Page 45 of Fake Out Hearts

I rush over to him to give him a hug. He’s still wet after a shower, but I don’t care.

“Congratulations!” I say and squeeze him tight. “That pass was so amazing.”

Theo chuckles, drawing back a little to look me in the eyes. “See? I told you I had all the luck I needed.”

The urge to kiss him swells in me, but I hesitate. The cameras aren’t around anymore, and I don’t want to overdo it, so I just rub his arms and beam at him instead.

“Guess this means our relationship isn’t a secret anymore, huh?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “No, but I’m not mad about it. We wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret forever, so we might as well let the whole world know at once, right?”

“That’s almost exactly what I said to Callie and Margo. Thanks for roping them into my welcoming committee.”

“Oh, they volunteered. They’re all dying to get to know you.”

“That makes perfect sense. I did kind of come out of nowhere.”

“You sure did. Anyway, you ready to get out of here?” he asks, taking my hand in his.

“Are you all done with the press and everything?”

Theo shrugs. “As done as I can be. I’m sure they’ll be waiting to ambush us when we leave, especially after tonight, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Thatwecan’t handle.”

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

He raises his eyebrows at me. “You sound so confident.”

“It’s like you said, everything’s going to be fine. And I’m going to have to get used to this at some point, so no time like the present, right?”

“You’re full of surprises,” he says and uses his free hand to pull my head toward him so he can press a kiss to my forehead. It’s a chaste, perfectly innocent gesture, but the feel of his lips on my skin makes my breath hitch a little anyway. “Let’s go.”

I don’t know where we’re heading, but I let Theo lead me through a series of doors until we eventually emerge into the cold Denver night. We must have come out of a back door because hardly anyone is there—other than a few smart reporters who must have staked the place out. They’re smoking and talking to each other until they spot us. Theo picks up the pace a bit, so I try to match it, but he’s hard to keep up with, and the reporters are too quick for us anyway.

“Theo, Theo! Congratulations on the great game tonight. How do you feel?” one of them asks while another aims a camera at us and blinds us with a flood light.

“Outstanding. But I’d feel even better if you just let me get home,” Theo answers, grinning at the guy.

“Sure, but one more question for you before we get out of your hair,” the reporter says, then looks over his shoulder at the others like he’s looking for approval. The camera guy nods, so the reporter faces us again. “Is this your new girlfriend?”

Theo turns his grin on me, making my heart flutter. He raises an eyebrow at me like he’s asking for permission, and even though my throat is as dry as the Denver night, I nod.

His grin widens just a little as he announces, “Nope. She’s more than just my girlfriend. She’s my wife.”

“Wife? Whoa, that’s a big development. Did you elope?”

“Sorry, but you’ve already asked your last question,” Theo says without looking at the reporter. He keeps his eyes locked on mine, then tilts my chin up using just a finger. His hand drifts up to my face, where he rests it on my cheek, and my head swirls. Theo leans in closer to whisper to me. “If you don’t want me to kiss you, stop me right now.”

I say nothing, standing there frozen, until his lips find mine. And then all at once, it’s like I come surging back to life. I grip his waist to keep my hands from exploring every other part of his body. He’s so brightly illuminated by the camera light that I can barely make out the details of his face, but I can feel them, so intensely that it’s dizzying.

All his kisses affect me, but this one, this one’s different. When our lips finally part, I’m still soaring, trying my best to catch my breath. But the reporters must be satisfied with the footage they got, because the camera light clicks off, plunging us back into relative darkness, and Theo takes the opportunity to give them the slip.

He leads me to his car, and we’re quiet on the whole journey. But as soon as he opens the passenger door for me and I drop inside, I let out the breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. Theo climbs into the driver’s seat and starts the car, and although he’s grinning at me, there’s a tightness in his eyes. I want to ask what’s going on, but he puts the car in reverse and speeds out of the parking lot, probably hoping to put as much distance between us and the reporters as possible.

We drive in silence for a few minutes until finally Theo breaks it.

“Okay, okay. Now that we’re alone, you can be honest. You don’t have to pretend for the cameras anymore. I know I playedlike shit tonight. Hell, I’ve played like shit this whole season. Everyone else knows it too.”

I wince because that’s not what I was thinking at all. “No, you’re amazing! I mean, are you kidding? You helped score the winning goal tonight.”

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