“Oh!” Arizona rears backward, the door flapping in the wind before hitting her in the temple.
“Ouch.” She blinks at us and then averts her gaze. “Um, everyone is trying to get a hold of you. Plans have changed. The team plane is taking off in forty-five minutes. You need to leave now if you’re going to make it.”
“Oh, shoot.”
Tenny takes one step toward his sister before remembering the wetsuit. After tugging down the pull cord, he slips his arms out. I yank down my zipper and do the same. In two seconds, we’re both in our swimsuits, shivering in the cold spring breeze.
“Zona, can you grab my duffel bag from my bedroom?”
His sister stalks off, muttering, “Get my bag, Cinderelly. Save my butt from being late, Cinderelly.”
The second Arizona enters the house, Tenny wraps me in his arms. His body is still warm from the wetsuit and our shared shower.
“I wish I could spend the rest of the day with you.” He gives me a quick kiss. “But I’ll see you tomorrow? You fly into Phoenix in the afternoon?”
“Yeah, I get in around two.”
Tenny winks at me. “I’ll see you for our pregame interview, then.”
I almost scoff, but then his thumb and forefinger gently pinch my chin.
“After the game, I want to see you alone. We can eat Sol & Saffron again or maybe try that surf park if you want to keep working on this while we’re out of town. Honestly, I’ll doanything with you. I could stare at a wall for hours as long as I get to hold your hand at the same time.”
My heart does a little flip, but I roll my eyes at him. “You couldn’t sit still that long.”
Tenny wrinkles his nose. “No, you’re probably right. Let’s go ice skating and hold hands instead.”
When I laugh, Tenny’s dimpled smile morphs into something softer.
“This is going to be the longest twenty-six hours of my entire life,” he says, pulling me in for another kiss.
I let myself get swept up in the tender caress of his mouth, in the gooey sweetness of his words. When Tenny’s lips drop from mine, I smile.
Then I raise my brows, pin him with a wry look, and deadpan, “I’m sure you’ll survive.”
My sassy response doubles the size of Tenny’s grin.
“Hello?” Arizona calls from the back door. “Fancy private jet to catch. Remember?”
Tenny sprints toward the house before pivoting on a dime and running back to me. He hesitates only a second before muttering, “Screw it. She’ll find out eventually.”
Then he splays one large hand over the back of my one-piece, palms my head with the other, and brings my mouth to his. The kiss lasts much longer than it probably should—for time’s sake and because we have an audience—but I can’t seem to care.
“This is going to be a problem. I can already tell.”
His breathless words delight me even as I push at his shoulders.
“Go,” I say through a giggle.
He chews on his bottom lip, hesitating and leaning in, before I push him again. “Get out of here.”
Tenny turns, giving me one more look over his shoulder before sprinting toward the house like he’s stealing second.
“Finally,” Arizona says, arms crossed over her sweatshirt.
Tenny gives Arizona a hug, which only makes her squeal because he’s still soaked from our swim. He takes his proffered bag before running through the house barefoot. I hope his sister put some shoes in that bag for him.
Tucking my wet hair behind my ears, I pick up our wetsuits and lay his over his patio furniture to dry. I shove mine in my wetsuit bag to take home until I can hang it in my shower later. Slipping into my sandals, I take a deep breath. Arizona hasn’t moved from her position blocking the doorway, and her expression has only hardened in the time it took me to pick up our things.
