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“Oh, you are the worst,” I said, moving until I was upright. “I hope your boner hurts.”
He laughed. “How do you know I have a boner?”
One of my brows rose as I pulled off my shirt and fumbled around the wad of fabric that was my sundress. “Pretty sure they can see it from space.”
“Put your clothes on faster.”
I stopped completely, of course. “How come? Can’t handle me this naked?” I turned a little, spreading my thighs.
He licked his lips, shook his head.
“Good—you deserve it for starting something you didn’t intend to finish.” I pulled my sundress over my head, letting the skirt gather around my waist so he could still see the goods. “I oughta take care of myself.”
His face flattened. “You’re gonna get us busted.”
My fingertips trailed up the inside of my thigh. “You started it.”
“And I’ll finish it. Tonight.”
In an epic display of willpower, he glanced around, opened the door, and slipped out.
“Don’t you touch that,” he said, nodding in the direction of my unsatisfied vagina.
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“Says you.” He winked and shut the door like an absolutely magnificent asshole.
Exasperated, turned on, and amused, I put on panties and shoes, mopping off my neck and chest. On checking my reflection in the rearview, I gathered my heavy hair and tied it up, my face flushed and glistening. Hopefully, everyone would assume it was from the temperature and not Duke’s mouth.
The oppressive summer sun was somehow a sweet relief after the hotbox, the warm breeze licking my damp skin. My body zinged with electricity as I made my way back to the fair, contemplating finding his SUV so I could return the favor and leave him wanting. But I saw the value in waiting. Because I was going to be thinking about his dick for the next eight hours, and when I finally got ahold of it, I might actually burst into flames in relief.
My lips tasted like watermelon. Smiling, I touched them. Just like a fool. A goddamn fool who knew better than to play this game.
I sighed happily anyway as I rounded the corner and slipped into the stream of people.
Red, white, and blue stretched as far as the eye could see, the scent of barbecue and fried pastries hanging in the air. Fair rides rattled in the distance with the hum of the crowd, the occasional burst of laughter and chorus of exhilarated screams peppered in. Tonight, there would be fireworks and a dance, though rather than town hall, a bandstand was set up in the park at the end of Main Street where my family would perform. In the meantime, my plan was to float around and visit with the people of our town, occasionally stopping at our booth and breaking to compete with Duke, of course.
So far, I’d won the watermelon seed spitting and the crotchet contest, and he’d won the rubber chicken throwing and sack race. It would all come down to Bettie’s pies, and I’d been eating those pies my whole life. Granted, Duke was a giant with what had to be a gimongosized stomach, but I meant it when I said my big mouth would save me for once.
I felt him before I saw him at the other end of the row of booths, and our eyes locked, finding each other in the crowd without even having to search. He was right there like he was supposed to be. Like he’d always been there. Like he’d always been here.
But he hadn’t been here, and one day, he’d leave again.
Misery climbed up my throat, but I swallowed it back down, vowing to take what I could get while it lasted, just like I always did.
And I’d keep on pretending like that was enough.
17
CRUISESHIP ON DENIAL
DUKE
Never in my life had pie eating been sexual, until today.
Maybe it was the taste of her still on my lips. It could have been fueled by the chub I’d been fighting to keep quiet with mental calculus since leaving her in the truck. It was possible the sight of deep red cherries on her lips made me forget what math even was or how counting worked.
Or it could have just been Poppy and the fact that I wanted her so desperately.
Maybe that was her plan all along—distract me at all costs. Although I don’t know if anyone else in the world would have considered her shoving an entire pie into her mouth hot, but all I could think about was the many, many ways in which I’d fill her mouth.
Either way, she won. And I would have been pissed about it if it hadn’t made her so fucking happy.
I was in shit so deep, there was no way out.
Worse, I didn’t want out.
Dusk had settled over the fair, and the Blum family had taken to the stage while we waited on night to fall so the fireworks could begin. For the first half of the show, Poppy had been on the drums while the town danced, myself included. Evangeline was the perfect dance partner, as was my mother. My brother and Megan were there too, and the only thing alarming about it was that Nash had found his drunk and rowdy high school buddies, who hadn’t changed a bit. I’d taken a turn with Megan too, but when I tried to talk to her about it, she assured me he was fine and not to worry. Which was, of course, impossible.
