Rush Into You (20 page)

We paid the guy, then got three balls to share. The clown wasted no time egging us on. I was betting this was the same guy I’d remembered, but he looked older and drunker. He also looked dry as if nobody had managed to hit the target and dunk him.

“Aww, aren’t you girls so cute! You came all dressed up to the fair, how nice!”

I looked down at my dress, then at Ryker and laughed. I’d almost forgot that we were dressed up from our fancy dinner.

“The big fluffy pink unicorns can be won at that game over there,” the clown jeered, waving his arm around noncommittally.

I looked over at Ryker and laughed, not taking the bait. We both knew this clown’s job was to talk shit. Ryker took the first ball while I held the other two. He threw it up in the air slightly before catching it. He did this a few times, winked at me, then threw the baseball aiming for the small red and white circled target. It was a fast pitch and skimmed the edge of the steel target, but there wasn’t enough force to knock the clown down. If it had landed on the bullseye, that clown would have gone down.

“Ohhh!” Ryker groaned, then laughed good-naturedly.

“That was so close! My turn!” I clapped my hands and bounced on my toes in excitement.

“Close to what? Some five year old boy threw better than that earlier! Let’s see if your girlfriend can at least get near the target!” The clown cackled loudly.

I handed Ryker a ball so that I was only holding the one I was going to throw. I rolled it between my two hands slowly, feeling the raised red stitching press gently into my palms. I used to play baseball and absolutely loved it, the only girl in a league of boys. It had been so many years since I’d thrown a ball, the weight of it in my hands a friendly reminder of something I used to love.

A thought crossed my mind, and I turned to Ryker. “We should go to another game soon and play catch sometime.”

I saw surprise widen his eyes, but I didn’t wait for his response. I threw the ball as hard as I could, hoping to nail the steel target and shut the clown up. Unfortunately, I only gave the clown more fuel for his insults because my ball went nowhere near the mark. It ricocheted off the side of the plexiglass pool the clown was perched over and bounced against the tall wooden back drop behind the target. It rolled tauntingly slow back in the direction of me, seeming to make fun of my ridiculous attempt at throwing it towards my intended goal. I lifted my gaze from the baseball when it finally stopped several feet away from me, waiting for the clown to make his jab.

“Wow,” the clown said slowly, devoid of any emotion in his voice. “I don’t even have anything to say about that. I think that throw just spoke for itself.”

I was so embarrassed by my throw that I didn’t even want to look at Ryker. He was probably dreading the thought of playing catch with me now. Or maybe he thought he’d have to teach me how to play.

Out of nowhere, I heard a loud slap sound while simultaneously registering a stinging pain on my ass. I spun around quickly, both of my hands planted on my backside trying to massage the soreness away. I came face to face with Ryker, a mischievous glint filling his eyes, and an amused smirk playing on his lips. My jaw hung open, shock clearly written across my face. I looked side to side in disbelief, confirming that there was no one else directly around me except for Ryker.

“That hurt! What the hell, Ryker?” I cried.

“Oh, you’re okay, relax.”

“What was that for?”

Ryker shrugged his wide shoulders as if he didn’t have a care in the world, his smirk turning into a bright smile. “You looked a little stuck in your head for a minute there.”

I just stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something else.

“What?” He laughed, the sound as musical as ever, even as he was driving me nuts. “Come on, Gabby. Who the hell cares that you missed? It’s supposed to be fun.”

He held out the last ball for me, but I just stared at it. He put it in my hands and gently forced my fingers closed around it. I heard the clown still yapping in the background, but I didn’t care enough to make out any of the actual words.

“Try again. Show that shit talking clown what you got.” He winked.

I gripped the ball tighter, set with a sense of determination. I couldn’t believe I’d let something as stupid as missing my target for the
Dunk the Clown
game bring out such negative emotions. When I’d decided to step foot on these fairgrounds, I’d made the conscious decision to let go and have fun. I was supposed to check my attitude and baggage at the gate so that I’d have plenty of room for brand new, fabulous memories. Instead, I’d almost lost my cool completely because the ball I threw missed the mark. Ryker hadn’t dunked the clown either, but he hadn’t cared at all.

I gasped as an unruly idea popped into my head. My free hand grabbed Ryker’s and I pulled him into me. “How about we teach him some manners, together?”

I glanced over at the target and back at him a few times until he got the hint. His eyes lit up with a wicked gleam, and I knew the look in my eyes must have matched his. I faced back towards the clown, still holding strong to Ryker’s hand. His taunting rang clear through my focus, his voice rising a few octaves, trying to get another reaction out of me.

“I don’t have all day, you know. If you girls aren’t going to throw the ball, go on and give it to someone else. Let’s see if anyone will be able to get me in the water. I wanna get wet tonight!”

I squeezed Ryker’s hand while the clown was yelling, and felt him tug me forward. We ran the few yards to the target and pushed against it hard with our clasped hands, triggering the lever to release the clown’s seat.

“You little fucking—”

His words cut off when he was submerged under the water, still shaking his angry fists at us. Luckily there weren’t any young children in the area, or they would have heard some choice swear words directed at us. Ryker and I ran away laughing, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, lest a soaked and pissed off clown came chasing after us.

“OH MAN, THAT was priceless!” Ryker guffawed, bent over at the waist laughing once we were a safe enough distance from the clown.

I was laughing as I tried to catch my breath, feeling so alive and carefree. I’d been so careful this past year and a half, making sure I did everything the right way, not wanting to bend from society’s acceptable view. Hitting that target with our hands instead of the ball was against the rules, but it wasn’t against the law. It was fun.

When we’d both finally caught our breath and were able to fend off our laughter long enough, we moved through the fair together hand in hand. It was such a beautiful night—the sky was black as ink with the stars hidden away, shy from the unnaturally bright lights. Bursts of color were shining into the black abyss above, blinking in a steady beat of morse code, then others changing rapidly from red, to yellow, green, blue, then back to red.

It was almost surreal to be back home, walking around without a care in the world, safe with Ryker beside me. I felt normal, just like any one of these other people here on a date. Well, besides our fancy clothes. The extra-powdered fried dough Ryker and I shared was delicious and better than I remembered. It was one of the main things I’d missed about this place.

“I still want to know more about you,” Ryker reminded me.

“Let’s play, ‘This or That’.”

“Never played, but I’m in. How’s it go?”

“I name two things, then you need to tell me which you prefer, and vice versa.”

“Easy enough. Okay, you start.”

I looked around at the carnival rides, and saw a kiddie ride next to a fast, flipping ride. “Fast or slow?”

Ryker stopped walking for a moment, then lifted his scarred eyebrow up with an amused look on his face. “Uh…” He laughed, and his voice dipped low. “I guess it depends on what I’m doing.”

I giggled like a school girl as I playfully smacked his shoulder. “I was actually thinking of carnival rides when I asked that question, you pig!”

“Okay then, fast. My turn. Talking or listening?”

“Listening. Night or day?”

“Night.”

We continued playing our little game as we walked around the entire fairgrounds. I learned a lot of basic information about him in a short time, and the simple game quickly turned into a regular conversation with more detailed questions and answers. I found out that he enjoyed spring the most out of all the seasons because of baseball, though he loved the winter as well. His favorite holiday was Christmas, with Fourth of July coming close in second. He loved listening to music and reading almost as much as I did. He only had one sister, and one niece, and they were all very close. He helped to take care of them by paying a lot of the bills. His sister was a single mother, and it was tough for her to make ends meet. I admired Ryker’s big heart and willingness to help his family.

I told him a lot of the same stuff about me. Fall was my favorite season because I loved all the cute clothes and the crisp air. Baseball was my favorite sport, and Christmas was my favorite holiday, just like Ryker. I told him how I was an only child, but left out whether or not I was close with my family. I knew he’d noticed, but he didn’t call me on it.

When we stopped walking again, we were standing between the Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round. I started walking towards the Ferris wheel, assuming that was where Ryker wanted to go next. His hand reached out and stopped me, holding my elbow to keep me from walking further.

“No, this way,” he said with a cock of his head to the other side.

I let him lead me to the merry-go-round, confused why he would pick this ride instead. There weren’t many people on the classic ride, so we had plenty of horses to choose from. A lavender colored unicorn with a gold horn stood out to me, and I quickly climbed on top before the ride started. Although I didn’t need his help, I felt Ryker’s hands on my ass pushing me up. I looked back at him, eyebrows raised in amusement.

“Thought you might need a hand.” He winked.

Sometimes I wondered where I would be right now if I’d never bumped into Ryker again.

Ryker’s thumb reached up and stroked the space between my eyes, a concerned look replacing his calm features. “What’s the matter?”

I took his hand and interlocked our fingers, placing both our hands over my chest. “Just happy.”

“Mmmm,” Ryker groaned, bringing his body closer to mine. “I think you’re going to need to sit like this.” He squeezed my left thigh and signaled me to swing it around the unicorn so that both of my legs dangled from the same side. His arms went behind my back, pulling himself against me. The unicorn I’d chosen to ride wasn’t that tall, so my opened thighs fit perfectly around Ryker’s lean waist. I could feel Ryker grow hard, the sudden stiffness pressing into me from beneath his jeans.

“That’s better,” he growled lowly in my ear, nipping the lobe. I hissed in pain, clenching my teeth as tingles crawled to the center of my body. Ryker sucked my earlobe into his mouth, easing the sting of his bite with his wet tongue. My body relaxed, easing loosely into Ryker’s arms as a pleasurable moan left my lips in a sigh.

I fought to keep my eyes open as I glanced around us to see who we were sharing the ride with. It was dark and late, so we didn’t have to worry too much about any underage kids catching a glimpse of us. We were the only ones on the ride except for a middle-aged couple seated on the other side of the merry-go-round in a large red sleigh instead of on the horses.

One light touch of Ryker’s lips to the sensitive spot below my left ear and I just about came undone. It was a kiss that would have made my knees buckle if I hadn’t already been sitting down. My mind still hadn’t wrapped around the fact that this man was mine to kiss. Every touch of his lips against my body made me dizzy. Pair that with being on a merry-go-round, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I fainted.

That one simple kiss already had me slick with desire and wanting more. I placed my hands flat against his chest and looked up at him through my lashes, nibbling on my lower lip. Something about Ryker made me feel inexperienced and young. Maybe it was because he oozed masculinity from his very pores, or perhaps it was his eyes. His eyes showed a man who had seen too much in his lifetime, and not all of it good. It made me appreciate the light that shone in his eyes when he looked at me. It made me feel beautiful...cherished even. No man had ever looked at me the way Ryker did. I felt special when I was with him, in a way that I never had.

I never wanted the feeling to end.

I pressed my lips to Ryker’s, loving the raw feeling of his stubble slightly scratching against my face. His lips parted, daring me to keep going and take control. I accepted his challenge and entered his mouth with my tongue, seeking him out. Our tongues collided, tangling and stroking with so much need, gentle yet forceful at the same time.

I threw my arms around Ryker’s neck, pulling him even closer to me, wanting to feel the hardness in his jeans. My little black dress gave him easy access between my thighs. My back was to the rest of the fair, so no one was able to see up my dress. I gasped when Ryker pressed himself against me, the friction of his jeans against my thin panties sending tingling currents straight through me. With my body on fire, I boldly deepened the kiss, sucking his tongue roughly into my mouth, wishing I was sucking on a different part of his body instead. It gave me a bit of a rush when I heard the low growl rise from deep within Ryker’s chest, and felt his dick twitch against me.