Page 23 of Puck Happens

“Usually, there’s a bunch of street vendors and food trucks,” I told her. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tried Birdie’s falafels. Oh, and you can get your fortune told by Madame Za.”

“A fortune teller? Seriously?” Liv asked with a raised eyebrow.

“People swear by her and she makes a living doing it.”

“I like to have control of my future rather than leaving it up to the whims of fortune.”

I snorted.

“You think that’s crazy?”

“Not at all, it’s just a little crazy how much you sound like me sometimes.”

“Not a believer in fate?”

“I’ll tell you what a buddy of mine told me. You can control how you get to your future, but you can’t control your future. You never know what’s coming.”

I hadn’t seen her coming, that was for sure.

“Fair enough. Although you’re so big, I’m going to assume most people see you coming.”

“Hey, stop makingbigjokes. You’re hurting my feelings.”

She stopped walking and turned to face me. Her expression lit up with mischief. “I’m sorry, is that the moon out there over the water? I can’t see it over your big head.”

“Fine. Go ahead then,” I said, twirling my finger. “Get it out of your system.”

“Your head’s so big I bet you have to step into your hockey jersey.”

“That’s it. Now you’ve done it.” I made a motion to grab her around the waist, but she danced back. She was quick, but I was a professional athlete. Another two steps and I had my arm around her waist.

She didn’t struggle even a little bit.

“Is this the part where you kiss me, big guy?”

“Yeah,” I pulled her closer. “This is the part where I kiss you.”

I was not a man who over-thought my kissing technique. I didn’t get in my head about the angle of my head, or how much tongue I should use. Kissing was something you just went for and let the drive and the heat take over.

But as soon as my lips touched hers, something hit me. Like a puck to the solar plexus. I felt nervous and winded and excited all at the same time. My lips grazed hers and then pulled back. I wanted to breathe her in first. All that heat, all that feistiness. I wanted to ingest her, absorb her into my skin.

I wantedher. Her body and her quick wit and her non-stop trash talk. I wanted her last name and the whole story about what happened to her. I wanted to see what she would look like in my bed tomorrow morning.

Her lips fit mine. Her tiny frame tucked against my chest like she was this missing limb I never knew I was supposed to have. Under mine, her lips opened with a quiet gasp.

That’s right, I wanted to say. This isn’t going to be simple. Or just a kiss. This is going to be all night. And maybe a good chunk of tomorrow. And every day before she left to start her new job.

When that punch hit, you know the one deep down in your gut, the one that grabs you by the balls and says,Yes. Let’s fuck…when that hit, it made my knees go weak.

I wanted more. I wanted all of her. I hadn’t even realized it, but she’d lifted herself up into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist, so I could have better access to her mouth. Like a move we’d choreographed and practiced over a thousand times.

“Liv,” I breathed, and she pulled away, her wide eyes meeting mine, like she couldn’t believe this either. This heat. This connection.

I know, right?

She dove back into me and sank her teeth into that spot where my neck met my shoulder. It sent chills down my fucking spine.

“You smell good,” she whimpered, and ran her tongue over my skin. “Hmm. You taste good too.”

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