No Strings

She flies forward, her legs shaking like a baby deer. “How do you know how to skate?” she asks as I glide backward, pulling her along with me slowly.

“I played hockey growing up. Both Lucas and I did. It’s how we became friends. We went to the same school but didn’t really know each other until we were put on the same hockey team.”

Her gloved hands tremble, and I close the space between us, sliding my hands down to her waist to hold her easier. She moves her hands up to my shoulders, latching on tightly in fear of falling.

“I have you,” I murmur.

She nods, focusing on moving her feet while I focus on her—something I’ve caught myself doing several times this weekend. She’s dressed for the cold weather in a fuzzy ivory sweater and tight dark blue jeans that show off her curves. Her hair, which is down and straight, is lighter today, the blond overpowering the brown. Her eyes have a bit of makeup around them, making her blue eyes pop bright like the sky. And her lips… fuck, her lips. Because of the cold weather, she keeps reapplying some lip-gloss shit that makes her mouth look all wet and kissable—and no less than a dozen times today, I’ve had to stop myself from doing just that.

We do a lap around the rink, and since Savannah has caught on, I turn around so I can skate forward.

“Don’t let go,” she breathes, grabbing my hand.

“I won’t. I promise.”

Our eyes meet, and I look away, uncomfortable as hell at the way she’s got me feeling. I can’t remember the last time I spent an entire day with a woman, let alone a weekend—and completely enjoyed myself.

“It’s so cold.” She shivers dramatically.

“After we’re done skating, we can get some hot chocolate.”

Her blue orbs light up at the idea.

As we’re turning the bend, Brody decides to be funny and sneak up on us. “Boo!” he yells, doing a skate-by with his friends, who all laugh at his antics. Savannah jumps in shock, losing her balance, but before she can go down, I slip in behind her, wrapping my arms around her torso to steady her.

“Oh my God! You saved my life,” she says, sighing into me in relief. Her backside rubs against the front of me, and I stifle a groan, needing to get off this ice and away from her before I make a move on her—proving Lucas right. And as tempting as it is—and trust me, it is—she’s the best thing to happen to my son in a while, and I can’t risk it getting awkward if I fuck her.

“I think I’m ready for the hot chocolate now,” she says, glancing back at me.

“Sounds good.”

We skate to the side, and I help her out of the rink so we can take our skates off. Once we both have our shoes back on, she offers to return the skates while I grab us some drinks. On my way to the café, I spot the igloos, giving me an idea.

“What are you doing?” Savannah asks when she catches up to me. “It’s sooo cold!”

“I’m ordering us an igloo.”

Her adorable nose scrunches up in confusion. “A what?”

“C’mon. You’ll see.”

Chapter Six

Savannah

This weekend has been amazing. I can’t remember the last time I simply let loose and had this much fun. With Neil, everything was about show. If we went out, it was done with a purpose—to meet with a client, to discuss business. Looking back, I can now see where Neil and I went wrong. I wanted a family, a partner, a home. He wanted a trophy wife on his arm to have his babies and make him look good. And as much as I would love to one day have a family, I want it with a man who actually desires that—and not because it will make him look good.

“All right, this way,” Ben says, leading us toward an area filled with… What are those?

“Oh my God, they’re igloos!”

“I told you,” he says with a chuckle.

He did, but I didn’t understand what he meant.

We step into the see-through dome, and I glance around in shock. The area isn’t huge, but it’s big enough to house four comfy-looking chairs, a table, and a couple of ottomans. It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, and then I realize… “It’s heated!” I turn around and look at Ben, who nods.

“It is. And our hot chocolate, apple cider, and dinner have been ordered.” He sits in the two-person chair, patting the seat next to him for me to join, so I do.

“Thank you for this weekend. I’ve had such a good time. The perfect weekend leading up to starting my new job.” I never would’ve thought, after the first day I met him in the gym—all uptight and asshole-y—we’d be sitting here a few days later, in an igloo in Bryant Park, hanging out. But after spending the past few days with him, it’s clear there’s more to Benjamin Fields than meets the eye—more than he wants people on the outside to see. He’s not just a stuffy, cold businessman in an expensive suit. He’s a caring, thoughtful man, and despite the rocky start he and Brody had, he’s a really good father. And surprisingly, I really enjoy his company.