It’d been a while since he’d been on skates, but for him it was just like riding a bike. He took a couple of warm-up passes. Then he moved to the center of the rink where there were fewer people. He attempted a jump. He didn’t have much height and his landing was a little off, but he was still impressed he was able to do that good considering how long it’d been since he’d been on skates. Next, he tried a spin and did marginally better. Hopefully it’d be good enough to convince Alina to trust him.
He skated up to her, noticing her death grip on the wall. He smiled at her, hoping to ease her anxiety. “So what did you think?”
“I think you must have been a professional skater in another life.”
His smile broadened. “Not even close. But do you now trust me to guide you around the rink?”
Her eyes held doubt, but she placed her hand in his. “Let’s try it.”
He moved behind her, placing his hands around her waist. “I’ve got you.” When she let go of the wall, he said, “Keep your skates shoulder-width apart.” She adjusted. “Good. Now bend your knees just a bit.” When she did, he said, “Not so much. There you go. And now push off with your right leg.”
When she pushed off, he let her go—let her glide on the ice by herself. But when she slowed to a stop, he was right there to lend aid. They worked together on her skating as they made their way around the ice.
He let go of her hand, picked up speed and then turned so he was skating backward. Alina smiled at him. She looked adorable with her cheeks pink from the cold.
“Are you having a good time?” he asked.
“I love this. I never knew what I was missing.”
“Good. We’ll have to come back.”
It wasn’t until he’d spoken the words that he realized he’d implied they had a future. And he knew that wasn’t the case. When he bulldozed her home, any thought of them doing anything together would also be demolished. The thought saddened him because he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun and it was all thanks to Alina.
“I’d like that,” she said, making him feel even worse.
He shoved aside the troubling thoughts of the future. Instead he focused on the here and now. He slowed to a stop, but Alina wasn’t so good with stopping. She ran into him. He absorbed the impact, keeping them standing. Her soft curves leaned into him and instantly there was a chemical reaction.
When he looked down at her, he couldn’t remember what he was about to say. His gaze lowered. Her rosy lips beckoned to him.
His heart lodged in his throat. He was about to live in the moment and deal with the consequences later. He lowered his head and claimed her mouth. He wasn’t sure what sort of reaction his hasty action would receive, but Alina didn’t push him away. Her lips moved beneath his. And in that moment, he realized he’d never had a kiss like this one, where it warmed him from the inside out.
He knew all of the reasons this shouldn’t be happening, but the pounding of his heart drowned out those reservations. There was just something so special about Alina, from her determination to her thoughtfulness. How could any man resist her charms?
As her smooth lips moved over his, he wished their circumstances were different. He wanted to follow this kiss up with another and another. Because as sure as he was standing there, he would never get enough of Alina. That was a complete and utter impossibility.
The laughter of kids nearby had him pulling back. Even though it felt as though time had stopped, their kiss had been brief—much too brief.
His gaze met hers but he couldn’t read her thoughts. This had been a moment of weakness. He knew to consider it anything else would be a big mistake. In the end, he would hurt Alina when inevitably her home was replaced with Toliver Tower.
“I think we should call it quits for today,” he said.
She averted her gaze. “I agree. It’s been a long day.”
The ramifications of his spontaneous action were already sinking in. They skated over to the other side of the rink, where they’d left their belongings in a locker. This time he didn’t hold her hand.
There had been a distinct shift in their relationship. He hadn’t just tiptoed over the line of common sense, he’d barged right over it with both feet. There was no taking it back. No changing history.
And as much as he’d like to see where this relationship would lead them, he couldn’t do that. To follow that kiss up with more would lead Alina to believe this was the beginning of something and that wasn’t the case. As it was, their time together was quickly drawing to a close.
* * *
His phone buzzed.
The following day, Graham was in no mood to speak to anyone. All he could think about was how Alina had gone out of her way to avoid him since that kiss. And he missed her—missed their friendship.
His fingers pounded harder than necessary on his laptop keyboard. He’d been on a roll and actually making a dent in his email. Maybe if he ignored the call, they’d give up and not call back. He knew he wouldn’t be that lucky. Still, he continued typing.
Graham had forwarded the calls and texts from the Stirling to his phone. By doing this, he freed himself from having to sit in the manager’s office at the apartment building. It had come in handy the day before when there had been important meetings at the office about the new building.