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With the good, though, comes the bad. The last year we came, my father got so drunk, he couldn’t stand straight. He still insisted on putting me on his shoulders, and my mother fought him on it, pleading with him that it wasn’t safe. There was never any telling him no. He lifted me up and toppled sideways, throwing me away from him. The outcome would have been way worse if we hadn’t been packed like sardines along the curb. The bodies helped cushion my fall, and I made it out with only scraped knees and broken glasses. My mom started screaming, and my father slapped her, gaining the attention of everyone around us.
A man standing next to us intervened, and my mom took the opportunity to drag me away. I’m not sure what happened after that. What I do know is there was a lot of yelling that night. My mom cried. I hid under my covers and shivered with every crash from downstairs. When I woke up in the morning, the house looked like it had been hit by a tornado. The vases my mom filled with pretty flowers were broken, and shattered glass from photos littered the floor. My mom stayed home for almost a week claiming the flu, but I knew better. It took that long for her black eye to heal.
“Here’s your school’s float.”
Jenny pulls me from my memory. The school won a design contest and earned a spot in the parade. Two of my kindergarteners were representing the school, and I told them I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
Spotting Billy and Sarah, I wave. They whip candy toward us, and Jenny grunts. “Geez, super arm. Did that Rollo bust my eyebrow open?”
“They’re five. I doubt they’re strong enough to break skin.” I smile from ear to ear, and my students wave at me as they pass.
“So cute. Well, we can go. That’s all I really want to—”
“Sweet baby Jesus.”
“What?” I ask, looking around. My heart does a triple flip, and I groan.
“I think we’re gonna stay a bit longer. Why do firefighters have such an aura about them? Is there some rule that they have to be hot to apply? Come to Momma. . .”
I roll my eyes as the fire department float nears. It’s not the people on the float who irk me. It’s the man walking next to it, handing out roses. “Are they too good for candy? It’s a parade. People want candy, not flowers. How tacky.”
“Shit, I’ll take tacky. And that one. When he gets close, I’m going to pretend to faint. Just stand back, okay?”
I can’t believe her. He’s not even that attractive.Okay, that’s going a bit far.Anything to convince myself I don’t want him. Because I hate him. Despise him, actually.
My skin prickles as he gets closer. Dressed in his fire gear minus the jacket, he offers a nice view of the muscles behind his tight-fitted shirt. The tattoo on his arm peeks out from under his sleeve, and my fingers ache to trace the painted lines. I wonder when he got it. What it means. He walks up to a little girl and hands her a rose. His hair is perfectly in place. His stupid sexy smile makes my nipples pebble.What in heavens is wrong with me?I clear my throat and shake the thoughts away. Stop being ridiculous. “I’d wait for the next float. Honestly.”
“Wait. . . is that. . .?”
Oh, it is.“Not sure.”
“The guy from the bar. It is! How do younotrecognize him? You two were outside and. . . wait, you two aren’t—”
“Us? Ew. No way. Gross.”
“Well, if you’re not interested. . .” She pushes up her boobs and tries to get by a little kid. “I’m totally gonna try this one. If it doesn’t work, I’m gonna fake that my cat climbed up a tree. I’ll just happen to be in lingerie when they arrive.”
“Oh, come on, he’s notthatgood-looking.” Yet, I can’t seem to stop staring. Ben hands off another rose and steps back into the street, his gaze catching mine. I try to look away, but I can’t. His alluring eyes, the color of the purest ocean, gleam, holding me captive. My heart beats erratically with each step he gets closer.
“Shit, he’s looking this way. Okay. Wish me luck.”
I suck in my bottom lip, needing the pressure of my teeth to calm my nerves. In and out, I take short breaths, my chest tightening. He starts to make his way toward me.Please don’t do it. Please just leave me alone.
As he steps in front of me, his searing eyes do their best to break me down. I open my mouth, but it’s not to tell him off. It’s to confess how sorry I am for the way I reacted that night at the bar. How I’ve never felt so alive. The way he touched me, fucked me with his hand, brought me to the most blissful orgasm. . .
I shouldn’t have left.
“Ben, I. . .” I trail off as he reaches toward me, a rose in his hand. I slowly raise mine to accept it when he shifts and offers it to Jenny. She beams at his devilish smile and accepts the rose. He steps back and, without another glance my way, walks off.
“Holy shit, that was hot.”
My shoulders slump. I swallow the lump in my throat.
“You think it would be weird if I called the firehouse? Maybe get his—hello? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sure. Call. But I wouldn’t hold your breath. He seems conceited. Guys who look like that always are. You ready?” I fight through the crowd to leave. God, I hate him.
Chapter10
