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I bit the inside of my cheek. “I asked my mom to put a couple of sandwiches out when she was passing by earlier. I have time.”
“Ah, a planner. I like that.” He winked and steered us in the direction of the giant wheel. “What if Uranus is scared of heights?”
“He’s a goldfish. He’s more likely to die in a bowl overnight than he is going on a Ferris wheel. I’m not sure they get vertigo.”
He lifted the bag in front of him so he could look at his new pet. “Buckle up, Uranus, we’re going on a ride.”
I pressed my lips together and looked up so I wouldn’t laugh.
I wasn’t going to laugh.
I really wasn’t.
Okay, I laughed. I was terrible at keeping my amusement in at the best of times, and he just happened to say the wrong thing right then.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Dawson.”
“I can’t,” I somehow managed to eke out through my giggles. “I don’t think anal usually comes with that kind of a warning.”
“I thought you didn’t like anal.”
“I don’t like anal, but pornstars do, and it creeps up on a girl occasionally.”
“Creeps up on you? It’s not a stalker.”
“In the videos, Preston.” My cheeks flamed.
“Holy shit. A woman who admits she watches porn. I think I just fell in love with you.”
I choked on my own spit. Literally choked. Eyes watering and everything.
His laugh was harder than any of mine had been all night. “You are so precious, you know that?”
I elbowed him. “Shut your mouth.”
The Ferris wheel stopped, letting two people get off, and we took their places. I hadn’t been on this ride in forever—two seats didn’t work when you had two best friends and you were all single.
Night was falling in earnest now. Stars were visible across the darkest section of the sky, while the rest was a stunning gradient of blue to light blue to yellow to orange and red, painting the sky in a captivating watercolor.
I clung tightly to my raccoon and Preston did the same to the goldfish. I didn’t care what he said; I wasn’t going to call it Uranus every time I needed to refer to it.
I shivered as our car moved closer to the top. The wheel was positioned to see out over the entire fair, and that was the exact view we had now. Bright lights illuminated the entire landscape, and I looked out over it all with wonder. It was beautiful, especially when you looked out further past the fair.
You could see the town square with the illuminated water feature in the middle. Store lights along Main Street either side of it were still on, and people milled around the street as they did a bit of evening shopping. Screams from the rides geared to the more adrenaline-loving people filled the air, but they were but a whisper as we reached the very top.
Preston leaned back and rested one arm over the back of the car. His fingertips tickled my upper arm as he leaned in. “Can you hold Uranus a minute?”
“It might be awkward to reach round there.”
He flattened his lips, but laughter flashed in his ever-expressive eyes. “The fish, Halley, not your actual anus.”
“Why can’t you hold it?”
“Can you just do as I ask?”
I rolled my eyes and took the fish, nestling him carefully on my lap. “There.”
“Thank you.” He shifted, making the car rock, and a squeal escaped my lips. His mouth pulled up into a half-grin that was entirely too amused for my liking, but he moved so swiftly and smoothly that I couldn’t tell him to go away.
He slid one hand along my jaw, cupping the side of my face, and turned my head toward him. Our lips came together too easily, drawn to each other as if they were opposite poles.
My eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment, I forgot where I was.
This was nothing like the kiss from yesterday. That one had been filled with frustration, pent-up or otherwise.
This kiss?
Dear Lord, it was like magic.
It was the kind of sweet kiss you dreamed of; it was the kiss that said everything yet said nothing at the very same time. I felt it from the tingling on my scalp to the curling of my toes. The feeling that zinged through my body was simply indescribable.
There was nothing but that moment.
Hanging in the air, sitting next to Preston, with his palm against my cheek and his lips pressed sweetly against mine.
It was a simple kiss, but at the same time, it was a perfect one.
I’d never had one like it before, and I doubted I’d ever have another quite the same.
I was okay with that because it was everything. The setting, the moment, the feeling, the guy.
The guy.
God, it was the guy.
The guy I’d wanted for years. The guy I’d never really gotten along with because it was easier to keep my feelings to myself than admit to him that they existed.
