The crowd explodes.
But I don’t hear it.
I hear the way he exhales against my mouth like he’s been holding that breath for years.
When he pulls back, my lips tingle.
His forehead rests against mine for a fraction of a second before he catches himself and straightens.
The stadium is losing its mind.
The announcer shouts something about “Devil’s Peak’s favorite couple.”
The KissCam lingers for a beat too long before moving on.
I blink at him.
“That escalated,” I manage.
He doesn’t look amused.
“That wasn’t fake,” he says quietly.
My pulse thunders in my ears. “You went off-script.”
“You wanted believable.”
My chest rises and falls too fast. “You could’ve kept it light.”
His gaze drops to my mouth.
“You think I can keep anything light with you?” The question burns.
“You’re supposed to be in control,” I say softly.
“I was.”
“That wasn’t control.”
He leans closer again, voice low enough that only I can hear. “That was restraint.”
The way he says it makes my knees weak. The inning changes, the crowd settles, but the air around us has shifted permanently. People start whispering. Phones come out. Somewhere behind us, I hear Mrs. Dottie gasp dramatically.
“Did you see that?” someone says loudly. “They’re back on!”
Levi sits straighter, jaw tight.
“This is going to be everywhere,” I say.
“It already is.”
He’s right.
By the seventh-inning stretch, my phone buzzes in my pocket nonstop. I finally sneak a glance.
DEVIL’S PEAK GOSSIP PAGE:
“LEVI KANE & SADIE MARSHALL: BACK ON?! ”
