Page 29 of Holiday Crush
We stared at each for a beat, a sizzle of awareness buzzing between us. Or maybe that was all me. Suddenly, I was oddly nervous.
“Okay, fine. They’re an icebreaker,” I blurted.
“An icebreaker.”
“Yeah, I’m shamelessly using maple cookies as an excuse to talk to you and make sure I didn’t overstep an invisible boundary with that kiss. You know…after Bingo.”
“That was a good kiss.” Ivan’s smile spread like honey across his face, slow and sweet. “I liked it.”
“Me too.”
“And technically, I kissed you first.”
I bit into my cookie. “Is that right?”
And now it was my turn to blush. Heat gathered at my collar and crawled up my neck. I gulped and picked up my mug to give my hands something to do.
I was usually pretty good with flirty one-liners, but not today. I couldn’t tell if I was out of practice or if I’d lost my sexy game along with my hockey game.
Maybe it was just Ivan. His curious contrasts of hometown sweetness and unapologetic sex appeal fascinated me—twinkling blue eyes, a sunny disposition, and those pouty lips. He made me wish I’d figured out sooner that I was attracted to men. The jock and the goth guy would have made heads turn in this town for sure.
He chomped into his cookie. “Mmhmm. And it was kind of swoony to finally kiss my first crush.”
I almost choked on my tea. “I’m not sure what to say to that.”
Ivan cackled merrily, then leaned across the table and squeezed my hand. “Nothing. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“You don’t look sorry.” I snorted, studying him over the rim of my mug. Wild curls stood on end, flattened at his hairline where he’d tamed them with a headband earlier. No doubt he’d been here since the crack of dawn and was probably exhausted, but he looked bright-eyed and energetic, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
He winked. “How was your first day with the kids?”
“Uh…okay.”
“Okay?” Ivan huffed. “Word travels fast here, and according to my customers, you were a big hit with the small fries today. Misty Devereaux and Gilly Mason were raving over their half-caff lattes this afternoon.”
“That’s nice to hear, but Mary-Kate is the hero.”
“I don’t know about that. Stella Devereaux claimed you taught her how to make circles on the ice,” he singsonged. “I’m assuming you didn’t teach her an upright spin or double axel.”
“Definitely not. It was a literal circle, nothing fancy at all.”
“Well, it made an impression.”
“Truth is, I have no idea what I’m doing. I just tried to keep it fun.”
“That’s a good start. If you ever want a spinning demonstration, I’d be happy to make a guest appearance.”
I widened my eyes. “I may take you up on that.”
“You should. I can spin like a top and I might be able to do a simple toe flip, but my axel days are long gone. I sprained my ankle trying to impress a boy at the rink in Central Park. That wasn’t pretty.”
I chuckled and sipped my tea. “I haven’t been to Central Park in ages. Whenever my team was in New York City, it was an in-and-out deal. No time for sightseeing. Too bad. I love that city.”
“Me too.”
“Did you live there after college?”
“For a few years, but I missed home.”