The Bodyguard's Baby (Billionaire Bodyguard Series) by Kristi Avalon Page A

entertainment. He smothered a grin. “Right. How hard could it be?”
    Forty-five minutes later, he found the day turning out to be far more enjoyable than he’d expected. He discovered plenty of built-in excuses to keep his hands on her at all times, since she fell against him every other glide.
    This was by far one of the best days he’d had in ages. He soaked in every second of it.
    They managed one whole lap around the ice skating rink about every ten minutes. He found her frustration endearing, and he couldn’t stop smiling. A foreign sensation he embraced without question.
    A quarter of the way through their third lap she fell for the hundredth time, and he scooped her up before she hit the ice. She was cute even when she scowled, like she was doing right now.
    “This is nothing like roller skating,” she mumbled, her knees knocking as she fought to keep upright with his help.
    “Two skinny blades versus eight chunky wheels. You do the math.”
    “This was a stupid idea.”
    He grinned. “I’m having a great time.”
    She relaxed a little in his grasp. “How did you learn to ice skate?”
    “My Uncle Jimmy had a pond out back of his house. One year for Christmas, Santa brought all us kids a pair of ice skates. I think old St. Nick was in collusion with our parents, because that winter ended up with record-breaking cold temperatures, and we skated on that pond for hours. Sometimes we’d come back and find the grownups had locked the doors.”
    She blinked, appalled. “That’s child endangerment.”
    He shrugged. “They left a thermos of hot cocoa, mugs, and bags of marshmallows out of us. We were happy campers.”
    “If you say so.”
    “Not much else to do during winter in backwoods, small-town Kentucky. Ice skating kept us out of trouble when we weren’t snowshoeing or hunting.” He winked. “The adults eventually let us back in around dusk, and we warmed up by the fire while Uncle Jimmy told stories of winters when he was a kid.”
    “Let me guess,” she said with humor in her eyes. “Your uncle had to walk to school barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways.”
    “Yep. He battled through miles of briar patches, and outran a few bears while he was at it.”
    “Quite the busy guy. God, I miss family gatherings,” she whispered.
    “Me too.” He suddenly realized he’d shared more than he meant to, and changed the subject. “Listen, don’t lock your knees, Lindsey. It’s like when you’re lifting weights, you want to let your muscles do the work, not your joints.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “Do I look like I lift weights?”
    Oh, hell. He’d talked himself into one of those traps women set that guys hated. No matter what he said, it would come back to bite him. Shrugging, he smiled and replied honestly. “I think you look perfect.”
    She rolled her eyes, but a little smile curved the edges of her lips.
    Inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. Well, he had told her the truth. Her lush body felt like the perfect fit in his arms. Even though she wore a puffy coat, and had on an insulated leather jacket, each time he caught her waist, the shelf of her ample breasts rested beautifully on his forearms. She was curvy in all the right places, sexy as hell, and she completely turned him on. He was grateful he’d worn jeans, and that his bottom of his coat stopped below his waist.
    “Remember to keep your knees slightly bent,” he said, returning to his instruction. “Now, use the toe of your left skate to push off and glide with your right.”
    She seized his wrists. “I can’t.”
    “Yes, you can. I’ve got you.”
    “You promise?”
    A warm sensation curled in his chest. “I promise. Just try it. I won’t let you fall.”
    For some reason she turned her face to look up at him. Their gazes locked for a timeless moment.
    A series of emotions played out in her huge, stunning eyes. He found it hard to breathe.
    His throat worked as he swallowed. “I’m not going anywhere,” he vowed.