The Royal Wager

by Kristi Gold

  “She’s just blowing steam.”

  “She still has a thing for you.”

  “She’s jealous of you, but it’s not only because you’re with me.”

  A perfect blonde with big breasts and more money than God was jealous of her? “That’s a stretch, Mitch.”

  “That’s the truth. Believe me, I’ve known her a long time, and I can see envy written all over her face. She covets your independence because she wanted to leave here, just like you, but she was too afraid of her father to make a move.”

  “That’s really a shame.”

  “That’s the past and I want to forget about it and her.”

  When Mitch dropped his arm from around her, Tori couldn’t ignore the disappointment. But then he took her hand and said, “Let’s go play some games on the midway. I usually win.”

  And Mitch did at the basketball toss on the first try.

  The carnie pointed to the myriad stuffed animals clipped to a string above their heads. “Which one do you want, little lady?”

  Tori studied them for a few moments but before she could make her choice, Mitch said, “She’ll take the monkey.”

  “One monkey it is,” the carnie said as he handed Tori the miniature ape with a yellow plastic banana glued to his hand.

  Tori gave Mitch a bewildered look as he took her by the arm and guided her past the fortune teller booth. “I was about to pick the white tiger.”

  “I thought the monkey complemented your house shoes.”

  Holding the ape up, she said, “You’re right. And he needs a name.”

  “He reminds me of the mayor, so you should call him Lanham.”

  Tori laughed. “You’re right. Lanham it is. Lanny for short.”

  Once more, Mitch draped an arm around her shoulder. “What now?”

  “I want some cotton candy.”

  “I can do that.”

  She waited near the stand while Mitch waited in line. Several people passed by her and stared, but she couldn’t say that she recognized any of them. And she doubted anyone recognized her, considering how long it had been since she’d been in town. Still, she suspected that their covert glances had to do with her “date” tonight. Before she returned home, no doubt she would be the notorious nobody who’d wrangled the local icon out of an evening.

  A few minutes later, Mitch returned with the fluffy cloud of pink sugar on a stick and offered it to her. “Here. It was either this or some weird shade of green.”

  “This is great.”

  Tori’s first bite of the candy brought back memories of a simpler time. So did the smells of frying funnel cakes and popcorn. Yet everything seemed much more special with Mitch at her side. For the first time, she walked the midway with a man, but not just any man. A special man who so completely tugged at her heartstrings every time he smiled.

  “How about we try out a ride?” He snagged a hunk of the cotton candy and popped it into his mouth.

  “I don’t go for anything too daring,” Tori replied. “But I do like the Ferris wheel.”

  He grinned. “I can’t interest you in that kamikaze roller coaster?”

  “Not if you value your boots.”

  “I do, so the Ferris wheel it is.”

  Again Tori hung back as Mitch purchased tickets from the booth. While waiting their turn to board, they maintained a comfortable silence, Mitch standing behind her with his palms braced on her waist. She resisted the urge to toss the monkey and candy aside to turn into his arms. Definitely not a good idea at the moment. But when they were alone on the ride, she had a good mind to fulfill one of her fantasies, if he proved to be agreeable.

  After the wheel executed two go-rounds, their turn finally came. Tori climbed into the red car first and Mitch followed, Lanny positioned between them like a hairy, inanimate child. They pulled the safety bar over their laps and as they ascended backward, Tori’s tummy took a pleasant dip. It dipped again when they sat suspended at the top while more riders loaded, providing her with the perfect opportunity to make her request.

  Mitch rested his arm along the back of the seat, their thighs touching. That alone made her breathless. She sounded breathless when she said, “Mitch, can I ask you a question?”

  He frowned. “I thought maybe we’d forget about the interview tonight.”

  “This isn’t for the article. This is something that I want to know. Off the record.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have you ever kissed anyone on a Ferris wheel?”

  He took off his hat, ran a hand through his hair, then settled it back on his head. “As best I can recall, I tried that once when I was about thirteen. I got slapped.”

  Tori twirled the white cone round and round. “I wouldn’t slap you.”

  “You really want me to do that in front of the entire town?”

  She kept her eyes focused on the lights spread out before them. “Not if it’s going to ruin your rep—”

  He stopped her words with a kiss as soft and as sweet as the cotton candy. Even when the ride started moving again, he didn’t stop. Tori was barely mindful of the wheel’s rotation or the moderate breeze blowing her bangs back from her face. Her awareness centered only on Mitch and the absolute thrill of his mouth moving against hers. He took her hand into his and rubbed her wrist with his thumb in a motion as gentle as the glide of his tongue against hers, as easy as the swaying car.

  All too soon, the ride stopped and so did his kiss.

  He leaned back against the seat, taking his hand from hers to adjust his hat that had tipped back from his forehead. “That probably melted your candy.”

  Tori looked down at the said candy to find it gone. “I think it flew away.”

  Mitch leaned over the side of the car and looked down at the ground below. “Oh, hell. Hope it didn’t end up in some matriarch’s beehive hairdo.”

  Tori released a laugh that seemed to float away on the wind along with the last of her heart. “That should make it in the Quail Run Herald if our little adolescent display doesn’t first.”

  He patted the monkey’s head. “At least you hung on to Lanny.”

  If only it would be so easy to hang on to Mitch, yet that was as elusive as the whereabouts of the candy. “I guess the earth didn’t move just because you kissed me in public.”

  He regarded her with luminescent blue eyes that gave the midway lights some serious competition. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that.”

  The wheel jerked forward and soon stopped on the platform, bringing an end to the ride, bringing about Tori’s disappointment over the end of a few very memorable moments.

  As soon as the attendant lifted the bar, Mitch climbed out and offered his hand for her to take. And he didn’t let her go even after they started down the wooden walkway, where they were met with random applause and hoots and hollers from several of the onlookers. Someone shouted, “Way to go, Gus!”, prompting Tori to spin around to find Buck standing nearby, a handsome-looking older woman by his side. She sent a quick glance at Mitch to find he didn’t look at all pleased at being caught by his grandfather.

  Heat rose to Tori’s face when she considered the number of people who had played witness to their behavior—particularly the blond bombshell standing near the exit, two furry friends dangling from her hands and two lying on the ground at her feet as she glared at Tori.

  As juvenile as it seemed, Tori experienced a strong sense of satisfaction that Mary Alice Marshall had seen poor valedictorian Victoria Barnett in a lip-lock with Mitch Warner. Very petty, but pretty amusing at that.

  Again they took to the busy streets, strolling along at a leisurely pace, hand in hand, Lanny clutched tightly in Tori’s arm. The magical evening and Mitch’s equally magical kiss had taken its toll on Tori. With every whiff of his cologne, every casual touch, she realized how she wanted this evening to end. But not yet. Not until they spent a little more time together. She didn’t want to seem too enthusiastic, even if she was.

  The masses began to mov
e past them, mothers and fathers and kids, along with assorted couples, young and old, all heading toward Horton’s pasture. “The fireworks are about to start in a few minutes,” Tori said. “Are you interested in watching?”

  Mitch stopped in the middle of the hordes and looked around. “I have a better idea.”

  Before Tori could inquire about that idea, Mitch turned and tugged her in the opposite direction, against the flow of the crowd. He stopped at the place set up for hayrides provided by a couple of local farmers with tractors and flatbeds. Leaving her behind once more, he spoke briefly with one of the men, handed him what looked to be a few bills, then returned.

  He took Tori’s arm and said, “Let’s go.”

  A few people had gathered to await their turn, but the farmer waved them away. “This is a private hire, folks. The next ride will be here in about ten minutes.”

  A collective groan rang out from the bystanders, yet Mitch didn’t give them a second glance as he helped Tori onto the trailer covered in hay. They positioned themselves with their backs to the bails lining the perimeter, Lanny between them once more.

  The tractor headed out with a spew of fumes and a grating groan, bumping Tori closer to Mitch’s side and practically crushing the poor stuffed animal. Some smart kid with a big mouth yelled out, “Give her a hickey,” triggering a boom of laughter from those left behind.

  “No hickeys,” Tori said as she settled closer to him.

  He pulled Lanny from between them, tossed him over his shoulder, then wrapped both his arms around her. “Damn. You’re going to ruin all my fun tonight.”

  “You just ruined all of Lanny’s fun. Now he’s going to get cold.”

  “Lanny can get his own woman.”

  “He could borrow a friend from Mary Alice.”

  Mitch nuzzled his face in her hair. “I don’t want to hear her name again, okay?”

  “Fine by me. I’d rather concentrate on us having fun.”

  “That sounds real promising, ma’am.” His voice was a rough whisper in her ear. “Here we are again, in the hay under the sky.”

  Tori trembled but it had nothing to do with the night air because it wasn’t that cold. “We didn’t have a chaperone the last time we were in this situation.”

  “And we did have a blanket, which we don’t have now.”

  “I guess that means we should both be on our best behavior.”

  Mitch scooted down, taking Tori with him and slipped his hand beneath her jacket, bringing it to rest on her rib cage immediately below her breast. “Not necessarily. It’s dark out and unless he has night vision, he couldn’t see us anyway.”

  “Mitch Warner, you are a very wicked boy.”

  He rimmed the shell of her ear with his tongue. “And I can give you a mean hickey.”

  Tori giggled as he nibbled on her neck. “Don’t you dare!”

  “Can I at least give you a kiss?”

  “Please do.”

  And he did, only this one wasn’t quite as tempered as their Ferris wheel folly. This one was hotter, more insistent, intense. They sank lower and deeper into the hay until they were practically lying down. Their respiration sounded harsh and ragged when they managed to stop for a breath.

  Mitch tracked a path with his thumb along the side of her breast, then moved his hand in slow increments until he found and fondled her nipple through the sweater. The snap of fireworks in the distance couldn’t compete with the pounding in her ears. The lights flashing in the sky above them had nothing on those sparking behind her eyes when Mitch slid his leg between her legs, rubbing against her in a suggestive rhythm.

  When Mitch broke the kiss to slide his tongue down her neck, a needy sound escaped Tori’s parted lips. “How much longer is this ride going to go on?” she murmured.

  Mitch lifted his head. “Not long enough. He turned around about five minutes ago.”

  “I didn’t notice.”

  She definitely noticed when Mitch curled his palm on the inside of her thigh where their legs met. “I can’t be just your friend, Tori, when I want to make love to you so bad, I physically hurt.”

  Tori, the former good girl, guided his hand between her legs, letting him know exactly what she needed and where. “I want to be your friend, Mitch. But I also want to be your lover, at least tonight.”

  “And tomorrow night and the next, until you have to leave,” he said as he plied her with heavenly strokes through the denim of her jeans. “But we can’t do this here and do it right.”

  Tori was on the verge of going over the edge again until Mitch pulled his hand away and shifted them into a sitting position. “Luckily, we’re almost there.”

  “Yes, I was. For the second time today.”

  He kissed her soundly one more time. “I’ll damn sure finish this, baby, if you’re sure that’s what you really want.”

  “It is.”

  “Then let’s get off this ride and go home.”

  Mitch rode all the way home with his hand on Tori’s thigh while Bob, who’d had a few too many beers, talked incessantly in the back of the company’s extended-cab truck and Stella kept telling him to stuff a sock in it or he wouldn’t get any when they got home. Bobby responded by telling Stella they didn’t have to wait until they got home, then the smacking kisses and giggles commenced.

  By the time they pulled up the drive and deposited the uninhibited couple at their house, Mitch was so on edge he thought his skin might crawl off his body. And worse, the ape stared at him from his seat on the dash, looking as if he might open his monkey mouth and chastise Mitch for his inability to control himself enough to keep his erection reined in until he got Tori alone.

  He waited until he saw Bob and Stella close the front door before he turned all that edginess on Tori with a down and dirty kiss, brief but to the point. Then he sped up the drive to his own home, spewing dirt as he braked harder than he’d intended. He yanked open his door, intending to help Tori out but she met him at the hood of the truck. They kissed hot and heavy again before he took her hand and led her inside the foyer, where he claimed her mouth one more time.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d kissed a woman so much in one night. He also couldn’t recall when he’d enjoyed kissing a woman this much. Probably never. But kissing wasn’t all that was on his mind at the moment, the reason why he tore himself away from Tori’s tempting mouth, clasped her hand and led her down the hall faster than he should.

  “What about Buck?” Tori asked when they entered his bedroom, her voice little more than a breathless whisper.

  Mitch closed the door and tripped the lock. “I really don’t give a damn where he is, as long as he isn’t in here with us.” Although from the looks of things at the fair tonight, his grandfather might be getting lucky, too.

  When he turned to Tori, she brushed away her windblown hair, her face flushed. “We left Lanny in the truck,” she said.

  He approached her slowly. “And that’s where he’s going to stay. I don’t want anything between us.” He took two more steps until he stood immediately before her. “No stuffed animals. No clothes. And no apologies for what we’re about to do.”

  “Definitely no apologies, if you continue to live up to the hype.”

  “I guess you’ll know soon enough.”

  Time seemed to suspend in that moment, the tension so thick Mitch could cut it with his pocketknife. Tori put an end to the hesitation by tugging his shirt from his waistband, tearing at the snaps and peeling it off his shoulders.

  Clasping the hem of her black sweater, he lifted it over her head and tossed it aside. Her hair was even more mussed now and she looked sexy as hell standing there in a scrap of a black lace bra that barely concealed her breasts. Mitch didn’t attempt to remove that because she beat him to the punch. And what a punch he received when she shrugged it off, revealing tawny nipples drawn tight. He’d never had the pleasure to inspect them in the light until now, but that inspection was short lived when Tori dove for his buckl
e and popped it and the button on his fly open.

  Determined to slow down and savor the moment, Mitch gathered her up into his arms and laid her on the bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress and worked her jeans down her legs, tossing them aside to join her clothes on the floor, leaving her clad in only a scrap of black satin. Although his own jeans were as tight as a vise, he chose to remain dressed for the time being and simply study her for a few moments, with his eyes and hands.

  “You’re so damn beautiful.” When he brushed his knuckles over her abdomen below her navel, she began to tremble, from her belly to her legs.

  Concerned, Mitch glanced up to see that her eyes were tightly closed. He leaned over, his arms on either side of her. “Tori, are you okay with this?”

  She opened her eyes and sent him a slight smile. “I’m very okay with it.”

  “You’re shaking.”

  “I can’t help it. I’m excited.”

  “Are you sure? Because we can stop if you—”

  “Mitch, if you stop now, I’ll never forgive you.”

  He traced her lips with the tip of his tongue. “I couldn’t have you holding a grudge, now could I?”

  “Precisely. Now take off your clothes and let’s get on with it.”

  “Not yet,” he said. “Not until I get a good look at you.”

  He bracketed her pelvis between his hands and rubbed downward with his thumbs, performing an impromptu massage as he lowered her panties. When he had them resting at the tops of her thighs, he lifted her bottom and pulled them completely away.

  For a man who needed to be inside her more than he needed air, the pace had been agonizingly slow, but well worth the time it had taken. He didn’t intend to pick up speed, not until he had her exactly where he wanted her to be.

  “Open your legs for me, babe,” he told her, using his palms to encourage her. “And don’t close your eyes.”

  Her uneven breathing told him she was wound tight, and so was Mitch, to the point of possible combustion. But that possibility didn’t stop him from taking his time as he slid his fingers through the soft cloud of curls, remaining there to play for a few moments before seeking her slick, warm flesh. She was so primed for his touch that he knew it would take no time at all for her to climax. For that reason, he tempered his strokes, alternating between watching her face and watching the movement of his hand as he explored her, both inside and out.