CHAPTER ELEVEN
Everett couldn’t get the image of Georgia in the women’s locker room from running on a continuous loop in his head. It was no wonder, either, with the scent of her skin, still damp with sweat, and the feel of her silky heat still fresh in his mind.
He shifted in his seat as the scent of Georgia’s perfume wafted by him from where she was sitting in the passenger’s seat beside him. Neither of them had acknowledged what had happened the day before when he’d shown up at his cousin’s to pick her up. Deanna had suggested to Lucky, who’d suggested to them, that they head to King’s Pond to do some ice skating.
It was a good day for it. The sun was shining, and the air was fresh and crisp, settling at just below freezing. Everett didn’t even own a pair of skates, but thankfully, his cousin and her fiancé had lent them theirs to use. He might be at home on a ski hill, but the same couldn’t be said for the ice. Basically, he was going into this hoping he didn’t make a colossal ass of himself.
“Here we are,” he said, keeping his tone casual as they parked near the pond.
A few couples and a handful of families were taking advantage of the nice day, skating on the pond. One little girl had taken a spill, and her father scooped her up and tried to comfort her. Everett did his best not to picture himself re-enacting the girl’s fall in a few short minutes. Though having Georgia push him against her chest to comfort him like the dad was doing might be worth looking like an idiot for.
“It’s so charming,” she said while exiting the vehicle.
And it was. This was his first visit to the pond, and it was breathtaking with tall, snow-covered trees surrounding the frozen water. He went around back and grabbed both pairs of skates from the SUV, then met her in front of the car.
“Let’s go find a spot to put our skates on.”
She nodded, and within a few minutes, they were both tying their laces. His skates were a little snug, but he didn’t think it was going to make any difference to his performance on the ice.
“How do your skates fit?”
She smiled. “No complaints,” she said and stepped onto the ice, gliding a few feet away from the edge with ease.
Everett pressed his lips together and wondered why he’d ever agreed to this.
“Are you coming?” Georgia asked with a laugh. A hint of amusement glimmered in her crystal-blue eyes.
He couldn’t stop himself from finding it damn near irresistible.
With a hesitant step forward, he positioned one foot onto the ice, then the other. At Georgia’s giggle, he darted his gaze to her. She skated backwards a few feet, easily shifting her weight and crossing over the slick surface.
“Did I mention that I’ve never actually skated before?” He chuckled more to fend off his nerves than at amusement with himself.
Her eyes widened for a moment. “What? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Would you believe I was hoping you wouldn’t notice?” He grinned, careful not to move to much lest he end up flat on his ass. “I didn’t want to ruin the alpha-male image you have of me.” He puffed his chest out, his arms wide at his sides, clearly making fun of himself.
Georgia grinned and skated forward so she was only inches away from him. “Don’t worry. You didn’t. I like a little vulnerability in a man.” She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek before skating backwards again until they were separated by at least ten feet. “Let’s consider this my chance to return the favor for you helping me on the ski hill.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be a good student.” Everett wasn’t used to not exceling at all things physical, so it was a testament to his desire to be around this woman that he was even there.
“You’ll do fine, because if you do, there’s a reward in it for you.” Her eyelids dipped over her blue sparklers for a second.
He had the definite impression that he was going to like whatever reward she had going on in her head. A lot.
“So, what do I have to look forward to if I do well, teacher?” A grin pulled up one corner of his mouth.
“We’ll start simple. If you skate over to me, I’ll give you a kiss on the lips this time. The next time, I’ll move farther back, and if you make it to me, I’ll include some tongue. The time after that…maybe I’ll let you grope me if no one’s looking.” She winked. “You get the idea.”
Everett liked this playful side of Georgia. There was no doubt about it—this woman was as multifaceted as the surface of a diamond and just as rare and beautiful.
“Well then, I can guarantee you I’m about to receive an A—for effort, at least.” Without hesitation, he pushed off with his right foot and propelled forward. A little too hard, unfortunately. His arms thrashed at his sides as he tried to regain his balance, but it was of little use. He landed smack on his ass. But hey, at least he didn’t take her out with him.
Georgia’s hands flew up to her face to stifle her laugh. “Are you okay?” she mumbled through her red mittens.
“I appreciate your concern, and yes, I’m fine.” He awkwardly got to his feet, having to use the arm Georgia extended to help him. When he was standing again, he rubbed at the sore spot on his butt. “Now about that kiss.” He arched an eyebrow.
She took a quick inventory of everyone around and seemed satisfied that no one was paying them any attention and planted a lingering kiss on his lips. It was innocent enough, but Everett couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to a not-so-innocent place.
“That was certainly worth degrading and shaming myself for your amusement,” he said with a smile.
Georgia bit her bottom lip and then skated farther down the ice—twice the distance she’d been before. “Make it to me this time and you get tongue.” She waggled her eyebrows.
A laugh escaped him.
Yeah, it might not have been his finest, shining moment, but some things were worth the sacrifice.
An hour later, Everett had a sore ass, a throbbing elbow, and bruised pride. Thank God they were calling it quits. He hadn’t wanted their time together to end, so he’d invited Georgia over to his bunkhouse for dinner. He was no master chef, but he could hold his own in the kitchen, and if he were honest, he felt the need to redeem himself for his poor showing on King’s Pond.
Georgia had willingly accepted, and now, they were both sipping on wine while waiting for the casserole he’d whipped together to finish cooking in the oven.
“When did you learn to skate?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking her questions. Everett wanted to know everything there was to know about her.
Georgia took a sip of her wine and then placed it on the coffee table. “I took figure skating lessons for a few years growing up.”
He laughed. “That explains it. You must’ve thought I looked like a real dumbass out there.”
She shrugged with a mischievous grin. “I thought you were sort of charming, actually.”
“Is that so?”
They held gazes for a moment before he broke away to drink from his own glass.
“Dinner smells great,” she commented. “Where did you learn your way around the kitchen?”
“When I was still living in Sacramento, I didn’t have much need for my kitchen. I’d be sure to swing by my parents’ house a few times a week for some sustenance. But, I’ve been bouncing around the country for three years, so I’ve had to fend for myself. It was born out of necessity.”
“You never mentioned why you’ve moved around so much?”
Shit. He’d stumbled right into that one, hadn’t he?
Georgia’s tone had been light and interested. There was no way for her to know the dark road she was asking him to head down.
For lack of any other segue, he abruptly stood from the couch. “I should check on dinner.” He headed to the kitchen, turned the oven light on, and peeked through the glass.
Unfortunately, he didn’t see anything but the flood of memories pushing to the forefront of his mind. He stood and inhaled deeply through his nose. Then he exhaled through his mouth, trying to slow his racing heart.
He enjoyed spending time with Georgia and didn’t want to face this now—or ever. In fact, he’d been doing his damnedest over the past few years to not think of it at all, to not deal with it. To not care, not feel.
Georgia’s arms snaked around his waist from behind, and she leaned her head against his back. He’d been so deep in thought that he hadn’t even heard her approach.
“I’m sorry if I upset you,” she said in a quiet voice.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just not a topic I’m ready to talk about.”
“Okay,” she whispered, but he heard the disappointment in her voice.
Everett spun to face her and looked down into her eyes. Her mouth was dipped slightly at the corners.
“Don’t take it personally,” he said. “I don’t discuss it with anyone, least of all a girl I’ve become infatuated with in the short time I’ve known her.”
A small grin played on her face. “Is that so? Infatuated, you say?”
He wrapped his hands around her waist then let them slide down to cover the curve of her ass. “It seems that way.” Everett nuzzled the curve of her neck, peppering light kisses on the column of her throat. “You’re all I think about, Georgia. No matter how much I try to push you from my mind…there you are.” He ran his tongue up her neck and gently nipped her earlobe to punctuate his point.
Georgia dropped her head back with a sigh, her hands in his hair. “I know we shouldn’t do this…” she said, her voice breathy as he continued along to the other side of her neck. “It could end badly and we’d still have to see each other because of Deanna…but I don’t want to stop.”
Everett framed her face with his hands and, with a deep inhale, allowed himself to step off the edge of the proverbial cliff and into free-fall—falling into what, he didn’t know.
“We’re not stopping,” he said. “Not this time.”