“They’re boring.”
I pointed at a package halfway down the shelf.“Golden Oreos.”
Her eyes lit up.“Elite.”
“Finally,” I said.“Something we agree on.”
“They’re superior,” she said firmly.“Better cookie-to-cream ratio.Softer crunch.”
“Plus,” I added, “they don’t leave black crumbs everywhere like you’ve been rolling around in dirt after eating half of the package in the middle of the night.”
She laughed.“Exactly.”
She reached up toward the top shelf where the Double Stuf Golden Oreos sat, just out of reach.She stretched onto her toes, fingers grazing the edge of the package.“I’ve got it,” she said.
“You don’t,” I said, stepping closer.
She reached again, the cart wobbling slightly as she leaned.
And then she didn’t have it.
Her foot slipped just enough that her balance went, and her body tipped backward.
I dropped the list and caught her without thinking.My hands came around her waist as momentum carried her straight into me.
The world narrowed.
She was warm and in my arms.Her hands grabbed at my cut, fingers curling into the fabric as she steadied herself.Her breath hitched, and I felt it like a spark down my spine.
“Cole,” she whispered.
I looked down at her, her face tilted up, eyes wide and dark, lips parted just slightly.We were close enough that I could smell her shampoo, something clean and faintly floral.
Time stretched thin.
“I’m going to kiss you, Star,” I said quietly.
She didn’t speak.She just nodded.
That was all I needed.
I leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull back and to change her mind.She didn’t.Instead, she rose up just a little, meeting me halfway.
Our lips touched, soft at first, a gentle press that felt like a question.
Then she answered it.
She leaned into me, hands sliding up my chest, and the kiss deepened, still sweet but charged now.I tilted my head, fitting against her, and she sighed into my mouth like she’d been holding her breath all morning.
I tightened my arms around her instinctively, careful.The aisle faded away, the shelves, the noise, everything except her.
Someone cleared their throat.
“Excuse me.”
We jumped apart like we’d been caught doing something illegal.
I turned, my heart still pounding, and found myself face-to-face with Mrs.Spangler.
