Destiny Calls - Linda Hudson-Smith Mills & Boon Kimani

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just in case, she considered. Even if she had been a pretty good skater in her youth, she shouldn’t count on that. In fact, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d been roller-skating.

      Dakota remembered her first boyfriend and skating partner, Anthony Qualls, as she rifled through her closet. He had hurt her feelings during her junior year in high school, when he’d been stolen away by the pretty and vivacious Jasmine Walters.

      Well, no one could’ve stolen him away had he really been mine.

      Anthony had gotten a big payback. Less than two months later Jasmine had ended up leaving him for the buff football captain.

      Justice had prevailed.

      Dakota gave a fleeting thought to all the people she’d lost in one way or another, which were attributed to many of her fears. Boyfriends and girlfriends would come and go, but the loss of parents and grandparents was incomparable.

      After removing a pair of freshly laundered boot-cut blue jeans from a hanger in her cramped closet, Dakota found the navy-and-burgundy striped V-neck sweater. Navy leather flats were chosen over sneakers. After choosing a coordinating dark blue sweater, in case the rink was cold, she laid everything out on the bed and went into the bathroom to shower.

      Ethan rolling around on his own shiny black skates held fast Dakota’s attention.

      She thought he was an excellent roller skater and he looked so good. Strictly coincidental, he also wore dark blue jeans and a Sean John navy-and-burgundy striped shirt, open at the collar. He appeared relaxed and confident. Because she hadn’t decided on skating yet, she eyed other patrons to see how well they maneuvered. A polished wooden railing skirting the entire perimeter kept spectators separated from the skating surface.

      The idea to bring Danielle there one day to watch the skaters quickly skipped across her mind. Maybe she could learn to skate, too. If nothing else, she knew her sister would be excited by the mere possibility. Dakota could already envision the flaming show of fireworks in her baby sister’s eyes if she simply mentioned it.

      Dakota waved at Ethan and smiled as he rolled by.

      Ethan quickly exited the floor and came over to where Dakota stood at the spectators’ railing. Taking her into his arms, he gave her a warm hug and a passionate kiss. “How long have you been here? I’ve been watching out for you.”

      “Long enough to check out your skating skills. You’re good.”

      “Thank you.” Ethan looked around when he heard his name. “Those are my friends. Everyone is dying to meet you.” He took her by the hand. “Don’t be nervous.”

      Ethan’s group came right over to meet the woman their friend was so taken with.

      Ethan bumped one of the guys with his shoulder. “This is Maxwell Harper, my best friend since kindergarten, the comedian in the bunch. He’s also a great world history teacher at a high school magnate program.”

      Smiling, Dakota extended her hand to Maxwell. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

      Ethan pointed at one of the women. “Charlene Rhodes, Max’s girlfriend, is a special-education teacher. Dakota is working toward a career in the same field. You two already have something in common,” he said to Charlene.

      “That’s great to hear,” Charlene said. “There is such a shortage of good teachers in special ed. If you ever have any questions about the field, please feel free to ask me.”

      “Thanks, Charlene. I’ll probably have a lot to ask about. It’s a fascinating career.”

      Ethan presented to Dakota the rest of his friends. “Rudy Cantos is my old college roommate. He and our lovely Maria Castro are engaged to be married and Mandy Harris and Todd Williams have been dating a couple of months. Mandy is a long-standing member of our group, the only female. Maxwell, Rudy and I are also fraternity brothers.”

      Dakota’s smile was genuinely friendly. She was nervous, but she didn’t come across as such. “It’s nice to meet all of you. I’m looking forward to our evening.”

      The ladies immediately put Dakota at ease. The guys went off together to let the women get a little better acquainted.

      “Are you going to skate?” Maria asked Dakota.

      Ethan and his friends appeared to be having so much fun that Dakota easily made up her mind, giving Maria a positive response.

      She excused herself and quickly made her way to the rental area. “Size six-and-a-half,” she told the teenaged girl behind the counter. “I prefer the white skates over the brown ones.”

      “Sure thing. Are you planning on wearing socks?”

      “I am.” Dakota looked puzzled. “Is that a problem?”

      “It might be if you don’t go up at least a half size. The seven will work better with socks. Otherwise, the fit might be kind of snug.”

      With her rental skates in hand, Dakota found an empty bench and sat down to lace up. Her parents had also loved to skate. They’d accompany Dakota to the rink when she was younger. She smiled wistfully.

      Maria, Charlene and Mandy came over to where Dakota was.

      “How’s it coming?” Mandy asked. “We came back to see if you’re ready to hit the floor.”

      “Ouch,” Dakota said, grimacing playfully. “That’s the last thing I want to do. I haven’t done this in a while.”

      “You’ll do okay,” Maria encouraged. “You can’t be any worse than me. I fall all the time.”

      “We all do. Just have fun with it,” Charlene suggested.

      “Thanks for the pep talk.” Dakota got to her feet but was a bit shaky.

      Maria and Charlene got on either side of Dakota.

      “We’re here to help you. It’ll be all right,” Mandy remarked.

      Grateful for the kindness shown to her, Dakota smiled. “Okay. Here goes.”

      Mandy reached down and picked up Dakota’s shoes. “I’ll put these in the locker with the rest of ours. We never pay for two.”

      After slipping twice, Dakota wasn’t so positive she’d made the right decision. Slowly and carefully she made her way around the huge rink, staying close to the railing. Teetering to the left and tottering to the right had her fearful. Her butt kissing the floor would mortify her. Moving even closer in to the railing, she slid her arm alongside it to help keep her upright. She thought about retraining herself upstairs where the children’s floor was located. It would be safer.

      An arm slid unexpectedly about Dakota’s waist, startling her, causing her to nearly topple over. As she looked up at Ethan, her eyes gave him a slight warning shot. “You scared me…and I almost fell. I can’t afford to break any bones.”

      Ethan looked sheepish. “Sorry about that. But I recall someone telling me they could skate. Or did I just imagine it?” His eyes gleamed with boyish mischief.

      “What I said is that it was probably like riding a bike, something you never forget. I also mentioned your getting embarrassed if you had to pick me up.”

      Ethan’s eyes suddenly locked into Dakota’s hot, melting gaze. In his ears the silence was loud as a lion’s roar. As he had blocked out the overhead music, all he wanted to hear was the sound of her sweet voice. Her eyes, startled with surprise, had captured him in their brightness. Her pretty face was creamy and soft as silk.

      The enchanting expression on Ethan’s handsome face caused Dakota to tremble within. The intimate feel of his concerted gaze caused a rosy blush to spread over her cheeks. No one had ever looked at her the way he did. It made her feel good.

      Ethan’s fingers itched to flit tenderly across Dakota’s lips. His mouth desired to kiss hers until each gasped for air. He

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