We are both smiling at each other now. He's nice.
"Okay. You win," I say.
We walk hand-in-hand towards the carnival rides, but it's very G-rated between us—coy and flirty, but suitable for all ages. Toni and Braidy disappear into the crowd, leaving Luke and me to continue the night on our own.
He seems to enjoy my silly side and even joins in. We sit on the teapots and spin, shoot ducks and miss, throw coins and sink them, and now I'm genuinely having a really great time.
We leave the rides and games and head up the hill, where we plonk ourselves down on the grass steps that overlook the water. Conversation with Luke has become completely natural.
"So, you’re a ballerina." He tugs on his earlobe and cocks his head. "I've never been to see the ballet before."
I cross my ankles in front of me. "You should."
He sighs. "I'm not sure I'm cultured enough."
"What?" I say, genuinely surprised. "You don’t have to be cultured to watch ballet."
"Okay. Show me something? Let's see if I like it."
I giggle nervously. "What?"
"Yeah. Seriously. Show me a move or whatever."
"Like, now?" I look around the hill. It's pretty dark, but people are scattered around us for fifty metres or so. I'm not hesitant to dance in public, but in order to do so, I'm going to need to adjust my skirt... "Here?"
"Why not?"
"Okay." I kick my heels off and stand on the grass in front of him. I hike my denim skirt up until it's around my waist, putting my white knickers on show for far too many people. And what the hell am I doing, flashing half of the marina? It doesn’t matter, I decide. It's dark. Tilting my chin up, I raise my arms, forming a loose circle above my head. I relax my neck and smile at him. A little heat hits my cheeks when I see his eyes are trained on me. Slowly, I lift my working leg up, toes pointed, until my calf is beside my face, my legs forming a perfect line. I hold the développé position with ease and glance back at Luke, who is now squirming in place. I lower my leg until my toes meet my knee. Then I kick with that leg. Whipping around, I hold my head stationary and complete three fouettés—which after a bottle of wine is impressive—before finishing gracefully in first position.
"Are you cultured enough to watch that for a few hours?" I grin at him.
There's heat behind his eyes now that has my stomach flipping. Or maybe that's the wine? He stands, takes my hand in his, and pulls me towards the old waterpark.
We duck under a fence and walk through the ruins of the park. Stopping suddenly, he lifts me onto the lip of an abandoned slide. The cold plastic on my thighs sends a shiver down my spine. He stands in front of me and as he presses his mouth to mine, he moves his hips between my knees. I close my eyes and welcome him, feeling a fuzzy sensation rush through me and a complete lack of concern because Luke is a cop. This feels nice too. Luke feels safe. His hands caress from my knees to the plump parts of my thighs. There he grips me, tilting me up and wrapping my legs around him. I hum and his tongue finds mine. His jeans rub against my knickers, and a moan escapes me with every movement.
And it's inadvertent and unwelcome, but now I'm thinking about Max.
I close my eyes and imagine for a second that Max is the one touching me. Guilt makes me squirm and I force my eyes open, trying to acknowledge Luke. For Luke. His kiss is chaste. I get the feeling Max's kisses wouldn't be. I imagine they'd consume me.
Stop thinking about Max!
Forcing Luke to the front and centre of my mind, I lift my hands up and feed my fingers through his thick, blond hair. He touches me with intimacy and longing, making this all feel okay. I'm sure he won't take things too far. But then his hands start pawing at my thighs and his breathing becomes laboured and mixed with groans.
His hands are up my skirt now, skating around the seam of my knickers. "Cassidy, you're so hot here."
Out of nowhere, Luke is pulled back from me, leaving me open-mouthed and flushed. Luke growls, "What the fuck?" just as Max swings his fist into Luke's jaw.
Max?
What. The. Frick.
I wince when blood sprays from Luke's face. He doubles over, cupping his chin and groaning gutturally. It looks like he's about to fight back, but there is no opportunity for him to retaliate; Max is already dragging him towards the fence line. His superior height and build make Luke look like a petulant child in trouble with daddy.
"Oh my God! Stop it!" I yell out.
Max throws him through the gap before turning to glare at me. I'm speechless.
Luke attempts to come back but stops when Max stares him down. "If you climb back through that fence, your kneeswon't work for a month." Luke looks at me, and Max takes a step towards him. "A year," he warns.
