks, but his voice sounds distant and muffled in my brain like it’s coming through the walls of another room.

I can’t take my eyes off Violet, can’t stop drinking in all the little details about her. Her body is like a study in geometry, an almost perfect hourglass shape that’s all beautiful angles and soft edges.

“She looks like a heartbreaker,” I murmur, then tense up a little when I realize I actually spoke the words aloud.

Violet smiles as she steps off the last stair, one hand still gripping the railing, and glances down. She seems almost shy, which I don’t think I’ve ever picked up from her before, and it makes a protective urge swell in my chest.

“You clean up pretty well yourself, mister,” Violet says when she finally lifts her eyes to meet mine. Her gaze darts over me quickly, and although the look doesn’t linger long, it’s enough to have my heart pumping faster.

“Ready?” I ask, running a hand through my hair.

She nods, and I turn to bend down and kiss the top of Jake’s head.

“Be good for Kelsey, bud.” I shift my attention to the babysitter and add, “I don’t know when we’ll be back, but it shouldn’t be too late.”

Kelsey waves. “Have a fun double date!”

We head out to the car—we’re only taking one, since we’re going to the same place—and I go to the passenger side first and open the door for Violet.

She raises her eyebrows at me, a grin tugging at her red lips. “Wow, you really are a gentleman. I’m not even your actual date.”

I know. Dammit, I know.

Shoving down the frustration that rises with that thought, I hold the door for her as she slides into the car.

After getting in behind the wheel, I start the car and turn the radio on. I set the volume low just to have some background noise—and to give myself something to focus on that isn’t Violet. As the GPS directs me to the restaurant we’ve chosen for tonight, I tap my thumbs restlessly against the wheel.

Violet chuckles softly, and I glance over at her.

“What?” I ask.

“You’re nervous.”

“No, I’m not.”

She arches a brow. “You sure about that?” Then her expression softens, and she reaches over to squeeze my forearm. “I get the feeling, but you have nothing to worry about, Sawyer. You’re a fucking catch, I’m sure your date will love you.”

“Thanks,” I say stiffly, shifting my focus back to the road.

The high-end Italian restaurant we made reservations at, Stella Alpina, is busy as hell when we get there. I hand my keys to the valet outside, and then rest my hand gently on the small of Violet’s back as we make our way through the small crowd of people waiting to be seated.

---