Page 71 of Fear of Falling

The promise in his voice pierced me through the heart like an arrow. I don’t think I’d ever heard a man say something with so much conviction. Like he’d make it his mission to prove me wrong.

At this moment, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him, needing to feel that this thing between us wasn’t just in my head. With this hand still holding my chin I leaned forward, my hands resting on the tops of his thighs.

Wyatt remained perfectly still until I was leaning over him, and my lips were inches from his. Then whatever control he had, broke as he caught my lips with his.

I’m not sure I would ever get used to kissing Wyatt. It was like his lips were meant for mine. The way he went from soft to hard and back to soft with each pass. I could feel myself forming an addiction.

I barely felt the cold of the ice as our lips fought each other. His tongue slipped past mine briefly before he pulled back to nibble my lip.

“Do you know how much self-control I’ve had today, not to kiss you?” he asked against my lips.

“What was stopping you?”

“I was trying to be a gentleman.” He brought his thumb up, swiping it across my lip with enough pressure to drag it with the movement. I watched his eyes darkened as they followed histhumb. He was probably smudging my lipstick, but not a single part of me cared. Not when he looked at me like that.

“Don’t be.” The voice that left me wasn’t one I heard before. I sounded…sultry.

“Be careful what you say lil rebel.” With his thumb still on my bottom lip he pulled it downwards. “I may be a gentleman right now, but there's only so much control a man has.”

25

JOSIE

Iwould have felt perfectly content staying there on the ice with Wyatt. But the cold soaked through our pants, forcing the two of us to get up. Of course, Wyatt had to show off, getting to his feet in one smooth motion, while I flailed around until he grabbed my hands and yanked me up.

Once he knew I was steady on my feet, he skated over to the bench, collecting the hockey sticks and the pucks. I kept my eyes on him, watching for any sign that he’d hurt his knee. When I saw none, I let myself relax a little. Although watching him skate away did little to ease the ache between my legs.

“Be careful lil rebel.”

The words echoed through my head, making me want to do the exact opposite. I wanted to end the date here, go back to my place, and see just how ungentlemanly Wyatt could be.

“Want to try hitting some pucks?” He called over his shoulder.

“You sure you trust me with a hockey stick?” I called back.

“Not planning on hitting me with it are you?”

“With the stick, no,” I laughed. “But I can’t guarantee I won’t hit you with the pucks.”

“I’ll make sure to stay behind you then,” Wyatt joked. He skated back to my side, holding both sticks as he tossed the pucks onto the ice with a thud.

I eyed the hockey stick in his hand, realizing just how big they were. Somehow, I didn’t think they were meant for a 5’5 person. When he extended the stick towards me, I awkwardly held it. Laying his own on the ice, Wyatt skated up behind me.

“You want to put your hands here and here.” He grabbed my right hand and moved it down low on the stick. His fingers curled over mine, having me grip it tightly. “All your power is in your right hand. Gripping it here also gives you the most control,” Wyatt explained, chest pressed against my back as he leaned into me, his cheek softly grazing mine. “Your left hand goes here,” he instructed, moving my hand towards the top of the stick. “Choking up on the stick keeps it from slipping.”

I tried to listen intently; I really did. But the odds were stacked against me. The way Wyatt pressed his body against mine, the way he spoke quietly in my ear, the way he said ‘choking’. It was only natural that my mind would wander.

I really should be ashamed by how many dirty thoughts I’d had about Wyatt today alone.

I was like putty in his hands as he shifted my hands. I vaguely heard him say something about shifting my weight when I brought the stick back, but honestly, it went in one ear and out the other.

“Ready to try it with a puck?”

“Uh, yeah.” It didn’t come out as confident as I’d intended. It was hard to pay attention when all I could think about was whether Wyatt planned to grip my body the way he did the hockey stick.

“Remember to hit the puck in the middle so it goes further.” Wyatt moved a puck in front of me before skating off to the side.I kept my gaze downwards so he couldn’t see that I hadn’t heard a word he’d said.

Fake it ‘til you make it. Can’t be that hard. You can do it Josie.

---