“That’s right. We ate an entire helping of purple cotton candy and an entire helping of rainbow snow cone each just before we went on the tilt-o-whirl.” I winced.
“Not our best idea,” I agreed.
“Our idea? You mean your idea.” Jen huffed. My cheek twitched and I couldn’t stop the devious grin from spreading across my face.
“Yes, but you did get to meet that one guy you had a crush on … what was his name? It was something odd …” Jen’s hand was on her hip but her lips quivered a little and I knew she was trying not to smile.
“His name was Oxford,” she said with a tilt of her chin. “It wasn’t his fault everyone called him Ox.” I started laughing and Jen’s face turned bright red. “Elizabeth Michaels, that isn’t even the point, and you know it.” She was grinning now, but she wasn’t done. “After we met with Ox and after we ate all that junk, we went on the tilt-o-whirl. And it just so happened that Mr. John Baxter was on the ride next to us and we both spewed an unholy color of barf all over him.” I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. “And who was Mr. Baxter, Beth?” she asked, still managing to hold back giggles.
“The chief of police and a deacon of my mom and dad’s church,” I said as I held my stomach and laughed even harder. She finally caved in and began laughing too.
“Yes! And do remember the look on my momma’s face when we were escorted home in a police car and covered head to toe in puke when we were supposed to be asleep in my room?” Jen’s face softened and tears glistened in her eyes. Her mom had given us a stern talkin’ to and then hosed us down outside before we were scrubbed off in the shower. I remember the fear of her telling my parents. I knew if they found out, I’d never be allowed to stay at Jen’s house again. Luckily, her mom had never brought it up.
“You and your mom were the best thing that ever happened to me,” I said as I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. Jen nodded in my direction and took a deep breath.
“She always said she prayed that one day your parents would wake up and see what an amazing daughter they had before it was too late.” I stood there in surprise.
“She said that?” I whispered. Jen smiled at me and nodded her head.
“She loved you like a daughter, Beth.” Tears streamed down my face as I faced my best friend. She was right, I’d just never thought of it before. Mrs. Collins always had two of everything when I came over. If she had a new purse for Jen, I had one as well … of course only to use at school or at her house so my parents wouldn’t find out, but she had gone out of her way to make me feel like a part of her family. I was suddenly regretting all the years I’d spent away, years I’d never get back to tell her how much I appreciated everything she’d done for me. I hiccupped and let Jen pull me into an embrace. “I think you’re right,” she whispered.
“Of course I am,” I said without missing a beat. “But what exactly am I right about this time?” Jen pulled away and picked up the flier I’d sat on the table.
“We should definitely go to the fair,” Jen said with a mischievous grin on her lips. I grinned back and clapped my hands. I did love going to a county fair.
“Yay! I get to pick out your outfit!” Jen’s mouth popped open to protest, but we both knew it was an argument she’d never win. I held up a finger. “Let’s go see what you have in the closet.” I drug her back to her room and began rifling through her closet. It was never too early to plan an outfit for a night out.
Tonight we would have fun and pretend that neither of us had a care in the world.
can’t do this. What was I thinking? What will people think?” Jen stopped just inside the entrance to the fair, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. I wound my arm through hers and pulled her away from the gate.
“They will think you have been through a very rough time and are in need of a little relaxation and fun to take your mind off of things. No one will say anything, Jen,” I said reassuringly. And if they did, I’d kick ‘em in the teeth, I thought to myself. I smiled over at Jen and patted her arm. “Close your eyes for a second,” I said with a grin.
“There is no way I’m going to …” I glared at her until she rolled her eyes and made a pouty face. “Fine,” she huffed as she closed her eyes.
“Now tell me what you hear,” I said with a smirk.
“Really? Is this your idea of some kind of …” I growled over at her and she sighed. “Fine. But, let it be known I am doing this against my will.” She crossed her arms to drive her point home. “I hear a lot of noise,” she said quickly.
“And?” I asked, resisting the urge to pinch her.
“I hear people talking and laughing, carnies hollering out to people passing by, and I also here Sweet Home Alabama playing in the background.” I smiled and closed my own eyes.
“And what do you smell?” I asked in a conspiratorial whisper. She made a sound of protest before I elbowed her gently.
“I smell cotton candy, popcorn, fried corn dogs, and—I smell … candied pecans.” She made a sound of annoyance and my eyes opened to find her glaring at me with an affronted look on her face. “No fair that you know how much I adore candied pecans!” I smiled widely and began weaving us through the growing crowd towards the alluring scent of fried fair food.
“Candied pecans coming right up!” I announced cheerfully.
An hour later Jen was laughing and enjoying herself and we were finally headed off to play games and get on some rides.
“I can’t believe how much we just ate,” she laughed.
“I know. Who knew I’d love fried pickles so much?” I turned around and began walking backwards so I could face Jen as I spoke. “There should be someone manning the fried food booth. Like a bouncer … or … oh! One of those bartenders who cut you off when you’ve had one too many.” I nodded my head, thinking of the whole bag of candied pecans Jen and I had polished off by ourselves.
“Yeah, I’m thinking I should definitely have stopped before that second double battered corndog.” She groaned and tossed her empty cup in a nearby trash can. Jen’s eyes grew round as we closed in on the ride I had in mind. “You aren’t serious.” She began shaking her head with a stubborn look on her face. “Maybe in an hour or two or … um, never.” I smiled and jumped in line before it could get any longer, pulling Jen with me.
“Come on, Jen, life stands still for no man, you’ve got to seize the moment.” I flung out my arm, making a dramatic statement, when it promptly collided with someone standing behind me. A short oomph sounded from the person I’d just assaulted. I swung around, my apology dangling from my tongue before I caught sight of the person I’d whacked.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to …” I sucked in a breath when a familiar pair of caramel colored eyes crinkled in amusement.
“So is this how you get to the front of the lines? By knocking out all the competition?” His grin was addicting and I found myself smiling in return. “I gotta say, there are probably easier ways.”
“Easier, yes. But not nearly as much fun,” I retorted. His gaze landed on my lips and I had to resist the sudden, nervous urge to lick them.
“I very seriously doubt that,” he murmured. Someone close by cleared their throat and I snapped out of my moment of insanity. A set of brown eyes, a fraction of a shade darker than Matthew’s, were focused on me intently. The slightly younger version of Matthew was smiling at me. He was just as handsome as Matthew, but his sly grin and eyebrow piercing set him apart. He looked like he didn’t even have to look for trouble, it probably came banging on his door. He was just the type of guy I normally dated.
“Who do we have here, big brother?” His voice was mocking, but his eyes told me he was seriously interested in finding out. The line moved up a bit and we all shuffled forward.
“This is Jennifer Collins, she lives here in Salem.” Matthew motioned towards Jen.
“Please call me Jen,” she replied graciously, holding out a hand.
“And this is Beth Micha
els. She just got back into town a few days ago.” Matt nodded in my direction and smiled. “Ladies, this is my younger, less good-looking brother, Hunter.” I held out my hand.
“Nice to meet ya, Beth Michaels.” Hunter winked over at me and I’m pretty sure every woman within a hundred yard radius sighed. When he still hadn’t let go of my hand, Matthew mumbled something about a “Lothario” and punched his brother lightly in the shoulder, dislodging Hunter’s hand from mine.
“So, you guys decided to brave the fair tonight?” Mathew asked, his eyes searching mine.
“We did and I only had to bribe Jen with candied pecans to get her here, but we’re glad we came now,” I said.
“Yeah, what would I ever have done without that plate of fried pickles?” Jen mumbled beside me. Hunter chuckled.
“Ut oh, looks like someone got sucked into the fried food booths.” He made a sound of sympathy in the back of his throat, but the huge grin on his face and laughing eyes completely ruined the gesture. The entire line moved forward until we were at the gate. We would be on the next wave of riders. I glanced over at Jen and realized she was more than a little green.
“I didn’t realize how bad you were feeling. Maybe we shouldn’t ride right now.” I laid a hand on Jen’s shoulder.
“No. I don’t want to ruin it for you. I know how much you love fairs, I just hope we don’t have a rainbow slushie repeat.” I smiled at that. It would be just like her to go on the ride just for me even though she felt like crap.
“There will always be fairs, Jen. C’mon, we can sit this one out.” Jen stubbornly shook her head, her brown curls flopped over her shoulder. Even sick, she looked beautiful. She had decided on a sunny yellow maxi dress and a short sleeve jean jacket with strappy sandals for our night out. She looked like a ray of sunshine piercing the dark. Matt’s hand lightly rested on my shoulder and I almost jumped at the contact.
“Is everything okay?” His eyes were filed with concern and his warmth made me want to lean into him. I shook my head slightly. His brother was my type, not Matt.
“She isn’t feeling well, but she’s afraid to break the top secret BFF code of conduct,” I said with a smirk.
“Elizabeth Michaels, don’t think your sarcasm will be an effective weapon on me,” Jen retorted. I rolled my eyes.
“Why don’t I ride with you instead? That way Hunter can stay with Jen and you’ll still get to ride.” Hunter looked as surprised as I felt at the suggestion. A seat of riders were about to get off, making it our turn to mount the big, bad, ferris wheel. Jen was already shaking her head.
“I wouldn’t want Hunter to …” Hunter grabbed Jen by the hand, thus cutting off her reply with an audible snap of her mouth.
“It’s no big deal, I kinda hate the ferris wheel anyway. I was just going to ride it to make poor Matt feel safer.” He grinned at a speechless Jen and gently tugged her out of line. Amazingly enough … she went without protest. The gate screeched open behind me. Matt was there holding it open with a questioning look on his face.
“Looks like this is us.” He held a hand out and for some inexplicable reason … I took it. He helped me into the unsteady seat and then joined me. I was instantly aware of how small the seats were. Where Jen and I would have been close to each other, Matt and I were thigh to thigh without any wiggle space. Matt glanced over at me and then put his arm behind me on the back of the seat. There was no help for it, it was the most comfortable way for him to sit. The carny clamped the little gate shut on our seat and then walked over to push a button to make our seat rise. A screech and a lurch and our seat rocked back and forth, making me jump and grab onto Matt’s thigh. Once the seat settled into a slow rock and we were waiting while the seat below us was being filled with new passengers, I became a little more relaxed.
“I thought you loved this ride,” Matt said. I glanced over at my ride buddy and smiled.
“I do,” I answered, wondering why he mentioned it.
“Oh, I couldn’t tell.” His smile broadened as he glanced down at my hand. I still had a death grip on his thigh. I jerked my hand back and felt the warmth of a blush creeping up my neck and cheeks. I glanced away quickly and muttered an apology. Matt chuckled softly.
“So, what is it you like about the ferris wheel?” I could feel Matt’s gaze and when I finally turned my eyes to his, I could see the honesty in his regard. He really wanted to know. I leaned back further in my seat, not too worried about Matt’s arm behind me. I sighed and tilted my head back and let it rest on his arm when the wheel once again began to move up. We were already almost completely full and then the wheel would turn without pause.
“I don’t know, really. I’m actually a little afraid of heights,” I said softly. “I guess it is just the thought of being closer to the stars, closer to the heavens, further away from reality, and when the wheel really starts to turn—it’s almost like nothing can touch you, you’ve found an escape and you’re finally … free. I gazed up at the stars, aware I probably had revealed a little bit too much about myself to someone I hardly knew.
“Did you need an escape a lot when you were growing up?” Matt asked softly. I released a long breath just as the ferris wheel began to turn without pause. I counted my blessings. The ride was exhilarating, slightly terrifying, but definitely exhilarating. Every time we would crest the top of the ride I would get that all over tingly sensation that would begin at my scalp, like my skin couldn’t contain all the sensations my body was experiencing. When we crested the top a third time, Matt’s hand skimmed up arm to push the hair on that lay on my shoulder out of his way. His warm palm cupped the side of my neck while his thumb began to make tiny, thought scattering circles on the soft, sensitive skin just below my ear lobe. My breath hitched and my heart slammed into my ribs. The sensations that were washing over me produced by the ride all faded into black as the gentle caresses of Matt’s fingers set my entire body vibrating like a fine tuned instrument. Matt was the master musician of this particular orchestra.
When I dared to glance over at him, I felt almost consumed by the intensity of his gaze. Matt wanted me. It was all there in his gaze. Warmth flooded through my body. If I were honest with myself, I’d acknowledge that I wanted him too, despite him breaking two of my three dating rules. Maybe he didn’t want anything too serious, maybe we both could enjoy each other’s company while I was in town and not over think it. Maybe. I smiled and Matt’s gaze shifted to my lips. Already slightly breathless, I slowly licked my lips, my eyes never leaving his face. Matt’s pupils dilated slightly and his eyes snapped up to mine. I leaned toward Matt just as the wheel began its final climb. When my face was just a whisper away from his I breathed out, “Kiss me, please.”
Matt’s lips were not gentle like I imagined he would be with everything he did because of his temperament. Instead, his lips crashed into mine and my breath was stolen away on kiss that left my body pulsing, my mind spinning, and my soul longing for another taste. Just before our seat made it back to the bottom of the ride, Matt pulled back gently and I immediately felt bereft of his presence. The look on his face was inscrutable and I had to shake my head to try and make sense of his stern demeanor. Did he not just feel what I had? Matt took his hand from my neck and ran his fingertips one last time over my collarbone and he gently tugged on my earlobe.
“This is us.” I jumped when our gate screeched open. The ride operator held the door open and Matt stood up and helped me off of the seat. When we came around to the exit Matt dropped my hand and called over to his brother and Jen.
“Can I see you after tonight?” Matt’s breath whispered across my shoulder and I shivered.
“After tonight?” I asked, slightly dazed.
“Yeah, you know, can I come by Jen’s and see you?” He smiled crookedly and my heart melted a little more. “Maybe take you out somewhere?” He shrugged and glanced quickly over to Hunter and Jen weaving their way through the crowd toward us. A small giggle escaped my still tingling lips.
&n
bsp; “You’re asking me out on a date?” Matt smiled back and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Yeah I guess I am.” I was feeling all giddy on the inside when reality came crashing in. I was only going to be in Salem another few weeks or so and Matt wasn’t the type of guy you had quick fling with. He was the kind of guy you took home to meet your parents and the kind of guy you settled down with. I couldn’t start something with him, he was too … dangerous. He was a guy who could get under my skin, one I wouldn’t be able to walk away from if the mood struck me. He was too good for me and for the first time in my life I regretted all my self-imposed dating rules.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Matt,” I said softly. His brow creased and I could almost hear his mind working through the past several moments. The kiss on the ferris wheel, then him asking me out, trying to figure out where he had misread the situation. “Listen, I really like you. You seem wonderful, but, I am going to be gone in a few weeks and I don’t take you for the kind of guy who takes relationships lightly. I can’t offer you anything other than some fun for a week or two. Can you tell me that would be okay with you?” Matt’s mouth flattened into a thin line and his jaw clenched. He stared at me for so long that I began to fidget. He finally averted his eyes as he stepped forward into my personal space. He leaned into me, his mouth an inch away from my ear.
“I want a lot of things from you, Beth,” he said finally. “I want to taste the sweetness of your lips again, but next time I want to be able to take my time. I want you under me so I can feel your entire body quivering beneath me when I make love to you.” His voice lowered and his words taunted my heart and did funny things to my body. “But, having a quick, meaningless fling is not one of them,” he added. I stepped back quickly, my heart thumping erratically.
“That doesn’t change my mind,” I said, unconvincingly. I silently cursed my Jell-O like legs. The traitors.
“Well, we’ll just have to see what I can do about that.” His grin was thirty percent Cheshire cat and seventy percent pure, undiluted, male determination … and that equaled a whole lotta sexy. I swallowed nervously just as Jen and Hunter joined us.
Sweet Contradiction Page 3
