Page 128 of Overtime
“Strawberry?”
“What do you want, Chocolate?”
My lips twitch. “You. I want you. I want you to tell me that I can kiss you now and tomorrow and the day after that, for a very long time.”
Her fingers knead at the muscles at my nape, like she’s seen me do, but better. With more care. And that’s almost enough to undo me. I start to turn into a noodle and have to hold her tighter so she doesn’t sink.
Smiling as if she knows what she’s doing to me, she whispers, “With one condition.”
“Consider it done.”
“Before you even hear it?”
“If I don’t get to kiss you in the next ten seconds, I’ll die here, woman.”
“Hmm.” She caresses the side of my face like this isn’t the first time, as if already knowing every plane and dip. “Fine, I’ll be quick. The condition is that you have to give yourself to me too.”
“Oh, I’m so ready.”
She presses her lips. “Not just likethat. I mean all your fears and worries, and your hopes and your laughs and your tears. Because I’m sure you cry sometimes too.”
“Never,” I joke.
She ignores it. “Everything. That’s what it means to be the hero of my romance. No hiding or lying or pretending to be okay when you’re not. Are you ready for that task?”
“No,” I admit with a soft voice, inhaling deep. “I’m not. I don’t know how. But I want to figure it out with you. And, uh, disclaimer: I’ll probably mess up a few times along the way, but you can’t be a hockey goalie if you give up easily.”
She nods solemnly. “I’ll make a mental note of that for a future book.”
“Don’t worry, Strawberry. I have endless inspiration to give you.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Can we keep bantering later? My mouth misses yours.”
She snorts, and I think she’s going to say something, but instead, she presses her lips against mine in a soft kiss that lasts exactly one second. Strawberry herself is the one who pushes my mouth open and sucks at my tongue as if it’s my lips instead.
The moan that comes out of my throat is very obvious. I am now fire itself. I press her hips tighter against me, and with my other hand, I push her head down a little more. This kiss might bruise. But we’re both hungry for each other.
As I let her devour my mouth, I slide my hand up from her ass to her hip and squeeze. I break the kiss to speak against her lips. “Yes, I’ll give you all of me. And when you’re ready, you’ll give me all of you too. Seems like a fair trade.”
“So fair.”
She presses that smile right against mine. Then she bites my lower lip, and I might just be a little late to tonight’s semifinal, because there’s no way I’m cutting this moment short. I’ll savor every second of it, along with every inch of my Strawberry’s lips, until we’re both out of breath.
CHAPTER 38
MADDIE
“Are you sure about this? It’s a pretty bold statement.”
From the kitchen of my apartment, Aran says, “As sure as I am about how my name’s actually pronounced.”
I pad out of my room in socks and stop in front of him. He’s tossing a banana into the blender, but he pauses when I raise my arms out to the sides. Surprisingly, his jersey is ginormous on me. Not surprisingly, he’s never getting it back. But it’s one thing to wear the piece of fabric with theCon my chest andRodriguezwith a big number1 on the back when I’m at home with Ryan. It’s quite another to wear it tonight at the national championship game to watch him play.
“We’ve only been dating for two days, you know?” I explain so he thinks about it carefully.
His eyes roam down my body and stop at my legs. That’s when I remember I haven’t put on my jeans yet. Maybe I’m getting a bit too comfortable showing skin in front of my brand-new boyfriend.
