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Chapter thirteen

Silas

You know what they say about ladies. They don’t watch it, they read it.

It’s five o’clock sharp when I make it back to Cecilia’s office, where I find her bent over her desk writing on a notepad, deep in concentration. I lean my shoulder along the door frame, arms and ankles crossed as I watch her.

Her hair falls in her face, her breasts press up against the desk, and her slender waist rests against the edge of it. Her perfectly round ass is begging to be slapped while I fist her hair from behind. Fuck, get a grip, man.

The thought of having her in such a position makes my blood run straight to my growing erection. I adjust myself in my pants quickly, making sure I haven’t been spotted, then take a step in, clearing my throat.

Cecilia startles, standing up straight as she gasps. “Jesus, you scared me. Have you been waiting long?” she asks with a hand held over her heart, breathing heavily.

“No, just got here.” I walk over and pull her into an embrace, needing her close.

“All right, lovebirds, let’s get going.”

I look back at Emma, who stands in the space I was just occupying. “Oh yeah, by the way, you’re driving me home, too. No way am I walking if she’s getting a lift,” she says matter-of-factly.

I chuckle. “I figured as much. Come on, ladies, let’s go.” I pick up the big bear, putting him over my shoulder, and take my girl’s hand in mine.

Less than five minutes later, we arrive at our building. Watching Emma sit beside the ginormous bear in my back seat was pretty hilarious, she even had a full-on conversation with the thing. She’s a bit of a nut job, but I like her.

Once inside their condo, Cecilia walks me to her room and instructs me where to deposit the teddy. We’ll need a name for this big fella. She watches me attentively as I set him down properly.

“Why the bear, Silas?” Her voice is quiet as she speaks the words.

“What do you mean? ”

“Every gift you’ve sent me was thoughtful, the roses for my last name, the take-out when I forgot my lunch. The chocolate and heating pads for my cramps, even the spa basket so I could relax after my big day yesterday. I’m just trying to figure out the meaning of this one.”

I stand and walk over to Minnie, who seems emotional at the moment. Wanting to make her feel better, I wrap my arms around her neck as she does the same around my waist.

“I wanted you to have something that resembled me on those nights when you may feel lonely. With hockey starting back up, I’ll be on the road a lot, and we won’t be able to see each other as much. So when you start missing me, you have him,” I whisper into her ear.

“Oh, Silas.” It’s all she says, but I don’t miss the way her voice breaks at the end, emotions overtaking her little body. She pushes her face deeper into my chest and takes deep breaths, trying to keep her tears at bay.

Once she’s regained control over herself, she lets go of me and takes a step back smiling, then turns in the direction of her closet. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Silas, I need to know where we’re going so that I can dress appropriately.” She puts her hands on her hips and narrows her eyes at me. Oh, my little Minnie is turning into a kitten with claws.

I chuckle at the thought, which makes her frown deepen. “Pants, dress warm.”

“Thank you,” she says as she goes back to her quest.

As I wait for her to pick her outfit, I walk around her room, looking at the pictures on the walls first. Most are of her and Emma, with a couple of her as a baby with her parents.

And others where she’s a bit older with her grandmother.

Some people grow into their beauty, but Cecilia was born with it. She’s always been beautiful.

Next, I wander to her desk that has work files, a laptop, notepad, and pens on it. Then I go over to her nightstand. On it lies a stack of books, the first holding a bookmark in the center.

I pick it up and flip it over, the cover containing the sweaty chest of a half-dressed man. Well, that’s interesting. I open it up to where she left off and begin to read. At first it seems like a simple romance novel, and then I hit where the sweaty chest comes in.

My eyes widen in shock just as Cecilia exits her closet in new clothes. “OH GOD!”

She rushes over and rips the book out of my hands, hiding it behind her back, her entire face turning red from embarrassment. A smile spreads on my lips. It appears my girl has a dirty little kinky side. This will be fun.

“What is that?”

“Nothing.” Her eyes are so wide it’s almost comical, and she hasn’t blinked since grabbing the book.

“It’s book porn, isn’t it?” I maintain a serious expression, although it’s turning out to be harder than I thought. The tint on her skin darkens the longer we stand here.

“No,” she says with a scoff as she looks away, breaking eye contact. Lie.

“Okay, then explain to me why I just read about a guy shoving a—” I’m cut off by her hand smacking against my lips, refraining me from finishing my question.

“Don’t say it, please don’t say it. Pretend you never saw this.” She holds the book out for me to see, and I laugh from behind her fingers. She thinks it’s embarrassing. I think it’s hot as hell.

I nod, indicating I won’t say a word, even though I plan to google the shit out of that book the minute I’m alone. I want to know what turns my Minnie on.

She removes her hand and breathes out, passing her fingers through her hair, then looks down at the ground in defeat and huffs. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

I take the book from her hand and set it back in its original place, then bring my palm up to the side of her neck, rubbing my thumb along her jawline.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Minnie. If anything, it makes me want you even more knowing you have a little wild side.” I kiss the tip of her nose lightly.

“Come on, let’s go eat, and then you can find out what the surprise is. ”

Two hours later, after having dinner at a secluded little restaurant nearby, we jump back into the SUV and head to our final destination.

The moment we get to my old high school grounds, I can see the questions rolling through Cecilia’s mind. She doesn’t voice them, but they’re written all over her face.

I pull out my phone and send a text to George, the janitor who has been taking care of the school since I was a young boy, letting him know we’re here. I step out of the car and walk over to the passenger door, opening it for her and taking her hand to help her out.

I close the door behind her and walk us to the trunk and pop it open. In the trunk, there are two skate bags, one pair for her and one for me.

“We’re going skating!?” she asks, eyeing the bags.

I smile at her excitement. “We are. Have you ice skated before?”

“I’m Canadian, of course, I have.” There’s hesitation in her voice now.

“But?”

“Well, I was probably eight the last time I did. And I wasn’t really good at it...” She bites her lip like she does when she’s anxious.

I throw my arm around her shoulder and pull her to my side as we walk toward the doors. “That’s okay, you happen to have a professional skater willing to teach you.” I wink her way, my voice turning husky. “One-on-one.”

Her pupils dilate slightly, and those rosy cheeks resurface. “Why did that sound so sensual?” she asks on a breathless whisper. My girl is aroused.

“Maybe you just read too much of that book last night.”

Her hands come up to cover her face. “Ugh! You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“Nope.” I chuckle as she throws her head back, releasing a deep, exasperated sigh.

Once we’re inside and escorted to the rink by George, he wishes me good luck for my first game next week and heads off to finish his duties for the night, leaving us to ourselves.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“It’s just us tonight, babe. Like I promised,” I tell her with a smile as I finish lacing my skates and start doing hers.

“I come to the school once in a while to encourage the hockey team here, and also just to visit. When I stopped by this week, I asked George if there was any way for us to have access to the rink alone so that we didn’t have to go to a public place and be bothered every second by someone wanting a picture or autograph.

He told me the ice was free Friday night, so here we are. ”

I let go of her laced-up skate and pick up her other leg, removing her boot and placing her foot into the waiting skate.

“That’s really kind of you to come here and help out,” she says as she watches me go through the motion.

Once I’ve done my task, I stand and take her hand, helping her up. She wobbles a little but gets the hang of it after a few beats. “Wow, they fit perfectly. How is that possible?” She holds on to my arms as I help walk her to the rink.

“I may have contacted Emma yesterday to get your shoe size. I picked them up this afternoon, do you like them?”

She looks down at them with a smile. “I love them, thank you. But you need to stop spoiling me. A girl could get used to that, and then things could get dangerous.”

“Well, you’ll have to get used to it because I have no intention of stopping.” I lay a kiss to her cheekbone as we step onto the ice.

Cecilia holds on to the side when I let her go. My feet go on autopilot and take me around the ice rink at full speed, from one end to the other. I breathe in the cold air, a smile on my face.

This is what I love. This is the only place I truly feel at home. Well, on the ice and with my Minnie.

I come back around once I’ve had my thrill and stop in front of Cecilia, stretching out my hand for her to grab. “Let’s see what we’re working with here.”

She takes hold of my hand, and with her first step my way, she almost slips backward. I grab onto her waist quickly, stopping her fall. “Okay, I guess we’re starting with basics.”

After about an hour, she finally gets the hang of it, and now we’re gliding around the rink. I skate backwards, keeping an eye on her as she follows me facing forward.