Page 38 of Christmas on Ice
I grinned and leaned back in the booth. “I’m usually up for trying new things. And I do love challenges.” And maybe I wanted to impress Kami a bit.
Okay, I wanted to impress Kamia lot.
She smiled back. “We’ll see.”
The pizza was so good, I ate all of it and a quarter of Kami’s. I could tell she was pleased.
I reached for the bill when it came, but she laid her hand on top of mine to stop me. The warmth of her hand on mine sent a jolt of awareness sizzling through me.
“I’m really glad you liked it. Let me treat you?” she asked.
I stared at her hand, still on mine and sending sparks up my arm. Such a simple gesture, but it was having a complicated effect on me. I took a steadying breath before I spoke. “Thank you. Let me get dessert then? Maybe we can stop at that crepes place we passed a few buildings down?”
“I’d love that. And it’s not that cold—we could bring them to the park. There’s a bench by the Christmas tree that’s a great spot at night. The colored lights reflect off the snow, and it looks like a magical wonderland.”
“Sounds perfect.” And romantic. Maybe she’d change her mind about the friends thing.
Outside, Kami tucked her arm through mine again. We strolled lazily, breathing in the crisp, pine-scented air and taking in the holiday decorations and comparing them to outdoor décor back home. Garland-wrapped lampposts, connected by strings of colored lights, lit our pathway to Crepe Suzette’s, a stark contrast to the twinkle-light-wrapped sabal palms in our Lowcountry neighborhoods.
Soft tunes from the 1940s played from outdoor speakers along our route, and I felt like I was on the set of an old Christmas movie. I loved having her on my arm and felt the absence of her closeness when we got our crepes. The bistro folded them in a triangle for easy handling on the go.
“Try it before it gets cold,” Kami urged.
I bit into the warm treat, savoring the fruit inside. “Wow, that’s amazing.”
“It’s my favorite.” She opted for whipped cream on hers, and when she took a bite, it left a puffy white mustache under her nose. I wanted to kiss it off more than I wanted to win our next game.
“Shoot, we forgot napkins,” she said, stretching her tongue up to swipe the whipped cream.
I held back a groan as a flood of inappropriate thoughts rushed through my mind. “You missed some. May I?”
She nodded, and I gently wiped the corner of her mouth. Her full lips were bare and cold, and she shivered despite the warm crepe. It took every ounce of strength I had not to lean down and warm them up with my own.
“Thanks.” She pressed her lips together, and I just continued to stare at her mouth. “You’re staring,” she whispered.
“Sorry. I—I can’t help it.”
Our eyes locked, and we didn’t need words to communicate what we were both feeling. It was clear she felt the chemistry between us. Was she weighing the risk as I was?
Her hand dropped, and she laced her arm through mine again. “Let’s go to the park.”
We crossed over the creek bridge just south of the park. The soft swishing sound of the water flowing over the rocks was soon replaced by the Christmas music projecting from hidden speakers.
“This way.” Kami wove us through the trees toward the massive pine at the northern end. I’d driven by it countless times but never stopped to appreciate it. “Oh good, it’s empty.”
Ahead of us, just to the right of the tree, a wrought-iron bench sat in the warm glow of the lights. Kami let out a happy sigh as we sank down onto it. I wondered if she’d even noticed it was as cold as an ice bath. Our thighs touched, and again my pulse kicked up a notch. I slid away just enough so that we weren’t touching. The cool absence of the heat from her leg through our jeans calmed me.
We finished our crepes in silence, basking in the ambience. Not a moment felt awkward, and I hesitated to speak, fearing my voice would cut into the mood.
I needed a minute to think about being this close to her and staying within the friend-zone rules. I gathered our trash and walked it to the nearest bin. On the way back, I decided it wouldn’t do any harm to extend my arm. When I returned, I took a risk, stretching my arm behind her to rest it on the back of the bench.
Kami leaned her head into my shoulder. “You ever just sit and wonder if you’d followed certain advice, where your life would be right now?”
“Yeah.” I felt that deeply. “But I try not to dwell on it. I don’t want to have any regrets, you know?”
“I have a lot of regrets.” She shifted, pulling her legs up and crossing them on the bench.
“I hope you don’t regret tonight.” I slid my arm off the bench and cupped her shoulder.
