Page 68 of Fear of Falling

He tapped my other ankle, skate in hand, ready to put on. In a blink of an eye, he had both skates laced up.

“How do those feel?” He asked, peering up at me. I wiggled my toes in the skates, pleased to find they fit perfectly.

“They feel good.”

“There,” he said, lowering my feet gently to the floor. “We’ll have you skating like a pro in no time.” The way he tilted his head up to look at me had my stomach erupting in butterflies.

“I’m going to fall on my ass a lot, aren’t I?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “But I’ve got you. I’ll even promise to try not to laugh.”

“Wow, that’s so kind of you,” I said dryly.

Wyatt laughed aloud, and in one smooth motion, he stood up, bringing his crotch directly in line with my face.

Do not stare, Josie. He is not a piece of meat.

Before I could do something stupid, I quickly stood up, only to lose my balance as I felt myself tilt to the side. A muscled arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me upright.

Balancing on thin metal blades is going to be a lot harder than I thought.

“Don’t worry I got you,” Wyatt said from above me. “Just remember heel to toe when you walk.”

Easier said than done.

With his arm wrapped around my waist, we slowly, and awkwardly on my part, walked towards the gate that led onto the ice.

“Why do you guys jump over the boards instead of going through the gate?” I randomly asked.

“Makes us look cooler.”

“Definitely makes you more of a badass.”

“Obviously. Although I’ve fallen once or twice,” Wyatt admitted from behind me.

“Seriously?” I glanced at him over my shoulder.

“Oh yeah. If your skate gets stuck on the other side, you just go flying over and eat shit.”

“Won’t lie to you, that makes me feel a little bit better.”

“You like the image of me falling on the ice?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“If star player Wyatt Boone can eat shit, then it’s less embarrassing when I do.”

Wyatt chuckled again, sending a shiver along my spine. “Want me to fall a few times to make you feel better?”

“It would help,” I joked.

“Come on lil rebel, you’re stalling. Let’s get you onto the ice.”

I stared at the ice spread out before me, my apprehension increasing.

I’m really not looking forward to falling on my ass a hundred times in front of Wyatt.

“Don’t worry, I got you, remember?” Wyatt moved around me, stepping onto the ice and turning so he faced me. “You got this.”

“You make it look so easy and natural,” I grumbled.

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