by L A Cotton
“Seriously?”
“Oh, that’s right. He wouldn’t want you there because you cheated on him with Sean.”
“God, Aaron, you’re such a dick.”
“Whatever, Lindsey,” he said. “I’m out. Who’s riding with us?”
“Me and Sofia will,” my sister said, grabbing Sofia’s hand and tugging her toward the guys.
“Wait a second, you’re really going to the fair?” Lindsey gawked at Aaron.
“Yep. See ya.”
“Fine. If everyone’s going to the fair, then so am I.”
“What?” Peyton barked. “You can’t.”
“Watch me.” She smirked. “Guess I’ll see you there.” Lindsey winked at Kaiden and sauntered off like she hadn’t just dropped a huge bomb.
“She’s fucking crazy,” Gav muttered, casting Kaiden a strange look.
“Whatever,” he murmured, and I was hyperaware of the fact he still hadn’t said so much as two words to me.
“Come on,” Ashleigh said. “We’ll meet you guys there.”
“Kaiden?” Gav said.
“Yeah, let’s roll.” His eyes slid right past me as he took off toward his car.
I went to speak, but Peyton silenced me with a hard look. “Don’t even think about it. We are going to that fair and we aren’t going to let the likes of Lindsey Filmer ruin our fun.”
“Fine,” I mumbled, slipping into the back of Ashleigh’s car.
But everything wasn’t fine.
Not even a little bit.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kaiden
The county fair was a blur of lights and sounds and shrieks of excitement that filled the night sky like fireworks.
“Hell yes.” Bryan clapped his hands together as we waited for the others to pile out of their cars.
“You know you deserved to be on that field tonight,” Gav said.
“Yeah, but not like that.”
Coach was going to give me a shot. A fair and legitimate shot to prove myself. But then Monroe got taken out and Coach had no choice but to play me. Maybe it shouldn’t have mattered, but it did.
It mattered to me.
“Yeah, man,” Bryan added, “you need to shake off that bad mood you’re wearing and see it for what it is. Your time to shine.”
I grunted some inaudible reply. They didn’t get it. To them it was the difference between playing and not playing. But for me, it was more than that. It was about being good enough to play when the team’s star quarterback was injured, but not being good enough any other time.
It rubbed me all kinds of wrong. But it was done. Monroe was out for the season with a broken arm, and I was the new quarterback for the Rixon Raiders. Like my friends said, it was my time to shine. But there was something bittersweet about the whole thing.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Aaron said, strolling over to us. “What are we going on first?”
“The Ferris Wheel,” Poppy suggested.
“Sounds good to me.” He gave her a shy smile.
Jesus, he had it bad.
My eyes flicked to Lily and I was hardly surprised to find her chewing on her bottom lip, her fingers gently tugging the ends of her braid. She was nervous, and I couldn’t blame her.
I’d been an asshole today, barely talking to her and then ignoring her earlier after the game. But my head was a fucking mess. I was the quarterback now. The team was mine. Coach was going to look to me for leadership. He was going to trust me with certain things.
Things that didn’t include lusting after his daughter.
Fuck my life.
“Kaiden, man, you in?” Bryan asked.
“I guess.”
We all headed for the booth to buy tickets and then they joined the line. But Lily hesitated, staring up at the ride with big eyes. I moved closer to her, unable to fight the pull I felt whenever she was near.
“This has nothing on the virtual simulator,” I said, trying to break the ice that had frozen between us.
“I rode it once… before with my dad. I remember feeling like I was on top of the world. It doesn’t look so high now, but I’m still not sure.”
“I’ll ride with you.”
“You will?” She peeked over at me. “Because earlier I kind of got the impression you wanted nothing to do with me.”
“It’s been a day.” I let out a long, steady breath.
“Okay,” she whispered, and I hated the uncertainty in her voice.
The uncertainty I’d put there.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’ll ride with you, Kaiden.”
Fighting a smile, we joined the line with our friends. Bryan was begging Peyton to ride with him.
“The only right way to ride the Ferris Wheel is boy girl,” he said. “Everyone knows that.”
“I’ll ride with Aaron,” Poppy said a little too eagerly.
“Ashleigh?” Gav asked, and she shrugged.
“Sure.”
“Looks like you’re stuck with me, Sofia.” Cole tipped his chin at her.
“Actually, maybe we should swap,” Aaron said, frowning, and his sister rolled her eyes.
“I hope you’re not going to be this much of an ass when I actually get a boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend? What the fuck?”
Everyone chuckled and she added, “Everyone would think I’m fifteen, not almost seventeen.”
It was our group’s turn to ride. Bryan wasted no time thrusting two tickets at the attendant and pulling Peyton into the car.
“He’s going to be so sad when she blows him off,” Sofia stated.
“Actually, I think he’ll be pretty damn happy,” Gav guffawed, and the guys all exploded with laughter.
She gawked at them. “What?” Her eyes grew to saucers. “Oh God, that’s disgusting. You know I didn’t mean—”
“Just make sure you don’t try to blow Cole off,” Gav said.
“Dude!” Aaron balked. “Not fucking cool.”
Poppy dragged him toward the next car.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Cole grumbled.
“Thanks a lot, asshole.” Sofia stormed off toward the boarding area.
“Girls.” He shook his head, trailing after her.
“And then there were four,” Ashleigh said. “At least Lindsey isn’t here yet.”
“Maybe she won’t show,” Gav suggested.
“Oh, she’ll come.”
Lily’s eyes darted to the ground. I wanted to grab her hand and reassure her, but I didn’t want to overstep. Not here, in public.
Ashleigh and Gav boarded next, leaving us alone. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yeah, I think so. It only goes slow, right?”
“It does. And you’ll get great views of the town.”
“Okay.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. There was a distance between us that wasn’t there before, and I only had myself to blame. But I wasn’t used to thinking about someone else. Let alone a girl like Lily. And it didn’t seem fair confiding in her about her father. I didn’t want to put her in the middle like that.
Fuck, this was hard.
When I’d been second-string QB and it was just the two of us, it was easy to pretend we weren’t doing anything wrong. I mean, we were. But it wasn’t like I would be letting Coach down because there was no relationship between us to ruin. I was quarterback now though; everything would be different.
The attendant beckoned us forward and I let Lily go ahead of me. She climbed gingerly into the car, taking the inside. I slid in beside her and pulled down the safety bar. “Okay?”
She nodded, running her eyes over the mechanism joining the car to the rest of the ride.
“You’re safe, I promise.” But the words were like ash on my tongue. She might have been safe on the ride, but I could no longer say the same thing about her heart.
The attendant went behind his kiosk and hit the button, and the ride lurched into action. Lily’s hand shot out, gripping the b
ar.
“It’s okay,” I said. “See.”
The ride eased into a smoother glide as we rose high above the fair.
“This is better.” She nodded, slowly retracting her hands. I took advantage and snagged one, threading our fingers together. Lily smiled over at me.
“I’m sorry for being a dick today.”
“You didn’t tell me about my dad wanting to give you a chance.”
“I didn’t know how.”
“Because it changes things?”
It was my turn to nod, over the giant fucking lump in my throat.
“I guess we were always doomed, huh?” Her weak smile shredded my insides.
“I wish things were different. I do.” I ran my hand up her neck, gliding my fingers along her face. “Fuck, Lily, I—”
“Ssh, just kiss me.” She erased the sliver of space between us, brushing her lips over mine. Our tongues tangled together, slow and steady. Fuck, kissing her always took my breath away.
Her fingers tightened into my hoodie, fisting the material to anchor us together. “I don’t want this to be goodbye,” she whispered.
“Neither do I.” I touched my head to hers, breathing her in. Her sweet cherry scent overwhelmed my senses until I was drowning in nothing but Lily Ford.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I confessed.
“Do what?”
“Lead a team that doesn’t respect me.” Lie to a coach who is finally giving me a chance.
“You earn it, Kaiden,” she said with conviction, her face still pressed impossibly close to mine. “Give them time and they’ll soon all see what I see.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re a good guy, Kaiden Thatcher.” Lust blazed in her eyes, but it was more than that. It was real unfettered emotion.
I pulled back, swallowing over the lump in my throat.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said, slipping my arm around her and drawing her close.
We reached the top of the wheel, Rixon glittering in the distance like a sea of diamonds. It hadn’t been home to me, not in a long time. But sitting here with Lily, I saw it through new eyes. I didn’t want to stay here. I wanted to get as far away from my dad and his toxicity as possible. But the thought of leaving the girl beside me… It cut me up inside.
“It’s peaceful up here,” she said, clutching my arm in a death grip.
“Yeah.” I breathed out audibly.
“I wish we could stay longer.”
So did I.
Away from our friends. From prying eyes and stares of judgment. Away from the team and responsibility and her dad.
Away from my father.
“What happens when we go back down there?” Lily peered up at me.
“The truth?” She nodded, and I forced out, “I don’t know.”
“I was afraid you might say that.” Her gaze dropped.
“Hey.” I cupped her face again, coaxing her back to me. “Don’t ever shy away from me, Lily.”
“Don’t ever break my heart, Kaiden. I’m not sure I would survive it.”
Fuck.
It was the best and worst possible thing she could ever say to me.
Before I could answer, our car arrived in the loading bay and our bodies automatically moved away from each other. Our friends were gathered over by the concession stand. I helped Lily out of the ride, letting my hand linger for a second.
She gave me a secretive smile and said, “Thanks for the ride.”
I watched her walk away with a spring in her step. Lily was blossoming before my very eyes and I was fucking terrified that everything was going to come crashing down around her. She’d asked me not to break her heart, but it was a promise she knew I couldn’t keep. Because one day, she’d want more than stolen kisses on a Ferris Wheel and rain-soaked touches in my car.
Lily deserved the world. She deserved a guy who could give her his all. Not a guy who planned to leave Rixon and never look back the second he got the chance.
“I know that look,” Peyton said, joining me.
“Yeah, and what look would that be?” I asked, coolly.
“The one where you’re trying to decide how to let her down gently.”
“It’s complicated.”
“I underestimated you, Kaiden,” she said. “I thought you’d help her spread her wings a little, have some fun. I didn’t think…” She trailed off.
“Didn’t think what?”
“That you’d fall for her.”
I inhaled a sharp breath.
“The question now is, what are you going to do about it?” she prodded.
“I don’t know. But it’s not fair to make her choose between me and her dad.”
“Funny thing about life. It isn’t fair.” Bitterness clung to Peyton’s words. “She’s happy you know.” We both glanced over to where our friends were waiting in line for cotton candy. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile so much. You’ve ignited something inside her.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Frustration coated my words. “I never meant for this to happen.”
“But it did… so now you need to figure out what the hell to do about it. You think her dad’s wrath will be bad if he finds out you’re seeing his daughter… imagine what it will be like if he finds out you’ve broken her heart.” Peyton gave me a hard look before sauntering off to rejoin our friends. Lily glanced over and frowned, her eyes glowing with concern.
I gave her a weak smile and she returned it.
Was Peyton right?
Was it better to bite the bullet now and come clean to Coach before he found out second hand? It was a big risk, considering the guy held my future in the palm of his hand.
It wasn’t just Coach though. It was my father. I would never be able to take Lily home. Never be able to show her off to my parents and make her feel a part of my family.
But could I really just walk away from her?
Stuffing down the confusing thoughts, I made my way over to them, and she met me halfway. “What were you doing over there all by yourself?”
“Just thinking.”
“All good I hope?” She peered up at me through her thick lashes.
A beat passed as I struggled to find the words to reply. Thankfully, Bryan chose that exact moment to announce the next ride.
“Bumper Cars.” He grinned.
“Oh, it’s on,” Peyton high-fived him.
“Yes.” He fist-punched the air and took off after her.
“Someone needs to tell her not to lead him on,” Gav said.
“Nah,” I replied. “It won’t hurt to knock him down a peg or two.”
Cole and Aaron snorted at that.
“Girls versus boys?” Poppy suggested.
“Sounds good to me.”
“I’m going to sit this one out,” Lily said, lifting her eyes to mine. There was something in them, but it wasn’t anxiety. Not this time.
“I’ll wait with you.” The words were out before I could stop them.
“I’d like that,” she said, a little breathless.
“Have fun.” Poppy snickered and Lily shot her an irritated look.
“Come on,” I said. “We can check out the stalls.”
Lily moved closer, heat simmering in her eyes. “Sounds good.”
We didn’t make it to the stalls. I pulled Lily into the shadows between the Scare House and the ticket booth and pushed her up against the wall.
I didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow, or the day after that, or the one after. All I knew was that Lily was here, and she kept looking at me with hunger in her eyes. Hunger that matched my own.
“What if someone sees us?”
“No one’s looking at you except me,” I said, thickly.
Lily gazed up at me, her skin flushed and eyes alight with awe. “Come here.” She crooked her finger at me, and I went willingly, pressing the length of my body against hers, my arm extended above her head as I trapped her
there.
“I want to feel you,” she whispered.
Say no.
Say fucking no.
I nodded, my eyes shuttering as she ran her palm over my dick. Her fingers popped my jean button and slipped inside my boxer briefs. “Fuck, Lily,” I breathed as she fisted me eagerly.
“It’s so hard,” she rasped.
Her naïvety was so fucking sexy that I chuckled as she pumped me slowly and without skill. But it didn’t matter. She could touch me like this whenever she wanted, and I would die with a smile on my face.
“Does it feel good?” She whispered against the corner of my mouth, and I nodded, smothering a groan.
“Go faster.”
She did. Jacking me with increased pressure. I kissed her, banding my arm around her waist and pulling her as close as possible while I slid my tongue into her mouth.
“Fuck, Lily,” I grunted, trying to catch my breath as pleasure zipped up and down my spine. It felt amazing, her slender fingers moving up and down, her thumb rolling over the tip, spreading the bead of pre-cum down my shaft.
“Harder,” I panted, thrusting into her hands. She watched me, her eyes mesmerized. Moving my lips to her ear, I whispered, “It feels so good, Lily. But I wish it was you. I wish I was deep inside you, your pussy clenched around me.”
Lily whimpered at my dirty words. I didn’t know what I was saying, lost to the sensations building inside me. I was close, so fucking close to coming all over her hand.
“If you don’t want to make a mess, you should probably stop,” I gritted out, but she only smirked, fisting me harder.
“I owe you,” she smiled, kissing me. Her other hand gripped the back of my neck, pinning me in place as my legs began to buckle.
“I’m gonna—fuuuuck.” Pleasure shot down my spine as I jerked in her hand.
“That was fun.” She chuckled against my lips, while I rode out the intense waves pulsing through me.
“You are something else, Lily Ford.” I kissed her, before easing away to catch my breath.
She slid her hand out and grimaced. “Maybe I didn’t think this through.”
Our laughter filled the air, lifting the lingering intensity between us.
“I have tissue in my bag.” She motioned to the purse hanging over her body. I retrieved the packet and pulled some facial tissue out.
