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“What?”
He handed it to me.
ROMANCE COVER: Recreate your most dramatic romance-novel pose beneath the garden arch. Both partners must participate.
Joy moved through me so quickly I almost forgave Bliss for the shirt.
Ryan shook his head. “No.”
“You agreed to participate.”
“I agreed to locate pieces of wood.”
“The challenge requires both partners.”
“I accept the deduction.”
“I don’t.”
“Charm.”
I handed the Polaroid camera to the employee and moved beneath the arch. “You play hockey in front of thousands of people. You can survive one photograph.”
“I’m wearing pads when I play hockey.”
“I’ll avoid checking.”
“That isn’t what concerns me.”
“Then come here.”
Ryan remained on the path with his hands against his hips. Pastel green covered his tattooed chest, black shorts revealed the muscular lines of his now tattooed legs, and the backward cap made him look more like the man I’d fallen for than the professional athlete whose face appeared across sports media.
He was so fucking beautiful that missing him became physical.
I held out my hand where everyone could see. “Take the picture with me.”
Ryan stared at my fingers. People moved through the gardens behind him. Our friends shouted somewhere beyond the hedges, and employees watched from nearby stations. Nothing about the moment was hidden.
His expression hardened before he crossed the path.
“What pose?” he asked.
“You’re the romance expert.”
“I read literature.”
“Your favorite book is about two people ruining multiple generations because they refuse to communicate.”
“That’s an irresponsible summary of Wuthering Heights.”
“It’s accurate.”
“You ignored the examination of class, obsession, and revenge.”
“I summarized it.”
The employee lifted the camera. “Whenever you’re ready.”
