Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined #1)(82)

I rush after him into the woods. Just after I hit the tree line I see a clearing, and it’s staggering. I look around to see nothing but a frozen pond. The snow on the ground has been cleared into piles lining the perimeter. It looks like something out of a fairy tale.

"Do you ice skate?" Brett asks, sitting down on a bench, the only man-made structure in sight.

"Do you?"

"Yeah, I played hockey in high school." He opens his bag, revealing a gigantic pair of skates.

"This is beautiful." I look around wide-eyed, taking in our surroundings.

"It's my favorite spot. Leah's husband’s, Ryan, family owns this land. Every year when it gets cold enough, they clear the pond and use it for skating."

"Is it safe?"

"Of course, crazy. Wait, you do weigh less than the tractor that cleared it, right?" he jokes as I shoot him a death glare. "Here," he pulls out a pair of skates from his bag.

"You did not buy me ice skates!" my yell echoes back at me.

"Okay, you sit here and freak out about a pair of cheap skates, but I'm going to take this pond for a spin. Let me know when you get over it, and I'll help you so you don't bust your ass." He steps onto the ice and flies away.

I watch him glide around for a few minutes. I hate it that he's right. The skates probably only cost him fifty bucks, but he needs to learn to talk to me first. I have a perfectly respectable pair hanging in my closet. Sure these are really awesome—powder blue with white glittery laces—but I didn't need them.

"Jesse James, chop chop! You can worry about it later. I'll even give you the receipt so you can be fully informed in your obsessing, but right now you need to get your sexy ass out here. I'll teach you. Stop procrastinating." I let out an annoyed sigh.

Rising to my feet, I take a few shaky steps toward the ice. Just before the edge, I reach out and grip his hands for balance.

"I've got you. One foot at a time. Just slide forward, I'll keep you balanced."

He holds my arms, skating backwards as he pulls me forward. I slip once and almost fall, but he lifts me off my feet and places me back down in front of him. He wraps an arm around my hips and curls me into his hard body.

"Alright. Let's go slow. I don't want you to end up covered in bruises."

Leisurely, we spend the next hour arm in arm gliding around the frozen pond. True to his word, Brett never lets me fall, but I never let go of him. It felt amazing to spend the day tucked tightly under his arm. I would have kept up the ruse all day, but of course Brett had to open his mouth.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" he asks when we flop down together on the bench.

"Um, maybe stay in. We can go to your place and I'll cook dinner. Something quiet."

"Jesse, you cooked dinner every day last week. Let me take you out this weekend."

"No, your idea of out is very different than mine."

"What is that supposed to mean?

"It means you take me to delicious fancy restaurants that most girls would adore, but really I just want to go to the sports bar and eat wings."

"Gorgeous, you don't eat wings. You loved dinner last night. You squealed when the waitress brought your food out." Dang it, he's right. The food was amazing.

"Can we please just stay in tonight and let me cook."

"You’re going to be sore tonight. While I don't mind rubbing you down later, I don't want you standing over the stove cooking. You have no idea the muscles that you use when skating."

"If I can prove to you that I won't be sore tonight can we hang out at home?"

"You can't prove you won't be sore, gor-" Not even waiting for him to finish, I jump up and sprint my way around the ice. I make a full circle skating with ease.

I've actually been skating since I was a kid. I'm not a figure skater or anything, but I can probably skate as well as Brett. It was fun to watch him baby me though. He took such good care of me, and kept me tucked into his body. I was more than happy to play the 'helpless woman in need of rescue' role. He looked like he was really enjoying it.

I slowly glide back in front of Brett who is sitting with his mouth hanging open, and a lip curled in disgust.

"I promise, I won't be sore. Can we please stay home tonight?"

"Yes, we can stay in but you’re definitely going be sore, and I'm not talking about from skating." He flies off the bench throwing me over his shoulder and spinning in circles around the ice. Maybe I don't skate as well as Brett after all.

The rest of the day on the pond was a blast. We acted like kids challenging each other to races and arguing about who won. Brett was only slightly annoyed that I pretended not to know how to skate, but he was very annoyed that he didn't already know that about me. So we spent the afternoon sharing silly facts about ourselves.

We were frozen, but I think we were both reluctant to leave our little picturesque haven. We drove home still chattering about anything and everything. It was perfect.





Brett

I'M AN ass. I know it. You know it. And tonight Jesse would learn it. We just spent the best day together. She hustled me again. I really should start expecting that from her. She told me random facts about the real Jesse Addison. Like how she color coordinates her M&M's before eating them, and how she has some weird obsession with new socks. I felt whole today skating around the pond with her, and it scared the shit out of me.