Her throat works. She looks away quickly.
"You noticed all that?" she asks.
"Unfortunately." I exhale. "I was trying not to."
That makes her look back. There is heat in her gaze now, mixed with confusion.
"You’re not nearly as charming as you think," she says.
"Thank you," I reply. "I am aiming for infuriating."
Something like a laugh escapes her, quiet but real.
She shifts her weight, turning like she is about to head back inside. Her heel snags on a warped board.
She stumbles.
I catch her around the waist before she can pitch forward. Her hands land on my chest. Her body collides with mine, soft and solid at the same time.
For one suspended heartbeat, we freeze.
Her face is inches from mine. Her eyes are wide. Her lips part on a shaky breath. I can feel her pulse racing under my fingers.
"Great," she says softly, mortified. "Add public clumsiness to my resume."
"This one is on me," I murmur. "Should have warned you about the deck."
"Since when do you warn people before causing chaos?" she asks.
"Since you started looking at me like that."
She blinks. "Like what?"
I do not answer. I cannot. The air is suddenly different. Thick. Electric. Her perfume smells like strawberries and something I can’t name.
She opens her mouth, probably to snap at me.
I lean in before she can.
And kiss her.
It is not the reckless, hard-press, shove-you-into-the-wall kind of kiss I recently imagined I would have with her, if I ever let myself imagine that.
It is slow.
Careful.
I brush my mouth over hers, testing. Waiting for her to shove me away.
She doesn’t.
Her lips part on a soft inhale and I deepen the kiss just a fraction. My hand at her waist tightens. Her fingers curl into the front of my jacket and my world suddenly tilts on its axis just a little more.
The muffled music from inside turns distant. The only thing I can focus on is the heat of her mouth and the way she tastes. Sweet. A little sharp. Entirely addictive.
For one impossible second, everything goes silent in my head. No games. No penalties. No warning letters from the league. Just her.
Then she breaks away.
