Page 24 of Fire and Ice
“No toe over the line.” She smirked. “Not even a traffic ticket.”
“Miss Goody Two-Shoes.” He stood as she finished lacing her skates. He held out his hand. “Or is it Miss Goody Two-Skates?”
She grinned. “That’s more like it.”
It wasn’t long before they were on the ice. She had seen Grady warm up for ice hockey, but that was nothing like the kind of warmups she did for figure skating. Today, he followed her lead, and he was smooth and skilled.
Cool air brushed her face as they raced around the rink. She had never dated anyone who enjoyed any kind of skating as much as she did.
She felt such a connection to Grady that she couldn’t stop smiling. He made her want to smile all the time. A part of her thought that maybe she should be concerned, as if the other shoe might drop. She wasn’t going to think that way. He made her feel so good, and the possibilities on the horizon were endless.
And odd as it was, even though she hadn’t known him that long, he made her feel as if love was possible again.
They were laughing by the time they finished warming up.
“Time to show me just how well your sister trained you.” Chelsea skated in circles as she spoke to Grady. “I want to see what you’ve got.”
He grabbed one of her hands and gripped it as he settled his other hand on her hip. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
She snorted out an unladylike laugh as they skated together, lazily moving around the ice. “You’ve already seen mine. Figure skating that is. I’ve only watched you play hockey.”
“I haven’t seen you play hockey.” His voice was low and teasing. “How are you at playing goalie?”
“Terrible.” She rolled her eyes as they moved. “But I’m not a bad shot.”
He grinned. “You’ll have to show me your stuff.”
“Come on.” She skated backward across the nearly empty arena. “Catch me if you can.”
He chased after her, reaching and then passing her. He skated to a stop at the end of the rink. A moment later, she was close enough to take her hand and spin her. She fell into it naturally and skated out of it in a reverse figure eight.
They skated for close to two hours more, just enjoying each other’s company as they spent time on the ice. Chelsea was amazed by how well they skated together and how well they fit in every way.
The song that had been playing from the speakers ended and they came to a stop in unison.
“How about a little competition? I’ll race you to the far end of the rink.” Grady gestured in that direction. “If I win, Aunt Annie’s after we leave here, and then you have to have dinner every night I have off this week, starting tomorrow, Sunday.” He jutted his chin toward the hockey end of the rink. “All’s clear over there.”
“All right.” She tipped her head to the side. “And if I win, you have to cook a nice dinner every night you’re off.”
“You know I can’t cook.” He shook his head. “Yet another reason to win.”
“If you’re lucky.” Chelsea struck a racer’s pose, Grady beside her.
“Go,” she shouted, and burst away from their starting point.
Cool air brushed Chelsea’s cheeks, her hair lifting away from her face as Grady’s skates scraped the ice behind her a beat or two after she shot from the starting point.
She used her natural athleticism to take control of the ice, even if it was only for a few moments.
Grady moved into her peripheral vision, and she doubled down on her speed. He matched her stroke for stroke. Her muscles burned with her effort.
They neared their finish line, and he moved ahead of her. She pushed herself to go faster as their skates cut the ice, the grinding sound filling her ears.
Grady reached the boards, the barrier, and held up his arms in a show of a champion’s triumph, gliding along the curve of the rink to slow his momentum.
Chelsea laughed as she decelerated and cut a wide circle before she met up with him. “Darn it. I nearly had you.” She was highly competitive, but the loss didn’t bother her. Maybe it was because of the nature of their bet that she didn’t mind finishing behind him.
“Not too bad.” He shook his head. “You’re pretty fast on the ice.” He nodded toward the entrance. “I’m hungry. How about you?”
