Compass

by Jeanne McDonald

  She looked up into his sweet, twinkling eyes, reliving the moment he kissed her. “Yeah, I do,” she breathed.

  Ryan leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. Fireworks sparked between them. Her heart thundered against her chest as she reached up and cupped the side of his face. His fingers tightened around her hips, pulling her back against him. Her soft moan was muffled by his passionate kiss. The desire between them was so strong there was no concealing it.

  “Ah, young love,” the middle-aged carny said. “How ‘bout you win this young lady a prize?”

  Ryan kissed the tip of her nose, stepping beside her. He handed the man a few bucks, glancing at Declan. “You want in?”

  “Hell, yeah, I do.”

  Ryan handed over a few more bills. “Hook my friend up, too.”

  The carny nodded, giving each man three rubber chickens. “What you need to do is place the critter on the end of the catapult and use the mallet to make it land in one of the pots. One in, wins from the first shelf, two from the second and so on.”

  Ryan nodded to Declan, who grinned, while slapping his chicken on the catapult. Ryan did the same. He tapped his cheek with his index finger, waggling his brows at Alexis. “For luck.”

  She planted a kiss on his cheek, grinning. Reagan stepped up to the other side of him, patting him on the back. “You got this, Flyboy.”

  Ryan tilted his head, giving her a wink. “You bet I got this.” He tucked in the arms and legs of the rubber doll, maneuvered his catapult to where it was angled a little to his left, then watched and waited. First try he got it in. Declan wasn’t so lucky.

  The carny yelled out they had a winner. Ryan smiled and shook his head. “Two more tries.”

  “Going for a bigger prize,” the man yelled for everyone to hear.

  Second try and Ryan managed to get the chicken in the pot again. “Winner, winner!”

  Alexis bounced, clapping and cheering. “I can’t believe you did that!”

  “I can,” Reagan stated, confident and proud. “He did this exact same thing last year. Remember that huge bear you won for me? I still have it.”

  Declan shouted, pumping his fists in the air. His second chicken landed in a pot, barely, but it was in there.

  Ryan jerked his head, cutting his eyes to Reagan. Alexis tried hard to ignore the moment of anger that passed between the two of them. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it had knocked Ryan off his game, because he blundered the third shot. The water made a loud plunking noise as the rubber chicken missed its mark.

  Ryan slammed his fists down. “Son of a…” he stopped himself from finishing the curse.

  Alexis rested her hand on his back. “Hey, two out of three is amazing.”

  “I’ll say,” Declan mumbled, watching his third chicken land on the ground. It didn’t even make it to the water.

  “Sure is,” the carny agreed. “You can choose a prize from the second level, little lady.”

  Alexis pursed her lips together, feeling Reagan’s stare on her as she made her choice. “The purple monkey.”

  The man hooked the monkey, pulling it down from the rack and handed it to Alexis. She hugged it to her chest and then hugged Ryan. “Thank you.”

  Ryan tugged a lock of her hair, curling it down around his finger. His smile waned but sincere. “You’re welcome.”

  “What about mine?” Declan asked. He pointed out a little blue M&M toy on the first shelf. The man grabbed it and handed it over to Declan, who in turn handed it to Reagan. “It’s no stuffed bear, but technically Ryan did pay for it, so it works for you either way.”

  “Thanks,” Reagan snapped with a roll of her eyes, accepting the gift.

  “Hey, if you don’t want it…” Declan reached out ready to reclaim this unappreciated present.

  Reagan shook her head. Sadness and frustration clouded her features. She thrust the plush toy back at Declan and stormed off.

  “What the hell is wrong with her today?” Ryan groused.

  Alexis grasped Ryan’s wrist, directing his attention to her. “Go to her. She needs you.”

  “What she needs is a good spanking,” he sneered.

  “Oh, I’m willing to give it to her!” Declan exclaimed with glee. “I saw a vendor stand over there,” he pointed over his shoulder, “with riding crops that would work perfectly.”

  “Hush, you two,” Alexis scolded. “She needs her friend, not a spanking.”

  “Damn,” Declan hissed, snapping his fingers.

  Alexis cupped Ryan’s face, drawing his lips to hers. She noticed how his pulse jumped when their mouths touched. Before the kiss could become heated, she pulled back. “She feels left behind right now. Go talk to her.”

  Ryan touched his fingertips to her lips, slightly trembling. His eyes burned with desire, sending waves of heat through her body. “I should’ve kissed you a long time ago.” He brushed his lips back over hers, lightly tracing his tongue along her bottom lip. She wanted so much to open up to him, but knew if she did, there’d be no stopping the wildfire that was sure to follow.

  “Ryan,” she whispered, “you have all the time in the world to kiss me, but right now, Reagan needs you.”

  Ryan tapped the tip of her nose and smiled. “Fine. You win. I’ll meet you over at the Texas Star.” He looked over at Declan, his mouth set in a hard line. “Take care of my girl, but keep your damn hands off.”

  Declan snapped a salute. “Aye aye, Captain.”

  With a final gentle caress to her cheek, Ryan slipped off into the crowd to seek out Reagan.

  When he was out of sight, Declan took Alexis by the hand, slipping it into the crook of his arm. “That wasn’t easy for you, was it?”

  “Nope,” she muttered, her throat tight making it hard to swallow.

  Declan maneuvered them along the Midway. He patted the top of her hand. “You’re a good person for doing that, just so you know.”

  “Yeah.” Her eyes dropped to the ground. The burning of unshed tears forced her to blink.

  “You worried?” his tone teasing. She lifted her eyes, meeting the hard green of Declan’s. He stopped walking, turning her to face him with a gentle tug, his expression suddenly serious. “Are you?”

  She exhaled a harsh breath. “Is he going to hurt me?” A tear escaped down her cheek leaving its mark on her skin.

  Declan met her gaze, his eyes full of truth and determination. “He’d rather die than hurt you.”

  “Reagan!” Ryan called out, finally having caught up with his runaway friend. His irritation with her mounted to an exponential limit. All of her little comments, no matter how innocent they might’ve seemed, hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. Ryan had taken account of each one as if she were shoving a knife deep into his gut. Reagan was more than a friend to him. More like a sister, and her behavior had left him feeling confused and a bit angry.

  “Lee,” Reagan spoke into her phone, holding a finger up to Ryan. He came to a stop, his brow lifted at her silent command. Ryan crossed his arms over his chest, meeting her intense gaze as she continued her phone conversation. “I’ll be over there in an hour or so.” There was a long pause, her hand propped on her hip. “I’ve already done my locker room interview.” She rolled her eyes, and tapped her foot. “Are you serious? You want me to interview the OU team?” Another long pause, followed by a deep exhale. “Fine.” She disconnected the call and slipped her phone into her pocket.

  “Everything okay?” Ryan asked.

  Her face twitched, her lips rolled up toward her nose. “My boss wants me to go interview OU before the game. No biggy.”

  Ryan shoved his hands into his pants. “That’s not what I’m talking about. What’s going on with you today? You’re not acting like yourself.”

  Reagan lifted her chin, her fists balled at her sides. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing wrong.”

  Ryan pulled his hands free, wrapping his fingers around her shoulders. “Ray, this is me you’re talking
to. What’s eating at you?”

  A flash of frustration clouded her face, as she pulled away from him. “Nothing, Ryan. Just go back to your friend.”

  Taken aback, Ryan cocked a brow, his head tilted to the side. “Is it Lex?” he questioned. “Do you not like her?”

  Reagan let out a guarded chuckle and started to walk away. “Men are so obtuse,” she muttered.

  “Then what?” he barked, grabbing her by the wrist, turning her to face him. “What the hell have I done to piss you off today? You can’t tell me that it’s nothing, because I know you better than that.”

  She ripped her hand back from him. “Of course it’s Alexis, you idiot!”

  A little shocked, Ryan took a step back. “So you don’t like her, then?”

  Reagan groaned, throwing her hands in the air. “You really don’t get it, do you?” She attempted to retreat again, only for Ryan to thwart her attempt. She faced him, her shoulders squared and her head held high. Ryan could see the aggravation burning in her eyes.

  He ripped at his hair, his own irritation boiling over. “Get what, because I’m not a freaking mind reader, Ray! What am I supposed to get?”

  “You kissed her!” she screeched.

  Confusion swirled around in his head. He struggled to string words together for a moment. “Um, yeah. I did.” He narrowed his eyes, gauging her reaction. “You and Declan told me I needed to take a chance with her, remember? You said you didn’t want me to lose her and I would if I didn’t take action.” Panic nipped at the recesses of his mind.

  “I know what I said!” she bellowed, throwing her hands in the air.

  A mass of conflicting emotions pressed against his chest. He bowed his head, a deep sigh pouring from his lips as he cupped his forehead in his hands. “I’m so lost here.”

  “You are? How do you think I feel?”

  Ryan lifted his eyes, meeting hers. Deep in her eyes a storm brewed of epic proportions. Out of his mouth fell the first thought that came to his mind. “Are you in love with me?”

  Inappropriate laughter burst from Reagan’s chest. Passer-byers either jumped at the sound or stopped to look at her for a moment before continuing through the park. “Heavens no. But I can’t deny I’m jealous of her. I mean, think about it, Flyboy. It used to be only you and me, but now it’s all about the great doctor. She’s all you talk about. You have your own little ritual diner thing with her when you come home, and I’m an afterthought. We used to have our thing when you came home. Now, we never hang out anymore. I couldn’t even get you to come today without inviting her. It became way too real when you kissed her.” Her mouth turned down into a frown and her voice lowered to a mere whisper, “and worst of all, you never kissed me like that.”

  Realization came crashing down on him. He wasn’t sure if she was lying about her feelings, but one thing he knew for sure, she was telling the truth about how he’d neglected her, and focused all of his attention on Alexis. He raised his hand, stroking her cheek. “Ray, you’re an amazing woman, but what we shared─”

  She jerked her face away. “Was a drunken mistake, I know.”

  Taking her by the chin, Ryan forced Reagan to look into his eyes. “No. It was special to me. We were there for each other when we needed to be. But that wasn’t love. We both know that.”

  She closed her eyes, a single tear slid down her cheek. “I know it wasn’t. But I do care about you, deeply.”

  Ryan brushed the tear from her face. “And I care for you, too. I’m sorry I’ve been such a jackass lately. I never realized how this was affecting you.”

  “It shouldn’t have affected me the way it did.”

  “I think it should’ve. If the tables were turned, I can’t say I wouldn’t feel the same.”

  Reagan blinked away the tears, taking in a deep breath. “Thank you. And I’m sorry I’ve been a shit to Lexi today. It’s not her fault that I’m a twit.”

  “You’re not a twit.” Ryan chuckled, wrapping his arm around Reagan’s shoulder. “And it’s because of her I came to find you.”

  Reagan slipped her arm around his waist, glancing up at him in surprise. “Really?”

  “Yeah. She told me you needed me.” Ryan kissed the top of Reagan’s head.

  “You’ve got yourself a good one there, Flyboy. It takes some major lady-balls to let your man run off after another woman.”

  Ryan laughed, lifting his leg behind him to kick Reagan on the backside. She squeaked and shoved him away. Her mouth twisted into a half grin, as he pulled her back to his side. “I think you’ll really like her if you give her a chance.”

  “Well, she does have a thing for my best friend, so that proves her to at least be smart.” She snapped her fingers, a wild-eyed grin donning her face. “Oh, and she can bust it out on Declan, which is a major plus in my book.”

  “See. I told you if you give her a chance.” He laughed. “Now let’s get over to the Ferris wheel before I have to beat Declan off her.” He tightened his grip around Reagan’s shoulders and lumbered toward the eye of Texas.

  “Anything for you,” Reagan whispered, skipping along beside him. “But if she hurts you, I call dibs on kicking her perky, little ass,” she added with a wink.

  Ryan curled his leg up behind him to kick her again, but Reagan dodged him. His laughter filled the air as he pulled her back. “It’s a deal, my friend.” He squeezed her shoulder. “It’s a deal.”

  “A Ferris wheel?” Alexis shrilled. “You never said anything about a Ferris wheel!”

  Panic swirled up inside her. Her palms were sweating, knees shaking, skin blanching, the very thought of getting into one of those gondolas made her sick to her stomach. She backed away from the metal tower of death. There was no way anyone would get her into that rickety old thing. A plane was bad enough, but there were no harnesses in a Ferris wheel and everything was wide open. Not to mention the fact it stopped throughout its cycle around or that she could plummet to her death if some teenage lackey didn’t do his job right.

  No, sir. Not happening!

  Declan scratched his head, staring up at the two hundred plus foot ride. “What did you think we meant by the Texas Star?” he questioned.

  “This is Texas. Everything is named Something Star. For all I knew you were taking me somewhere else to eat.”

  An amused chuckle bubbled from his chest. “Okay. You got me there, but you can’t come to the fair and not ride the Ferris wheel.”

  She licked her dry lips, cupping her hand over her eyes as she peered up at the top of the monster. “Oh, yes I can.”

  “You’re not scared, are you?” Declan inched toward her, his face lit up with mischievousness.

  “No,” she drawled. “And you keep away from me, Deck.” She swatted at him.

  “Excuse me?” Ryan’s voice rumbled behind her. Alexis turned to find him tearing his arm off of Reagan’s shoulder, ready to rip into Declan. “I thought I told you to keep your damn hands off.”

  Declan laughed, lifting his arms in the air. “I didn’t touch her. She’s freaking out over the Ferris wheel.”

  Alexis gasped, her gaze shifted back and forth between Ryan and Declan. “I wasn’t freaking…”

  “Oh, yes you were. You were in full on panic mode,” he observed, as he dropped his arms, and crossed them over his chest, daring her to disagree.

  Ryan cocked his head, his brows bunched together. “Really?” He reached for Alexis, pulling her to his chest. She wanted to shove away, humiliated by Declan’s truthful claims. She didn’t want anyone to see her as weak, especially not Ryan. But the instant his lips pressed to hers, so light, so caring, all of her inhibitions disappeared. “Don’t you like Ferris wheels?” he murmured against her lips. “The one ride where we can be cuddled together, doing this.” His lips met hers again.

  She was almost ready to give in to him, when she heard a child scream in terror from the heavens. She looked up, and stiffened, her panic back in full force.

  Reagan, who’d hung back w
hen Ryan released her, must have sensed Alexis’ discomfort. She came marching up, tapping Ryan on the shoulder. “You know, guys, maybe we should forgo the Ferris wheel this year. I really need to head over to the Cotton Bowl anyway.” Reagan’s tone was sincere, which made Alexis feel all the more guilty and childish for fearing something as silly as a Ferris wheel. This was obviously a tradition of theirs and she was ruining it.

  She took in a deep breath, forcing a smile. “Thanks, Reagan, but I’m okay. We can go up.”

  “If you don’t want to─” Ryan started.

  “We don’t have to,” Reagan finished. “I really do need to get to work.”

  “Yeah,” Ryan noted, thrusting his thumb in Reagan’s direction. “She has an interview to complete before the game.”

  “Another one?” Declan inquired.

  “Yeah, Lee wants me to interview the coach from OU and a few team members, if possible.”

  Alexis glanced between Ryan and Reagan. There was a calm between them, which led her to believe that they’d made things right. And him having his arm around her shoulders when they marched up sealed her assumption.

  Alexis reached for Ryan’s hand, pulling it to her lips. He stretched his fingers, splaying them along her cheek, his thumb slid over her bottom lip. He leaned in, kissing her with such tenderness she wanted to melt into him. “Next time,” he breathed against her lips. Ryan rested his forehead against hers

  “Are you sure?” she whispered, peering into his eyes.

  A slow smile stretched across his lips. “I have something better in mind.”

  “Bow-chicka-wow-wow,” Declan sang, thrusting his hips.

  Without taking his eyes off Alexis, Ryan flipped Declan the bird, which caused Reagan to snort. “Holy shit! Declan was right. She does bring the beast out of you.” Reagan bumped her hip into Ryan pushing him aside. She took Alexis by both hands. “Before he jets you off to whatever romantic setting he has in mind, I want to apologize. I’ve been a bitch today.”

  Alexis grinned, pulling Reagan into a hug. “You weren’t a bitch. Ryan was being an insensitive prick.”