Page 25 of Kiss Cam

The energy in this building is so beyond electric that I can’t come up with a word to describe it. The crowd is so loud that I feel the floor vibrating underneath my feet. I can’t resist the urge to capture this energy in a quick video on my phone. I pan the video around the arena, mainly to show how many people there are and how loud it is.

“Hey.” Joey nudges me. “Selfie time.” He takes my phone from me after I end the video and flips it into selfie mode.

My heart flutters at the sight of us together on the screen — something I’ve wanted since the first day I tutored him in high school. He snaps the picture and sends it to himself before he hands my phone back to me. I also send it to my sister before I put my phone back in my pocket.

Throughout the concert, I’m completely mesmerized by Taylor’s performance. I occasionally steal a glance up at Joey, and every time I do, I notice he’s watching me instead of the show. His face is lit up with bemusement, like he wants to take in every single one of my reactions to the concert. Taylor’s voice talking to the crowd snaps my gaze away from his.

“How y’all doing tonight?” The crowd erupts into shrieks and squeals, so loud that I’m ready to take those ear plugs for myself. “I’m having a great time here with you, Chicago!” She pants, catching her breath after her last song, which was heavily choreographed. How the hell these artists can sing and dance like that at the same time has always blown my mind.

“So, I want to do something that not a lot of people do anymore, but I always thought was fun when I was younger. You guys want to know what it is?” More screams arise and she just stands there smiling, soaking it all in. “Y’all remember Kiss Cams?”

I feel every single muscle in my body tighten at the thought — I can’t tell whether it’s in excitement or fear. What if the camera pans to us? Would Joey kiss me? I mean, there are 20,000 people in this audience, so the chances of it landing on us are slim. But it still has me wondering…

The guitar intro to “Love Story” starts and she continues talking to the crowd. “This one is for all of you Romeos and Juliets out there!”

I watch the jumbotron, singing along while the screen shows various couples popping up and planting kisses on one another. About halfway through the song, the moment I didn’t think would happen comes to life — the camera is showing me and Joey.

Chapter 19

I can see the shock on Kelsey’s face when the Kiss Cam pans to us. She looks up at me with heightened anticipation. Her shoulders are heaving like she’s trying to catch her breath. I faintly hear cheers around us yelling “Kiss her!” but all I can see in this moment is her. I see that halo that entranced me all those years ago — my Angel.

She bites her lip nervously. “You don’t have to —”

I don’t even give her a chance to finish that sentence before I wrap my hands around the sides of her head and kiss her like my life depends on it. My tongue presses against the seam of her lips, begging for entrance, and she parts them to let me in. Fuck, she tastes just as amazing as I imagined she would.

The crowd in the arena goes wild as if they knew this was our first kiss. It’s enough to remind me that we’re not alone and forces me to break away from her lips.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I want to do that?” I ask against her mouth, still holding onto her head. It’s all I’ve wanted to do every time I’ve been around her.

“I never knew if you were into me like that.” She shrugs before looking back up at me with a coy smile. “But I sure as hell do now.”

I didn’t know what to expect coming to this concert, but this was a pleasant turn of events. I’ll deny that this thought ever crossed my mind — the show hasn’t been all that bad. Sure, most of the songs have sounded the same to me, but the energy in here is on another level. The highlight of the show has been watching Kelsey enjoy it. Her face has been lit up like a Christmas tree the entire night.

The song ends and the crowd cheers, but Kelsey and I are still locked in each other’s gaze. I’ve wanted this moment for so long, and now that I’ve had it, I don’t want to let it go. I don’t want to let her go.

“You’re fucking amazing, Angel.” My forehead leans to touch hers. “I’ve wanted to tell you that I have feelings for you for so long, but the timing was never right.”

“I know the feeling.”

I brush my nose against hers playfully, before I lean down and kiss her again — more gently this time — before I wrap my arm around her waist and turn my attention back to the diva onstage. The way Kelsey’s head snuggles against my chest makes my heart feel like it’s ready to burst from my chest.

Every wall between us has been broken down by the time Kelsey and I walk in the front door of my house. We’re barely through the door before our mouths are once again attached to each other. I’ve wasted so much time not telling her how I felt, and now I’m not waiting another fucking second to show her.

“Joey…” she sighs a moan as my lips move down her neck. I can feel her pebbled nipples pressing against my chest as she trembles under my touch.

“Bedroom?” I’m panting from the adrenaline rush I’ve gotten from her embrace.

“Uh huh…” she mutters breathlessly.

“I’ve never known you to be a woman of so little words, Angel.” I scoop her up and carry her down the hall.

She glares at me with fire behind her eyes. “I’ve wasted too many years with words, Joey. Right now, I’m all about the action.”

Fuck me! I think it’s safe to say we’re on the same page with where we want this to go. My raging animal instinct wants to throw her down on the bed and fuck her senseless. But my heart is telling me that I’ve wanted this for so long, I should really take my time. There will be plenty of opportunities to be hasty with her.

Chapter 20

If this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up. How the hell did I never realize that Joey was interested in me all these years? The way he kissed me at that concert was not one of a man who just realized his feelings. No, it was one that said he’d been wanting this for as long as I have.

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