Page 42 of Snowflakes and Sparks

He put the bowl on the floor in the hallway and pulled me inside. “That’s it. You asked for it.”

I tried to make a run for the kitchen, but he grabbed me from behind and kept me in a tight hold.

“Stop,” I yelled, thick tears of laughter running down my face.

“Not until you tell me I don’t look like an old lady.”

I tried squirming out of his strong embrace, but there was no escaping his arms. We both fell down on the hallway floor, Alex’s eyes locking with mine.

“Think you can win this one, do you?” he asked.

This was my chance.

I reached my arm out, gripped the bowl of cake batter with my fingertips and pulled it toward me. Then I scooped a big blob out and smeared it all over his face.

The shocked expression on his face vanished as quickly as it had appeared and he shot me a mischievous grin. He pinned my arms down with his hands and lowered his face. We were only inches apart. I searched his eyes, wanting to know what he was planning.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked, licking his lips.

I nodded.

“Don’t say you didn’t ask for it,” he said and lowered his face even further. But instead of kissing me, he rubbed his nose and cheeks against mine, smearing the batter all over my face.

I grabbed a fresh handful, aiming for his neck, only for the batter to land in his hair. He took revenge by doing the same to me. The sweet smell of cake batter filled the air around us.

I grabbed the wooden spoon and held it in front of me. “I surrender. No more wrestling and no more food fights.”

But Alex didn’t speak. He just stared into my eyes, still pinning me in place. I met his gaze, then watched him as his eyes turned their attention to my lips.

“Also,” I said. “Who’s going to clean these floors?”

His breathing had turned heavier, more urgent. “Cleaning? That’s what you’re thinking about right now?”

“What are you thinking about then?” I asked, meeting his eyes once again.

“This,” he answered.

He put one hand on my cheek and tucked my hair behind my ear. His breathing made my skin crackle with electricity, filling every part of my body with a longing desire. He let his gaze run over my face while his fingers softly caressed my neck, my ear lobes, my lips.

A short moan traveled from my insides to my mouth, until it escaped and amplified Alex’s urgency. He pressed his lips onto mine and kissed them in the slowest way possible. His mouth was even softer than I’d ever imagined and his warmth radiated through me.

I tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled him even closer, wanting more. A rainbow of pure joy made my heart explode, seeping deep into my veins.

As he deepened our kiss, he erased every inch of doubt I’d had about his feelings for me. I didn’t know what was going to happen now that I’d crossed that scary threshold of opening up to him, but I did know this: nothing had ever felt more right to me than this.

We came up for air, both panting, our eyes still locked on each other. I had never been kissed like that before. I would replay this moment over and over again in my mind for years to come.

“I’ll have to redo that one,” Alex said with a grin, pointing to the bowl on the ground, now only half full with batter.

“And to think that I only came over here to ask you about Christmas decorations,” I said.

“I’m glad you did though. At first I thought you were going to stay true to your words.”

“What words?”

“Dear Alex, I don’t know how to say this in a friendly way. I never want to see you again and I’m never returning to Old Pine Cove either.”

My cheeks turned red as he cited the first lines of the letter I’d sent him ten years ago. I had told him that I was about to start college soon and that I didn’t want any distractions. There was even a line in there about wanting to be free to date other people. Gosh, just thinking about that letter made me cringe.

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