Page 40 of The Jock Who Stole The Nerd’s Christmas

“Let’s go to the rink,” I say, the idea hitting me with the force of a divine Christmas revelation. “Right now. The one we built. It’s still there, even if the party was cancelled. I want you to start teaching me.”

A predatory smile spreads across his face. “Let’s go,” he says. And before I can react, he sits up, scoops me into his arms, and stands. I yelp, grabbing onto his broad shoulders as he carries me, naked, out of the bedroom.

And so, on a foggy Christmas morning, we find ourselves alone on our little homemade rink. The air is cold and crisp, the ice a smooth, grey mirror under the pearly light. Raiden holds me tightly from behind, his skates gliding effortlessly as he pushes us forward. It’s more like he’s just skating with me than teaching me.

He pulls me close, his arms wrapped around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.

“You wanna know a secret?” he asks, his warm breath ghosting across my cheek.

I nod, pressing my face back against his.

“I don’t really want you to learn how to skate. I want you to skate only with me. And I will hold you. And I will never let you go.”

My heart feels like it’s going to burst. I twist in his arms and kiss him. We just stand there for a moment, in the middle of the ice, looking into each other’s eyes.

Then I frown, pulling back slightly. “You don’t have to worry too much about me learning to skate, anyway. It seems impossible. The only thing I’m more likely to learn is how to fall in an even more epic way.”

I try to prove my point with a clumsy spin and my feet immediately go out from under me. But he’s there, his arms like steel bands, holding me tight against his chest.

“I won’t let you fall,” he says, his voice firm. And then he playfully bites my lower lip. “Unless it’s onto me. Right ontop of me. I’d take that kind of fall.”