Page 45 of SlapShot Sweetheart

“Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?” she smirked. “How can you even say that when we’ve hardly dated—and what we did was completely disastrous? You’ve never even kissed me or…”

To her shock, Theo stumbled, nearly dropping her.

“Hey!” she yelped, yanking a leg out of his arms as he lost his footing, trying to keep her secure while hopping awkwardly.

“You should warn a man…” he blurted out, stunned. “Mon dieu, Je pensais que j'avais une crise cardiaque!”

“We’re in Texas—not the Great White North!”

“Eh?”

“You’re in the South, Frog-man…”

“That’s rude. ‘Frog’ is a slur…”

“Speaking another language about someone is rude, too.”

“I wasn’t talking about you—I was talking about me.”

“What about you?” she questioned playfully, then looked at him. “Can you put me down so I can use my feet? This is just weird, standing here like some comical tripod about to topple over.”

“I thought I was having a heart attack…”

“What?!” she screeched, concern washing over her as she flailed. “Put me down—are you hurting? Pain radiating down an arm? Are you short of breath?” Her questions tumbled out as he carefully set her on her feet.

Theo chuckled, relief evident in his eyes as he steadied himself. “No, I’m fine, just a bit… surprised.”

“Surprised? You almost dropped me!” Aimee laughed, the tension between them easing, replaced by the joy of shared moments and laughter.

“Maybe next time, you’ll think twice before throwing around such powerful declarations,” he teased, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Just you wait, Frenchman. I’ll have my revenge,” she threatened playfully, her heart full, knowing that whatever happened next, they would face it together.

Aimee was reaching for his wrist to check his pulse, like she knew what she was doing, while the other hand was patting her jeans pocket looking for her phone – only to feel Theo’s breath against her lips. She looked up to see his arm planted above her head on the wall as he was leaning into her with a soft smile on his face.

“Oh…”

“Very short of breath,” he whispered tenderly as his hand touched her cheek. “And you’re right, we ‘aven’t kissed.”

“Gosh, you have a thick accent,” she murmured distractedly as she stared up into his eyes, drowning in them.

“You do, too,” he breathed, softly brushing his nose against hers in a caress as he almost touched her lips. “I love the way you say some things to me…”

“Same.”

“Oh?” he chuckled, drawing back slightly in surprise.

“Hush! Back to whatever this was a second ago,” she blurted out quickly, reaching up to touch the back of his neck, caressing the hair that touched the nape of his neck. She was floating in the soft scent of soap mixed with his cologne, feeling the warmth coming off of him, combined with an energy between them that was nearly tangible to her.

“If you give me a chance, I will be everything to you…” he promised, caressing her lips almost with a featherlike touch as he teased and tempted her silently with the promise of more.

“A chance for what?”

“To date you,” he beckoned softly, kissing her top lip. “To ‘old you,” he continued, dropping a kiss on her lower lip and then paused. “A chance to love you…” and Aimee drew in her breath at his quiet plea as she met his eyes once more, right before he kissed her deeply.

She was so glad the wall was at her back because the possibility of collapse was staggeringly strong at that very moment that he kissed her. The taste of Theo mixed with peppermint nearly made her smile, wondering when he’d snuck one and if he had planned this all along. As his mouth slid over hers at an angle, she felt him step closer, realizing he was repositioning himself and drawing her into his arms.

At that moment, she felt like the entire world was snapping into focus with a clarity that was sharp and crystalline. He was the one person who would put up with her sass, give it back playfully, welcome her like no other, and celebrate their time together because he knew just how valuable it was to have a bond like this. He was her friend… but friends didn’t kiss like this.

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