“You
don’t have to do this.”
“You’re
starting to sound like a broken record there, Gallagher.”
Shane
didn’t care. He held firm to Eden’s arm, balancing her as
they made their way to the homemade ice rink in the
backyard.
“I’ll be
fine. Honest.”
Even
though a grin sparkled in her eyes, Eden’s earlier
trepidation when he mentioned skating at Rockefeller Center
concerned him. Added to the fact she wore an old pair of
men’s hockey skates instead of a better fitting lady’s
skate, he planned to stick close—very close. How would he
explain returning a bruised and battered fiancée back to
Brad?
The
bruised and battered part wasn’t pleasant—neither was the
returning part. Not a thought he was willing to dwell on at
the moment, especially when he had more important things to
take care of.
Shane
stepped onto the ice first. There wasn’t a winter day in
his childhood memories and beyond that didn’t have half the
neighborhood out here skating at the homemade ‘Gallagher
rink’. All his siblings, sisters included, grew up in
various hockey leagues.
Holding
her securely, he stepped over the short rim. “Okay, watch
your step here. Hold onto my arm and...whoa!”
He
grabbed for Eden as one of her skates slid out from under
her. Keeping his own balance was a chore as they danced a
farcical pirouette. Her laughter bounced off the glass
surface, crashing like a body check into his chest. He
ended up on his back with Eden clasped atop his chest, her
infectious giggles fanning his chin.
“Sorry.
I caught my toe on the rim.”
Her gaze
sparkled down at him. The tip of her tongue darted out to
wet rose-colored lips as her breath warmed his face.
Cold
seeping into his back brought him back to reality. The
reality that she was a taken woman. Taken by his best
friend.
For the
only time he could remember, Shane was honestly jealous of
Brad.
This was
a bad idea.
Carefully, he disentangled himself and got them to their
feet. “Look, we should go back inside.” Where he could put
a table or, better yet, a whole room between them for
safety. His or hers, he couldn’t be sure.
“No,
please. I’ve got it now, see.”
She let
go of his arm and stood alone. He kept his hands at the
ready even though her balance seemed much better. In fact,
she looked remarkably relaxed.
Eden’s
gaze danced to the others practicing their slap shots. “Do
you have a stick I could use?”
“Whoa
there, Gretsky,” Shane chuckled. “Let’s get you skating
first before you try your hand at a stick.”
“What?
You mean like this?”
He
grasped at empty air when she suddenly pushed away to slide
smoothly backwards. A mischievous glitter twinkled up to
him as she swayed her hips, propelling herself faster.
Before he could say her name, Eden skidded to a stop and
returned to him all in one fluid movement, ending with a
small spray of ice shavings over his own skates.
Why
that little...
Crossing
his arms over his chest, he narrowed his gaze. “I thought
you said you can’t skate?”
“Can’t
skate? Can’t skate? Nope, I don’t recall actually saying
those words,” she mimicked. Eden zipped around him in a
circle, her laughter trailing after her like fairy dust. “I
believe what I said was ‘it’d been a while’. Years in
fact. Guess it is like riding a bike after all,
huh?”
When she
stopped, Shane took his turn, unable to stop himself from
assessing the snug jeans under the ski-bunny attire as he
slowly circled her. “What other tricks do you have up your
sleeve, Ms. Rossi?”
“Wouldn’t
be much fun if I told you all my secrets, now would it?”
He slid
off to the far side and retrieved two hockey sticks. “All
right, Red. Let’s see what you got.”
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