Page 50 of Grumpy Darling

“Just get on the ice, Paige.”

“Okay. Okay,” I grumbled. “I’m coming.” He could be so stubborn when he knew what he wanted.

I took his offered hand, knowing I was far more likely to stay upright if I kept close to him. It’s not that I was a bad skater, but I didn’t get out on the ice as much as I used to, and I really was feeling slightly dizzy after last night.

“Let’s just avoid going near Cammie,” I said as we set out. “Watching her spin is making me feel ill.”

“Are you really that bad?”

“Only when I breathe.”

Gray let out a low chuckle. “How about I distract you?”

“Okay, how?”

He answered my question by spinning around in front of me so he was skating backward while holding both my hands. It was definitely distracting, especially when he gave me a cautious smile. Gray’s smiles were hard-earned, so whenever he looked at me that way it sent a cozy warmth spreading to every point of my body.

“Is your pretty face the distraction?” I asked. If it was, then I had to admit, it was seriously working.

His smile lifted a little more. “You think I’m pretty?”

“I think I was promised a distraction and you’re not holding up your end of the bargain.”

Amusement danced in his eyes. “Okay, why don’t you tell me more about what this whole coaching thing involves? That should take your mind off things.”

“Oh, that...” I scrunched up my nose. It had seemed like a brilliant idea last night. Now, in the all-too-bright light of day, I wasn’t so sure. Especially not when I was rethinking my whole stance on first kisses. Was it too much to get Grayson to help me with more than just a little harmless flirting?

“Bonnie’s first kiss was in a tree house,” I blurted out.

Gray tilted his head and his brow furrowed with confusion.

“Violet chose the wrong guy and got a cold sore.”

“Okay . . .”

“Even Parker’s first kiss was sweet.”

He stopped skating, pulling me to a halt with him. “You’ve been talking about kissing with Parker?”

“For like half a second.” I shrugged the question off. “But I’ve been thinking, perhaps I don’t want my first time to be some meaningless kiss at a party. I want it to be more special than that. I want to feel sparks with a guy. I want there to be fireworks. I want to be asked out, to get dressed up and taken on a date. I don’t want a cold sore. I want that...” I gestured across the ice.

Grayson followed my gaze to where Violet and Reed were still sitting on the bench. Even from here you could see the natural chemistry between them as they laughed together. The two of them were magnetic.

When Grayson glanced back at me, he looked even more confused. “You want my brother?”

“What? No!”

“You want Violet?”

“I don’t wantthem.” Clearly I was going to have to spell it out. “I want what they have. I want that chemistry. And I want a kiss that stems from more than a couple of shots followed by some awkward giggling.”

“And how exactly do I help with all that?”

“Well, I’m certain you can help me with the flirting after your performance last night,” I said. “But I need to practice more than just flirting if I want to pull this off. I’ve never been asked out, so I clearly don’t know how to catch a guy’s attention. And I have no idea how to act on a date. Not to mention I’ve totally lost all confidence after my string of embarrassing rejections.”

“Uh, anything else?”

“Yeah, Bonnie says I need a makeover.”

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