“I can’t make a connection.”

Amy Tucker’s low, disappointed voice felt like a punch to Dan’s gut. It took him a few moments to process what she’d just said.

“No?”

She shook her head with a soft, little sniffle.

“I’m not sure why, but the magic is too weak. I think it evaporated since it wasn’t consumed.”

Dan wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Although it might mean his team was in the clear, it still felt unsatisfying. There was the whole fact that they were getting away with cheating. There might even be a bit of magic still in effect. And the worst part was hearing Amy sound so defeated. The whole situation left a distinctly sour taste in his mouth.

Wait. Sour taste?

A quick tongue probing revealed that yes, there was still something in his mouth. It was a little bit grainy, a little bit tingly, and yes, definitely sour.

“Didn’t you say you saw magic on my lips?”

“Yes?”

When Dan heard a soft, slick noise that sounded like Amy licking and smacking her lips, something stirred deep inside him. He’d kissed a few girls and taken his first, tentative steps into the world of dating, but he’d never experienced an awakening quite like this. It was both exhilarating and a tad alarming.

It also gave him a wild, wonderful idea.

“What if you kissed me?”

Even in the dark, Dan knew Amy’s mouth was a wide-open ‘O’.

“I …”

“Would that work? Would a kiss make the connection?”

“I … I’ve never been kissed before.”

That wasn’t what I asked.

Dan grinned as he gently set down the helmet he’d been holding this whole time. He shouldn’t give in to the urge to tease her. Assurance and encouragement was what she needed.

“Well then, may I be your first?”

As the seconds slipped by, Dan wondered if he’d gone too far. He was about to apologize when Amy bounced forward.

“Yes, yes please!” she gushed. “I would like that very much!”

Her vivid enthusiasm quickly shifted to brief uncertainty.

“I mean … that is,”

Dan chuckled softly as he closed the gap between him. When he put a calming hand gently on her shoulder, she didn’t tense or pull away. She gave a soft ‘oh!’, then held her hands prayerfully at her chest, paper cup still between them. Although he couldn’t be sure, Dan had a feeling she’d closed her eyes and was breathing soft and shallowly through slightly parted lips.

“We’ll start slow and sweet,” Dan whispered.

He gently took one of her hands off the cup and placed it against the side of his face. As badly as he wanted to dive right in, he wanted to give her the option of taking the lead. When he slid the one hand from her shoulder to the back of her upper arm and placed the other lightly under her chin, he sensed her leaning closer. Very nice.

“Slow and sweet,” she replied, low and reverently.

The first touch of lips was barely a light whisper. Even that was enough to send sparks shooting throughout Dan’s body.

“For a good connection,” he added, in a light, teasing tone.

He felt her soft puff of laughter.

“For a good connection,” she repeated, a smile in her voice. “And maybe just a little for me.”

“Me too.”

The next kiss was far more substantial, drawing soft hums of approval from them both. When she extended the kiss into a slow, exploratory slide from left to right, the sticky dryness prompted her to her lick her lips. The light brush of her tongue against his mouth left a streak of sensual fire, like a brand burning into his very being.

“I can feel it,” she murmured, “so close …”

Dan knew she wasn’t trying to sound so alluring and seductive, but damn if he couldn’t feel everything reacting as though she had. A deep hunger urged him forward, to seize as much as he desired. It took all the strength he could muster to keep it slow and sweet like he’d promised. He allowed himself a tightened grip on her shoulder, but no more.

“Keep going,” he urged, his voice ragged.

“Mmmm!”

Apparently, she was also ready for more than just slow and sweet.

The gloved hand that had cupped the side of his face raced around to grab the damp locks at the base of his skull. She prop herself up with that arm, making Dan’s shoulder pads creak and shift in ways he’d never experienced. With her other arm snaking around his torso, pulling them closer, he couldn’t help but rue the bulky gear keeping them apart. When her tongue plunged eagerly between his lips, his whole world exploded into glorious light, heat, and song.

As if on cue, the band’s halftime show crescendoed into triumphant fanfare.

Amy boldly probed the space behind his upper lip with her tongue before moving on to every nook and cranny she could reach. A swift glide at the crease between his teeth and upper cheek. A light brush across the roof of his mouth. Deep strokes across the top of his tongue that turned into a slippery, erotic tango as Dan willingly joined the exploration.

The search for potion was now a determined hunt for pleasure, with no complaints from either of them.

The distinct flavors of hot chocolate and popcorn danced across Dan’s taste buds. Sweet with a hint of salty, a fitting combination for the amazing Amy Tucker. His own hands moved on their own accord, one cupping the back of her head, the other wrapping around the base of her shoulders, pulling her as close as possible. The places where they were joined blazed with a heat that was magical as much as it was thermal.

Now that she was firmly in his arms, Dan realized this tall girl was no skinny beanpole, but rather a solid, graceful willow. Her bulky coat and thick skirts had hidden the strong build of an athlete or someone who did hard work regularly. She was as much a mighty warrior as the towering spirit the Charleston cheer squad had summoned. The pompom topped cap was her plumed helmet, and her tongue was her warrior’s spear, piercing deeply into his blissfully conquered soul.

Oh, if only this moment could go on forever.