tween our pressed lips.
I and love and you have officially become my favorite words in the English language. I know that makes me sound like a lovesick sappy fool, but when you’ve never been in love and you finally find someone that makes you feel like a better version of yourself, the rest doesn’t matter to you.
I take her face in my hands and kiss her deeply. My tongue slides into her mouth and she makes a soft sighing sound as her fingers tighten around my shirt. The ice is cold beneath me but I don’t give a fuck. Nothing could make me move from this spot short of the zombie apocalypse, because zombies equal get the hell out of here.
Grace pulls back and looks down at me like she’s truly seeing me for the first time. “I never thought things would end up like this,” she admits, touching my cheek. “But I’m glad they did.”
“Me too, sweetheart.”
When I first asked Grace to be my fake girlfriend, that’s all I wanted from her—to use her, and that fact makes me feel slightly sick, but I can’t regret it, not when that led me to getting to know her and having her in my life.
We finally disentangle our bodies and I stand up, holding my hands out to her to help her up.
“I seriously didn’t realize how much skill you have to possess to ice skate,” she comments as we glide down the ice—well, I skate and she holds onto me.
I laugh. “And play a game on the ice,” I remind her.
“Right,” she groans. “Well, all I’m trying to say is you’re pretty amazing.”
“Aw,” I laugh. “Was that a compliment?”
She glares at me. “You wish.”
My laughter grows. “Really, because it sounded a whole lot like a compliment.”
“I can’t say anything nice to you, can I?” She sighs.
“Nope, sorry, sweetheart.”
“Whoa,” she cries when her feet skid a bit. “I think I’ve had enough of ice skating for the day.”
I chuckle. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” she screams when she starts to fall.
I hold her around the waist and skate over to the exit. I lift her onto the ground and then smack her ass. She stumbles onto the bench and turns to glare at me with fiery green eyes.
“Did you just spank me?” She looks shocked that I would do such a thing.
I grin and step off the ice. “I believe that’s exactly what I did.”
She shakes her head. “I want to say I can’t believe you’d do that, but this is you we’re talking about, so of course you would.”
I hand her the skate guard for her blades and put mine on before taking off my skates. We walk back to return our skates and change into our regular shoes.
“Where do you want to go from here?” I ask her. “Back home?”
She shakes her head and bites her lip nervously, which tells me I’m more than likely not going to like what she has to say. “I was wondering if we could go by my dad’s shop. I’d like you to see it.”
I suppress my urge to groan. We’ve been staying with her parents for over a week, and even though things have moved past the awkward stage, they’re still not great. I get along fine with her mom, but I still catch her dad giving me dirty looks. And I mean, I get it. What he knows of me isn’t exactly the best. There are too many photos of me drinking and with various women. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what my lifestyle was, so I honestly can’t blame him for being wary of me, but I also know I’ve been nothing but respectful of him while I’ve been here and kept my mouth shut in regard to the stupid stuff—usually perverted—that I usually say.
“Please?” Grace begs when I’m quiet for too long. “It’s not that far from here.”
What am I going to say? No. Not happening. It’s not like I’m afraid of her dad, but I want him to like me.
“Sure.” I nod, shoving my hand into the pocket of my pants to pull out my keys. “Just tell me how to get there.”
Grace gives me directions to her dad’s car shop and then sits on her phone. After a few minutes, she makes a choking sound.