Chapter 23
Pepper
The second the Jumbotron monitors in our box flashed with that giant, pulsing neon heart, my jaw dropped. Framing the entire screen for forty thousand screaming fans to see was the front row of our dugout suite, and the lens was locked dead onto Aaron and me.
Below us, the ballpark erupted into a deafening roar. The chant of "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" rippled across the lower sections, thousands of voices demanding a show. I turned to look at Aaron, a bold spark igniting in my chest. I was up for it—I was a spitfire, and a crowd didn't intimidate me.
But looking at his sudden, wide-eyed expression, a flash of doubt hit my stomach. He’s too scared, I thought, a smirk tugging at my lips. I figured his precious handbook and rigid corporate rules would lock him down, leaving him too paralyzed to move in front of the world.
But before I could think a single second further, the king of rules shattered his own playbook.
Aaron didn't hesitate. He leaned across the space between our seats, his massive frame blocking out the surrounding stadium lights. Those full lips that I’d grown to love were placed firmly onto mine.
A gasp left my throat, swallowed by the heat of his mouth.
Without being able to help myself, my hand flew to the side of his face, my fingers tangling near the edge of his black baseball cap as I pulled him closer.
The grounding warmth of his skin sent a violent shockwave straight to my core.
Aaron cupped my jaw, his thumb tracing my cheekbone, and his tongue parted my lips, deepening the kiss with a slow, seductive rhythm that made my head spin.
If it weren't for the crowd cheering even louder, their massive eruption of sound finally breaking our bubble, we would still be lost in each other.
We slowly pulled back. I blinked, my eyes wide in shock as I stared up at him, my heart hammering violently against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"Well... that was hot," Stormy piped up from the row behind us, dramatically fanning her face with her hand.
Everyone in the suite erupted into a chorus of laughter and teasing wolf-whistles, but I barely heard them. The rest of the stadium didn't even exist. I just kept my eyes locked onto his, a breathless smile creeping onto my lips.
"You keep surprising me," I murmured, my voice a quiet whisper against the fading cheers.
Aaron leaned down just a fraction of an inch, his eyes burning with an unyielding passion that made the bright stadium lights fade into background noise. There was no playfulness in his tone, no teasing grin on his lips, just raw, unfiltered conviction when he spoke.
"I'd never miss out on an opportunity to kiss you, Pepper."