Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
TEDDY
Ican't stop the small squeal that leaves me when I see the lights of the carnival up ahead. I'm so excited I can barely contain myself.
"I want funnel cake, a corn dog, and oh, that ice cream that's in little balls. Tiny, tiny." I try to show him with my fingers.
"I think it's called Dippin’ Dots."
"Yes!" He's so worldly, always knowing things. "The two of us make a good team." Killian grunts his agreement. "Or maybe, like, a couple." My cheeks heat, and I glance out the window.
"Couple," he repeats. I can't stop the smile that forms. It's so big it hurts my cheeks. I get it under control before I turn my head back toward Killian as he pulls into the grassy field they are using for a parking lot.
"You know, since we're doing labels or names, I was thinking. You call me Zolotse, so I should give you a nickname too."
"If you want," he agrees.
"But I want you to want it."
"I want everything you'll give me, Zolotse." I want to crawl over into his lap right now and kiss all over his handsome face.
"Prince Charming might be too long, and you have more king vibes." I puff up to make myself big to show him. I get one of his smiles. "Everyone uses babe, so that's out," I tell him. "But I guess everyone uses the one I was wanting to use, too."
"You can use whatever you want." I love how he says everything with a firm confidence. I swear the tone is almost everyone can fuck off.
"Okay then, sweetheart it is." I smack the dashboard, making it official. I test it out on him for good measure. "Sweetheart, do you think this crown works for the carnival?"
"I favor that one." He did pick it out for me this morning.
"What if someone tries to steal it off my head?
" I've heard of these things happening in the news. I’m pretty sure people will think it’s fake, but you never know.
Killian lets out a chuckle as though me even suggesting that is ridiculous with him by my side.
This man continues to get more and more attractive.
"They won't," he reassures me through his laugh. "Let me get your door." I sit tight and think of all the victories I’ve had today: Ro isn’t mad at me, Killian and I are now a couple, I got to give him a nickname, and checked eating at a diner off my list of things I wanted to do. And I’m about to attend a carnival, too.
I quickly pinch myself as Killian opens my door for me.
“Why did you hurt yourself, Zolotse?” He’s staring down at the small red mark on my arm, his brows furrowing together. He looks both unhappy and concerned at the same time.
“I was just making sure this was real. That you were real, and I wasn’t dreaming or something.” I tell him the truth as I step out of the car. His fingers skim over the red spot so gently. I’m not even sure how he manages to be so gentle with how ginormous his hands are.
“I don’t care for this. We are very real.” I love how he says "we" with such firmness.
“No more pinching.” I go to take his hand, but he stops me.
“It’s busy.” He instead wraps his arm around my shoulder and tucks me snugly into his side.
Killian’s eyes are taking everything in.
You’d think he’s memorizing every single detail and registering what is safe and what isn’t.
“You’re tiny.” I might be on the short side, but I’m not tiny.
Although compared to him, I suppose everyone is.
“But you can see over everyone, so I think you’ll be able to spot me, sweetheart.”
Killian tilts his head to peer down at me. “You’ll stay close.”
“It’s kinda where I enjoy being.” I pat his chest. I go to wrap my arm around his back, my hand hitting a hard object that’s not noticeable with the jacket he tossed on, covering his tattoos. "Killian?” Why does he need the prop gun? "Do I need my lightsaber?" I joke.
"You've got me." Okay, then. I'm not going to push on questioning him wanting to have it. I'm over here in crown jewels and a dress that most might call too puffy. This is a judgment-free zone.
“You’re a keeper.” I tilt my head up, silently asking for a kiss. He indulges me, leaning down and giving me a quick peck.
“There’s no getting rid of me, Zolotse.” I laugh, but Killian keeps a straight face. Who the heck would want to get rid of him? You’d have to be out of your mind.
“Promise?”
“Vow it.” He sounds dead serious.
“I like the sound of that.” I press myself more into him. He’s lucky I don’t climb him like a tree, but the night is young.
The smell of sugar and fried corndogs fills the air as we draw closer. I pull out my phone and snap a few pictures, wanting to remember every second of this.
Killian gets us a ton of these ticket things, and we're off. I want to laugh at each ride we go to. He eyes them like a ride inspector before he approves for us to get on.
"We have to kiss at the top,” I tell him when we get on the Ferris wheel.
"We can kiss right here."
"Fine." I playfully roll my eyes. "You can kiss me." That man doesn't need to be told, right? When people say that you can feel kisses down to your toes, they weren't lying. The way Killian kisses me, I feel it everywhere.
"I kissed you all the way to the top," he says smugly.
"It's pretty up here."
The carnival sits beside a river in a giant field. On the other side is the city. It’s a clear night so you can see the lights. You have a perfect view from up here.
"It is."
"You're a dork." I elbow him because he's only checking me out.
"Is that my new pet name?" He wiggles his brows, being playful back with me. I'm starting to see that Killian might have been more rigid than I realized, and he's starting to relax. I’ve gotten him to crack a few jokes, and he'll laugh at mine even if they're corny.
"I'm sticking to sweetheart." Killian reaches over and checks the bar thing as the Ferris wheel starts to move a spot. "If you're like this with me, how will you be when you have kids?" I laugh.
Killian glances away. Crappers. Wrong thing to say?
"Sorry, I'll change the subject." Double crap.
I think you're supposed to just change it.
Not to say that you're going to do so. Kids might not be a dream of his. He did tell me he travels a lot and doesn’t have a permanent home.
Add on his own childhood in the foster system, and I can see why the thought of having a family of his own would be undesirable.
"Do you want kids?" he asks me. Could my answer be a deal-breaker? I might as well be honest.
"I mean, I haven’t thought about it real hard, but I suppose I figured when I met my person that it would happen." He gives me one of his grunted responses. "You don't want them?"
"The idea has never entered my mind before."
"Really? Not even a little?" He shakes his head no. "Boys and girls really must think differently." I laugh. I mean, I wasn't planning it out, but I figured in time it was a foregone conclusion.
"It's me, Zolotse, who thinks differently. I promise you." I'm not sure what that means, but I love how he thinks. He's been so sweet and kind to me without reason.
“Well, don’t go changing for me,” I tell him.
“It is too late for that.” He brushes his thumb across my bottom lip, his touch always so gentle, a contrast to the roughness of his hands. “People change you.”
“I suppose that is true.” I lick my lips intentionally to swipe my tongue across his thumb. I watch heat flash in his dark eyes. Gah, I love how I can do that to him. I always feel like a seductress. “Am I changing you?”
“You are changing what I want to do with my life.”
“Killian, really?”
"You have no idea, Zolotse, the power that you hold over me." Is this man stupidly reading a romance book or something?
"And I didn't need a lightsaber to do it."
"You did not, my Zolotse." He smiles, and I lean over and kiss it. Then I start to press them all over his handsome face. How could I not?