AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She turned to him, a wicked glint flitting across her features as she looked at his hat. “I don’t know what you’re afraid of, Samderland Sunderland.”
He quickly removed his baseball cap, putting it on the seat as far away from her as possible.
Her eyes glittered, her smile growing more dangerous. “Are you worried about your hat or something?”
“When I was younger, my dad took my brother and I to a River Cats game in Sacramento. Just going there was a treat because my dad didn’t like taking time off from work. He also doesn’t enjoy spending money. Any food or snacks we wanted were packed with us from home and we ate in the parking lot or snuck it in because buying food at any sort of stadium or event was considered a rip-off. Imagine our surprise when, at the end of the game, my dad bought us each a baseball hat. It wasn’t even one of our birthdays or anything. It would be upsetting if my hat somehow got flicked off at the top of the Ferris wheel by someone who didn’t realize the sentimental value of it.”
Luna’s amused expression didn’t falter. “Well, looky here. Seems like we got ourselves a poor little rich boy. You know what I was doing when I was a kid? Working in the jewelry shop. I’ve never been to a live game in my life. Getting your hat could be some kind of consolation prize and, unlike you, I take them when I can get them.”
Her arm shot out, reaching for the hat on the seat, but his hand snapped around her wrist, locking her limb across his lap. Laughter bubbled out of her as if her joy was overflowing and their bench seat rocked on its axis. Her new position was close enough for him to smell a delicious note of floral coming from her skin or to touch the freckle beside her eye. Luna was giddy and breathing hard when her eyes dipped to his mouth, her teeth dragging her pouty bottom lip inward. All he could think about was watermelon. He was convinced that one small taste would be enough to satisfy him. Sam’s pulse stuttered as his head dropped, waiting for her to push him away. But she didn’t move, not even when he dragged a finger from her beauty mark to her cheekbone.
They had reached the top of the Ferris wheel and would soon start to move at full speed, but currently the moment had frozen around them, the rest of the fair noise melting away. The late afternoon sun was setting, giving Luna’s skin a warm rosy glow.
“I’m curious what kissing you would be like,” he said lightly.
“You forget we’ve already kissed. I wasn’t impressed.”
A slight smile tipped the corners of his mouth. “My ego has taken enough hits today. I’m not sure I can let that slide without at least trying to redeem myself.”
“Unfortunately for you, I’m a huge believer in first impressions. I’m not sure how second chances fit in there.”
“I hear lasting impressions are better than first ones.”
“I don’t like being wrong.”
“Get used to it, Queenie.” With her being a breath away, he couldn’t resist. When his lips connected with hers, his stomach dropped, either from their basket swooping down as the Ferris wheel reached speed or because her lips were so soft he might never recover. He pressed and pulled from her lips gently, releasing her arm.
Internally, he pleaded.Please. Touch me.
And then he felt it.
The featherlight sensation as her fingers brushed his throat and spread along his jawline. His own hand claimed the nape of her neck to pull her closer, deepening their kiss, a zing of electricity awakening every nerve ending inside his body. He took note of the sweet burst of watermelon, the heat of her tongue brushing his, and how full her lip was when he nibbled on it. Whatever senses were to be had, she filled all of them.
He pulled away as their ride was coming to an end. Luna, though prettily flushed with pink, kiss-swollen lips, appeared to be in a state of shock. She didn’t say anything, no clever, smartass comments or biting critiques. Instead, she took the carnival worker’s hand to disembark the ride and stiffly walked away. Sam wasn’t sure what to make of her reaction.
He jumped from the bench only to be called by the carnival worker for forgetting his hat. He did a quick pivot, to grab it from the man’s hands, tweaking something in his knee. With a slight limp, he tried to catch her. She wasn’t waiting around for him.
“Luna,” he called. If Sam had to apologize, he would. He’d do his best to forget about how, in the moment, her lips had answered him with their own needy pull or how her nails had scraped along his jawline. It would crush him to apologize but he would take his consolation prize and go home, if that’s what she wanted.
She jerked to a halt, nearly running into another couple. “Tessa,” she said.
“Oh, hi, Luna,” replied a petite, pretty Asian woman with a large sun hat who held the hand of a lanky man with pale skin and blazing red hair.
“Hey, Cam. Are you guys enjoying the fair?” Luna’s hands busied themselves by pulling on the ends of her hair that had been swept across her shoulder.
The couple glanced at each other before Tessa replied, “Yeah, it’s fine. I’m surprised you’re here though. You always snubbed your nose at fairs in high school.”
Luna released a nervous laugh. “Oh. Well…I’m actually here with Ross and Mia. She’s…uh, a photographer and I-I wanted to support her work at the exhibit. Have you seen it? It’s good.”
Tessa’s eyes scanned the surrounding area. “Really?” Her dark eyes landed on Sam who had stopped short of Luna. “Is that what you call whatever you were doing on that Ferris wheel? Because I don’t see your cousin anywhere.”
Luna’s face slightly turned to him, revealing her profile, but her eyes remained glued to the ground and her cheeks burned bright with color. “No, I…this is just my landlord. We ran into each other. We aren’t here together. I…I just got separated from Ross and Mia and ran into Sam. It’s funny actually—”
“Whatever you say. Keep being supportive, I guess. We should get going.” They walked away without a goodbye.
Luna remained in the same spot, head tilted downward, clutching Mister Mustache.
Sam moved closer. Whatever light and happiness had existed before had completely vanished. The weather of Luna’s mood had shifted as her shoulders slumped. “Luna—”
