“But you’re staying,” she said. “At least for a while, right?”
“I promise,” he assured her as he took her hands in his.
She had just finished telling him that he needed to do what made him happy, but she was so afraid to take her own advice. Taking that step might lead to heartbreak, but she was quickly realising that if she never tried, it would only lead to regret.
“I want you to stay,” she said, her voice quivering. What she wanted to say was, “I want you to kiss me,” but she couldn’t quite get the words out.
Levi knew what she meant, and this time when he leaned down and moved his lips close to hers, she didn’t turn away and pull back. She let him kiss her gently, and her hands squeezed his as their kiss deepened and filled her heart with joy.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you on the street,” he told her when his lips released hers.
“Me too,” she admitted, finally allowing herself to smile, and to hope that this was more than just a summer fling. Then another, more responsible thought hit her. “I need to get back,” she said, hating the way it sounded when the words left her mouth. “I don’t want to, but I have to. I was only stepping out for lunch.”
“That’s okay,” Levi said as he grabbed her new helmet and handed it back to her. “I really don’t want your parents to think I’m kidnapping you or something.”
“Or something,” she laughed, though she knew exactly what they were worried about.
Levi got back on his bike and Kassidy climbed on behind him, but as they pulled back on the highway she could tell that he wasn’t going nearly as fast on the way back to town as he had when they’d left. She didn’t mind one bit. Kassidy was happy to keep her arms wrapped around him while the wind blew past her.
When they arrived back at the bakery, Kassidy could see her father standing behind the counter and she knew she was in trouble, but she didn’t care.
“Give me your phone,” Levi said, not taking off his helmet.
Kassidy did as she was told and he began to type before he handed it back. “I put my number in there for you. Text me later, okay?”
Kassidy could only nod her head in agreement. She wanted to scream yes, but her throat was dry and her head was spinning in excitement. Even the threat of having to explain to her parents that she planned on seeing Levi couldn’t ruin just how happy she’d let herself become.
Chapter Ten
Out of all of the calls and messages that were constantly coming to his phone, there was only one that Levi was really hoping for. The rest were just noise while he waited for her to send him a message.
He’d given Kassidy his number, but hadn’t thought to get hers while he was at it. It was for the best, he didn’t want to push her too hard and if she came to him, then he could breathe a little easier knowing she wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her.
He couldn’t help himself, though. Every time he saw her, it was like seeing her for the very first time. That beautiful sundress she’d worn when they’d gotten ice cream and how it showed off her long legs, and that pretty blue dress she’d been wearing when she came out of the church. It made her hair look redder than it was normally and even more it made him want to kiss all the freckles on her cheeks.
Levi had never had a woman say no to him, not in the last six years, but when he’d gone to kiss her the first time, she’d denied him. There was no way he could fault her for it, she’d had good reason to say no to him and it only made it easier for him to decide he needed to stay in Pinewood Grove for a while to find out exactly what he wanted to do.
Even if his manager warned him the label may cause problems for him if he didn’t get on a plane to Los Angeles as soon as physically possible.
Each blip of his phone had him jumping as if he were an uncertain teenager and he laughed at himself for it. Kassidy had inspired him to write again, though he didn’t plan on telling her that. He’d already put a lot on her plate. Telling her she’d become his muse might send her running for good.
Finally, late Friday night, the text he’d been waiting for appeared. No other message mattered to him like hers did, and he quickly opened it.
“Hey,” was all it said.
“Hey,” he replied and then added, “What’s up?”
Her next message took five minutes to appear, but he could see why. She’d written a novel.
“The spring carnival is tomorrow,” her message read. “I know you want to keep a low profile while you’re in town, but everyone kind of knows you’re here already and it would probably be a lot of fun so I was wondering if you’d like to go with me. If not, I totally understand. Please let me know.”
A low chuckle left Levi’s lips as he read the message. Something about her run on sentence and insistence that he didn’t need to say yes only made him want to go more and he sent back a quick, “I’d love to. What time should I pick you up? We can take the bike.”
“Is ten okay?” she asked.
“Of course,” was his reply, and then, “I’ll see you then.”
She didn’t message him again, though he hoped she would. Levi thought about sending her another message, but he didn’t want to come on too strong and scare her away. A girl like Kassidy was special, and the more time he spent with her, the more he realised that.
Normally Kassidy didn’t care what she wore to the spring carnival. Most years it rained anyway, or was at least too muddy to wear anything nice, but for once the sun was out, the ground was dry, and she was going with Levi Thayne.
Even better, he was driving them there on his motorcycle.
When he’d made the suggestion about taking his bike, she almost told him not to worry about it. The fairgrounds were only a twenty minute walk away, but she decided against saying that. Going on the bike would be fun and it would give her an excuse to wrap her arms around him once more.
Just texting him the night before had been thrilling. She worried that she sounded like an idiot, but he had replied quickly and she’d giggled with glee when he’d said yes. It had taken a lot of debate before she’d gotten her parents blessing to go with Levi to the annual event, but once she had, she wasn’t going to waste it.
For hours they’d hashed out the issues they had with her dating him and her reasons why it would be okay. She even played them some of his music – the older stuff that she loved – and assured them that she wouldn’t do anything stupid or immoral.
“What about church?” her father asked. “You should have him come to church with us before you consider dating the man.”
“Um,” Kassidy had mumbled at that. She’d already asked him once before and he’d turned her down. She figured the answer would only be the same if she asked again. “I’ll ask.”
“Good,” her parents said in unison before her mother said, “We just don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I know,” Kassidy assured them. “And I wouldn’t be bringing it up if he wasn’t staying in town for a while, but I’m an adult and you need to let me make my own choices now, even if they might turn around and bite me on the butt sometimes.”
“We know,” her father had agreed. “We just picture you as our little girl still.”
In the end, they had relented and recognised that it was her right to make her own choice in the matter. Thankfully, they’d only brought Paul up once and not long after that topic had been raised they’d given her their blessing to go with Levi to the carnival.
Now she just needed to figure out what to wear.
In the end, she pulled out a pair of shorts, cowboy boots, and a peasant shirt that had been her mother’s when she was Kassidy’s age. She’d gone to bed the night before with her hair up in rags, giving it a gentle curl come morning. It was a little cowgirl, a little bohemian, and the outfit showed off her long legs.
She just hoped that Levi liked the look as much as she did.
Her worries on that were quickly squashed when he showed up out front of the bakery. Levi wore his usual jea
ns and she was starting to wonder if he’d only had the one pair with him, and he had put a plaid shirt over a black t-shirt.
With her helmet on, Kassidy hopped on the bike and cried out in glee as Levi began to speed down Main Street toward the fairground. This was a date, a real date, and Kassidy squeezed him just a little tighter when she thought of that.
“So what do you think?” Kassidy asked when they walked through the main gates and into the carnival. There were rides, games, and vendors everywhere and she wasn’t sure where to start.
“It’s nice,” he said as he took her hand in his. “We had a fall fair in my hometown every year. It’s nostalgic, though I doubt I would trust any of the rides.”
“Says the man with the motorcycle,” she laughed as they walked down the first aisle of games.
“You didn’t offer any complaints about my bike,” he laughed with her.
This was how she’d always pictured going to the carnival. Walking hand in hand with a man who made her laugh, who gave her butterflies, and who wanted to be there with her. She’d been dreaming of this moment since she began to notice boys, and it was nearly perfect.
Until some girls started to recognise Levi.
They’d been about to get on a ride, one of the more gentle and safe ones, when a pack of middle school girls came running up to him, phones out and excited tears in their eyes.
“Can we get a picture?” they all asked him, each of their requests adding to the growing cacophony around him.
“Sure,” he said, though some of the light went out in his brown eyes and Kassidy stepped back while each girl took her turn getting a picture with the rock star that had come to town.
When they were finally done, Levi took his place at Kassidy’s side and whispered his apology.
“It’s okay,” she said. “It was nice of you to do that for them.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “But they’ll post those pictures on Instagram or Twitter and I was really hoping I’d have more time before my manager found out exactly where I am.”
“Oh,” Kassidy said, realising the issue.
“It’s okay,” he said as he took her hand in his again. “Let’s just enjoy the day together.”
That was easier said than done. They’d given up on the ride, but they only got another ten feet when a couple of the girls that had been in Kassidy’s English class in high school came running over under the guise of talking to her, but it quickly became obvious whose attention they were really after.
“This is going to keep happening,” Levi said when they were alone again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think we would get mobbed. Maybe I should go so you can enjoy the carnival.”
“Please don’t,” Kassidy said. “I have an idea.”
Thankfully, he trusted her and let her lead the way. She’d been coming to the carnival every year since she was a kid and she knew exactly the place to go to be alone.
“What’s this?” Levi asked when they stopped in front of the worn façade of an old attraction
“A haunted house,” Kassidy told him. “Come on.”
The carnie running the ride let them pass through without a word and once they were inside they were finally alone.
“I think we have the place to ourselves,” Levi said as he looked around at some of the props.
“Probably,” Kassidy told him. “It’s too boring for the older kids, but the parents of the younger ones don’t let them come in, so it’s usually deserted.”
“And you?” Levi asked. “I didn’t make you out to be a horror maze fan.”
“I can be,” she said. “I would sneak in here when I was really little. I also snuck the occasional horror film when I was a kid. My parents forbid that stuff in the house, so it was a small act of rebellion for me when I hit my teen years.”
“More surprises,” Levi laughed and then put a tiny kiss on her cheek. “But I like surprises.”
“Well, my parents didn’t,” she laughed. “They caught me watching Halloween when I was fourteen and I wasn’t allowed TV for a month. I guess you could say they are a little overprotective.”
“You don’t say,” Levi joked with her. “But really, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“I know,” she agreed. “I just don’t think they’re ready to recognise that I’m an adult.”
“Probably,” Levi noted, but then he stopped when Kassidy paused in her tracks. Kassidy had been through the maze every year since she was a kid and she knew they were about in the exact center of the attraction. The perfect place to be alone.
“So,” she mumbled as she turned to face Levi.
“So,” he repeated before he raised a hand to her chin. Gently, in the dull green light of the haunted house, he tilted her gaze up before he lowered his lips to meet hers.
Kassidy let herself wrap her arms around his waist and the butterflies in her stomach were throwing a fit as Levi’s lips danced with hers. He was a gentle kisser, sweet and giving, and exactly what she imagined he would be like.
But as their kiss grew deeper, he became hungrier with her. His kiss turned more passionate and he let himself explore Kassidy’s mouth with his tongue while she returned his touch in kind.
She liked the more passionate side of him, but that was also what scared her. She didn’t trust herself to stop him before things between them went too far, and she knew she needed to take a step back before it was too late.
“Okay,” she mumbled as she pushed herself back from him. “That’s enough, tiger.”
“Is everything all right?” he asked, his concern obvious even in the dull lights of the maze.
“Yes,” she assured him. “It was just too all right, you know?”
“Ah,” he said, but there was no denying the hurt on his face.
“Come on,” Kassidy mumbled as she began to lead the way out of the maze. “I think I’ve had enough ghosts and ghouls for now.”
Levi didn’t answer her, but he followed her outside and into the sun. She wanted to keep kissing him, more than anything she wanted to keep kissing him, but the way he made her feel was too intense for her to handle and she wasn’t quite ready for that.
Chapter Eleven
There was little else but awkward silence as Kassidy led the way out of the haunted house attraction at the fair. Luckily there was no one hanging around the back exit when they emerged, and despite the few crowds that had run up to Levi when they’d first arrived, it didn’t appear that attendance was really that high.
“I figured there would be more people,” Levi said, breaking the strange quiet that had grown between them. “It’s such a beautiful day that I thought the place would be a zoo.”
“It gets a little lower every year,” Kassidy told him. “It used to be the biggest weekend of the year when I was a kid. We looked forward to it for months ahead of time. The carnival was always the unofficial start to summer, being so close to the end of the school year and all, though maybe I’m just looking back with rose colored glasses.”
“So what happened?” Levi asked as they strolled by the Ferris wheel.
“Same thing as everywhere,” Kassidy said with a gentle shrug of her shoulders. “A lot of kids would rather play video games and their parents just let them. Most of my friends only come for the nostalgia and don’t really spend any money while they’re here, which is why there are fewer vendors and food trucks each year.”
“That can’t be good for the carnival,” Levi said as he scanned his eyes over the games.
“Probably not,” Kassidy said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s only got a few years left before they stop coming here. Not worth it for such a small town.”
“How about I help them out and see if I can win you a prize?” Levi asked as they stopped at one of the games. It was one that Kassidy knew was rigged. Using an airsoft gun, the player needed to shoot out the star on a slip of paper ten feet away.
“That one’s rigged,” she warned him. All the guys she’d went to high school wi
th had tried to beat that one at least once, but never did. The guns always fired crooked and made it impossible for anyone to hit their target.
“I still want to give it a try,” he told her. “Come on, cheer me on.”
“Fine,” she relented and they moved over to the booth where a carnie was more focused on his nap than on his game.
“How much?” Levi asked as he leaned his hip on the edge of the game.
“Five bucks gets you one loaded rifle,” the carnie said, yawning halfway through.
“Price has gone up,” Levi noted, but he grabbed a five dollar bill out of his pocket all the same and put it on the wooden lip of the booth.
“Shoot out the star, win the bear,” the carnie said, his barking game in serious need of practice.
Kassidy didn’t hold out much hope of bringing home one of the bears that hung off the awning of the game, but she cheered Levi on all the same. It was an exercise in futility, but he was having fun and she wasn’t going to take that away from him.
But when Levi started shooting, Kassidy realised how wrong she’d been.
The gun fired crooked and shot too many pellets in each burst, but it took Levi no time at all to adjust to accommodate it. Two quick shots and he had it down and then he easily cut out the red star in the center of the paper.
“Well I’ll be,” the carnie said as he rubbed his chin. “You, sir, have a knack for this. Pick a bear.”
“Your choice,” he told Kassidy, and she happily selected a sunshine yellow bear that had to be at least three feet tall and was softer than she’d imagined.
“How did you do that?” Kassidy asked as they walked away from the stall. “No one ever wins on that one.”
“I used to go airsoft shooting as a teen,” he told her. “We could never afford anything but hand me downs and rentals, so you got used to shooting cockeyed guns.”
“Well, I’m impressed,” she said as she snuggled the stuffed bear closer to her chest.
“That was the plan,” he told her as they walked through the carnival.
Melodies of the Heart: A Pinewood Grove Sweet Romance Page 7
