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He blew out a long breath. “Things are always crazy.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. It was one of the reasons he’d given her at the beginning for not wanting to embark on a relationship. She could hardly fault him now for being busy. Not that she would.
It was just…she could see him every single minute of every single day and it still wouldn’t be enough. He consumed her thoughts during the day and her dreams at night. But telling him that would only add to his stress and his feeling of letting down someone he cared about. So she held her tongue.
“Come back to the house with us. I’ll drive you home later after Ryder gets back from work.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“I can’t get enough of you,” he admitted.
She laughed. “Get out of my head. I was just thinking the same thing, but I didn’t want to make you feel bad. Your family needs you.”
“You don’t have to shield your feelings with me, Vonnie. God knows you never have in the past.”
The ride began to slow down, stopping every few feet as people got off and others got on.
The sun was hanging low in the sky, dusk approaching. While she was delighted to get to spend more time with Leo, it was going to be a long evening of keeping her distance around the boys.
With that thought in mind, she stole one more kiss, intending to keep it quick. Once again, she and Leo seemed to be in synch. Except he wasn’t satisfied with her fast peck. When she started to pull away, he gripped the back of her neck and kissed her again, this one long and deep and definitely not fair appropriate.
They parted when the Ferris wheel stopped again, the boys hopping off.
She caught a glimpse of Vince looking at them. She couldn’t tell if he’d witnessed the kiss or not, but he wasn’t smiling. In fact, he looked upset.
She glanced at Leo, who was looking in Vince’s direction and frowning as well.
Shit.
Chapter Nine
When they were all together again, they headed for the truck. The ride home was quieter than the journey to the fair, all of them full and hot and tired. Even the music from the radio seemed worn out, as one slow country ballad after another played. Yvonne snuck several peeks back at Vince, who looked out the window during the entire trip.
“You forgot to take Vonnie home,” Clint said as they pulled into the driveway to their house.
“She’s going to hang out at our place a little while,” Leo explained.
Clint brightened. “Cool.”
At least one of the boys seemed happy to have her around. Vince didn’t say anything. Instead, he opened the back door of the truck and climbed out without looking at her.
Leo gave her a smile she assumed was meant to be comforting, but it didn’t help much. Leo said Vince had been grumpy of late, and he was blaming puberty. Maybe that was it.
They walked into the house together, Boomer waiting for them at the door. “You guys go on back and get your showers now. Wash off the sweat and fair dirt. Then we can put a movie in until bedtime.”
Clint and Vince were obviously tired because neither boy put up a fuss about having to shower. She dropped down on the couch as Leo wandered to the kitchen, then returned with two beers—a PBR for him, a Corona for her—and joined her.
Yvonne glanced toward the entrance of the living room, wondering if she dared to chance another kiss.
“Clint is the quickest showerer in the east,” Leo said, in answer to her unspoken desire. “He’ll be back here in less than five minutes.”
“He’s a bit like a Tasmanian Devil, isn’t he? Always whirling around.”
Leo gave her a look she couldn’t read until he said, “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”
“I have no idea what you mean,” she protested.
Leo leaned toward her, close enough she could feel his breath on her cheek. “Don’t worry, Vonnie. I like the way you’re in constant motion. Especially the way you squirm around when I put my mouth on your cl—”
