Shades of Sydney (Sydney West #1) (13 page)

He nudged me with his shoulder. “You pick one.”

I pointed to myself. “Me?”

“Yeah, just pick.”

Oh sure, so if we lost it was my fault. That was peachy. I licked my lips nervously and picked up a green duck. My eyes were squeezed shut as I lifted it up to see the number.

“You look,” I said to Jason.

He took my hand, making the duck come closer to him. “It’s a nine.”

“Bummer.” We put the ducks back and walked away, kicking rocks out of anger.

“I wanted to win you something,” Jason grumbled.

“No worries. I don’t even know where I’d put a huge thing like those anyways.” I pointed to the giant stuffed animals on the ceiling.

“There are smaller ones too.”

“Oh?”

He pointed to the next booth. He was right. There were smaller ones, normal sized. My gaze stopped on Scooby-Doo. I wanted that one. Actually, the nine-year-old girl in me did.

“Scooby-Doo,” I said to myself.

“Scooby?” Jason asked.

Shit, I couldn’t believe I said that loud enough for him to hear.

“Yeah, I love him,” I admitted, trying to hide my blush with a curtain of hair.

“He’s a cool cartoon. The sixties version is the best.”

I looked at Scooby again. I wanted him deep in my gut. “That’s no lie.”

“I’m going to win you one.” Jason sounded determined as he went to the game that held my Scooby hostage.

It was the dreaded bottles and ring game, the one where you have to throw plastic rings on bottles, making at least three. They only gave you five rings and it cost ten tickets each round.

Jason paid and played, losing by a landslide. “I’m a bit rusty. That was practice.” He paid again and received the rings once more.

My stomach knotted itself into a ball. I loathed those damn games. They were the cheap version of casinos. People get addicted too damn easily.

He lost again. “Damn it!” he shouted.

A mother with three children cruising by shot Jason a death glare before moving on.

I laughed at Jason as he cowered, like she was going to slap him.

“Are you going to play again? You were close,” the weasel said who ran the game.

I took Jason’s arm. “No, we’re good. Thanks.”

“Hey, I could win,” Jason said, protesting.

My grip tightened. “I don’t care. Wasting tickets here is pointless. Might as well light them on fire.”

He gave into me. We walked by the food. The strong odor of fried anything made me ill. The fair was ten times worse since they felt everything had to be fried, even candy bars.

I spotted a Scooby plush toy on a table nearby. It belonged to a teenage girl with a blue shirt. Her blonde hair spilled over one shoulder. She didn’t seem all that pleased to have Scooby.

I nudged Jason and nodded to the couple with my chin. We watched them for a few moments.

The girl pushed Scooby away from her and said to her boyfriend, “I wanted the cat, not the stupid dog.”

Her boyfriend tugged on his short black hair. “I’m sorry, baby. What can I do to make you happy?”

The guy was a lap dog.

She pointed to a food booth. “Get me a cherry icy.”

He got up and left. She sneered at his back and pulled out a phone. Scooby sat all alone. He needed me.

Then a sinister, but wonderful idea hit me.

“How are you on dares?” I asked Jason, giving him a wicked smile.

He faced me, curious. “Pretty good. Why?”

“I have one for you.” I pointed back to the girl. “Look at her.”

Jason leaned in closer. “Yeah, what about her?”

“She has a Scooby-Doo and I dare you to steal it.”

His eyes were huge when they came back to me. “You want me to do what?” he asked, alarmed.

“It’s simple. Steal the damn toy. She doesn’t even like it.”

He gave me a once over. “So?”

“So? Scooby needs to be saved from that inconsiderate bitch.”

“I guess, but I can’t go up and take it.”

I leaned into his ear so no one passing by could hear. “Sure you can. Just walk up, grab the thing, and haul ass like hell.”

He laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

Jason’s negativity rained down on my rebel spirit. “No, the games are fixed and I want a Scooby.” I gave him my best pout. “I want
that
Scooby.” I nodded my head toward the unhappy girl.

He took a deep breath, pacing in front of me. “Fine, I’ll do it, but you better be right next to me. You’re an accessory.”

I motioned between us. “I’m the brains of this operation.”

“Just wanted to be clear, I go down, we’re both going down.”

“I hear you.” I laughed. “You’re acting like we’re robbing a bank, not taking a silly stuffed animal from an uptight bitch.”

“On three,” Jason said.

“Am I counting or you?”

“Shh, I’m counting to myself. You better run when I run.”

“Okay, we’re on the same page now.”

“Okay…” he muttered. His lips were moving silently as he counted in his head.

Jason then lifted his head and walked away. He strolled casually, as if he wanted to go to the greasy food booth and order something disgusting. Our target was looking down at her phone. She had no idea what was about to go down.

My stomach clenched and my breath stopped as Jason got within a foot of the girl. I looked for the route I should run. Around the table to my right and straight ahead through the eating area looked safe. No people or strollers in the way.

I flicked my eyes back to Jason. He looked at me. I nodded him on. He shook his head and grabbed Scooby.

The girl realized someone was too close for comfort and looked up. She saw Jason’s grip on her stuffed animal and yelled, “That’s mine!”

Jason took that as a cue to run.

I ran too. The girl continued to scream, almost sounding like she was going to cry. I caught up with Jason and we ran together until we couldn’t anymore.

We were both bent at the waist, huffing for breath. My heart hammered hard against my chest, making it ache. “That was such a rush!” I declared.

“You need to find new highs.” Jason stood straight and handed me Scooby. “Here’s your prize, my dark angel.”

I took it in my arms, giving the stuffed animal a hug. “Thanks.” Without thinking, I kissed Jason on the lips.

He grinned. “That was a pretty good high, but don’t expect me to do that again.”

I laughed. “No worries. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d do it.”

“I had to prove myself,” he said, puffing out his chest like some kind of wild cave man.

“You’re definitely not a coward. I think she was crying at the end. Not sure, though. Got too far away to be certain.”

His smile wilted. “Why did you tell me that?”

“It was funny. She’s spoiled. That girl has the look and a brand new, top-of-the-line phone. She’s doing just fine.”

“Wanna ride some rides?” Obviously he didn’t want to dwell on the issue. I was fine with that. I got what I desired.

“Sure,” I said and hugged Scooby to my chest as we walked.

***

We rode almost every ride. The only place we didn’t go was the fun house because we didn’t have enough tickets. It was pleasurable being with Jason. He knew how to make me laugh.

“Let’s take a picture with the cutouts!” I said excitedly.

We went to the boards with people painted on them. Their faces were cut out so people could place their own there. We posed and even used Scooby in a few shots. A random stranger who was old enough to be my grandpa took a photo of us together. I was a princess and Jason the prince.

After using our last few tickets on our favorite ride, The Alien Cyclone—it was a disc that spun super-fast, making you stuck to the walls—we were hungry.

“Do you think anything is edible here?” Jason asked, surveying the menu of a booth.

“Does road kill count as a food group?” I joked.

“It’s meat, no?”

We laughed.

“Why is everything fried?” I queried, reading the menu to myself.

“They want to kill us,” Jason replied.

“Just shoot us. I’d rather have that.”

“Ruins the fun.”

Jason’s arm brushed mine as we stood looking over the list on the board. I swallowed the moths flying up into my throat and said, “Oh well.”

“Let’s get something to try.”

“Fine.”

Jason ordered fried bacon covered in chocolate and honey.

One bite and I spit it out. “That’s fucking gross!”

Jason nibbled on a piece and gagged. “Yup, they really do want us dead.”

We tossed the bacon and took in the lights of the fair. The sun went down, making all the colorful, dancing lights come to life. It was wondrous and a bit blinding if you stood too close to them.

“Do you want to call it and go somewhere to get real food?” Jason asked, hooking his thumbs into the loops of his jeans.

I resisted the urge to kiss him again. “If you feed me, you’ll be my hero.”

Jason snaked his arm around me as we went back to the Jeep. I leaned my head on his shoulder as we walked to the parking lot. We didn’t speak. All we did was watch people pass by, look at the attractions, and enjoy each other’s company.

Chapter Eighteen

Jason pulled into a neighborhood. It looked familiar. “Where are we going? I thought we were getting something to eat.”

“We’re going to my place. I’m going to cook.”

I was confused. “Oh…”

“It’s midnight. There aren’t many places open now. Do you want to find a diner and eat with weirdos of the night and truckers?”

I smiled in the dark. “No, that doesn’t sound like fun.”

“Good.”

Jason turned into a driveway. I looked at the house and was flooded with memories. The last time I was there, I had slept with Jason and left in a cab. I didn’t want to have sex and ditch him again. I didn’t want to ruin the memory of our date.

I quietly followed him into the house.

Jason motioned toward the living room. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be in here if you need me.” He disappeared into the kitchen.

I sat on the couch and grabbed a magazine from the coffee table. It was about astronomy.

“Do you like steak?” Jason called out from the kitchen.

I looked up from the article on the moon I was reading. “Yeah.”

“Great, cause that’s all I have to cook.”

“So we’re just having steak? No side dishes?”

“Let me see.” He opened and closed cabinets. “I found two potatoes, but they’re growing something.”

I stuck my tongue out. “Gross!”

“Yeah, I thought so.” I heard him toss said potatoes into the garage. “I also have a bag of vegetables. It’s a bit frostbitten, but I think it’s still good.”

“What kind of vegetables?”

“Umm…broccoli, corn, and cauliflower.”

I wrinkled my nose at the mention of cauliflower, though I could pick out the nauseating white food. “Okay. Do you need any help?”

“No, you stay there and look pretty.”

It was kind of nice having a guy insist on cooking. Flipping through the magazine, I listened to Jason hum a tune as he worked.

***

“Bon appetite!” Jason said, standing behind the couch, beckoning me into the kitchen with a charming grin.

We sat at his table, across from one another. I poured steak sauce onto my plate before cutting into the meat. We ate in silence. When I swallowed the last bite, I said, “Very good. You’re skilled at cooking steak.”

He bowed. “No applause, please.” I laughed at him as he took our plates to the sink.

I wiped my mouth on a napkin. “Do you want me to wash the dishes since you cooked?”

“Nah, I’m just rinsing them and then I’m putting them into the dishwasher.”

“Okay,” I said, standing in the kitchen awkwardly. I wasn’t sure what to do next. I came for dinner, but what came afterward?

“Where’s your bathroom?”

He nodded toward the hallway. “It’s the first door on your right.”

“Thanks,” I said over my shoulder.

I locked the door and examined myself in the mirror. My makeup was worn away due to sweat and the sun. The urge of putting on lipstick came over me, but all I had was lip gloss and it was in the living room, tucked away inside my purse. I played with my hair, fixing my part and taming the wild strays with some water. All in all, I looked pretty good. I had on an excellent bra and matching thong, nothing to fear. I knew Jason wanted to have sex. It only made sense. He made dinner and I was the dessert.

After pulling my shirt down to show my breasts off better, I exited the bathroom. Jason was already on the couch. My stomach did a flip when I glanced at the floor where we had sex. In the back of my head, I hoped we’d move to the bed this time. Sex on the floor wasn’t too comfortable.

I sat next to him, batting my eyelashes and squeezing his thigh.

He raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”

“Nothin,’” I purred. He looked at me for a long moment before turning back to the television. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I leaned against his body, inhaling his musky scent. He was worth another lay.

He didn’t make the usual moves. No grazing my breasts, brushing my skin until it burst into goose bumps, or kissing my lips or face. What was his motive here?

“Should we move to the bedroom?” I asked, wanting to get the party started already. I wanted to go home and sleep in my own bed.

His eyes searched my face. “Why?”

“Having sex on the couch isn’t the best, so I—”

“Wait,” he pulled away from me so he could look me square in the eye, “who said anything about having sex?”

“It’s fine. I know the unspoken rule. The guy is all sweet and cooks for the girl and she gives him entry into her.”

He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. His words were jumbled together as he muttered to himself. I stared at him, wondering why he was upset.

“Damn it, Sydney! Why do you chalk every damn thing up to sex? Life isn’t all about fucking. Sometimes people are just being nice. I didn’t expect anything from you tonight.”

“I assumed…” I mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Don’t…at least not with me. Last time was a mistake—”

I fought back my tears. “I didn’t know…I mean, I’m sorry I didn’t
please
you.”

“No, you did.” He leaned in close, brushing the back of his hand down my cheek. “Listen to me. It was too fast. I got caught up in the heat of the moment. You’re a sexy woman and I loved what we did, but usually I wait until the third date before sleeping with a girl.”

Out of habit, I put space between us, enough room for another person to sit in-between. “Why wait?” It was a foreign concept to me.

He stood and paced the length of the couch. “I wait to see if I like the person. Get to know her, see if I can imagine her in my future. Not as a wife or anything, just as someone that would last a lot longer than a one-night stand. I see if I could fall in love with her. If I had sex with every woman, then it would become mundane and meaningless.”

“But I don’t believe in love. That’s why I—”

“Why don’t you believe?” He dropped down to my side. His leg brushed mine. My skin burned as his eyes bore into me.

I swallowed, searching for the right words. “It’s hard to explain. All I’ve seen is anger and hatred, nothing good. Love is meant to be beautiful and last forever, yet it dies like a rose in the frost. After seeing real life relationships in-person fall apart over and over again, I swore I’d never fall in love. So I have fun, never having a
real
boyfriend.”

He gave me a look. “You never had a real boyfriend?”

I said too much. “I—I mean…well…I just hook up with people. Some were friends and we stayed in touch. Like friends with benefits, but nothing else. I never had a boyfriend, someone to be loyal to and have a true relationship with.”

I felt too vulnerable, on display again. I bowed my head to hide behind the curtain of my hair.

Jason gathered my hands in his and didn’t say a word.

I looked at him through a veil of hair. “It’s fine. I’m young. Who cares?”

“Who cares?” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear so I couldn’t hide anymore. “I can’t name one girl who has sex with someone and can write it off as a crazy night. Girls are emotional and think sex means—”

“I know all that.” I pulled away. “My sociology class taught me a lot of shit.”

“Did you also learn that the worst punishment for a human is being alone, being in isolation?”

I sniffed and said defiantly, “That’s why, when I’m old and ugly, I’m going to have tons of cats for company.”

He swept the hair off my shoulder with his fingers. Warmth spread through my cheek as his hand cupped my face. It reminded me of home. Leaning into him, I felt like, in that one moment, I could open up to Jason and tell him everything about me, reveal every little scar and cry for all I had lost in my life. My safe home, my happy childhood, and the dream of love I envisioned as a little girl, but the voice in my head prevented me from it. The voice told me I’d be sorry, that he’d leave me broken with a bleeding heart.

“I see such pain in your eyes,” he whispered, wiping away a tear that detached from my hold.

“Let’s change the topic,” I said, not meeting his gaze.

He heard the desperation in my voice. I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He toyed with my hair, coiling it around his fingers and then releasing it.

Words tumbled out of my mouth. “You know my hair is supposed to be wavy. I always straighten it.”

“Really? I’d like to see it wavy one day. I bet it’s beautiful.”

My cheeks burned. I was glad he couldn’t see me blush. With my eyes closed, I felt intact. Never had I felt secure with a guy before. Only with my father, before he got hooked on alcohol and drugs. Then he treated my mom and me like we were useless people who were in his way to self-destruction.

A song I knew by heart filled my ears. It was a track from my favorite movie from my childhood. I opened my eyes and sure enough
The Lion King
graced the screen. I snuggled against Jason, getting comfortable. He squeezed me tight before handing me my stolen Scooby. I smiled down at him, savoring the memory.

As the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” played, my eyelids grew heavy. Hugging Scooby close, I drifted to sleep on Jason’s chest.