“What’s got you sighing like that?” I ask her.
She focuses her gaze back on me and gives me a soft smile. “The snow. It was a good sigh. I love living here and getting to experience all of the seasons. Do you like winter?”
I take my time answering her question, too preoccupied taking her in. Her hair falls in waves from beneath her white knit hat that matches her sweater. I can’t see them right now from where she’s sitting across from me, but her dark jeans looked like they were painted on her while she was bent over the pool table earlier.
After openly checking her out, I remember she asked me a question and I clear my throat. “It’s my favorite season, which is sometimes a scary thing to admit because to the wrong person, it probably makes me sound like a psychopath, but my favorite things happen in the winter.”
“Oh, duh. That was probably a silly question considering you’re a hockey player.”
“Nah, I think it’s a fair question. I could’ve said summer is my favorite because I love to golf or go wakeboarding.”
“Do you like to do those things?”
I nod, and then she asks, “What other things do you like to do?”
“In the fall and spring I love to go hunting, and in the summer if I’m not golfing or wakeboarding, you’ll probably find me fishing. Have you ever been?”
She shakes her head. “Nope, I’ve never been hunting or fishing before; my dad isn’t much of an outdoorsman. The only golfing I’ve done is during gym class and I am not athletic enough to stand up on a wakeboard.”
“I feel like that’s a challenge I’d be willing to take on.”
“What challenge is that?” she asks, quirking a brow.
“All the above. I think I could teach you to wakeboard. Golfing might take time. Hunting would require you to get a license, but you could tag along as my good luck charm. Fishing is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you, Jackson Wilson?”
“Not so sure of myself yet when it comes to you. But we’ll get there.”
“I have the utmost confidence,” she assures me.
We sit there and talk for so long, I don’t notice the time until the store is telling us they’re getting ready to close for the evening. I help Taevin into her coat before taking a chance and grabbing her hand in mine. My heart launches into my throatwhen she turns to give me one of the most radiant smiles I’ve ever seen.
Just as I’ve opened the passenger door of my truck, I spin her toward me, and end up having to catch her around the waist when she slips on some of the freshly fallen snow. Holding her like this has thoughts I’ve never had suddenly filling my head. In the short span of time we’ve spent together, I’ve come to the conclusion that Taevin Gray isn’t the type of girl you can easily let go of. Where do we go from here? What would it be like if she were mine? Am I boyfriend material? Am I capable of being more than just someone’s fun night? Should I ask her to be my girlfriend?
Do it. Ask her.
“Listen, I don’t really know how all of this works, so I’m going to just go with what feels right.” I pause and grab her hands in mine, rubbing slow circles on the backs of hers. “Will you be my girlfriend, Taevin?”
Her eyes widen, and I hope the shock on her face isn’t a bad kind of shock, like the kind where she’s trying to figure out how to let me down easy. I feel a slight sense of relief when a slow smile tugs at the corners of her mouth.
She surprises the hell out of me when she points out, “You haven’t even kissed me yet. How can you expect me to agree to be in a relationship with you when I don’t know if you’re a good kisser or not? For all I know, you could be terrible at it. I would hate to tie myself down to someone who uses too much tongue, or worse, none at all.”
My eyebrows are to my forehead and I’m sure it’s comical how wide my eyes are right now. It takes me a moment, but I manage to regain my composure.
“If you wanted me to kiss you, Tae, all you had to do was ask,” I tell her as I drop her hands and take a step closer so I can wrap an arm around her waist, using my other hand to brush a straypiece of hair behind her ear before angling her face up to look at me.
She looks into my eyes for a moment before hers flutter shut at the same time as she lifts onto her toes, drawing her lips that much closer to mine. I hesitate for a moment, not only to make sure this is what she wants, but I also want to capture a mental snapshot of this moment in time. As thick, cottony flakes fall down around us, I’m captivated by the sight of Taevin’s dark lashes coated with white snowflakes. Her black hair flowing out of her hat is the perfect contrast to the winter wonderland surrounding her, giving her an almost ethereal look.
When I lean down and finally press my lips to hers, I realize in an instant that my life has irrevocably changed. From this moment on, my life will be measured in moments that I’ll designate as before Tae and after Tae.
A soft hum leaves her lips as I glide my tongue along them for entry. I let out a low groan of approval when she opens for me. Our kiss isn’t frenzied, it isn’t rushed. It’s purposeful—an exploration that leaves me wanting to discover so much more. I wish I could freeze this moment in time—wish I could spend the rest of the evening doing this and only this.
She breaks the kiss when her phone alarm goes off, signaling that it’s time to get her home before her curfew. I’m not sure where she told her dad she was going tonight, but I know it wasn’t the truth. She said she needed to give him more time to come around to the prospect of her dating before she told him about me.
I lick my lips, savoring the way I can still taste her there. Tae tracks the move, causing her to bite down on her bottom lip with heavy-lidded eyes, and it takes everything in me not to pull her in for another kiss. Instead, I plant a soft kiss on her forehead and tell her, “I should get you home.”
She wraps her arms around my waist and gazes up at me. “You should. But first things first, I’ve got to answer your question.”
