With actions.
“I love you, Leo Sinclaire,” I say through a watery smile, and before he can say anything else, I lean up, laying my hand on the back of his neck and pulling him back down to me to kiss the love of my life again, with an awkward, toothy kiss because we’re both smiling wide when we do.
At the top of a Ferris wheel in a tiny town I’ve learned to call home, I finally have it all.
“Oh mygod!” I squeal, pointing to the giant otter hanging from a clip at one of the game vendors. It’s so cute!” My fingers are twined with Leo’s, as they have been the entire night, and even though I’m sure it’s more than just the locals here at the fair, in the dark, neither of us felt like we had to keep the PDA to a minimum, because this version of me doesn’t screamWilla Stone. For the first time in my life, I’m incredibly grateful for the strict brand that I’ve stuck to for the past ten years, because it makes the real me almost unrecognizable.
I’m wearing a worn Three Kings Tree Farm hat, I think I stole from Wren, or maybe Hallie, and my darker hair is in a low bun at the back of my neck. I’m wearing a red tank top and a pair of jean shorts with beat-up sneakers I’ve been doinghousework in, and I’ve never felt more like I fit in somewhere. Occasionally, someone gives a double take, as if they think they see someone of importance, but each time, they shake their head, an embarrassed look on their face when they realize it’s “not” me.
But right now, I’m not focused on the people around me. Instead, my full attention is on one of the game stands. My steps falter as we approach it, Leo’s steps slowing as my hand tightens in his. The man manning the game smiles widely at customers approaching.
“Step right up! Win a prize for the lovely lady,” he says.
“Oh my god, Leo, can we?” I ask, jumping up and down. “I want that one!” I say, pointing to the giant purple otter hanging at the top.
“Just gotta knock down all six milk bottles and it’s yours,” the man says. “Win the lady a prize, and you’ll win her affections.”
Leo glares at the man.
“Yes! Win me a prize!”
“It’s a scam, Will. They’re all scams,” Leo grumbles.
“You’re just afraid you won’t be able to do it.”
He pulls me into him, his lips tipping up, though he’s already pulled his wallet out.
“What do I get if I win?”
‘The joy of giving me a prize?” I ask with a light-hearted laugh, but he pulls me in closer, his lips moving along mine as he speaks in a near whisper.
“Whatever I want. You at my mercy, all night…”
My body stills. “What?”
“I get an entire night, doing everything and anything I want.”
“Are you—” I ask my eyes wide, my lips parted, my breathing suddenly coming heavy. “Are you bartering for sex?” I ask under my breath.
“Are you against it?” he asks, face sobering. I bite my lip, and when his lips tip, I know he sees the intrigue on my face. His hand slides into the hair at the back of my head, gripping it and angling my head. He does that a lot, burying his hands in my hair, and there are a lot of ways I like it, especially when we’re alone and naked, but I like it like this the most, when he grips my hair to get my head where he wants it to kiss me.
He does that just then, dropping his head and pressing his lips to mine gently. He kisses me, something that from afar would look soft and sweet, but the way his body is pressed into mine, the way his fingers feel in my hair, I know it’s anything but.
“You’re into it,” he murmurs, against my lips. I’m still breathless and lost when he steps back, hand sliding out of my hair and down my arm to grab my hand before tugging me closer to the stand.
“Five balls, five dollars,” the man says, a wide grin on his face as if he saw the whole show we put on. “Win something for the little lady.”
“Hey, guys!” a familiar voice calls, and when I look over, Hallie, Jesse, and Jesse’s daughter Emma are approaching us. I’ve chatted with Emma, Hallie’s soon-to-be stepdaughter, a few times since I did a FaceTime with her at her birthday party earlier this year, and although she’s a big fan, she’s incredibly chill, mostly because, according to Hallie, she thinks she and I are best friends now.
I am totally okay with that, since Emma is possibly the coolest twelve-year-old I’ve ever met.
“Hey!” I say, moving over to give them each a hug before Leo does the same, giving Emma a fist bump and Jesse a bro-hug of sorts that I never thought I’d ever see uptight Leo Sinclaire give anyone.
“You got wrangled into this money suck?” Jesse asks, tipping is chin towards the game before us, Leo’s five balls lined up.
“He told me it was a scam, and I told him he was just scared he’d lose.”
“Ah, yes, my favorite tactic. Works every time,” Hallie says, face looking stoic. “Come on, businessman. Let’s see if those muscles are all for show, or what.” Leo glares at her, and I bite back a laugh.
