"I haven't either. The last few times I've been to the Christmas in July event, I've left early because I've had to work. I haven't been able to enjoy everything else. This is going to be a good time."
The ride gets started and I grab hold of the bar, pulling it with all of the strength I can get sitting down. Pressing my foot against the bottom, I lean into the turn as we start spinning. She shrieks in my ear, laughing as we go round and round. "Grab hold," I yell at her, motioning to the bar. She does as I ask, and we start spinning faster. My stomach flips, as we start going even quicker. Her voice is loud and my laughter is deep. This is the most fun I've had in a long time.
When we get done and the ride is over, I help her off.
Ash and Emma wave over at us. "We're out, see ya tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'll meet you for a run at ten," I confirm waving at them as they leave. "What else do you wanna do?" I wrap my arm around Amy's neck and look down at her. "The slide? The Gravitron?"
Her eyes dart back and forth at the rides behind me. "Let's do the slides."
There's a breeze that's picked up over the last several minutes. We go to the ticket window, get our mats, and race each other to the top.
"Last one down has to buy the snacks," she giggles.
I'm going to be the first one down because I weigh more than she does, but it's fun to hop on next to her, and try to slow my speed. She's laughing, her eyes sparkling in the lights of the fair. Somehow I manage to make us hit the end at the same time.
"You did that on purpose," she accuses me, handing her mat back to the worker.
"I did, because I can't stand it that you'd have to buy me something."
She tugs her bottom lip in between her teeth. "You're a really nice guy Gunner."
If only she knew what my thoughts have been about her tonight. "Not all the time, but I'd love to be any type of guy you want me to be."
We're walking toward the midway when the first drops of rain hit us, and then it comes down in buckets. I grab her up by the waist, and pull us over to an empty corner of the building housing the bathrooms. Steam is basically rolling off our bodies because it's been so hot today. She presses her body back against the outside wall, and I crowd into her, my palm going above her head. Her lips are wet with the moisture from the rain, and when I look down, I can see her body's reaction to the rain.
"Gunner...." It comes out as almost a moan.
"I know," I groan, wrapping my arm around her waist, and pulling her body up to mine so that my lips can take hers in the kiss I've wanted since the first moment I saw her.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AMY
The kiss that Gunner gives me is the hottest one I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. My body reacts to his, and my fingers tangle in his shirt. His tongue fights with mine, until he pulls back, groaning in frustration.
"Amy..." his forehead meets mine. "We've gotta get out of here, and you've got to tell me to take you to your house or mine."
I swallow roughly, my body on fire for his. " Yours," I whisper against his lips. "Take me to your place."
His eyes flash with something primal, and he captures my mouth again in a brief, searing kiss before pulling back. "Are you sure?"
The drive to his house passes in a blur of heated glances and his hand finding every excuse to touch me, his fingers brushing against my thigh. The tension between us is as electric as the storm outside.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
His house is a modest two-story in a quiet neighborhood, with a well-maintained yard and a porch swing that makes me want to spend lazy Sunday afternoons there. But I barely registerthe details as he leads me inside, his hand warm and sure on my lower back.
The moment the door closes behind us, we're on each other again. His hands frame my face as he kisses me deeply, backing me against the wall. I can feel the hard planes of his chest through his shirt, the strength in his arms as they encircle me.
"Amy," he breathes against my neck, his lips trailing fire along my skin. "God, you're beautiful."
I've never felt beautiful. Not like this. Not with someone looking at me like I'm the only thing that matters in the world. My hands find the hem of his shirt, and he helps me pull it over his head, revealing the sculpted torso I've seen a few times. I haven't been able to look at him the way I've wanted, but right now I've got all the time in the world, and he isn't hiding himself from me..
His skin is warm under my palms, scattered with old scars that tell stories of his dangerous profession. I trace one with my finger, a jagged line across his ribs.
"House fire two years ago," he explains softly. "Piece of debris caught me."
