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I pressed my lips tightly together. There was no way he’d get a single word out of me now. Not when every cell in my body wanted to press against him and feel his lips against mine again.
It didn’t matter that I hadn’t made up my mind about the tournament. What I wanted here and now was Gabriel.
He seemed emboldened by my silence. Reaching toward me, he took a strand of my blonde hair in his hand and tucked it gently behind my ear, the brushing of his fingertips against my skin setting me ablaze with heat. With his large hand, he cupped the side of my cheek and paused to look deep into my eyes.
“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.
I closed my eyes against the sudden onslaught of doubt his words conjured. “You’re just saying that.”
“No, I’m not.” The harshness of his answer made me open my eyes in surprise. He stared at me with such honesty that I could feel it in my soul. “You’re gorgeous, Beth. I’m not sure why you don’t know that. Open those ridiculously sexy green eyes of yours.”
I tilted my head back and laughed, even as warmth filled every part of me. “Ridiculously sexy green eyes? Really?”
“Definitely.” He nodded solemnly, rubbing his thumb agonizingly slow over the apex of my cheekbone and then down to the corner of my mouth. “I dream about those eyes.”
That took my breath away. I never imagined I’d be important enough to anyone for them to dream about me, but the way Gabriel was looking at me and cradling my cheek with such tenderness, he had me believing every word he said. He could’ve told me that purple unicorns existed and I would’ve believed him.
“So you really don’t hate me?” he asked, leaning closer.
The scent of his soft breath was a cool winter mint. He hesitated just inches from my lips, his gaze thoroughly locked in on my mouth. I couldn’t help but smirk as he waited for my answer. Maybe he already had me melting into a pool of goo, but it was finally my turn to make him squirm.
“I mean, things could always change,” I said slyly. “I could kiss you first this time and then you could run away screaming.”
His lips curved into a relieved grin. “Never.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Summoning all of my courage, I leaned toward him. My breath hitched in my lungs, excitement jolting up and down my spine. This was it. I wasn’t going to be a chicken anymore. I wasn’t going to doubt myself. If Gabriel said I was beautiful, I was going to believe it. He looked so tempting sitting there with his chest ra
pidly rising and falling. How could I let this moment pass me by without taking a second shot at getting that kiss right? This time, no running away.
Still leaning closer, I drew my tongue quickly over my lips and Gabriel’s gaze went straight to my lips, his eyes widening. His jaw went slack and I could’ve sworn I felt his hand tremble against my cheek. It was amazing to see such a tough guy melt from just the sight of me drawing near. I’d never felt such power. It made me wonder how else I could affect him.
Splaying a hand on his chest, I focused on the rapid beat of his heart beneath my fingers and the changing rhythm of his breathing. The hand that cradled my cheek sunk into my hair and he gently urged me toward him, as if holding out for any longer would break him.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve thought about this for a long time,” he whispered in a hoarse voice as he gently placed his forehead against mine.
I smiled, my attention too captured by his lips to tear my gaze away. “How long?”
He swallowed hard. “Too long.”
“Show me.”
It wouldn’t have been like me to wait. My sister, Trina, always did say that I had the habit of forging my own path wherever I went. It wasn’t enough to follow. I wanted to be the first. And so as Gabriel took a last fortifying breath, I leaned the rest of the way in, planting my lips firmly on his.
He stiffened at first, as if in surprise. But as any good hockey player would, it hardly took a second for him to adapt to this change of play. He cupped the back of my head with his large palm and wrapped his other arm around my back, firmly holding me close to him. The minty taste of his mouth was like heaven. The heat of his skin next to mine burned with a fierceness that I feared would leave a lasting mark. I melted into his arms, thoroughly ready to give myself up entirely to this second chance kiss.
And this boy certainly knew how to kiss. With an expertise that had to have been gifted to him by the universe, Gabriel worked his lips slowly over mine, teasing out each delicious moment until my toes curled in pleasure. My hands worked their way up to the back of his neck where my fingers entangled in his soft curls. My cheeks were on fire. My head was as light as a cloud. And when he ran his hand down my back, he caused an involuntary shiver that shook me to my core. I was pretty sure he liked the way my body reacted to him. I felt his lips curl into a pleased smile against mine and then he deepened the kiss, earning a happy sigh from me.
I wasn’t sure how long we kissed. It could’ve been hours, for all I knew. But by the time we pulled apart, we were both breathing heavily. I pressed my fingertips to my cheeks, only slightly worried that I may have permanently scorched my skin from blushing so hard. Gabriel chuckled beside me and cleared his throat. Twice.
“Okay, so that was definitely different than the first time,” he said, shifting in his seat.
I peered at him out of the corner of my eye. Different was good, right? I hadn’t run away. And he’d seemed to enjoy kissing me just as much as I’d enjoyed kissing him.
“Yeah, different.” I ran a tongue over my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. “Better.”
He flashed me a sweet and slightly shy smile. “So much better.”
