As I braced myself for a painful landing, my eyelids shut involuntarily. I was swallowed by darkness, counting the seconds and milliseconds left for the upcoming crush against the grass. Three, two, one …
Nothing. Impact never ensued. One moment, I had been flying, eyes closed and about to face-plant on the floor, and the next, I was somehow suspended in time. No, I was suspended in the air. Not understanding how, I blinked my eyes open, just as a humph was punched out of my l
ips.
My midsection landed against something hard.
Then, I was greeted by the sight of glistening, smooth skin. A flawless back. My gaze trailed down, taking in a tight backside in sports shorts, followed by a pair of muscled calves.
Understanding sank in as I realized I was hanging off someone. Particularly off someone’s shoulder—Aaron’s shoulder to be one hundred percent exact.
What in the—
Everybody seemed to be on board, if the clapping and cheering around us were any indication. Ignoring the little commotion behind us, Aaron rearranged me on his broad shoulder, gripping my waist gently but firmly. A complaint rose and died in my throat as he shot off, running.
“Aaron,” I screeched with urgency.
He was running with me hanging off him like a goddamn human-sized potato sack.
With every stride, the symmetric and strained strings of muscle on his back moved. His backside too. Distracting me.
Dammit, Lina, no. Focus.
“Aaron,” I repeated, being ignored again. “What. Are. You. Doing?” My speech was interrupted with each bounce of his body. With each stomp of his long legs, guiding the ball in my sister’s direction. “Aaron Blackford!”
He chuckled. Then, he patted the back of my thigh. “I couldn’t let my girlfriend fall to the floor now, could I?” the bastard said calmly, not sounding one bit out of breath.
“Aaron,” I howled. “I swear to Lucifer—”
He bounced a little extra hard, cutting my words. His hold on my waist tightened. Sending a wave of awareness down my legs. His other palm held the back of my thigh still, his fingers spreading across my skin. God, everything I felt under me was hard and warm.
Dammit.
I couldn’t believe it, but I was mad and … and … and …
Shit. I was a little turned on by the display of strength.
That last thought had barely registered when Aaron’s grip on my waist shifted, securing me with his whole arm. I could feel his biceps against my side. My blood swirled, and it had nothing to do with being upside down.
“Brace yourself, girlfriend. I’m going to win this thing and put some food in you before you eat my head off.”
“There’s no stopping that from happening. Boyfriend.”
Wishing I could know how close Aaron was from delivering the killing goal, I twisted my body upward as much as I could. Behind us, phones were out, recording the whole damn thing.
Oh Lord, please don’t let this end up on TikTok.
One last bounce, and chaos erupted as Aaron’s strides came to a stop.
“Put. Me. Down.” I punctuated my words by attacking his back with my weak fists. Judging by his lack of reaction, I doubted he was even feeling it.
“Hey.” He turned around, giving me a view of my sister, who was still under the goal.
She might have just been scored on, but she was smiling.
Aaron continued, “I knew you were bossy, but I didn’t know you were this violent.”
“You haven’t seen anything,” I gritted through clenched teeth while he remained casually standing there, unaffected by the weight of the woman he had tossed over his shoulder.