10. Willa
Chapter 10
Willa
T HREE DAYS. THREE days of being a kitten co-parent and I am entirely over it.
Because Midnight prefers Reid over me.
And I might be jealous about it.
Is it stupid? Yes. Am I being petty? Also, yes. But the way she purrs when she gets into his hands, loudly and far too contentedly for her own good, is a bit much.
But I’d be purring if Reid’s hands were all over me, too. I get it.
I work a shorter shift than usual so that Goldie and I can go to the fair that’s swung into town. She pulled off a classic kid move with our parents, wheedling and whining and dropping hints for at least a week leading up to today. She acted all surprised when Mom and Dad shoved us out the door after the lunch crowd, but I’d been fully prepared.
After a quick shower and stern instructions from Goldie to once again wear the shorts from the art walk and “a cute top, so help me God,” my sister picked me up, and we headed to the fair. It’s stifling hot outside, but even the temperature doesn’t do a thing to ruin it for me .
I inhale deeply as we pay for our tickets and enter. Scents of fried deliciousness and sounds of happy kids come at me from all directions. “I love the fair.”
Goldie threads her arm through mine. “Me, too. You remember the first time Mom and Dad let us come by ourselves?”
I snort a laugh, the memory appearing immediately. “When Bobby Sharma tried to kiss you on the roller coaster and you puked? How could I not?”
She cackles. “Served Bobby right. First of all, he didn’t ask permission, and second, we were on a freaking roller coaster!”
That was the last time I rode a roller coaster at the fair. I’d been lucky enough to be three rows ahead of her, so I didn’t get splattered or anything gross like that, but it still ruined me for those particular kinds of rides. Besides, after realizing how often they get taken down and put back up again, and understanding that it’s done over and over by mere humans who might be having a bad day or might be distracted when they do it…no thank you. If it’s my life on the line, I’ll stick to the rides with the least risk of death involved.
“I need funnel cake, stat,” Goldie declares after we stop laughing our butts off.
So funnel cake it is. We wait in a small line, and when we get the cake, it’s hot from the fryer, the powdered sugar sticking to our fingers as we eat it. Honestly, is there anything better?
I sigh happily, licking my fingers before diving for another bite, tearing off a piece, and dipping in the extra sugar piled everywhere on the paper plate. “This is the best, Goldie.”
She leans into me, a smile on her face. “The best,” she agrees.
An hour later, we’re in a line for the Ferris Wheel. It’s the only ride I’m willing to go on, and, apparently, a lot of other people agree with me.
“Oh, look,” Goldie says innocently, then points. “It’s Matty and Reid!”
I stiffen. Reid? Is here ? My heart kicks into gear and I try to not be obvious as I look at my outfit. Do I have powdered sugar all over me? Doesn’t look like it. But it’s too late to ask Goldie because they’re at our sides in seconds.
“Hi, Matty,” Goldie breathes. “Hi, Reid.”
I eye her. She’s not spoken about Reid any more, other than in passing and to ask about the cat. But the way she just said Matty’s name is new. I make a note to ask her about that later.
“It’s the Dash women,” Matty says happily, leaning in to give us both a hug. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Is it, though? I study Goldie before turning to Reid. “Where’s Midnight?”
“Home. Figured he couldn’t do too much damage if I left her in the kitchen.”
Matty jumps in. “I went over to check on her and convinced Reid to come to the fair. Turns out, he’d never been to a small-town fair. Obviously, I had to change that.”
“Obviously,” Goldie says, her eyes firmly on Matty.
“How is she?” I ask Matty.
“Ask him yourself,” Matty jokes.
I swat at him. “You’re the vet. How is our— the —cat?”
He points a finger at me. “I heard that. We all heard that. You called the kitten ‘our’.” He turns to Reid. “Did you hear it?”
Reid bites back a smile. “I most definitely heard it.”
“And as an officer of the law, surely that means it’s a binding agreement,” Matty continues.
“No!” I protest weakly. “Just, come on. How’s her leg? Even though if you’re checking her leg, it should be at your office with the right equipment,” I huff.
“Ooh, is someone concerned about the kitten she’s co-parenting?” Matty teases.
I cross my arms and shuffle forward as we get closer to the front. “Whatever.”
Matty chuckles. “She’s doing good. Healing very quickly, just as a little kitten should. You and Reid are great pet parents. ”
When we’re almost at the front of the line, Matty turns dramatically to Goldie. “Oh no,” he pouts, his voice far too loud, “I’ve lost my tickets.” He makes a show of looking for them.
“Oh no,” Goldie says, catching on quickly.
“Then we’ll step out of line,” I offer, making to leave.
Goldie grabs my hand in an iron grip. “Nope. You two can go. Reid’s never seen Lucky from the air, right?”
Reid, the bastard, is more than happy to go along with this farce. “Why no, Goldie, I haven’t. Tell me, is it a good view?”
She nods vigorously. “The best. Here.” She pulls the tickets out of her pocket and shoves them at Reid. “Take mine. Matty and I will?—”
“Leave,” Matty finishes, stepping out of line and smiling at me mischievously.
I flatten my lips, fully aware of what they’ve all conspired to do. Then I try to breathe. Because the prospect of being alone again with Reid, really alone with him, no purring kitten between us, is a little daunting.
Scratch that. It’s terrifying. Nauseating. Exciting. Confusing.
Matty and Goldie take off, cackling like they’ve gotten away with the best ruse on the planet, and Reid looks down at me as they drift out of sight. “You okay?”
I lick my lips and nod. “I’m fine.”
He hands our tickets to the guy at the front, who waves us in, bored and distracted by his phone. A couple gets off the seat in front of us, and the second worker gestures for us.
“Ladies first,” Reid says, holding his hand out to steady me as I step up and onto the swinging bench.
In seconds, we’re side by side on the bench and the worker has snapped the bar over us, wiggling it to make sure it’s locked, and stepping away.
The ride lurches into action, and I grip the bar tightly, emitting a tiny eep as we immediately come to another stop .
“Are you okay?” Reid’s voice is full of concern. “It’s not too late —”
“I’m fine,” I repeat.
“Are you afraid of heights or something? Because seriously, Willa?—”
I shake my head. “That’s not it. Heights are fine.” We lurch into movement again, this time going up a few chairs’ worth of spaces into the air. My heart is beating a billion miles an hour, and all I can think is how I’m going to throttle Matty and Goldie if I make it off here in one piece.
Reid touches my hand. “Not sure the death grip is doing you any favors.”
I whimper. I can’t sort my emotions fast enough.
“You know,” he says conversationally, draping his arm around the back of the chair and settling into the ride, “Seems like those two want us to get together. Same for Agatha.”
I look at him. “I, uh...” I stammer. What do I say to that? “Um. Yeah? I guess so?”
He turns his attention to me, and he’s even better looking in this light than normal, the way the faded sunset cedes to the neon lights of the Ferris Wheel. “Would that be so bad?”
I blink. “You’re not serious.”
He wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer. We’ve moved farther up now, near the top. Behind us, the ocean stretches into the distance, and neon lights blur the scene all around us. Reid smells so good. This is going to be my undoing. Breathe.
“I’m serious, Willa.” He tilts his head down and cups my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. They’re a deep green in this light, the darkest parts of a forest. And I’m the girl lost in them. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
I squeak.
He smiles gently. “Please? ”
I bite my lip and nod. When I finally find my voice and speak, it comes out as a strangled whisper. “Okay.”
His lips meet mine for the second time in my life, and it’s just as life-altering as the first kiss. The scruff of his days-old beard scrapes against my lips, rough and unyielding, and my body thrills to have it. Instinct takes over. I open my mouth on a moan, and he pulls me tighter, closing the distance between us on the bench. His tongue explores my mouth, softly, almost sweetly, but I can feel the coiled tension behind it, as though if he was given enough time, he’d have me laid out. There’s no questioning the desire he has for me. I feel it in the way his breath hitches when I reach up to thread my fingers through his hair. The way he makes me feel is terrifying. He’s the Tilt-a-Whirl I refuse to go on because I know I won’t survive, and yet, I can’t stop.
“You’re scary.” I blurt the words the second we part, my lips still tingling from his kiss.
He laughs, still cradling my face. “How am I scary?”
“Because you’re you .”
“What does that mean, I’m me?” he presses, his hand warm against my skin.
“Just…you’re you . Sophisticated and gorgeous and funny and clearly the better kitten parent.” I say the last part with no amount of jealousy.
Okay, it’s a ton of jealousy.
His smile broadens, and he holds me in place as he kisses me again. His lips are heartbreakingly gentle and soft as they move over mine, sipping at me like I’m a bottle of the finest wine.
It feels too intimate, too real. I pull myself away and look over the town. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yes.” But his eyes are firmly on me as he speaks. It doesn’t take a genius to know he’s not talking about the view. He threads his fingers through my hair, and even though the rational part of me insists on all of this stopping immediately, I can’t help but close my eyes and hum with pleasure .
“Is this what Midnight feels every time you touch him? No wonder you’re the better parent.”
His fingers don’t stop. “Willa. Let me take you out. For a real date.” He pauses. “Though I do like this—you can’t run away from me here.”
My cheeks heat. “I don’t know how to act around you. I told you, you’re scary.”
His eyes soften, their green hue suddenly beyond vibrant as we move quickly through the bottom and come to a halt halfway up for a second rotation. “I am the farthest thing from scary, Willa.”
I snort. “Lies.”
He runs a finger from the top of my forehead down the slope of my nose, then to my lips and chin. “I don’t want to scare you. I want to take you on a date.” He grins. “There’s a big difference.”
How does this man, this gorgeous man with more muscles than I can fathom, want to go on a date with me? None of it makes sense. I’m the girl who no one ever wanted to date in school. Who relied almost exclusively on tourists to get any sort of experience growing up. Who even now couldn’t catch a guy’s interest if my life depended on it. Yet here’s the most unbelievably good-looking man on the freaking planet, sitting in a tiny metal seat on a Ferris Wheel with me, kissing me and asking me out.
Reid smiles again, this time popping a dimple, and I sigh. “You’re doing that on purpose.”
He widens his eyes innocently. “Me? Doing what?”
I shove at his chest, and he captures it there, flattening my palm against a pec muscle. Holy crap, it’s so freaking firm. I’d pass out if I ever got a look at his chest. His hand is warm. His smile is sincere. His eyes…they’ll be the death of me, all twinkly and gorgeous and fracturing my resolve with every passing minute.
“Say yes, Willa. ”
And it’s stupid, because I know that whatever this is, it won’t go anywhere, but I nod. “Yes.”
Then he kisses me again, and I don’t bother fighting the butterflies that launch inside my belly.
After three rotations, we get off the Ferris Wheel. Reid reaches for my hand, linking our fingers together and leading me to where Matty and Goldie wait on us.
Goldie looks at our joined hands and meets my eyes, smiling broadly. “How was the ride?”
“You know how it was,” I say, not willing to let her off the hook.
Matty laughs. “It’s weird. Once you guys got on the ride, I found my tickets.”
“So weird,” I deadpan.
“Anyway,” Goldie drawls, brandishing the fair’s schedule on her phone, “there’s a banana derby happening in fifteen minutes, so you know what I want to do.”
Reid glances down at me, then the others. “A banana derby?”
“Where monkeys wear tiny jockey outfits to ride dogs and they race,” Matty supplies, seeing the confusion on Reid’s face. “Probably not fancy enough for a city boy like you to have experienced.”
Reid laughs delightedly. “Oh, I am in. Lead me to the monkeys.”
“I should note that this particular fair has been certified as treating the monkeys and dogs well,” Matty points out. “Last year, I even did an annual exam on all of them when the fair was here.”
“Of course you did,” I smile. “Your bleeding heart would have run them out of town if it were any other way.”
“It’s our duty to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves,” he says. “And on that note, let’s go watch ourselves a race!”
We spend hours at the fair. The banana derby is funny and cute, as always, but watching Reid see it for the first time is absolutely one of my new favorite things. I can see the little kid he must have been, in the way his eyes glitter with excitement and pure joy, because again, monkeys are riding dogs around a little track in a race, and how is that not the best thing ever?
We wait in line for Reid to get a picture with the winning monkey, and he then proceeds to absolutely crush Matty in the games tent. Matty protests the unfairness of the water-gun balloon race, but after Reid lets him pick the stuffed animal to take as his own prize, he relents. “Fine. You’re a better shot than me.”
Reid laughs. “I’m a cop, man. If I weren’t a better shot than a veterinarian, I’d be ashamed of myself.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a better shot-giver, so there’s that,” Matty grumbles.
I hand Matty some cotton candy. “Of course you are,” I soothe. “No one’s a better shot-giver than you, boo.”
At the end of the night, we walk to our cars. As I head to Goldie’s, she shakes her head. “Why don’t you ride with Reid?”
Reid tugs me back, a sexy grin on his face. “Yeah. Ride home with me, Willa.” His voice is low and darkly promising.
I shiver, unwilling to investigate whether it’s the night air or Reid that has me covered in goosebumps. One look at Goldie’s expression, then at Reid’s, has me once again going against my own best interests. “Okay.”
We say our goodbyes, and Reid opens the truck door to help me in. The cab smells like him, hints of cedar and honey comforting me as he rounds the front and gets in, smiling at me and sending the butterflies into a tizzy once more.
“You have got to stop doing that,” I admonish.
“Doing what?” He starts the engine.
“Smiling.”
He gives a full-on belly laugh, free and unencumbered, and it’s like listening to angels singing. It makes me giddy .
We’re quiet on the drive home, mainly because I can’t think of anything to say. Even giving him crap about Midnight isn’t something I want to do. I study his profile as he drives. His hair, a little longer than I suspect he prefers it, is pushed away from his face in dark waves, and his nose is strong and straight. His skin is naturally tan, and his cheekbones are high, all the better to show off those dimples when he smiles. His lips are full, and they part now in a sensual grin as he turns to me. “You’re staring, Willa.”
My blood heats, and at this point, I’m fairly certain that my entire body is blushing.
“If it makes you feel any better,” he continues, not waiting on me to answer him, “I stare at you every chance I get, too.”
I have no idea what to say to that, but now my blood is boiling.
I try to tamp it down—he’s a flirt, and he’s only here for three months—but it’s hard. Because when was the last time a guy gave me this kind of attention?
Never. The answer is never.
He pulls into his driveway and kills the engine, then hops out and is opening my door before I can get it myself. He holds his hand out, and even though I’m perfectly capable of getting down from his ridiculously high truck, I take it. It’s strong and warm, gentle, and calloused. I meet his eyes when my feet hit the ground. “Thank you for tonight.”
He studies me. “Anytime.” Weaving our fingers together once again, he leads me not to his house like I was kind of hoping, but down Agatha’s driveway and around to my cottage. His jaw ticks as he surveys the property. “You should have your porch light on.”
I grin. “It’s safe back here, Officer MacKinnon.”
“Come here.” Reid’s voice is as dark as the night, silky and full of promise.
Despite everything, I go to him willingly, letting him gather me into his arms and pull me tight. This time, when he leans down to kiss me, I’m ready for it. And I refuse to be the one to break it, because if I’m being honest with myself, I’d like to continue the kissing inside my house. Perhaps with fewer clothes.
Actually, that would definitely be my preference. His house, my house, I don’t care: just fewer clothes, please.
His hands roam my body, sending streaks of pleasure through me as they map my rear, hips, waist, and stomach. He stops when his palms are right below my breasts, and his thumbs trace the underside of them through my bra.
I hitch in a breath and arch my back in silent invitation. Yes, please .
But he doesn’t go farther. Instead, he eases up on the kiss, and even though I don’t want to, I follow his lead, relinquishing the hold I have on him.
“You don’t have to stop, you know,” I breathe, giving voice to my desire.
He kisses my cheek. “Yeah, Willa, I do.”
“Really, you don’t.”
He kisses my other cheek, then steps back. “Really, I do. Goodnight, Willa Dean Dash.”
I roll my eyes even as my heart skips a beat. “Just Willa.”
He smirks, popping a dimple. “Goodnight, Just Willa.”
He waits for me to go inside, and I hear his next words through the door. “Lock the door.”
I do as he asks, then pull the curtain to watch him walk away. The man has an incredible butt.
Later, after I’m tucked into bed, I get a text from Reid. It’s a picture of Midnight on a pillow, curled up like a little fuzzy black ball on what must be Reid’s bed. Then, another text comes in behind it.
Reid
Midnight says goodnight.
More dots pop up, and in moments, I have a third text.
I’d prefer you to be on this pillow.
I squeal, kicking the covers and squirming. How is this real life? How? Just… how ?
I heart the picture of Midnight and type back.
Goodnight, Reid.
Reid
Goodnight, Just Willa.