Page 14 of Blind Date with a #Doctor
Nan sips her wine like she’s innocent and we all know she is not.
We bowl a few more frames, our scores even. Aspen takes her next turn, and I swear she’s doing it on purpose now. She reaches for the ball, slow and deliberate. Then glances over her shoulder at me, biting her lip like she’s trying not to laugh.
The way her jeans hug her curves in a way that is actively ruining my concentration.
She bowls. Another strike.
I exhale through my nose, then take a deep breath.
“You okay over there?” she asks sweetly.
I give her a look. “You’re enjoying this.”
She shrugs innocently. “Maybe a little.”
“You realize there are only so many times you can do that hip thing before I—”
I don’t get to finish. Aspen closes the space between us, presses up on her toes, and kisses me. Not just a quick peck. A slow, lingering kiss, lips warm and soft, her fingers lightly grazing the front of my shirt. And I swear to everything holy, my brain completely malfunctions.
Behind us, the book club ladies erupt into applause—actual applause. Nan whistles and Sally claps.
Marie yells, “Finally!” like she’s been waiting years for this exact moment.
Aspen pulls away, cheeks pink, eyes sparkling. I just look down at her, completely undone. And I know if we weren’t in the middle of a bowling alley right now, I’d be kissing the hell out of her. Instead, I exhale sharply and drag a hand through my hair.
“Aspen,” I murmur, voice lower than I intended.
She grins, smug and beautiful and entirely too pleased with herself. “Your turn, Carter.”
I let out a slow breath. Focus and try not to get distracted by the fact that Aspen Hayes tastes like wine and trouble. I step up to the lane, rolling my shoulders, and grab a ball.
Aspen sidles up next to me, watching. “You sure you can focus after that?” she teases.
I glance at her, eyes hot and steady. “Guess we’ll find out.”
She laughs, but her smile falters slightly when I let my fingers skim over her wrist before stepping away. I see it. The quick inhale. The way her pulse jumps beneath my touch. Oh, Aspen, you’re not the only one who can play this game.
We go frame for frame, neither of us backing down. I win one round. She wins the next. There’s teasing, taunting, entirely too many loaded glances. And by the final frame? We’re both ready for something more.
“You win,” Aspen announces dramatically, tossing her hands up.
“You sound devastated.”
“Beyond.”
I grin, stepping closer, voice low and teasing. “So about my prize…”
She raises an eyebrow. “You think you earned a kiss?”
“I think I earned at least two.”
“Hm.” She pretends to think about it. And then, without warning, she grabs me by the collar and pulls me down. And kisses the ever-loving hell out of me. A full-body, up-against-me, fingers-in-my-hair kiss.
Aspen pulls away first, breath uneven, lips slightly swollen. I barely get my bearings before—Nan, Sally, and Marie explode into applause again.
Aspen groans. “We have to leave. Right now.”
I laugh, still dazed. “You started it.”
