Page 33 of Penalty Kick

“But,” he continued. “There has not been a woman in my life since I met you. Not even for a minute.”

Talia swooned, his words sinking in. Was he really that serious about her that he hadn’t seen anyone since they’d met?

Silence surrounded them, the Ferris wheel slowly making its way around. Given the weight of everything Dash had just shared, Talia was surprised that the silence wasn’t awkward, but comfortable. That both of them felt at ease enough with each other to just be, and not feel forced to say something. She would just add that to the list of things that surprised her about this man. A list that was getting longer and longer by the moment.

“I seem to have murdered the mood,” Dash said after a long while.

“Not at all. I was actually just thinking about how comfortable I am with you, and how I love that you felt comfortable enough with me to share all that. It’s a nice feeling.”

“I agree.”

“There is a lot more to you than I thought,” she admitted, hoping that she didn’t sound silly.

“I think there is more to you than you show as well. I know that I like what I already know, so I look forward to finding out the rest.”

Heat rushed up the back of Talia’s neck. How did he always know what to say? Dash had to have a magic gift or something.

Jolting in their seats as the ride stopped, Talia took a moment to look where they were. The view was incredible, downtown Atlanta sparkling from way up here. Those lights and buildings were the last thing on her mind, however, when they were stopped where they were.

“We’re at the top,” she muttered, giggling to herself.

“That seems to have brought you some great joy.”

“There is an old wives’ tale that if you kiss while stopped at the very top of the Ferris wheel, you’ll be together forever.”

“Old wives, huh?”

Talia nodded, her stomach flipping with nerves and anticipation. Why did she bring up kissing? They were having a nice, deep bonding moment. Now Dash was going to think that all she wanted was sex. Yes, she wanted to kiss him, but that wasn’t what this was about. She needed to slowly back away and fix this.

“I do not know anything about old wives,” Dash said, twisting to face her. His hand cupped her jaw, thumb once again sliding over her lip. “But I do know this.”

Leaning in, he paused for a second, his lips hovering a whisper away from hers. His breath tickled her lips, sending want and need ripping through her. Talia’s heart throbbed in her chest, her whole body on fire waiting. A heartbeat later—or was it half of one?—the soft, strong feel of his mouth was on hers. His touch was slow, unhurried, yet had a power to it that she couldn’t name. It was all-consuming—taking over her thoughts, her actions, stopping the world around them. Nothing else mattered in this moment. Only the feel of him against her—his lips, his tongue, his whole body.

She could still hear the trills and whistles of the carnival, the excitement of the evening piercing the air as Dash continued to kiss her. It was all starting to fade into the background though, something else surrounding them, putting them in their own little bubble. On their own planet. It no longer mattered that all that separated them from the world outside was the few feet between them and the next car. She had never, ever been kissed like this—not even when he had kissed her before—and it was doing things to her mind she couldn’t explain.

Pulling back slowly, his lips lingering just long enough to tease hers again, Dash smiled as they started to move again. His perfect mouth curved up in a delicious grin that was making her panties melt.

“Wha…wha…what do you know?” she stammered. She was drunk off his kiss, the taste of him lingering on her tongue.

“That I do not want to get off this ride.”

CHAPTER TEN

Grumpy.

That was the only word Dash could find to describe himself at the moment. Which was the exact opposite of how he’d been feeling all week. Right up until he checked his phone in between his own training session and the one he was slated to be at in five minutes for the Unified team.

The carnival had been one of the greatest nights of his life. If he had been the kind of person to call an evening magical, then that was the exact word he would have used—magical.

Dash had considered asking the guy running the Ferris wheel to let them have another round, just so he had an excuse to keep kissing Talia. She, on the other hand, had been too excited to show him what else the carnival had in store, popping right out of the car, grabbing his hand and tugging him along with her. The smile on her face was everything in that moment—even more so since he knew he was the reason behind it. A smile that only got bigger as the night went on, paired with a laugh that Dash was sure had to be the greatest sound ever. From riding bumper cars to sharing fried Oreos and funnel cakes, Dash had done whatever it took to keep that smile growing—and earn a few more kisses along the way, leaving him to feel like he was dancing on air.

A feeling that was now long gone.

Walking out onto the small practice pitch the Unified team used, Dash tried to force a smile. It wasn’t these kids’ fault, and he didn’t want to take it out on them. He just couldn’t manage it though.

“What’s that face for?” Talia asked.

“Nothing.”