Page 30 of Penalty Kick

Gracias a Dios…

“To pop your carnival cherry?” she quipped, hand flying over her mouth the moment the words were out. Even with the flashing lights Dash could see her cheek pinken, in awe that she said that out loud. “Sorry, that was…I dunno. My dad—err, Robert—is always telling me my smart mouth is going to get me in trouble.”

Dash laughed. “I like your smart mouth.” Talia blushed again, dipping her head down and biting her lip. The move made Dash’s heart squeeze, and once again he had to fight back the urge to kiss her. If she did this all night long, he wasn’t sure he was going to make it. “What first, a game? I believe there was a request for a teddy bear?”

“Let’s go. Although, I will warn you, I’m pretty amazing at the ring toss.”

Slipping her hand in his, Talia led the way through the maze of vendors. On the outside, Dash acted like holding her hands was the most natural thing in the world—and in a way it was. Her skin was soft and it fit into his like it was made to be there. On the inside, however, he was doing cartwheels. He wasn’t sure if Talia had initiated the contact on purpose or subconsciously, but either way, he wasn’t complaining. He just hoped she knew that for the rest of the evening, they would be walking hand in hand.

“Two?” a man in a red-and-white-striped vest asked as they dipped into the ring toss booth. They both nodded, hands still linked together. In the middle of the booth was a massive wood table, covered in red crates that were divided into squares big enough to hold a single glass Coke bottle. Multicolored rubber rings were strewn about—some around the necks of the Coke bottles, but mostly splayed between two of them, or on the ground having missed entirely. Handing them each a set of three rings, the gentleman continued, “One gets you three more tries, three gets you a prize.”

“And there is not a cost to this?” Dash asked, low enough only Talia could hear.

“Nope. Southland Holdings puts it on every year for their employees. So it’s free for anyone who works for one of the seven divisions of the company, plays for the Rising, or is at corporate.”

“That is very generous.”

“It’s pretty standard here in America. Well, not something this elaborate, but a company picnic type thing. As a way for the company to thank its employees for working hard and giving them a day of fun. Back in Arizona, the firm my dad—err, Robert—worked for always hosted a huge cookout at Watson Lake. We’d spend the day fishing and kayaking. There was technically no swimming allowed, but sometimes my brothers would purposefully tip over their kayaks so they would have an excuse to be in the water.”

“That is the second time you have done that,” Dash said. He hoped that she didn’t think that he wasn’t listening to her, because he was. That was how he’d caught it. “You referred to your father as Dad and then his name.”

“That’s because he’s not really my dad, now is he?” she remarked. Pursing her lips, she tossed one of her rings toward the bottles with an easy flick of her wrist. The orange piece of rubber landed easily over one of the necks.

Dash blinked, wowed by the ease in which she had accomplished that. Apparently she really was “pretty amazing” at this.

“Are things not good between you?” Trying to mimic her movements, Dash tossed his ring, sending it soaring over the table, landing somewhere on the other side.

Talia shrugged. “Would you believe me if I told you that I never really fit my family? I look just like my mom, and I guess I took after her some. But Robert…he and I are nothing alike. He’s very serious and logical. He was a great dad; please don’t get me wrong. But he always pushed us toward academics rather than sports. Both my little brothers golf, because Robert does, but that’s it. He was not a fan of my sarcasm, which now that I know Gunnar, I see where I got it from, because it certainly wasn’t Mom or Robert.” She laughed, giving him a sad smile. Turning away from him she launched another ring, landing this one right next to her first. “When Mom passed and we got our letters, well…let’s just say the news didn’t sit well.”

Dash nodded, unsure of what to say. It was understandable that finding out that the child he had raised—who had been the catalyst for their marriage, that he believed to be his own flesh and blood—was someone else’s daughter was a shock. But to take it out on her? At least, that was what Dash was assuming. That might not be fair to the man, but based on Talia’s demeanor at the moment, Dash didn’t care. They needed a change of subject though. Tossing his second ring, this one coming up short, he asked the first thing he could come up with.

“How old are your brothers?”

“Doug is fourteen and Bert is sixteen.”

“Maria is fourteen.”

“How did I not know she was so much younger than you? I knew she was still in school, but I guess I assumed that meant college.”

“I pay for her to attend a prep school, in hopes she will go to university. I want her to be able to do whatever she wants in life.”

“That’s so sweet,” Talia said, her eyes sparkling. Fuck, did he want to kiss her. “Okay, last ring. Should we go at the same time?”

“Sí.”

Turning back toward the center, Talia counted down from three. Sending their rings soaring into the air, Dash couldn’t help but groan as his bounced off the top of a bottle, ending up who knew where. Talia’s, however, landed just as the previous two had. Perfectly.

“Whooo!”

“Bonita, are you sure you are not a…whatever do you call them…”

“Ringer?”

“Sí, one of those. It is a good thing money is not involved or I would start to wonder if you cheated me,” he teased, stepping in closer.

Talia sucked in a breath, her bottom lip catching in her teeth. It was quite possibly the sexiest thing Dash had ever seen. Her eyes still sparkled though, letting him know that she was having just as much fun as he was. Stepping into her, Dash placed his hands on her hips, his fingers melding into her gentle curves. His pulse kicked up a notch, the pull between then growing stronger with each second. She didn’t shy away from his touch, wondering if he could just simply lean in and…

“We have a winner!” the booth attendant exclaimed, breaking the moment. “Which prize would you like, young lady?”