Page 57 of Power Play

twenty-one

. . .

Al

With a quick trip to the gear closet, I get Riley into her skates and ready. Kneeling on the mat between her feet, I keep my focus on tying her laces and not on how vulnerable it is to be in this position.

It’s only a family skate. That’s all it is. It’s not like I’m proposing to her. We’re already married.

Henry volunteered to watch Emmy, and since he has a young kid at home, maybe two or three months old, I trust him to do the job well. Normally, he’s the first one out the door to get home to baby Cora, but he has a PT session with Amelia in an hour, so he’s hanging around the facility for a bit.

That gives us plenty of time. I don’t think Riley will want to spend a full hour on the ice, especially not for her first time.

My wife gazes down at me with an inscrutable expression on her face. Equal parts fear and excitement and something else I can’t identify.

I could ask her. But that wouldn’t be half as much fun as puzzling it out myself.

Rising to my feet, I offer her my hand, and when she takes it, I lace our fingers together. I lead us over to the gate and Riley freezes, clinging to the half wall.

“Don’t let me fall,” she whispers.

“I won’t.”

Stepping onto the ice, I turn to face her and take her other hand, too.

“It’s going to feel kind of wobbly. That’s okay. That’s normal.” Skating backward, I pull her along with me until we’re at the blue line. “Let me guide you.”

“What do I do?” Her voice rises into a squeak on the last word as she teeters on the thin blades. “I don’t—oh, fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” I glide to a standstill, but she doesn’t stop in time, and the forward momentum crashes her body into mine.

Wrapping my arms around her, I hold her securely, our bodies flush together. The scent of her lavender shampoo makes my stomach clench, and my heart nearly beats out of my chest, my blood pounding in my ears. Her smaller body pressed to mine is making me think thoughts I definitely shouldn’t be having about my wife.

My mouth goes dry, and I lick my lips, trying to figure out what the hell is happening. Dressed in a T-shirt instead of full practice gear, I barely register the chill of the rink, my skin heating at her touch where we’re connected. My cock hardens automatically at her nearness. At how perfect she feels against me. I’ve gotten myself off to the thought of her nearly every night since the gala, and now I have a new fantasy to occupy my thoughts.

“I’m on the ice,” Riley whispers, letting out a hollow laugh. Her eyes dart up to mine, wide and unfocused. “How is this happening?”

My smile stretches my face. “It’s just skating. You’ll be doing laps of the place in no time.”

She giggles, the sound warming me from my head to my toes. “I don’t think so.”

Slowly, I unwind my body from around hers. She squeaks, stumbling on her skates, and my hands drop to her hips to steady her. Any excuse to touch her.

“You’ve got this. I’ve got you.”

She exhales slowly. “I can do this.”

“Yes, you can.”

“Okay. Teach me how to skate.”

“Keep your knees bent. Push backward with your left skate,” I instruct. “Then do it with the right, and then you’ll be moving. Don’t think of it like walking, it’s a whole different movement.”

My hands find hers again, and I hold her at arm’s length as she tentatively shuffle-glides her skate backward, propelling her forward.

“Good. Just like that. Now the other foot.”

She moves a few inches, and I take a few strides backward, pulling her along with me.