6. Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Riley
I followed Matt in my car as he led the way to a festival he found while I checked in with Emery. When he suggested it to me I pictured something much smaller than we pulled up to. This looked like a hybrid of a farmer’s market and fair. There were tents everywhere with tables set up full of vegetables, fruits, and handmade items. Behind those a collection of food trucks lined up along a small street with blockades on either side. There was a field with an assortment of inflatable slides and bounce houses. Another field was set up with carnival rides including a Ferris wheel. It was all finished off with a few tents with fair games.
I parked my car next to his and did a quick refresh of my hair by swapping my small claw clip for a bigger one so I could pull my hair up off my neck. Matt came around and opened my car door for me as I struggled to untangle my fingers from the knots that had formed in my hair. He rested an arm on the top of the car and leaned in a little. A combination of citrus and spice with a hint of mint filled my nose. “I don’t really know what we’re getting into here. I just saw the word festival and thought it could be fun,” he said.
Anything with you would be fun , I wanted to say. “It looks interesting,” I said instead.
He laughed and lifted his head to look over the scene in front of us. “It looks like someone couldn’t decide what event they wanted to have and just slapped the name festival on it.”
“It’s a lot, for sure.” I took in his shoulders and chest as his shirt pulled tight over them, remembering what Emery had said when she first showed me his pictures. She was right, he looked broad and strong, but there was a softness to him.
He dipped his head back down to look at me. His smile had dropped, and his eyes pierced mine. “We can go somewhere else if you want.”
My fingers prickled with an urge to brush against the stubble along his jawline. “Let’s give it a try first.” I motioned toward the games with my chin. “I bet I could beat you at some of those.”
He held out a hand for me to take. “Winner picks the next stop,” he said. He wrapped a hand around mine, sending another flood of warmth through me and pulled me out of my car. “Where to first, my lady?”
We stood there a moment, bodies pressed together, lost in each other’s eyes as the sounds of the crowd buzzed around us. The slam of car doors around us and kids yelling over each other pulled me from the spell. I stepped from between him and my car, then tugged him toward the games. Once we were standing in the middle of the tents, I stretched an arm out in front of me pointing. “Close your eyes and spin me,” I told him with my eyes closed.
His hands hovered over my shoulders, touching just enough to urge me to spin. After a few turns his hands closed over my shoulders bringing me to a stop. I opened my eyes and found that my hand pointed at a giant claw machine.
A wicked grin spread over my face. “Not exactly something we can compete at, but I am really good at those.”
“Are you going to win me something good?” Matt asked as I took my place in front of the machine. His hand appeared in front of my face and pointed to a treasure chest. “What about that?”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret to winning these things. It’s not about getting what you want, it’s about going for what is sticking up the most.” My eyes scanned over the assortment of stuffed animals and treasure chests. I spotted a bear in the corner that looked like it had been picked up and dropped a few times leaving it in a clear position to reach. If whoever had been trying for it had tried one more time they would have gotten it. “I hope you like bears,” I said as I slid quarters into the slot.
“That’s cheating,” he said as the bear dropped into the retrieval slot.
“The claw machine chooses for you, that’s not cheating,” I said.
He shook his head and pulled quarters from his pocket. “Let’s see what’s in those treasure chests,” he said.
He gave up after ten rounds of various chests slipping from the grasp of the claw. I passed him the bear and looped my arm through his. “What do you say we find something more your speed?” I asked.
He looked around as he tapped a finger against his top lip. “I’ve never been good at any of these,” he said.
“Don’t give up already,” I said, poking out my bottom lip. My eyes stayed fixed on where his finger rested against his mouth. I wonder how it would feel to place my own finger there, to press my lips there. Every touch today made my body buzz but also felt so familiar, like his touch was made for me. Would kissing him feel the same?
What a strange thought.
I forced my eyes away and leaned my head against his shoulder. He was only three inches taller than me so I ended up leaning more against the side of his head and neck than his shoulder. His hand moved to cup my cheek holding me against him.
“I can’t think with you touching me,” he said.
Same, I said to myself. “Then don’t think,” I said to him. I pulled back so I could see his face. His smile was wide but there was a small glint of sadness in his eyes. “Let’s play some skeeball,” I said, “maybe I’ll let you win this time.”
“Maybe I’ll let you win,” he shot back.
***
We worked our way through most of the game tents over the course of the next hour. Neither one of us were able to win anything. That may have been partly due to our distracting each other with constant little touches every chance we got. A brush of legs here, and caress of hands there. I lost all ability to make eye contact with him because each time sent a fresh wave of butterflies to my stomach.
“Want to take a ride on the Ferris wheel?” he asked me.
I looked up at it and grimaced. “Have you ever seen how they put those things together? I don’t know if I want to test my luck tonight.”
“I’ll keep you safe,” he stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around me. My face and neck heated as my whole body tingled.
I relaxed back against him and ran a hand along his forearm. “I think I’m going to need the details of your plan to keep me safe. We’re going to be stuck in a dangling bucket all the way up there.”
His lips brushed my ear and made my knees weaken. “I’m making this up as I go along, sweetheart. If you want to find out, you’ll just have to trust me.”
I closed my eyes and licked my lips. “I feel like now might be a good time for a new rule, but I can’t think right now,” I whispered.
His arms loosened around me. I clamped my hand down on his forearm holding him in place. “If you want me to stop touching you, you can tell me,” he said. He kept his arms loose but didn’t pull them away.
I shook my head and moved my hand to hold his. I turned around to face him. The muscles in his face tensed.
“Rule number one, what are you thinking?” he asked.
I smiled hoping that it would make him relax. I squeezed his hand a couple of times and shook my head. “I don’t think I want you to ever stop touching me.”
His face tensed more as his eyes studied mine. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.
If we keep saying things like that, rule number two is going out the window.