Page 77 of Body Shot

“And remember, that’s late November, and by mid-December, you’ll be done with you probation and can potentially come down to Florida for extended periods of time.”

“I know.” She takes a breath. “I’m sorry. I’m getting my period so I’m probably a little more emotional than usual.”

“If I wasn’t a rough-and-tough hockey player with a reputation to uphold, I’d probably be crying too.”

That makes her smile.

“There. That’s the face I want to remember until we’re together again.” I lean down to kiss her and our mouths fuse together hungrily, despite standing in the middle of the departure area of Fort Lauderdale airport.

“Don’t get me worked up,” she whispers, her face flushed when we pull apart.

“I want you totally worked up,” I say gruffly. “So you’ll think about how this feels until we’re together again.”

“Like I could forget?”

I brush the back of my fingers across her cheek.

There’s so much I want to say.

So much I want to do with her, share with her…teachher.

But we both have responsibilities.

And four weeks is nothing in the grand scheme of things. The time will fly by, especially for her, even though she probably doesn’t think so yet.

But she looks like she might cry again, so it’s time to man up.

“You don’t want to miss your flight,” I say quietly. “Go, sweetheart. It’s not going to get any easier.”

“I know.” She lifts her chin. “I’m probably going to text you on the flight.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

Our eyes meet and lock.

That ever-present spark sizzles brighter than ever, and I can’t resist kissing her one more time. Our tongues meet in a frenzy, both of us acutely aware that four weeks of not touching will undoubtedly feel like a lifetime. No matter how busy we are.

It’s the last thing I want to do, but I pull away.

“Text me when you’re on the plane,” I say gruffly. “It’ll probably take me that long to get home.”

“And I’ll call you when I land.”

“Your mom is picking you up, right?” I ask. “Because if not, I’ll get you a car.”

“My mom will be there. Don’t worry.”

She smiles.

Then she takes a tentative step back. “Thank you for…everything. It was probably the best vacation I’ve ever had.”

“It was a great week,” I agree.

It’s so fucking hard to say goodbye, so I opt not to.

“The security line is getting longer,” I say instead.

She nods, her eyes never leaving mine as she presses three fingers to her lips, kissing them and then blowing the kiss in my direction.

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