Neve (Silver Skates #3) - Helen Scott Page 0,20

living in Silver Springs, but the rest of me railed at the idea. I was a city girl, wasn’t I? Bright lights, the crush of people, the way it never really got dark, or the way there was always somewhere open, whether it be a coffee shop, a pancake place, or a weird little hole in the wall restaurant.

Why did I find Silver Springs so endearing then? Was it the supernatural population? Their magic calling to my own, what little of it I had? Or was it something else, something I hadn’t figured out yet?

Rory’s concerned gaze pulled my thoughts away from their tumbling motion as I over-analyzed everything. “Sorry, I ruined our date, didn’t I?”

“No,” I said, lying through my teeth.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire,” Rory replied, his voice teasing, but there was a sadness in his eyes that tore at my heart. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.” He stood and offered me his hand as we climbed down from the bleachers.

Suddenly, Niklaus was there, out of breath as he called out, “You’re leaving? You’ll be at the game tomorrow though?”

“Yeah, we’ll be there,” Rory replied, though he shot me a questioning look.

I nodded slightly, which Niklaus didn’t miss.

“Good, I think we’ll need a good luck charm,” he replied, shooting me a wink before he skated off.

I wasn’t sure what to make of that, so I just ignored it and walked away with Rory still holding my hand. We walked for a long time in silence. It was heavy and oppressive, and I didn’t know how to break it without sounding like a bitch, so I stayed quiet. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t have cared, but for some reason, what Rory thought about me mattered.

“I’m sorry I derailed our date,” he said quietly as we got close to the apartment building.

“It’s okay, I should have said something earlier,” I replied, feeling dejected.

“It’s not okay.” His hand pulled me to a stop so I could face him. “You deserve to be treasured, and I didn’t do that tonight, but if you’ll allow me to, I’d like to make up for it.”

My breath caught as his knuckles brushed against my cheek for a moment before his hand tangled in my hair. I couldn’t stop myself from leaning into his touch. His other hand detangled from my own and cupped my face, his thumb stroking along my cheek bone. The same thrill I felt the first time we touched went through me.

When his lips caressed my own, I was helpless to resist, my whole body alight for him. He was tentative, his lips barely grazing mine, which only made me want his touch even more. I leaned into the kiss, flattening my hands on his chest and the muscle I could feel there, even through his sweater and jacket. Sliding my hands up and around his neck allowed me to press myself even closer to him, bathing in the heat that was radiating from his body.

Finally, my horny brain won out over my logical brain, and I pulled away so I could ask, “Do you want to come up?”

Fire seemed to blaze in the depths of his eyes at my question. “Are you sure? I don’t want to do something you don’t really want to do.”

I chuckled for a second before I replied, “Believe me, Rory, I’ll let you know if I don’t want to do something.” Before he could reply, I sauntered away from him and opened the door to the apartment building. A quick glance over my shoulder told me he was moving in my direction, and once we were inside, I didn’t need to look to know he was right there.

The stairs and the hallway seemed to take no time at all, and then I was opening the door to my apartment again, this time making sure it was the right one. The last thing I wanted was to annoy my neighbor and also kill the mood. Anticipation was riding me hard, and as soon as I got the door open, Rory’s hands were on me.

He stepped into the apartment, his hands circling my waist as he pulled me back against him. His body was long and lean against my own, even through the multiple layers we were wearing. When he spun me around so I faced him once more, I gasped slightly. I hadn’t expected him to be so demanding, considering how easygoing he normally was.

“Neve.” He rasped my name before his lips crashed against