Page 34 of Faking It with My Bossy Ex

“One last skate, like old times?” My voice soft.

Her gaze drops to the skates, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. It’s like she’s letting herself remember, even just for a second.

“All right. Let’s do this.” A smile fills her face. Back in the day, she used to come to check the pond every day once winter started to see if we could skate yet.

She takes the skates from my hands and hurries over to a nearby bench. During some evenings, they hold skating events and everyone breaks out their skates and has a moment on the pond. The town invested in a couple of benches to make it easier.

She gets her skates on about the same time as I do and we both race toward the pond.

Her laughter echoes around us, hitting me right in the gut. In this moment, it’s like nothing’s changed. It’s just us, like it used to be—back when we thought we were untouchable, and loving her was as natural as breathing.

I hope we aren't too broken to fix.

Chapter 15

Amy

My feet wobble as soon as I hit the ice, arms flailing like a desperate baby bird. Skating is definitely not like riding a bike. Whoever said that never tried to skate after an eight-year hiatus.

I screech as I nearly topple, then manage to right myself. I definitely look like a newborn giraffe trying to ice skate.

When he took the detour to the pond, I thought he wanted to talk, and I never guessed he’d gotten us ice skates. I shake my head. What is his game? Why is he doing all of this?

Speeding up, I take the curve of the pond with only a slight wobble toward the end.

“Look at that!” He hollers from behind me. “You’ve picked it right back up.” He throws himself into his rhythm, catching up. I want to stay ahead, but I also wish he’d catch me.

“First one around the pond five times wins!” He zooms past and I speed up.

“Hey! No fair. You didn’t even start with me,” I protest. He’s not stopping, so I have no choice but to try and catch up.

My skates go faster, sliding across the ice, pulling me forward, pushing me back. It’s a beautiful balance. The wind is cold against my face, and I’m pretty sure I can’t tell where my cheeks start anymore, but I’m winning.

I manage to swish past Dylan, and while he tries to catch up, it’s clear I’m about to pass the lamppost and bring an end to the competition with my fifth lap. He inches closer and I giggle, the excitement rushing through me. The next thing I know, his arms dart around me, holding me close as we spin out of control across the ice in utter chaos but beautiful unison at the same time.

It takes my breath away, and I stare up at him, gasping for air. A nervous laugh escapes me. If we both didn’t know what we’re doing on the ice, they would have been peeling me off the pond in the morning.

“You never stopped skating, did you?” I ask, trying to hide the nervous flutter in my chest. His arms are still around me, in ahalf hug. His fingers splay across my lower back. Too warm. Too close. Too dangerous.

We come to a stop in the middle of the pond, and under the glow of the moonlight, he looks every bit the fantasy I tried to bury.

“No,” he says softly. “I never stopped skating. It always brought me back here.” His eyes trace my face, dipping to my lips, and then back up to my eyes.

“You … can let me go now,” I whisper, though every cell in my body screams for him to hold me tighter.

What’s wrong with me?

He doesn’t budge. Instead, his arms tighten slightly, pulling me just a breath closer. The heat of his body seeps through our winter layers, making me dizzy.

“Being back here with you …” His gaze burns into mine. Those eyes seem to hold every shade of blue and green. My heart pounds so loudly, I’m sure he can hear it.

“Dylan …” I try to warn, but he’s not moving, his expression darkening, a look that threatens to unravel every last bit of resistance I have.

“You’re so beautiful, Ames.” His breath skims my cheek, each word sending sparks across my skin. “You don’t even know what you’re doing to me.”

I want to lean into him, to let this happen, but I can’t. We can’t happen. Not again. I turn away and pull back.

“How about another round?” I pull away with a shaky laugh. “Then we get back to Cozy Haven before they send a search party looking for us.” I take off, trying to ignore the ache that blooms in my chest the moment I’m out of his arms.

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