off. If anything, he leaned in closer, his gaze dipping to her lips before snapping back to her eyes. "Smooth Talker's retired," he said softly. "You ruined him."

Oh, come on. She felt her breath hitch, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd gotten under her skin. Well, not completely.

Still, her hand betrayed her, reaching up to brush his cheek. It was rough with the faintest hint of stubble, and when he leaned into her touch, closing his eyes for a second, she felt something in her chest tighten. Nope. Not catching feelings. Definitely not catching feelings.

Before she could talk herself out of it— or into some kind of sarcastic deflection — he closed the distance, his lips meeting hers. The kiss was softer than she'd expected but with an edge that sent a spark racing down her spine. It wasn't fireworks — no, it was more like a slow-burn explosion that took its time unraveling her usual defenses. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket, grounding her, even as her mind raced.

When they finally broke apart, she had just enough breath left to keep up the act. "Not bad, Winslow. But don't think this earns you a trophy just yet."

His grin came back full force, smug as hell and so irritatingly adorable she wanted to punch it — or kiss it again. Probably both. "Oh, I'm not worried. I think I've got this one in the bag."

She snorted, shaking her head as he took her hand again, leading her back toward the truck. "Careful, Winslow. Cockiness isn't a good look on you."

"Is that right?" he teased, giving her hand a light squeeze. "I seem to remember you didn't exactly stop me back there."

"Don't push your luck," she warned, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.

When they pulled up to her house, he insisted on walking her to the door because apparently, he was some kind of courtly knight reincarnated. Under the porch light, he turned to her, the smug grin replaced by something softer, something that almost made her heart trip over itself.

"Night, Jovi," he murmured, his voice quiet but laced with warmth.

"Night, Blake," she whispered back, her voice annoyingly breathy. She clenched her jaw against the urge to bite her lip like some lovesick fool.

As he walked back to his truck, glancing over his shoulder with a grin that was way too self-satisfied, she let herself watch him for a second longer than she should have.

Stupid golden retriever boy.

When she slipped inside, the house was quiet, and for once, her usual sharp-edged thoughts were nowhere to be found. Instead, her mind replayed the night on a loop, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wipe the ridiculous smile off her face. Fine. Maybe rom-com moments aren't the worst thing in the world. But only once in a while.

☆

Sorry it's taken so long, had no time to write at all which is annoying as hell but also want to get into season 12 so bad so I might do a few time skips to push the story along quicker. But Jovi's first kiss, adorable, can't wait for Blake to have to sit at a dinner table with Dean Winchester 😃
Also side note I think Jovi would fit in so well in the OBX world...would be a major JJ x Jovi shipper.
Keep voting and commenting it helps my motivation sm🫶🏻