TEN

Again, Jon listened to the silence and believed it said more than even her smart mouth could. She was unsettled. He could feel it in the way she walked beside him and the way she held herself away from him.

The snow and ice had subsided to a few lingering flurries and the plows had come through while the concert had been going on. He led her to the truck with a comfortable hand at her back. He opened the door and stopped her before she could climb in. “Go out with me.”

Trying unsuccessfully to keep her brain from fuzzing at the simple touch of his hand through three layers of clothing she stared up at him. “Now?”

He laughed, “Yes, now.”

She tried to dig under her gloves for her watch, but he stilled her hand. “C’mon, it’s not that late.”

Her eyebrow rose. “Maybe not for Rockstars that stay up all night.”

“Nah, just the young ones do that, I’m old. I only stay up until two or three in the morning.” He laughed at her wide eyes. “Just kidding, well when I’m home, I’m kidding. On the road is a whole different thing.”

“You’re cute and fun, but honey…I need my sleep.”

“I know of a great place.” He smiled, flicking his gloved hand over the button at the center of her jacket. “C’mon, you don’t want to go home. You know you don’t.”

Distracted by the constant touch, she grabbed his hand. “You’re killing me here.”

His smile went crooked with a hint of that demon lurking in his sky blue eyes again. “I know.”

Knowing she should go home and knowing a man like Jon was the furthest from right for her, she still inwardly groaned when she heard herself say, “All right.”

He stepped into her, “You won’t regret it.”

She stepped back until the metal frame of the door met her back. He lifted his hand to cage her in as he lowered his lips, stopping just a breath away. “Gonna get in?” he said and tilted his mouth.

She swallowed audibly, “Yup.”

He moved a fraction of an inch closer and she could feel the heat of his mouth as she forced herself not to raise herself onto her tip-toes and close the distance. She wouldn’t be the one to melt into him. God, did she want to though. She watched as his eyes hooded and nearly closed, right before he stepped back.

“Right,” he said with more gravel to his voice than she’d heard before.

As much as it killed her, the closeness, the almost touches…it was more excitement than she’d had in years. She almost didn’t want the kiss. It may not live up to the almost-kisses she’d been getting since she met him.

She climbed in and Jon shut her door, shifting his jeans. Christ, just the smell of her had him hard and ready. Cinnamon would never be the same again, and something else he couldn’t name blended in there to make him go a little crazy. He blew out a breath and climbed into the cab and pulled out, hitting the back roads he knew better than even the highways. The snow left the world a little soft, and roads that were normally less than beautiful looked picturesque covered in a blanket of white.

He rounded the sharp bend that fell away to the lake. Even with the storm that had blasted through, Tom Warren was doing a booming business. Kids were off from school and to be honest…what else was there to do on a Thursday night?

Fat Christmas lights wound their way around the seasonal rink on the heavy wood wall his father had built years ago. A mixture of teens and adults mogged around the perimeter, while a few vendors took advantage of the crowd and in the middle of it all was the ice.

“Ice skating?”

“Yup,” he said and parked, turning toward her. “You game?”

She looked out at the man-made lake and then back at Jon. “I haven’t skated since grade school.”

“I’m actually a pretty good skater, and I taught my daughter.” His eyes warmed and she watched that hooded thing happen again. “I’m a patient man,” he said with more than the devil lurking. Her stomach flipped as she was pretty sure pure temptation was residing in the man beside her.

She shrugged, “What the hell.”

Ten minutes later she had Jon on his knees and shiny pair of skates strapped to her feet. He stood and helped her up. Immediately her knees bowed inward and she grabbed his arm. “Oh this is not going to be pretty,” she looked up at him. “You know if you wanted me to fall for you, this wasn’t necessary.”

The smirk was back. “Oh really?”

Rolling her eyes she shuffled onto the ice. “Oh be quiet.” His hand was back…sliding along her lower spine again, doing that distracting thing. She so did not need to be distracted when she had a sheet of ice beneath her feet. His skates were bulky and black like a hockey player. “Hey, how come I didn’t get those?” she said pointing.

“Because they don’t rent out hockey skates to girls,” he said simply.

She looked down at the thicker blade with envy. “No wonder you can skate. I’m on these stupid dainty figure skating ones,” she said and felt her ankle wobble. She grabbed onto him and swore as her blade tucked under his and the ground rushed in.

She landed on top of him, in a tangle of scarves, skates and coats for the second time that night. She tried to get up, utterly disgusted with her lack of grace magnified by yet another trip onto the ground. “I’m sorry,” she said and winced as she felt his hip slide beneath her hand. Hard, muscled and covered in ice shavings.

She stopped, swearing at herself that she hadn’t put her gloves back on. She tried to move out of the way, and only succeeded in finding a slice of warm skin. It fairly burned against the freezing impact of the ice and her already cold self. And this time there was no almost-kiss. This time he leaned in and took, dragging his hand up inside her jacket until he could haul her onto him and into him.

Breathing was optional she thought as his mouth covered hers and simply took. He took his time opening her, searching out all her flavors in the one meeting of mouths. It wasn’t obscene, and yet the hint of tongue wrecked her more completely than the act of sex had in her lifetime. He simply brushed his mouth over hers again and again until they mingled completely.

She didn’t hear the onlookers, the people that stopped to ask if they needed help, she didn’t hear anything but the wild, white noise in her own brain as it fried. She felt his cold hands at her cheeks, the gentle tug of his fingers on her curls and then finally the real world started to intrude.

“Dammit, Mike, why don’t you kiss me like that?” she heard a woman say distantly as they skated by.

She took back every thought about not wanting the real thing. Jon kisses were definitely better than the almost-kisses.