“Are you sure you can even be here?” I asked Tone after he ordered for both of us. He handed me a corn dog and I stared at it longingly, knowing I shouldn’t...
“You gotta go like this.” He made a show of opening his mouth and taking a bite of his, chewing so slow it was comical.
I pushed him with my shoulder and nibbled at the fried goodness on the edge. “Stop being a jerk, and I’m serious. There’s a distinct lack of leather and motorcycles around here.”
“Because this isn’t Oakdale. There’s a speck of a town right next to it called Deacon. This fair comes through and sets up right on the border about the same time every year.”
“The rest of the guys are too cool for fairs or something?”
Tone shrugged. “A few probably feel like that.”
“I’m sure Axle would.”
He looked at me, raising a brow. “Aww hell. What’d he do?”
“Not even going there right now. We’ll get into that ordeal later. What about the rest?”
“The rest of the Sinners don’t really know how to...relax.” Tone inhaled the rest of his corn dog and threw the stick into a nearby trash can. I added mine to it while he wasn’t looking, hating to waste the food. Just not as much as I hated the idea of getting struck by a dizzy spell while we were together. “They eat, sleep and breathe club life. Tex is one of the few exceptions, and that’s only been since Lizzy came into the picture.”
“What about you?”
At some point, I was going to understand this man beside me.
Understand what gave him that calm sense of purpose.
Understand how he wound up joining a gang of outlaws when he seemed like he would be much happier in the garage working on the car I’d seen.
Tone linked his fingers with mine, heading towards a man dressed in bright colors who was yelling about prizes that awaited anyone who could swing his hammer, and make the weight reach the top.
“I know how to stop and smell the roses,” he said. “There are never any guarantees that the things we come across in life, and want to experience, will still be around when we decide to give them the time of day. Or that we’ll be around to see them. I appreciate the quiet moments when I can just pause and take those things in at my own pace.”
I abandoned his hand so I could wrap myself around his arm instead, closing my eyes briefly and breathing him in. “That was pretty profound...for a biker, anyway.”
He chuckled. “Knew you were going to give me shit for that one. Don’t let the hard edges fool you, girl. I’ve read a book or two in my time.”
“Tone,” I said seriously, pulling him to a stop.
He paused, looking down at me, eyebrows furrowing. “What?” When I didn’t speak, his hands went to my shoulder. “Naomi! What’s wrong?”
I crooked my finger, and he bent his huge body so that his ear was near my mouth. “I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’m just gonna get it out there.” Then I smiled. “Picture books don’t count.”
His mouth dropped open then snapped closed. “Devil.”
Feeling proud of myself, I dashed the rest of the way. Tone caught up to me just in time. “He wants to play,” I told the vendor, indicating the scowling man reaching those giants hands out towards me.
The look on his face when a hammer was thrust into them instead was so, so perfect.
“Now now, big guy, don’t fear the hammer,” said the man, twirling the ends of his white mustache. “Everybody gets three tries, and even a few practice swings if you want to get used to-”
Tone winked at me, raising the hammer above his head and bringing it back down in one smooth motion. He hit the metal plate with a satisfying thud, sending the weight on the platform skyrocketing up the pillar to ring the bell positioned at the top.
He passed the hammer back to Mr. Mustache. Poor guy. I wasn’t sure he remembered he was supposed to be in character.
Had I not seen Tone out in the sunlight several times, I would’ve seriously wondered if he was a mind-reading vampire. Because without hesitating, he pointed towards the biggest prize at this stand. The one with more meaning to me than he possibly could’ve known: a plushie of a knight on horseback.
“Payback,” Tone said, pushing the thing into my arms.
I almost couldn’t see him around it. When he put an arm across my shoulders, leading us in a different direction, I could only hope I wasn’t about to bowl over some small child.
Trying to turn the huge toy to either side ended with me smacking myself in the face with a wayward foot and getting fabric in my mouth.
“Seriously?” I tried to blow my tongue free. “How am I supposed to get this back home on your bike?”
“Should’ve thought of that before your smart mouth got you in trouble.”
I gave him the evilest evil-eye I could with only one eye visible, and he grabbed the plushie from me, revealing another booth stuffed to the brim with similar items.
“They’ll mail it to you.” He passed my prize to a gum-chewing girl who couldn’t look away from him long enough to find a pen.
When I cleared my throat, she finally realized I was standing there. Spotted the arm around my shoulder. Her eyes went wide, and she collected my information before attaching a tag to the miniature knight.
Although it was only miniature because I was comparing it to the real thing.
Tone took my hand again, flashing me a smile. “Was that jealousy I just spotted? This night keeps getting better and better.”
“I had something in my throat,” I lied, feeling a blush steal its way up my neck.
“Sure you did. If it helps, I wanted to pull that college kid over the counter when I caught him whistling at you.”
My eyes went wide around the edges. He did? “You did?”
“Hell yeah,” he admitted, jaw tight like he was considering whether he could find the guy in question again. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re fucking gorgeous, Naomi.” Happy butterflies took flight in my belly. “I’m not about to put you in a burlap sack, but any guy who looks at you better be damn sure they keep their eyes somewhere safe.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve caught you looking at my boobs several times now.”
He pulled me to a stop, dark eyes trapping mine. “That’s different. You’re mine.”
“Am I?” I asked on a quiet breath, searching for the truth in his gaze.
He kept his focus on me, full of sincerity, and said, “Almost.”
My voice rose. “Almost?”
But then he grinned, and it wasn’t a flash of a smile. This one stayed in place while his thumb swept across my knuckles.
While his head dipped, pressing against mine.
While my heart desperately held onto the tightrope keeping it anchored in my chest.
“We’ll come back to the rest of this later,” he promised, pulling me along behind him.
Tone brought us to the base of the Ferris wheel. He lifted me up and into the buggy when it came around. We rode in comfortable silence as the gears turned, slowly bringing us towards the top until we stopped at the peak.
Long fingers found my neck, wrapping themselves in my hair. Then his face was right there, lips inches away from mine. So close it was like we were already sharing breaths that fogged and clung to both of us.
The ground below disappeared. So did the people and the noise. There was only the trees. The night. The moon hanging fat and full.
There was only his smooth, deep voice gliding along my body.
“You’re mine,” he said again, voice unwavering.
“Is that why you marked me the night of the party?” I held my breath, waiting to see surprise. Or maybe embarrassment. Either of those would’ve given my heart a firmer grip on the tightrope.
“Yes,” he answered. “Even then, I knew that if someone so much as whispered in your ear I would have torn their lips from their face.”
His kiss matched his brutal words, plunging inside of me in time with
his tongue. Pummeling the last few shreds of my resistance. I curled my fingers in his jacket while imaginary ones trembled and let go one at a time until their grip had failed completely.
There was a playlist to accompany my heart taking the fall.
It sounded something like the reverence in his voice when he whispered my name beneath the stars.
Chapter Seventeen
Naomi
Is this really a good idea? I wondered, standing in front of the fridge. Staring at the freezer door I was holding open. Does it matter? This is the only thing you haven’t tried.
Sometimes, I hated when I was right.
Holding my breath, I shoved my head into the freezer and came face to face with an uncomfortable amount of spaghetti. While the cold, dry air made my eyes water, I stared at it. There was a chance I’d gone slightly overboard. Not my fault.
I was used to cooking for two other people who ate three times as much as I did.
When my lungs started to fuss at me for depriving them of much-needed oxygen, I pulled back and closed the freezer door. The dull, steady throb at the back of my head remained present, and I was overheated as hell. Death warmed over.
I didn’t need a detective to tell me that pointless exercise hadn’t done a thing for the bug I was trying to come down with.
Groaning, I shuffled towards the bedroom before taking a pit stop on the living room sofa because it was closer. I fell more than I actually laid down, and when my face landed on the cool cushions, I released a pleased sigh.
God, that felt so, so good.
Why did winter always have to be such a cruel bitch to me?
What had I done to her to deserve getting sick at least once every year? Unlike so many other people, I treated this season with the utmost respect. I wore my hats, kept my body bundled in multiple layers, put on two pairs of socks every morning. And still, she got me again.
Except this time, she was playing the meanest trick of all.
She was costing me money.
The shop was supposed to be open in an hour. Ugh. Brushing my teeth had absorbed the small sliver of energy I’d been able to summon. Doing my hair and showering were completely out of the question, as evidenced by me having not changed out of the tiny sleep shorts and oversized t-shirt I wore to bed.
Being cute was literally the last thing I was concerned about.
I gave myself a pep talk just to roll over onto my back.
Would it be weird to show up with gloves and a mask on? Probably. And since I was me, and the universe had a bone to pick, I could almost guarantee the health inspector would pay me a surprise visit on the one day I was trying to get away with something.
So, I was stuck hemorrhaging money I didn’t have to lose.
Things were off to a great start, but I wasn’t making a huge profit either. Most of the money was being set aside for the essentials. Keeping stock in. Making sure the lights stayed on. Providing fresh ingredients. Paying for my medications.
Working in the negatives meant anything else I spent was coming out of the account from Mom without being replenished.
I couldn’t afford to not open, but I didn’t have any other options.
Lynn was doing a restoration on some truck she was super excited about. Most of her explanation went over my head. Either way, she was unavailable.
And since there was no way I was calling my brother—despite the fact he would probably drive all the way down here just to open it for a few hours and head back—it looked like I was going to have to suck it up and eat a bit less for a few days to balance it out.
My phone rang, the sound surprisingly loud in the otherwise quiet house. The noise had me reaching for the pillow near my feet and holding it around my ears. Someone pressing a drill to my head would’ve been less painful.
Ignoring it was the best option. Especially since it was in the bedroom, and that was way too far away for me to retrieve it. The voicemail beep went off.
Then it rang again.
I hugged my knees to my chest, trying to curl into a ball and disappear. This time, when the ringing stopped, I froze. I didn’t dare let hope into my heart.
A couple minutes passed, and after hearing nothing, I finally started to relax.
Right when a fist pounded rhythmically against the front door.
Yeah.
I ignored it also. At least until the knock came again, hard enough to make the door tremble in its frame.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I mumbled, putting my feet on the floor. Getting up was a different beast altogether.
The first time I tried, the room swam out of focus and I almost ate hardwoods. The second time was slightly better because I went three times as slow, much to the detriment of the ogre banging on my door.
“Coming,” I called weakly. The peephole was set too high for me to look out easily, and trying to get on my tiptoes was seriously too much. I swung the door open and was immediately bowled out of the way.
Tone strode inside without asking for an invitation, and started marching around the house with purpose. I had no idea what he was looking for, and I didn’t care. Still taking my time, I shut the door and crept back to the sofa so I could fall on my back and close my eyes.
After however long it might’ve been, I felt him standing over me. I didn’t look to be sure. The light and I weren’t friends at the moment. “Is there a reason you raided me without a warrant?”
I thought he said something about Axle beneath his breath, but it could’ve been my headache playing tricks on me.
“You’re usually gone by now,” he said. Too loud. “I was-”
“Shhh...”
“Did you just shush me?”
“I’ll do more than that if you don’t lower your voice.”
I heard fabric shift, but he stayed quiet so long I had to see if he was still there. And he was. Definitely. I cracked one eye open and found Tone’s face barely a foot away, staring at me with deep lines across his forehead. The dent in his nose seemed oddly prominent when he was making that face.
“You don’t look so hot, Smoothie Girl.”
“Trust me,” I rasped, throat dry. “I’m not feeling so hot either.”
His hand came down on my forehead and it was blissfully cool. Just not to him. He snatched it away a moment later, cursing. “You’re fucking burning up. Why didn’t you say you were feeling like shit?”
“Because I spent most of the morning trying to wish it away. I only made it out here recently, and I left my phone in the bedroom.”
“Do you need a doctor?”
Both eyes flew open and I gave him what I hoped was a believable stare down. “No.” He met my eyes evenly. “I’m serious, Tone. It’s a bug. I swear this happens every year. I need some rest and I’ll be fine.”
I also don’t want you anywhere near a hospital that’s almost definitely going to ask me about pre-existing conditions.
“I was gonna try and take a quick nap and open up a little later.”
“Open up?” he echoed, a muscle in the side of his jaw bulging. Chocolate eyes turned dark, and not with lust.
“The shop.”
“I’m not going to ask how you think you can work like this, because I know I’ll get some smartass answer.” He was right. He would. “But if you’re not going to see somebody, then you’re going to take it easy instead.”
I tried to sit up again. Huge hands caught me halfway and pushed me back down. They stayed in place, briefly sweeping across my collarbones before he stood.
Tone went to the kitchen and I lost sight of him. He returned with a glass of water, and when I went to sit up, he helped me. Refraining from jerking away from him was proof of how bad I felt.
This was too similar to what would happen if he found out about my health, and I hated it.
He always treated me like we were on the same page. Like he wasn’t worried about how fragile I might be. Like we were equals. I wasn’t sure I could handle having him look at me the w
ay Law and Dad did.
Something inside of me would break if that happened. And I must have let some of that show on my face.
He frowned. “Being closed for a day or two isn’t the end of the world, Naomi.”
I grabbed the glass from him and took a cooling sip without responding. Certainly felt like the end of the world from where I was sitting. My head throbbed, and I squeezed my eyes shut to keep from being nauseous when the room blurred again.
He sighed. “Where are your keys?”
I pointed towards the wall. He would find the hook where they rested easily enough.
“I’m keeping these in case you get any bright ideas before I get back.” Flipping him off would’ve been more impressive if I wasn’t shaking, but his soft laugh made me feel better. “Good to see your attitude is still intact. Come on, let’s get you back in the bed.”
“I don’t think I can move.”
“Wasn’t asking you to.” Powerful arms pulled me slowly up and into his embrace. I let my head rest against his chest while he stalked carefully down the hall.
Tone laid me in bed and pulled the covers over me. I whined, kicking at them. “Trust me,” he said, making me go still while he maneuvered me around and puffed my pillows.
This man puffed my freaking pillows before placing them gently under my head.
God, how was he real?
“Sleep.” He grabbed my phone and put it within arm’s reach. “Call me if you need anything at all, you got that?”
Nodding, I let the exhaustion take over and my eyes closed again.
Something soft pressed against the crown of my head and then was gone. By the time he turned and headed out the door, sleep was already taking me under.
***
“Gross,” said a familiar voice right beside my head. “You still sleep like a man.”
Peeling my eyes open, I glared at Lynn. She was kneeling on the bed beside me, blonde hair tied up in a tight bun. There was a huge grin on her face, and she rocked back and forth with impatience.
Tempted by a Sinner (Seven Sinners Book 4) Page 18
