It was the Rockefeller Ice Rink. A place I’d successfully avoided since my first year here.
He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me out of the carriage. “No time to back out now—we’re already here!”
I was about to protest but stopped short at the look on his face.
I didn’t know what to do with this new light-hearted, boyish side of him. I was utterly smitten, and utterly bewildered all at the same time. Long gone was the man who sat with perfect posture in board meetings, leveling the competition with his piercing gaze. Gone was the man who’d turned his back on me in the hallway, and left me to fend for myself amidst the office rumors. This Tom...was something else altogether.
I followed him cautiously to the edge of the partition, glancing nervously at the people whizzing by. While I liked to exercise and was up for most anything physical, something about flying around with blades stuck to my feet had always made me pause.
The side of my face suddenly warmed as he brought his lips down to my ear. “Please, please tell me that you’ve never ice-skated before,” he murmured.
My eyes narrowed indignantly. “Why would you wish that on me?!”
He chuckled and grabbed me up in his arms. “Because I want you to hold onto my hand the whole time.”
My heart stuttered and stopped in my chest. What was happening right now?!
“I also kind of want to see you fall...”
“Hey!”
Before I could turn around, he started tickling me mercilessly in the sides. I shrieked with laughter and fell back into his arms just as we neared our place at the front of the line.
“Two skates, please,” Tom asked cordially.
The man gauged our sizes with an expert eye and handed them over the counter, accepting Tom’s generous tip with a smile. As we headed over to the benches to put them on, I cast another wary glance out at the rink.
Just what I wanted on Christmas morning. To fall on my ass in front of the entire city.
“Hey,” Tom’s voice caught my attention; he was giving me a soft smile, “I’m not going to let you fall. Promise.”
I nodded quickly and took his hand as we got to our feet, walking awkwardly to the edge of the ice. A pair of fast-paced teenagers whizzed by and I leaned back into him.
“Can’t we just go around in the carriage a while longer? The horse is really growing on me...”
“You’re going to love this,” he squeezed my hand and winked, “I promise.”
A gentle hand nudged my back, and before I knew it, I was out on the ice.
I can honestly say that it was exactly as terrifying as I’d always imagined. The world blurred away as I looked down at my shaking feet with something close to tunnel vision. My arms careened wildly around me, and I felt my balance start to shift.
But then he caught me. Two arms wound snugly around my stomach, and the next second, we were gliding forward. My hair whipped around my face, and I let out a gasp of excitement. It was exhilarating! I hardly even had to move my feet! I leaned into him, letting my head fall back on his shoulder. He steered us gently around the curb as I looked up at the sky.
A light snow had finally started to fall, but the sun melted it before it hit the ground. The entire effect made it look as though we were skating through a snow globe—the soft flurries melting on our noses and the tips of our tongues.
I opened my mouth for good measure and looked up at the sky, trying to catch whatever snowflakes I could. The next second, Tom’s mouth was on mine.
It felt as natural as the snow.
I wrapped my arms backward around his neck, twisting my fingers through his hair as he continued to gently kiss me. I didn’t properly know how to describe it. It was just one of those truly magical moments. The kind you read about in books.
Up until the very moment we skated into the wall.
We both cursed at the same time, doubling over as the couples skating past us laughed good-naturedly and sped on. By the time we pulled ourselves up, we were both laughing.
“Sorry,” he panted with a grin, “couldn’t resist.”
I giggled. “It was well worth it.”
“Hey! No standing on the ice!”
We whipped our heads around to see one of the attendants waving furiously at us to keep moving. Still chuckling, Tom turned back to me. “On that note, ready for some lunch?”