Page 40 of SlapShot Sweetheart

“Sheesh…”

“Here we go…”

“Batiste, we’re rumblin’ – you ready?”

“Eh?” Theo said distractedly, looking at Giroux’s expressive face as he angled his head toward Thierry who was getting in Bronson’s face. Theo stood up straight and pointed at the strange scene before him, utterly shocked. Usually, he was the one talking trash and diving into the fray first.“‘E picked a fight?”

“You were busy,” Giroux grinned.

“Je suis surpris!”

“I think Bronson is surprised, too.”

“Eh bien, allons-y,”Theo reared back, shucking off his gloves onto the ice with wild abandon as one of the players swung at his head, and he ducked, only to charge back up, using the blade of his skate to push off into the thick of it. He felt someone land a few hits before he was pulled back from the fray.

“Batiste!” the referee yelled – pointing at the penalty box.

Fine, whatever. It would put him closer to Aimee. Skating toward it, he gave the other team a childish face, sticking out his tongue before grinning like a crazy man. Yup, ten minutes closer to Aimee sounded like heaven.

Skidding to a stop, he stepped into the penalty box and immediately turned to see her rising to her feet, her hand over her heart. He hadn’t put his gloves back on yet, so he took his hand and pressed it against the plexiglass separating them. To his surprise, she moved out of the row, moving toward him.

She wasn’t but maybe ten feet from him, but the fact that she was headed in his direction meant everything at that moment… andhis heart thudded wildly in his chest as she raised her hand to touch his through the clear barrier between them.

“I’m sorry,” he said simply and watched her lips move barely making out her voice because of the speakers nearby. He frowned and pointed, only to see her crack a small smile as she also nodded.

Sign language.

He pointed at his eye, holding her gaze as he moved slowly, needing to tell her something. Pointing at his knee and then at her, he put his hand back onto the glass before putting his forehead against it… only to feel a sharp ‘thwap’ that caught his attention. He jerked back, looking at her, startled, and saw her smirk as she shook her head, obviously laughing, before she pointed at her eye, her knee, and then him.

She needed him, too?

He grinned widely – and pressed his lips to the plexiglass before hearing the crowd around them cheering. He cracked open a single eye, looking at her shy expression as she rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Yeah, she was still upset with him but slowly warming up to him once more. She leaned forward and kissed the plexiglass over his lips and heard the cheer turn into a loud roar only to notice people pointing upward – and laughed.

They were on the monitors! Their first kiss was separated by plexiglass and on television – and if that wasn’t romantic enough?

Theo suddenly felt inspired.

He leaped up onto the bench in the penalty box, throwing his fists in the air to incite everyone to cheer them on once more as he craned his neck over the plexiglass guard, hoping to sneak another kiss. To his surprise, Aimee shook her head nervously and instead blew him a kiss.

Fine.

If she wouldn’t come up here – he’d come to her!

Throwing caution to the wind, Theo looked around wildly, seeing the team at the other end of the rink. He shoved the penalty box door open and knew his coach was going to have a hissy fit and a half. Sure enough, he already heard the man screaming obnoxiously as Theo skated to the wall in front of Aimee.

“What are you doing?” she said in disbelief.

“I ‘ate you being mad at me,” he replied quickly – and then reached over the railing, hooking his fingers in the waistband of her jeans and pulling her toward him. Her blue eyes grew in shock and awareness as he hooked a foot up along the wall, giving him at least another inch or two as he leaned forward precariously, dropping a quick peck on her stunned lips.

Sure enough, several hands clamped on his shoulders, drawing him back as the referees ordered him back into the penalty box. That was barely a kiss, but it obviously had an effect on her. She stood there, her pretty lips in the shape of an ‘O’ as her fingers covered her mouth, gawking at him.

“A kiss for luck,mon âme soeur!” he hollered, grinning.

“I know what that means…” she volunteered, recovering from the impromptu kiss that had the crowd roaring in approval.

“Good,” he replied. “You’re learning French…”

“I might be.”

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