23. Kristin
23
KRISTIN
W ill rolled down the window on his truck and handed the parking lot attendant a ten-dollar bill. Truck tires cut through the mix of gravel and mud as he rolled down the lane. It took a few laps, but we finally found a spot at the back of the lot.
The second he slowed to a stop and threw the truck into park, the kids yanked off their seatbelts and crawled over each other, fighting to be the first to get out.
Will hopped down from the driver’s seat. Before he came around to open my door, he stopped and opened Kylie’s.
Swoon.
I giggled as he helped me out of the truck. “You're on another level today.”
Will leaned down, slipped his hand under the flannel I had wrapped around my waist, and squeezed my ass. In a toe-curling growl, he whispered, “I plan on getting lucky tonight.”
My body buzzed with anticipation. I was ready to say screw it and haul ass back to Will’s house, but the fair was a tradition, and the kids were excited. I would just have to be patient .
Will caught Zoey under her arms as she leaped off the running board of the truck. His pullover stretched tight across his shoulders, and his muscles rippled as he hoisted her onto his shoulders. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Logan wrinkled his nose and cut his eyes at me. “You okay?”
“Hmm?” I brushed my hair away from my face. “What?”
“You look like you’re having a stroke.”
I might have a stroke if I have to wait another twelve hours before I get to ride Will’s cock like a damn cowgirl.
Plastering on a smile, I forced out, “I’m great!”
“You sure you’re good, sweetheart?” Will asked, smirking. How dare he be amused by how horny I was?
I leveled him a look hot enough to deep fry an Oreo. “Just great, darling .”
Sure, I wasn’t a sex on the first date kind of girl, but I certainly wasn’t the wait three months because life is dead set on keeping me celibate kind of girl either.
I hadn’t missed a birth control dose since I went back on it. Taking that first pill felt like it had been ages ago. My lady garden was prepped and ready, and I had packed a little something sexy for tonight. Hannah Jane even gave it her stamp of approval.
Now, I was just counting down the hours until the kids would be stuffed with funnel cake, turkey legs, and cotton candy. They were going to crash hard.
Will popped the tailgate. Logan, Kylie, and Hunter each grabbed a bag of canned food to donate. Will grabbed the other three bags to cover me, Zoey, and himself before slamming the tailgate shut and locking the truck.
A semi-truck trailer from the food bank had been parked outside the entrance to receive food donations. We dropped our contribution off in exchange for tickets, then made our way through the front gates. Toting six cans of food each across the parking lot sucked, but it was way cheaper than full-price admission. Plus, it went to a noble cause.
“Hold up,” I said sternly.
Logan, Kylie, and Hunter halted just inside the gate.
I cleared my throat. “Will and I will have Zoey with us. Y’all are old enough to go out on your own.”
They whooped and hollered with excitement. Usually, I demanded that we stay together. Hell, if I could put leashes and GPS trackers on all of them, I would have. But Logan was almost eighteen, Kylie was nearly seventeen, and I needed to learn to loosen the reins.
Will placed a reassuring hand on my back.
“You have your phones. Hunter, under no circumstances are you allowed to be more than two feet away from Ky and Lo. We’ll meet up in front of Dorton Arena for dinner. Y’all have your own money with you, right?”
Three heads nodded in perfect time.
“Is this where you tell us to make sure we eat at least one vegetable today?” Logan asked with his typical teenaged annoyance.
I grinned. “Absolutely not, but I expect a photo of every deep-fried thing you consume. Maybe I’ll make a scrapbook. Anyway, if you get lost, call me. Or find a cop. If you lose each other, don’t run around like a chicken with your head cut off. Stand still and start shouting what each other is wearing. Oh, hold on, let me get a picture of what each of you looks like before you go. Just in case.”
I pulled my phone out and snapped a couple shots of three very unamused faces.
“Here, take this,” Will said as he handed each of them a fifty-dollar bill. “I’ll distract her long enough for you to run and join a traveling circus.” I was just about to protest him giving them money—they had their own saved up for today—when he grabbed my waist, pulled me in for a kiss, and said, “Run! ”
Will’s lips were warm and laced with peppermint. His scruff scraped against my skin. Zoey giggled and held on to his shoulders as he bent down to kiss me.
“C’mon, Sunshine,” Will said, lacing his fingers through mine. “I pre-gamed with a handful of Tums. If I don’t get something deep-fried soon, it’ll all be for nothing.”
The buzz of energy—the hustle and bustle of fairgoers mixed with the sizzle of deep fryers on overdrive—felt nostalgic and new all at once. Mixing old memories I had of the kids and new memories with Will created a sentimental cocktail of feelings.
We strolled through the fair and checked out the exhibits. Zoey wanted her picture taken in front of all the farm animals, some overgrown pumpkins that weighed as much as a compact car, and all the blue-ribbon winning desserts.
In the past, Maddie had entered a wedding cake for the dessert competition. Of course, she kicked everyone’s asses. She didn’t enter anymore, though. Apparently the competition wasn’t stiff enough for her.
Will and Zoey battled it out in carnival games, and we ate our way through the food stands.
I didn’t even know that deep-frying a stick of butter was possible. Leave it to North Carolinians to batter that shit up and put it on a skewer. And sweet baby angels, it was damn good.
A sign caught our eye that advertised deep-fried sticky buns. Will’s eyebrows shot up.
He rubbed his belly and turned to me. “One more life-altering decision?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
He grabbed my hand, and we found our way to the back of the line.
Zoey wiggled on top of his shoulders, positively giddy in anticipation of more sugar. As we waited, Will’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen .
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“Logan sent me a picture,” he said with a rasp.
I wasn’t sure, but I thought I heard a hint of something mixed in. Some emotion choking him. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Will turned his phone and showed me the selfie that Logan had sent of the three of them—arms slung around each other’s shoulders—posing in front of the Nothing Could Be Finer sign.
They looked so happy.
“Can you send that to me?” I asked as we shuffled forward in the line.
He cleared the strangled knot in his throat and nodded. “Yeah, of course.”
We reached the counter and Will ordered our deep-fried sticky bun. One for all three of us to share would be plenty. Eating a whole bun would put a grown man in the ground.
As he paid the gray-haired woman behind the register, Zoey swung her upper body down and planted a kiss on his cheek. Will laughed and reached up and poked her side. Zoey erupted in a fit of giggles.
“How ya doin’ up there, monkey?” he asked her. “Ready to get down yet?”
Zoey, quite content in her perch on top of his shoulders, shook her head. “Nope!”
“Y’all are just the cutest little family,” the cashier said with a wrinkly smile. “Absolutely precious.”
Will and I exchanged a quick glance. His smile was soft, but the corners of his eyes crinkled with blatant happiness.
“That’s very kind of you,” I said, brushing off the compliment. I grabbed the grease-soaked paper plate off the counter, and moved along.
I didn’t bother correcting the cashier. The truth would have taken all night to explain.
“You okay?” Will asked as we found an empty ledge to sit on near the Village of Yesteryear exhibit. The quiet was a nice reprieve from the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of the midway.
“Of course,” I said, pulling a bottle of water from my purse. I took a sip, swishing it around to wash the sugary sweater feeling on my teeth.
He took a big bite out of the sticky bun before handing it to me. Zoey scrambled off his shoulders and sat down beside me, hoping to steal a bite. I tore a piece of battered and fried, gooey, cinnamony goodness and held it out to her.
“You’ve just been real quiet today,” Will said.
I shrugged. “It’s weird doing all this without Logan, Ky, and Hunter. I know I need to let them grow up. I need to trust them to be safe and make good choices, but it’s freaking terrifying.”
A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. It was barely visible underneath his scruff. Flecks of silver-streaked through the shadow on his jawline.
I had never seen anything sexier in my life.
I sighed and took another sip of water. “I just miss them, that's all.”
“I know. That’s how I feel every time I leave your house and go back to mine.” He licked the dusting of powdered sugar off his lips. “You know, I’m kinda worried about tonight.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Really?”
He shrugged.
Will was always so calm and sure of himself. He was steady and dependable like the tides. He had unshakable confidence, which probably came from always being the smartest person in the room.
It was rare to see a side of him that wasn’t entirely self-assured.
“Kris, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m pretty damn— dang serious about us. So, yeah, I’m kinda worried about tonight. I want the kids to want to come back to my place because I don’t plan on this being a one-time thing. ”
I looked down at the plate on my lap. There would be oil spots on my jeans, but I didn’t care. My appetite vanished.
“Are you sure you can handle that, though?” I asked quietly. “All of us?” I let out a caustic laugh. “Just me is one thing. Me plus one would be a lot to ask. But all five of us? I can’t put that expectation on you.”
“Listen to me,” he said, stealing the last bite from the plate.
I hadn’t even noticed that Zoey had gobbled most of it down. Lord have mercy—I’d have to brush her teeth a dozen times to get all the sugar off.
“You know I don’t have any family, Kris. Sure, it’s not exactly what I expected the day you barged into my room three months ago and scared the hell out of me. But now, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
He scooted closer and wrapped his arm around my waist.
I dabbed my fingertips at the corners of my glassy eyes. “I never thought anyone would want me, much less all of us. We’re a lot. I’m a lot.”
“You’ll never be too much for someone who can’t get enough of you.” Will leaned down, capturing my lips with his. “I love you,” he murmured against my mouth, the taste of vanilla and cinnamon mingling on our tongues. “You’re everything I could ever want, and you’ve got it in spades.”
“Hey!”
We broke apart to see Logan, Kylie, and Hunter walking toward us. Logan was drinking lemonade from a long, plastic cup that was half his height. A massive stuffed flamingo filled Kylie’s arms. Hunter had a smoked turkey leg as big as my thigh in one hand and grilled corn on the cob in the other. My arteries clogged at the sight.
Kylie plopped down beside Will, and he draped his arm over her shoulders.
“Having fun?” he asked .
She nodded, smiling at him with adoring eyes. “Yeah, we were on our way to go watch the BMX riders and saw y’all. Figured we’d come check-in.”
“What’s BMX?” Zoey asked.
“It’s these super cool guys on dirt bikes doing all these crazy tricks and stuff. They, like, fly super high in the air and only hold onto the bikes with their hands, but sometimes they let go while they do stunts and jump off ramps. It’s so freaking cool,” Hunter said, barely taking a breath between bites of turkey and corn.
Zoey bounced like a kangaroo on a pogo stick. “Oooh! I wanna watch!” She turned to Will and grabbed his arm. “Please, please, please! Can we go?”
I laughed and tried to pry her from Will. Before either of us could say anything, Logan piped up.
“Yeah, come on, Zo.” He looked at me. “Is it cool if we take Zoey? We’ll keep an eye on her.”
Kylie and Logan shared a look, and I began to wonder just how spontaneous our little run-in was. Kylie stood up and took Zoey’s hand. “We’ll take Zoey and give y’all a little alone time. Do you still want to meet in front of the arena to grab dinner?”
I nodded because what else could I do? Kylie and Logan were two ridiculously responsible, sweet kids, and I was damn proud to be their sister.
Of course, I was still terrified at the idea of them entering the world as adults. But at least for tonight, I could let go a little.
Will and I waved them off. Before they disappeared into the crowd, Logan leaned down and asked Zoey something. She nodded, and he picked her up, setting her on his shoulders just like Will had done.
My heart.
“You raised ‘em right,” Will said, tossing the plate into a garbage can. He took my hand, and we strolled back into the crowd .
I didn’t say anything, choosing to live in the moment and soak up every new memory as we walked through row after row of vendors.
When we hit the midway, Will snagged two tickets for one of the rides and led me into the passenger capsule. He stood to the side while I slid across the bench seat first. He had to hunch over, ducking to get inside to avoid hitting his head on the roof.
The attendant slammed the door shut, and the wheel began to rotate as the next car came down. After mindlessly boarding, I suddenly realized which ride we were sitting on. I felt the motion of the car and panic paralyzed me.
“Will,” I croaked out, voice trembling as I squeezed his hand.
His head whirled around, brow furrowing as he noticed the tremor in my words. “What’s the matter?”
“I, uh, I’m afraid of heights.” I slammed my eyes shut and let out a shaking breath.
“Sweetheart,” he said in a gruff command. “Look at me.”
This was humiliating. My heart ramped up to a dangerous pace as the wheel rotated again.
I flinched as the car rocked, the metal joints squeaking and shrieking. My breath came in short gasps. My hands clammed up, and a cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck.
Living in the moment was stupid.
“Look at me, Kristin,” Will ordered. His tone left no room for argument.
My hand clamped around his as I slowly forced my eyes open. The wheel rotated again, sending us higher and higher, out of sight.
He grabbed my hips and hauled me onto his lap. My knees pressed into the hard metal bench as I straddled him.
“This is what I came in here for,” he said.
Will’s lips crashed against mine. In an instant, his hands were under my tank top, gliding up the plane of my stomach. He flipped my bra cups down and palmed both of my breasts.
I widened my straddle and rocked my hips, grinding against his thick shaft. I couldn’t wait to get those damn jeans off him tonight.
“Goddamn, woman,” Will said, rolling my nipples between his fingers. “I can’t wait to fuck you until you see stars.”
I groaned and tossed my head back, arching my back and pushing my tits toward his face.
He dipped his head to the side and drew one nipple between his teeth, and bit down.
I keened at the snap of pain, but it intensified into a flood of pleasure. I fumbled with his fly, trying and failing to unfasten the button on his jeans.
“Think we can do it in here?” I asked, panting.
Will grinned like the Cheshire cat and shook his head. “The first time I make love to you is going to be in my bed.”
“This isn’t making love,” I countered. “This is fucking.”
He shook his head. “Sweetheart, every time with you will be making love. And sometimes, I’ll want to make love to you by pinning you down and ramming my cock into your tight little pussy until you scream.”
I whimpered as he settled me around his restrained erection and lowered the zipper on my jeans. He pulled my panties aside and teased my clit. Will didn’t even bother testing my readiness before sliding his fingers into my slick core.
“Ride my hand,” he ordered, pressing the heel of his palm against my clit as he stroked my G-spot with two fingers.
My body trembled as the orgasm rushed in fast and hard like a freight train. So close already.
“Good girl. Just like that,” he praised as he used his free hand to toy with the hard peak of my nipple.
I bucked my hips against his hand, desperate for a release.
“Oh— oh!” I whimpered as I curled my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. I couldn’t focus on doing a damn thing to pleasure him, but I savored the connection.
The drive home was going to be unbearable, but the thrill of anticipation would make our first time even better.
“I feel you, sweetheart.” He worked the heel of his hand against my clit as I bucked my hips. “Open your eyes and let go.”
A single stroke of his fingers against the inner walls of my pussy sent me over the edge.
I opened my eyes.
We were at the top of the Ferris wheel, and I was flying.