Page 49 of After Midnight

“Um, you better watch your back tonight because that’s definitely a guy who’d like to feed you to the fishes,” I said, still holding back a laugh. When Dillon looked that way, the man’s glare became even stonier.

“I’m guessing that’s Feldman’s ex. Looks like our plan worked.”

When I looked confused, Dillon laughed and admitted a big reason why Feldman agreed to do the set tonight was to make his ex-boyfriend jealous.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say maybe it worked a little too well.”

Dillon just chuckled and tried to talk me into ditching the rest of my shift to go with him to the outdoor ice skating rink downtown. “You just want to watch me fall on my ass. I haven’t been on ice skates since I was like twelve,” I said, enjoying teasing him.

He looked me up and down, assessing. “I mean, and I say this as an honest friend with complete objectivity, it is a great ass,” he said, completely deadpan.

I barked out a laugh and felt my face heat. “Well, thank you for that, I think. Seriously, though, I like my job and want to keep it. Seeing as I’ve already spent last night and this morning with you, I think you’ll survive a few hours without my undivided attention.” Being the focus of all his attention, however, did make me feel good.

Dillon hung out at the bar until my shift ended, then he approached me again about going to the rink. “So, you can ice skate?” he asked.

“Technically, yes. I took lessons when I was young. But like I said, I haven’t skated in years.”

“Oh, now I have to see you on the ice. You’re a trained skater!” Dillon teased. “Come on, it’ll be fun. After all, what’s wintertime in Denver without at least one night spent at the skating rink? It’s nearly Valentine’s Day and they’ll be closing for the season soon.”

He made a convincing enough argument, so I reluctantly agreed. Besides, what did I have to go home to other than a lonely, empty house? As long as Dillon was with me, I might be able to keep my sadness at bay. I wondered if that had been his main motivation in inviting me in the first place.

“Okay, I’ll go, but I don’t want to stay too long. Work was a killer tonight and my feet are already screaming for a long rest.” As soon as I said the words, it occurred to me how I’d go even if my feet were dropping off, just to be with Dillon.

The outdoor rink was a lot busier than I would’ve thought this time of night. It was mostly couples, and with the low twinkling lights and slow love songs playing quietly in the background, it felt quite romantic. Did I want to indulge in that tonight with Dillon? My heart said yes but my mind knew I still wasn’t in the right headspace. I could still enjoy his company, though, as friends.

I stumbled across the ice for several minutes, clinging to the boards that lined the rink, before I finally found my stride. I skated around the rink a couple times as Dillon watched with a huge grin on his face.

Dillon clapped wildly as I glided over to him, then he kissed me while we stood skate-to-skate in the middle of the rink.

“Sorry, I think I got caught up in the moment,” he said sheepishly, but kept is arms wrapped around me as hand-holding couples skated past. “You’re a pretty amazing skater. Why didn’t you pursue it?”

I smiled sadly. “Papa Eric was into ice skating, and it became our thing when I was a kid. But eventually, life got busier, my sisters came into our lives, and then he got sick. When he died, I lost interest in skating completely.” If I wanted to avoid the wave of sadness that always came when thinking of how much I missed both my fathers, I needed to change the subject. “Tell me more about your dads’ party. Isn’t it some huge deal or something?”

Dillon released his hold on me and grabbed my hand as we merged into the steady stream of skating couples. “Yeah, the gala has become quite the annual event in town, and my dads take that pretty seriously. You should know, it’s a big deal Papa K invited you. He doesn’t just hand those invitations out to anyone.” He sounded serious but there was a twinkle in his eye.

I nodded, remembering how Margarette had been angling for an invitation for months on end. I hoped she hadn’t managed to snag one, lest Dillon’s dads be subjected to her toxic company even for an evening.

“You know I’m not really a part of the elite crowd, right?”

“And I am? Seriously, Dominic, I’m a college dropout turned stand-up comedian. Yes, my parents own a big house and I never had to worry about money growing up, butI’mnot rich and I don’t come from a family of snobs. My dad uses the gala to schmooze his higher-end clients, but I’ll have several other friends there too. Dad always brings in party crashers, mostly to keep it interesting, and Feldman and I will be performing a sketch, so it won’t just be some stuffy party.”

I shrugged, still unsure. I had a bad feeling about the whole thing, but I didn’t want to let Dillon down. I also definitely wanted to spend more time with him.

“Please come, for me. Having you there would make the night a whole lot more fun. And if you play your cards right, I may just ask you for a dance.”

A vision of my dreamy Prince Dillon gliding me across the ballroom flashed in my mind, and I couldn’t help but smile at his real-life counterpart gliding on skates beside me. The guy was being a real friend and one I desperately needed. “Okay, but only because I want to see you in a suit,” I joked before slowing us to a stop along the edge of the rink. “Really, though, you’ve been such a great friend to me. Thank you for that and for tonight.”

Dillon let go of my hand to cup my face, then leaned over and kissed me again. The soft press of his lips felt so intimate, so tender, that my entire body flashed hot despite being outside in the freezing cold. Just as I was about to deepen the kiss, someone crashed into him, knocking us off balance and onto the ice. I landed on top of him, laughing.Could this be more Hallmark?I thought.

“Had enough?” I asked, making no sudden movements to climb off him.

His face appeared as flushed as mine felt, but his expression grew serious. “No. I haven’t had near enough of you.” It’s a wonder the ice rink didn’t turn into a lake then and there given how I completely melted at his words.

Our gazes locked and held. Only when we heard whistling from passersby did I scramble off him and help him up.

We left the rink soon after that, walking side by side with Dillon’s arm wrapped tight around my shoulders. When we reached my parked car, I turned toward him and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. “Thanks again for tonight,” I said into the crook of his neck. “I really needed it.”

“Me too,” he said quietly, his lips brushing the tender spot just behind my ear. He felt so good pressed against me, so strong and sturdy. I could’ve easily stood there forever, snuggled into his cozy embrace.

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