Chapter 22
Keep calm and blame it on the sheep.
Flynn
I watch as Sophia climbs out of her car. Her hair whips in the air as she scans the area for me. I wave and she smiles. Her smile hits me in the chest before spreading warmth through my body. I’d love to see her smile directed at me every day for the rest of my life.
She struts toward me in another one of those short, tight skirts. I want to push it up her legs. Maybe fuck her while it’s wrapped around her waist. And she’s keeping those shoes on. I look forward to feeling the spiked heels dig into my ass while I’m buried inside her.
I clear my throat and lock down my muscles before my cock decides now is a good time to fulfill those fantasies.
“Why did you want me to meet you here?” Sophia asks when she reaches me.
I palm her neck and draw her near for a kiss. “This is how you greet me,” I tell her once I’ve thoroughly tasted her mouth.
She gazes up at me with swollen lips and dazed eyes. “But we’re in public.”
“We’re in a crowd of tourists.”
“And my brother is a police officer whose job is to keep the tourists under control.”
I grin. “I happen to know Weston is busy on the other side of the island for a few hours.”
“What happened? Is he okay?”
I tweak her nose. “Nothing bad. A flock of sheep got loose and are creating havoc for cars and bike riders.”
Her eyes narrow. “You didn’t set them loose, did you?”
“Why would I set a flock of sheep loose?” I wink.
She gasps. “You did! You’re bad.”
“I’m teasing. I didn’t set them loose but when I heard about the chaos, I thought it was the perfect opportunity.”
“The perfect opportunity for what?” She scans the boardwalk. “Are you planning a heist? I know the arcade doesn’t have much cash on site. And quarters are a bitch to carry anyway.”
I chuckle. “You know this for a fact, do you?”
Her cheeks darken and she glances away. “It was a school project.”
“Staking out the arcade was a school project?” She shrugs. “You weren’t staking it out because you were addicted to Pacman?”
She rolls her eyes. “Pacman? How old do you think I am? I played Ms. Pacman.”
“Naturally.” I clear my throat. “I thought it might be fun to play tourist for the evening. Stroll around the boardwalk. Visit the arcade. Maybe grab a bite to eat.”
“I always did love the boardwalk and arcade.”
“I know, Soph.” I want to give her everything she loves. I want to see her face light up with excitement. I could get addicted to it.
I offer her my hand and she doesn’t hesitate to take it. I haven’t walked hand in hand with a girl since high school. I usually find it suffocating. But with Sophia, it’s different. Everything’s different.
“Where shall we begin?” I ask as we enter the arcade.
Her body vibrates with excitement. “Air hockey. No, pinball. Wait. They have go-kart now. Oh, look! There’s a racing simulator.”
“It’s a good thing I brought a ton of quarters.”
She smacks my stomach. “Don’t be a dinosaur. No one uses quarters anymore. It’s all digital.”
“A dinosaur. Who are you calling a dinosaur?”
She flutters her eyelashes at me. “You, old man.”
“I’ll show you I’m not old.” Again and again all night long.
Her eyes flare. And I wonder how quickly I can drive us home. But then she squares her shoulders and narrows her eyes.
“It’s on. I’m kicking your ass.”
I step closer to her and lower my voice. “What do I win if I kick your ass?”
“Doesn’t matter since it’s not going to happen.”
“Okay, I’ll play. What do you want if you win?”
She bites her bottom lip as she contemplates her answer. I want to pull her lip free from her teeth before plundering her mouth. My cock is on board with this idea. He’s all in with the plundering idea.
Too bad we’re standing in the middle of a crowded arcade. I’d scar these kids for life if they saw what I want to do to Sophia.
“A picnic on the beach,” she finally answers.
“A picnic on the beach? You don’t want me to spend the night exploring your curves? Tasting every inch of your body? Burying myself in you?”
Her breath hitches. “I want all of those things.” She swallows. “But you’re going to do them anyway.”
I lift an eyebrow. “I am?”
“Yep. I’m irresistible.”
“Temptress.”
“What do you want me to kick your ass in first?” She points to the air hockey.
I tap my chin. “I don’t know. Maybe hoops?”
“No fair. You were on the basketball team in high school.”
“Are you backing out of our deal? I think I need to re-evaluate what I get when I win.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “What do you want?”
Her. I want her. Always her. Until the last breath leaves my body.
“You. On your knees. In handcuffs.”
Her eyes widen with interest, but she clears her throat. “We’ll see.” She whirls around and marches to the hoops machine.
I throw my arm over her shoulders and lead her to the air hockey machine. “I thought you wanted to play hoops.”
“And I thought you could tell when I’m teasing you.”
“You are going down and there will be no blaze of glory. No glory at all for losers.”
She’s adorable when she’s being tough. “You’re trash talking now?”
“Yep. Deal with it.” She flounces off to the other side of the table.
“You’re cheating!” she yells five minutes later after I score yet another goal.
“Or I’m really good at scoring.” I waggle my eyebrows at her.
She rolls her eyes. “Corny. I want a re-match.”
“How about a different game?” I ask since she sucks at air hockey. I don’t know who gave her the idea she’s any good at it. Probably some guy who was trying to impress her. I growl. There will be no other guys trying to impress her from now on.
“The motorcycle racing simulator looks fun. I’ve never done it before.”
I lace my fingers through hers as we make our way to the machine.
“Holy cow!” she shouts and yanks her hand from mine before racing across the room. “Will you look at this?” She slams her hand against the claw machine.
“It’s a claw machine.”
“I know it’s a claw machine. I meant this.” She presses her finger against the glass.
“What is this?”
“The stuffed mermaid.”
“The island prides itself on its mermaid legends. Think of the Mermaid Hotel and the Mermaid Mystical Gardens. Naturally, there’s a stuffed mermaid.”
She grunts. “I know. I’m an islander, too, you know.”
“Then why are you excited about a stuffed mermaid?”
“Do you know how much money I spent trying to win this as a teenager?” She scowls at the machine. “It’s impossible.”
“Challenge accepted.”
I dig a quarter out of my wallet since this machine is old-fashioned and doesn’t accept card payments. Sophia tugs on my arm.
“No. You can’t. It’s a waste of money.”
I raise my eyebrow. “Are you saying I can’t win you a stuffed mermaid?”
“No one can. The machine is rigged.”
I remove her hand from my arm. “I got this.”
“It’s your quarter. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I kiss her forehead before slotting my quarter into the machine. I use the joystick to move the claw until it’s above the mermaid. I lower it and capture the mermaid in one go. Sophia gasps but I concentrate on moving the claw to the opening. I’m almost there when the claw suddenly opens and drops the mermaid on top of the other stuffed animals.
“I told you this game is rigged.”
I dig another quarter out.
“Don’t waste your money.”
I ignore her. I’m winning this stuffed mermaid for her even if I have to spend all night at this damn claw machine.
My second try goes exactly the way the first one did. I can easily pick up the mermaid but when I get close to the opening, the claw opens and drops the mermaid too early.
“Damn it,” I mutter. I dig out my wallet and hand a dollar bill to Sophia. “Can you get some change for me? I can’t leave the machine. I have the mermaid right where I want her.”
She snorts. “Sure, you do.”
She snatches the bill from me and I watch as she walks to the change machine. I notice several men watching her as well. I glare at them to let them know this woman is not available. She’s all mine.
I frown. Except her brother’s my best friend and he’d skin me alive if he knew all the filthy things I want to do to her. All of the filthy things I’ve already done to her.
I don’t want to keep Sophia a secret. I don’t want to sneak around behind Weston’s back. But I can’t lose his friendship. Weston and his family are the only family I have.
I shove those thoughts away when Sophia returns. She hands me a fistful of quarters.
“This is more than a dollar.”
“I pitched in since you’re never going to get the mermaid in four tries.”
“Watch me.”
I have a new tactic to try. Instead of grabbing the mermaid, I pick up a stuffed bear but when I near the hole I intentionally drop the bear. It hits the mermaid and she rolls toward the opening.
Sophia gasps. “You nearly did it.”
With the next turn, I pick up a stuffed turtle. I do the same thing as before. I drop the turtle near the mermaid. It hits her and she rolls closer to the opening. I grin as she keeps rolling and falls into the opening.
“Whoo-hoo!” Sophia screams before jumping on my back. “You are the man! Everyone! This is the man!”
I lean down – careful to keep Sophia on my back – and get the stuffed mermaid. I hand it to her.
She hugs it to her chest. “I will cherish this mermaid until my dying day.”
Screw the mermaid. I want to cherish Sophia until my dying day.