Chapter 27
Maddox put the vehicle into gear and pulled out of the hotel parking lot. We merged onto the expressway and went north—back toward home. We were traveling for a while before I realized I was starting to get hungry. I had worked off breakfast, and my stomach was letting me know.
“Do you want to go home, or do you want to do something else?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the road.
“I’m hungry. We don’t have to go home if you want to do something else. I don’t care what we do as long as you feed me.”
“Of course I am going to feed you. Do you know what you want to eat?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m not too picky.”
A few exits later, Maddox exited the freeway.
We traveled down a main road for a few minutes and then came to a large driveway and he turned in.
I looked out the windows at the surrounding area, and it quickly became apparent that we were at some sort of festival or fair.
I looked over at him and waited for him to say something.
He pulled up the armrest between us and revealed a bottle of sunblock.
“Really? That works?” I asked curiously.
“I told you; it isn’t like we burst into flames.
We can go out on a day like today, when the temperature isn’t scorching.
I wear sunblock and a long sleeve white shirt.
It makes a world of difference. I just need to take precautions, and I do research.
This particular fair has a lot of shaded areas. ”
“Have you been here before?”
“I have been here before. I do like to have fun outside of the bedroom too, Joslyn.” I blushed and turned my head.
“Hey,” he said to get me to look at him.
“We can go to the house if you want.” He put his hand on my thigh and started to slide it north.
“I just thought you might want a break. Or that you might think that being with me meant you had to give up doing certain things with your boyfriend. Things that bring joy to your life and make you smile. I can do those things too, with you.”
I didn’t know what to say to him. I just assumed that there were things that we wouldn’t be able to do together.
He was right; and part of me still assumed that.
Good thing I didn’t want to go out on a yacht in the middle of the ocean to go swimming, though.
I laughed at the absurdity of the thought.
Maddox looked confused when I started laughing, and I reached up with both my hands and pulled his face to mine. I kissed him fiercely and his hand immediately finished its trip north.
“So, home then?” he asked between kisses. I pushed his hand from between my legs and used my other hand to push against his chest.
“Nope, we are going to get fair food and ride some rides. Maybe you can even win me a giant stuffed animal. We’re going to have fun!” I opened the door and hopped out. Maddox appeared next to me.
“Your zip-up hoodie is in the backseat,” he said, opening the back door.
He handed me the sweatshirt and then pulled his own shirt over his head, removing it.
His body immediately caught my attention, and suddenly I felt like a horny teenager.
I grabbed his arm, and he turned around to look at me.
I pressed my body against him, and he tangled his hand in my hair and brought his lips to mine.
When I pulled away, I just looked at his abs and trailed my eyes all the way to his.
“For the love of God, put a fucking shirt on. I want to ride something other than you today. At least for right now.” I pushed him and turned around to wait for him to put his long sleeve shirt on.
Without any warning, I felt his lips against my ear.
“It’s not my fault that when you look at me all you can think about is how I made you feel last night.
How, when you are with me, alone, and completely naked, all you can do is feel.
Not to mention the things I am going to make you feel when we finally do make it back to the house.
So don’t forget to save some energy for me.
Now, let’s get you food, my dear.” He smacked my ass, hard, then took my hand in his and kissed my fingers.
We made our way into the fairgrounds, and I started looking over all the food booths.
“It all smells so good,” I said as I walked slowly down the strip of endless options to choose from. “I know I want fries. After that, I am lost. What do you think?” I said, looking to Maddox for help.
“I saw a booth with cheesesteak, and one with corndogs. Those both sound like decent options.”
“Let’s get one of each and share. Are you okay with sharing?”
I put a fake pout on my face and clasped my hands behind my back looking up at him. He laughed at me, and when he stopped, the biggest grin remained on his face.
“You’re cute. No, normally I am very possessive and not the least bit inclined to share.
If it’s mine, it’s mine. I can become hard to handle—dangerous even.
You are referring to food, and my sharing with you.
I can do that—it’s not sharing. What’s mine is yours; anything you want is yours.
” I pushed up on my toes and kissed his lips softly and let it linger.
Then I whispered into the space between us.
“You need to lighten up. No one is going to take me. However, I might eat all the fries.”
“No, but they will try, and I will make them wish they hadn’t.” He smiled at me. “Come on, let’s get in line for this food. I’m hungry too.”
The more I let it roll around in my head, the more I had a feeling Maddox wasn’t talking about someone figuratively taking me.
He meant quite literally apprehending me.
Suddenly, I liked my choice of boyfriend even more, and I cuddled closer to him in line.
He let go of my hand and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in.
We sat at a picnic table and ate our food. It tasted so good, but so bad for you. “So, what do you want to ride first?” he asked, as he put a couple of fries into his mouth.
“The Matterhorn, then I want to go on the Tilt-O-Whirl.”
We finished our food and threw away our trash in a nearby bin. At the ticket booth, Maddox purchased tickets to get us access to the rides.
A couple of hours had passed, and we had ridden multiple rides.
We went through the funhouse, rode the Gravitron, and shared a snow-cone.
We walked through weathered wooden structures that housed vendor booths.
Face-painting, hair-braiding, and woodcarving booths were just a few of the offerings.
Along with many other local products for sale.
Maddox bought me a rose made from the pages of a book.
It was intricate, undying, and impossible to read—just like the man who got it for me.
The edges of the pages were red, grabbing your attention.
The moment he noticed that I had picked it up to get a closer look, he handed the money to the vendor.
He leaned in close and whispered, “I’ve seen that look on your face before; you wanted it. I love that look, so I got it for you. It’s Beauty and the Beast.”
“What?” I looked at him, confused.
“The book—it’s Beauty and the Beast. I asked the lady when I paid for it.”
Of course it was.
It was past dark, and the midway was aglow and bustling with couples, groups of kids, and families. It made me feel like a normal person again—on a normal date with an exceedingly hot man, creating lifelong memories.
“Are you ready?” I asked him.
“I am, if you are,” he said simply.
“I am.”