28. Isla
ISLA
If Isla dreaded one thing, it was being stuck in the air, suspended by a swing and spun in a circle.
She squeezed her eyes shut as the carnival swings slowed, starting their descent to the ground. This had been Boyd’s idea—he’d thought it would make a fantastic martini shot—but now all she wanted to do was hurl.
Roller coasters she could handle. Spinning—nope.
Grinding her teeth, she gripped the chains of the swing and waited for the ride to still.
She blinked, the neon lights somehow less charming than when she’d been strolling through the carnival with Tomas and Kyle earlier.
The sweet aroma of cotton candy mixed with buttery popcorn and oil for funnel cakes and deep-fried Oreos—all of which they’d sampled while shooting various scenes.
By now, her stomach felt like a sickly mess, and she needed water. Not sweet tea. Not soda. Not beer. Just plain old water.
As soon as she was able, she unlatched herself from the swing and jumped out, grateful for the firm ground under her feet.
Kyle came up to her and took her by the elbow. “You okay? I looked back while we were on those swings, and it looked like you were going to be sick.”
“I feel like I’m going to be sick, but it’ll pass. I don’t love things that spin,” she said with a grimace.
They made their way out with Tomas, then found the crew standing nearby. “That was a fantastic shot,” Boyd said with a smile. “Perfect way to end this segment. Give your equipment over to Tim, then you’re free to go. We’ll be sticking around to get some more B-roll for another hour or so.”
Davy sidled up to Isla. “If you hang around, maybe we can hang out for a bit? It could be fun.”
Isla gave her a reluctant smile. She didn’t want to be a killjoy, but she also knew Davy was just trying to make her feel better. Aiden hadn’t shown up last night, saying he’d catch a flight out of New York this morning.
And now? The entire day had passed, and he still hadn’t arrived.
So much for him being where she was.
Tomorrow was already the start of a new workweek.
“Thanks, but I think I’m going to turn in early. Get some sleep.”
Davy’s eyes were sympathetic. She gave Isla a tight hug. “Listen,” she said in a low voice. “Don’t let any guy become the reason you’re happy or sad. They should add to it, not make or break it.”
Is that what I’m giving the impression of doing?
Letting Aiden control my happiness?
Isla didn’t answer but squeezed her back, then pulled away. “You sticking around?” she asked Kyle.
He nodded. “But I can walk you back to the van if you want,” Kyle offered.
“Nope, I’m good.” She winked at him. He’d bumped into some college friends while they’d been filming earlier, and she wasn’t surprised he was staying—this was only about two hours from his hometown, after all. “Have fun at the carnival.”
She left her equipment with Tim, then grabbed her purse from one of the production assistants. Weaving her way through the carnival grounds, she let herself slip into the noise and the throng.
Davy was wrong—wasn’t she? Isla wasn’t so fixated on Aiden that she was letting him control her happiness. Sure, she was bummed out right now, but she had a right to be. Once again, he’d shut them down before they’d had a chance.
As though he knew she’d been thinking of him, her phone buzzed in her purse. She lifted it to her ear. “Aiden?”
“Hello, beautiful,” he said, a smile to his tone.
Despite her irritation, a flutter went through her stomach. “If you think compliments are going to get you off the hook, you’re sorely mistaken, Mr. Camden.”
“I must be in trouble if you’re being so formal. That’s too bad. You look so delicious under the glow of that neon ice cream sign.”
She whirled around, scanning the fairgrounds for Aiden. Her pulse quickened. “Are you here?”
“Yeah, right over here. By the kissing booth.”
She frowned, searching the signs. Nothing.
But he had to be here if he’d seen her standing by the ice cream booth.
“Where?” she asked, peering closer at the signs.
“Look for the giant stuffed tigers in the dart booth. I’m just past the haze of orange.”
Her lips curled in a smile as she hunted for him. Leave it to Aiden to turn this into a game. Then she saw the dart booth and the tigers. And just a few feet away... him.
Isla’s heart throbbed.
Dammit but that man was freaking gorgeous.
He wore jeans and a gray Henley, one hand in his back pocket, his stance relaxed. The other hand held a single sheet of white paper. As their eyes connected, a slow, seductive smile played at his lips, and she hung up the call, walking toward him with deliberate ease. Don’t be overly eager.
As she drew closer, she saw that he’d scribbled something on the paper in his bold script : Kissing Booth.
She raised a brow, hiding a smile. “So now I have to pay for a kiss?”
He leaned toward her slightly, lowering the paper. “You don’t have to pay for what’s already yours.”
Oh...man. How did he do this to her so easily? She hadn’t even touched him yet, and somehow, he’d already managed to raise goose bumps on her skin, a flush of pleasure going through her.
“That’s either very smooth or wildly presumptuous.”
Aiden stepped closer and hooked a finger through the belt loop of her jeans, tugging her nearer. “I was going for both.”
“Ah, I see.” She tilted her head, setting her hand gently on his chest. “You like to live dangerously, Aiden Camden.”
“Sometimes.”
She grinned. “Lucky for you, I like dangerous men.”
His hands slid into the back pockets of her jeans, and he tugged her closer still. “I’m trying to be a safe man for you, Miss Skye.” His lips grazed her jawline, then the soft spot of her neck, just below her earlobe.
She wanted nothing more than to sink into his arms and relax into his realness.
He was late, but he was here. That counted for something.
For a lot, really. But the last time she’d been hurt about him not calling and texting, she’d let him off the hook easily.
Maybe too easily. Perhaps she needed to be clearer this time.
Drawing a sharp breath, she stepped back and set her hands on his shoulders. “So, I guess you didn’t catch that flight this morning? Did your phone stop working, too?”
“No. Well, the phone did die at one point, but that was partially because I missed my flight and then was on it for a while. I tried to get a standby on commercial and then I decided I’d had enough obstacles trying to get to you.
So, I called the firm that handles our jet and then had to wait for the chartered flight out here.
And then I had to drive from Nashville. I would have flown to a regional airport, but it wasn’t much closer, and the rental car selection was better in Nashville. ”
She searched his face for a moment, her brain trying to put all the versions of him together.
He was the wealthy CEO, the boy she’d known since childhood, son of an earl, military officer.
In the blink of an eye, he could go from formal attire and look just as natural and suave in jeans and a T-shirt.
And he just chartered a flight on his private jet to get to me.
Maybe that deserved a kiss.
Her lips twisted for a moment. Or maybe she was looking for a reason to let him off easily.
She stepped back, guilt sloshing in her stomach as he quietly folded the kissing booth sign and slipped it into his pocket.
“Did the negotiations go well?” she asked, forcing distance between them—not only physically, but with their discussion.
She didn’t want him to suffer, but the last two days hadn’t felt safe—not even close.
“They...” Aiden sighed, then glanced around the carnival. “They were fine. Boring. Tedious. But they went well enough. Were you leaving?”
She nodded. “Boyd cut us out early and told us to enjoy the carnival.”
“If you’re tired, we can go,” he said gently.
“No, it’s fine. You just got here. I don’t want to pull you away from something fun and interesting.”
“The fun and interesting part of this carnival is standing right in front of me.”
She swallowed, reminded of what Tomas had said the day before. “Really? Tomas practically called me boring yesterday.”
“What does Tomas know? He was foolish enough to let you go, wasn’t he? The man’s judgment is clearly flawed.” He glanced around the booths. “What’s good to eat here? I’m starved.”
“Depends. Do you like your food slick with oil or covered in powdered sugar?”
Aiden’s lips twitched, and he gave her a wicked side-eye. “If you’re trying to tempt me to think about something other than food, you’ve succeeded.”
“Oh, stop.” She elbowed him in the ribs.
“I’m serious. It’s carnival food. The options either come with the potential for a heart attack or diabetes—there is no in between.
Don’t make it sexual. You keep talking a big talk anyway and then don’t put out.
” Then because she couldn’t resist, she added, “Of course, maybe you prefer hot dogs. Maybe a good kielbasa or Polish sausage?”
He laughed and caught her by the waist, tucking her back against him. “I’ll show you a sausage, you lunatic woman.”
She squealed with laughter, squirming to get away from him, but he held her fast, the scruff of his jaw nuzzling her cheek. “You won’t be proving anything. You, sir, have not yet earned your way back into my pants.”
“Oh no?” Aiden released her and slipped his hand into hers. “What do I need to do? Win you a stuffed tiger? Offer myself as the victim at a dunking booth? Buy you some candy floss?”
“Mmm, I’ll take all of that and more.” She gave him an exaggerated wink, thrilled by the feel of his hand in hers. It felt so normal. So natural. So real.
“What does Tomas know? He was foolish enough to let you go, wasn’t he? The man’s judgment is clearly flawed.”
Truthfully, Aiden knew her better than most people, except Davy. He was also trying to look past their obstacles, and even though it took longer for him to get here, it was only due to circumstance, not choice.