The Mountain Man's Secret Twins(13)

“Of course you are, but that doesn’t mean you’re as tall as me or as strong as me. Not because you’re a woman, but because you don’t live out here full time,” Bryce said, teasing her. He lifted her ice skates from the ground and wound the tied strings over his shoulders. He then brought his arms forward, gesturing. “Come on. Get in.”



Kenzie laughed, hardly able to believe she was allowing this. “I suppose we wouldn’t get there till morning if I kept on like this,” she said. She wrapped her thin arms around his neck and then leaped slightly, watching as his firm muscles caught her legs and back. He lifted her higher, far from the snow. Her muscles felt immediate relief without the gravity of the planet upon her shoulders.



“Oh, gosh. Can I hire you to do this all the time?” she asked, tossing her head back.



“You can’t afford me,” Bryce joked.



They continued down the mountain, the hill flattening. As Bryce walked, Kenzie marveled at the strength of his tense muscles, at the smell of his musk. With just a few inches between their mouths, Kenzie had to force her half-tipsy self not to kiss him. But just imagining what it would feel like, with his bearded chin upon hers, with their soft lips locked beneath the moon, made her nearly crazy. It was unbearable, wanting him so much.#p#分页标题#e#



Stop it, she thought to herself. She assumed she was just needy, post-relationship with Austin. She hadn’t gone through a traumatic breakup before. Maybe falling quickly for someone else was a part of the process.





CHAPTER FOUR





When Kenzie caught a glimpse of the lake, she gasped audibly. Her eyes grew wide, like a child’s. Safe in Bryce’s arms, she turned to face him. Her nose touched his, but she reared back quickly, hopeful he knew it had been an accident. He stopped, gazing down at her. They caught their breath, white fog flowing between their lips.



“We made it,” he said simply.



The frozen lake had been covered in snow in the recent fall. Bryce placed Kenzie gently at the edge of the lake and began to swipe out an area for them on the glassy surface. Kenzie rubbed her hands together, the excitement from their brief touch making her warm.



Once Bryce had created a wide clearing, he walked delicately back toward her, still in his boots. A permanent smile was strapped across his face, assuring Kenzie that he was in his element. A woodsman, safe deep in the forest atop a frozen lake. “You ready to skate?”



“I’m game,” she said, laughing. She knelt down and began to transfer her socked feet from her boots to her skates, getting dots of snow on her stockings and watching them melt. She began to tie her laces, conscious of Bryce watching her.



“Care if I do it?” he asked.



Kenzie gave him a sassy look, raising her eyebrows high. “Am I not doing it well enough for you?”



“It’s just that you have to tie them really tight. As it is, your ankles are going to flop around out there. You might strain something.”



“Oh,” Kenzie said. She raised her hands and watched as Bryce knelt before her, taking the laces into his hands. He yanked at them, nearly tugging Kenzie’s foot forward. He tied loopy, tight bows at the top of each and then gave her a deep, excited look. “Let’s get out there.”



Kenzie grabbed his hand and he lifted her up to a standing position. She began to march through the deep snow, stabbing her skates into the older layers of snow beneath the new. Bryce placed his gleaming skates upon the glass, looking briefly tentative, before leaping out onto the ice and skating easily, making smooth lines. He looked graceful but powerful, like a hockey player.



Soon, Bryce turned back toward her, catching sight of Kenzie’s first attempts to get out on the ice. Kenzie placed her right skate on the ice, her left skate still stabbed safely in the snow. The right skate swept forward and then back, with Kenzie’s body teetering. She gave Bryce an embarrassed wave. “I’ll make my way to you eventually,” she called. Her voice echoed off the trees around them.



But Bryce appeared before her almost instantly, taking several long strides on his skates.



“You make it look so easy,” she said, flashing her white teeth. “Maybe I should just stay on the sidelines, let you do the figure eights.”



“Come on,” Bryce said, taking her hand. Their fingers fit together perfectly, catching Kenzie off guard. She swallowed sharply. “I’ll guide you.”



With Bryce’s assurance, Kenzie swept her other skate onto the ice, wavering from left to right. Bryce placed both hands around her waist, gazing into her eyes as he stationed her firmly. “Don’t be nervous. I think you’re psyching yourself out at this point,” he said.#p#分页标题#e#