“I need some self-control.”
He grinned. “Control’s overrated. But maybe next time we can make it to a bed.”
A bed would probably kill her. Her clothes were in the front seat, so with a sigh, she went to climb over, then squeaked in startled shock when he sank his teeth into her butt. Dropping to the front seat, she glared at him. “Hey!”
“Sorry,” he said, clearly not sorry at all. “But you have an edible ass.” He was all sprawled out, lazily slipping his board shorts and T-shirt back on his body, and he looked like… like something she wanted.
Again.
Which was all his fault. Between his soft, “I’m falling for you” and then the wild, almost out-of-body orgasms he’d given her, she knew herself. She couldn’t keep it at just “play.” Grimly, she told him, “I have to get back.”
“I know.” He ran a finger over the frown she could feel between her eyes. “I almost had that gone there for a few minutes.”
“You did,” she admitted. “You have this odd ability to relax me and rev me up all at the same time.”
He laughed softly. “Same goes.”
“I just have to remember not to get used to it.”
“Why?”
“The month’ll be over soon enough.”
He was quiet a moment, watching his finger play over her throat and shoulder. “We could always keep it going.”
She ignored the hopeful leap her heart made. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with Wade O’Riley?”
His lips curved, but to her relief he didn’t push as she stared at him, trying to gauge which head that comment had come from, the one on top of his shoulders, or the one in his pants. She decided it was far too dangerous to guess, and grabbed her clothes.
“I’ve never seen you in jeans,” he said as she wrestled back into them.
“I planned on changing before the carnival opened,” she said. “But once Tag went missing, I-”
And he’d helped her put it back together again. He’d made her feel better-
“Of course not. You clearly don’t feel better at all.”
“Okay, stop that.”
“Hey, I understand. You’re breaking your word.”
“That’s low,” she said on a blown-out sigh. “You know I always keep my word.”
He leaned back, hands behind his head as if he’d never been more comfortable, and just smiled.
His soft laughter followed her out into the night.
Wade stood outside the dunking booth. He was waiting for Sam, who was changing her clothes for the booth. A few women approached him for an autograph, which he gave, but neither tried to write their phone numbers anywhere on his person.
Progress.
He had his picture taken by two other women, who asked where his pretty girlfriend was. He told them she was coming right back, and as they walked away, he realized with surprise that he was smiling.
He liked the idea of being taken.
Pace and Holly appeared hand in hand, fresh off the Ferris wheel. Holly was glowing, Pace was looking pretty relaxed. Wade recognized the look, since he imagined he was wearing a matching one.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Pace asked. “Oh, excuse me. Your
“Shut up.”
Holly smiled at Wade. “You’re getting close to figuring it out, aren’t you?”
“Figuring out what?” Pace asked.
“That it’s not pretend,” Holly said, still looking into Wade’s eyes.
“Aw.” Holly let go of Pace to give Wade a hard hug. “You’re so cute when you’re all turned upside down by a woman.”
Pace was grinning over her head at him.
“You’re really annoying,” Wade told him, and to return the favor, he hugged Holly in tight.
“Hey,” Pace said. But when Wade kept ahold of his woman, he just sighed. “You’ve been getting whatever you want from women for years with one crook of your little finger. Watching you even attempt to get what you want from Sam, when you don’t even know what that is… well, that’s just good entertainment all around. Now, Goddammit, let go of her, she’s mine.” He grabbed Holly’s hand and tugged her to him.
Holly laughed. “We still doing pizza after?” she asked Wade.
Wade sighed. “Yeah.” He turned to look at the booth in time to see Sam climbing out onto the platform. He spent a few minutes watching her try to get comfortable up on the bench seat in a borrowed bathing suit top and shorts.
She might be bossy and stubborn as hell, but she was one hell of a good sport.
The line was at least ten people long, which was good. Lots of people meant lots of money, and lots of money meant more resources dumped into the 4 The Kids pockets. That’s what this was all about, but he couldn’t help but grin as he watched Sam warily eye the little kid at the front of the line, specifically the lever he had to hit in order to dunk her.
Santos appeared with his boys and Tag at Wade’s side. “What’s Aunt Sam doing in there?” Tag asked Wade.
“She’s in there because she likes me,” Wade said as he received dark, murderous looks from Sam.
“Are you sure she likes you?” Tag asked doubtfully.
“Yeah.” Wade smiled. “She just doesn’t know it yet.”
“You’re weird,” Tag said.
The little kid at the front of the line threw his ball and missed the booth entirely.
From inside the dunk tank, Sam took a visible breath of relief.
The next kid in line missed as well.
And the third.
“Wow,” Tag said. “They all suck.”
“Maybe not,” Wade said.
“You know she’s going to get real mad if she goes in. She doesn’t like it when her hair gets wet after she straightens it.”
“No?”
“No. And she’s looking at you like you’re in big trouble. Are you in trouble?”
“What would being in trouble entail?” Wade asked him.
Tag shrugged. “Maybe no ice cream after dinner.”
“Huh. I do love ice cream.”
“Yeah,” Tag said. “But at least she’s nice even when she’s mad. She doesn’t ever get scary or anything. Well, except for tonight when she almost cried. That was scary.”
Wade’s gut tightened as he took his attention off Sam and looked down at Tag. “You get scared back home?”
Tag lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes. Like when I get left alone.”
A slow burn churned within him for the way he’d been treated. Knowing all too damn well exactly how shitty it felt, Wade gently set his hand on Tag, glad the kid was safe here with Sam for now. Tag accepted the touch with only a little squirm-progress.
The next kid missed and Tag made a sound of disgust. “What, can no one throw?” He shoved a hand in his
