Lucky's Choice
Page 21
“Keep her occupied. We’ll be back in an hour,” Lucky told Rider before taking Willa’s arm.
“Wait. I can’t just leave her with him.”
“Why not? He’ll take good care of her.” Lucky hustled her through the crowd toward one of the booths.
Willa stared down at the rubber ducks going in a circle of water, dumbfounded at Lucky planning to spend an hour with her. She had never managed to be in his presence for five minutes without feeling awkward. An hour would be torture.
Lucky handed the girl behind the table a dollar. “Pick one.” He motioned at the innocuous yellow ducks.
“Why?” Willa asked in confusion.
“For fun. Do you even know what fun is?”
“Yes, I do.” Willa pretended to be fascinated by the ducks going in a slow circle, hurt by his comment. “For your information, you being rude to me is not fun.”
She reached out, picking up one of the ducks and handing it to the girl who reached into a box and pulled out a string of brightly colored beads. Before she could take them, Lucky did then lifted them over her head, and they nestled in the cleft between her breasts. He reached out, taking the beads in his hand, his knuckles resting against the flesh of her breasts. Her breathing escalated at his intimate touch, so she tried to move away yet was held in place by the necklace until she felt it biting into the back of her neck.
Her nipples hardened as she tried to calm her breathing and pretend to be unaffected. His eyes moved to her side before returning to hers. Willa turned to see what had caught his attention and saw the biker who had been with Lucky and Rider the night she had picked Sissy up at the sheriff’s office. The stranger had two black eyes and looked frightening with the determined expression on his face. Before she could try to move away from Lucky again, he released the necklace then steered her toward a photo booth tucked against the wall.
He raised the curtain, propelling her forward before stepping inside with her.
“I don’t want my picture taken,” Willa protested.
A hand on her shoulder had her taking a seat as Lucky put a dollar into the slot. As soon as the whirling motor sucked the dollar inside, Lucky sat down next to her on the small seat. Embarrassed, she tried ineffectively to scoot over, only to find herself pinned between the wall and Lucky’s imposing body. She noticed his T-shirt was short-sleeved, and his large biceps were highlighted by the tattoos covering his arms.
When his hand covered her throat, turning her to face him, Willa froze for a split-second before her survival instincts screamed at her that he was about to kiss her. Putting her hands on his chest, she tried to place some space between them. A kiss from Lucky was something she had never expected to experience, and she was pretty darn sure it would be more than she could handle.
“Have you been kissed before?” His low voice had her trying to wiggle away from him, but his body merely leaned closer until her breasts were flattened against his chest with her hands caught between them.
“Of course.” She tried to turn her face away but Lucky gripped her chin, denying her a chance to avoid the deepening intimacy that he was weaving between them.
His mouth moved closer until she felt his lips brush hers when he talked. “Who?”
“None of your damn business,” Willa said defiantly. There was no way she was going to tell him it was Lewis who had managed to kiss her in high school. It had been a terrifying moment which she’d had nightmares about for several months afterward.
The tip of his tongue traced her bottom lip.
“Don’t, Lucky,” Willa pleaded, seeing the flash of the camera.
“Why not? Don’t you want a taste? I want to taste yours,” he groaned. “I want to see if it’s as sweet as your frosting.” His mouth pressed harder against hers, parting her lips that she tried to keep closed, and her nails pressed into his flesh.
“You taste like vanilla,” he murmured.
“Please, Lucky…”
“What do you want, Willa? Do you want me to stop?”
Willa saw the flash go off again, and her head fell back against the wall of the booth. She’d had every intention of stopping him; instead, she had lost all control when Lucky deepened the kiss, driving all caution from her mind.
“Please … don’t,” she breathed into his mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you there isn’t anything redeemable about me?” He caught her lips again, exploring her mouth with his tongue as she went limp against him, letting him take what he wanted from her, guiltily aware she wanted it also. However, she wasn’t brave enough to give in to the desire he was wringing from her tense body.
Willa saw another flash across her closed eyes before Lucky tore his lips from hers and pressed his thumb down on the pounding pulse at the base of her throat. Then he gave her a hard look before standing abruptly, leaving her alone in the photo booth.
Willa gathered her composure, straightening her blouse before pushing back the curtain and stepping outside. Although Lucky was thankfully nowhere to be seen, Rachel and Cash both gave her curious looks as they approached the photo booth.
Willa wanted to press her palms against her flushed cheeks, but she forced herself to keep her hands to her side.
“Having fun?” she asked the couple.
“Yes, Cash is still bummed out about losing the cake walk, but I promised him a few of your cupcakes the next time I tutor Sissy.” Rachel gave her a mischievous grin.
“That works for me.” Willa spoke to the couple for several minutes before excusing herself, going in search of Rider.
She found him sitting on the bleachers, watching the little girl eat a candy apple warily. He couldn’t hide his relief when he saw her.
“Thanks, Rider. I appreciate you watching her for me.”
“It’s cool. I babysit for Beth and Lily occasionally. Not often,” he hastened to add, “but enough to take care of them for about an hour. I always shove food in their faces.”
“That always worked on me,” Willa joked.
Rider’s eyes turned frosty. “Why do you always put yourself down?”
Willa shrugged. “Rider, it’s pretty obvious I like food.”
“I like it, too, but I don’t put myself down because I do.”
Willa surveyed his muscular body. “There’s a big difference between your body and mine.” Willa couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. She liked Rider. He was sweet and uncomplicated.
“Yes, there is.” His eyes went to her breasts.
She burst out laughing, unable to help her reaction to his sense of humor.
“If I had a brother, he would be just like you,” Willa complimented, guessing from the thunderstruck expression on his face that it was the first time he had been placed in that category.
Rider stood up, brushing down his jeans before straightening. “I’m going to go mend my broken heart with those two women about to go into the haunted house.”
“You do that. I’m sure they’ll appreciate your help through the maze. Winter told me it goes through eight classrooms.”
“Wait. I can’t just leave her with him.”
“Why not? He’ll take good care of her.” Lucky hustled her through the crowd toward one of the booths.
Willa stared down at the rubber ducks going in a circle of water, dumbfounded at Lucky planning to spend an hour with her. She had never managed to be in his presence for five minutes without feeling awkward. An hour would be torture.
Lucky handed the girl behind the table a dollar. “Pick one.” He motioned at the innocuous yellow ducks.
“Why?” Willa asked in confusion.
“For fun. Do you even know what fun is?”
“Yes, I do.” Willa pretended to be fascinated by the ducks going in a slow circle, hurt by his comment. “For your information, you being rude to me is not fun.”
She reached out, picking up one of the ducks and handing it to the girl who reached into a box and pulled out a string of brightly colored beads. Before she could take them, Lucky did then lifted them over her head, and they nestled in the cleft between her breasts. He reached out, taking the beads in his hand, his knuckles resting against the flesh of her breasts. Her breathing escalated at his intimate touch, so she tried to move away yet was held in place by the necklace until she felt it biting into the back of her neck.
Her nipples hardened as she tried to calm her breathing and pretend to be unaffected. His eyes moved to her side before returning to hers. Willa turned to see what had caught his attention and saw the biker who had been with Lucky and Rider the night she had picked Sissy up at the sheriff’s office. The stranger had two black eyes and looked frightening with the determined expression on his face. Before she could try to move away from Lucky again, he released the necklace then steered her toward a photo booth tucked against the wall.
He raised the curtain, propelling her forward before stepping inside with her.
“I don’t want my picture taken,” Willa protested.
A hand on her shoulder had her taking a seat as Lucky put a dollar into the slot. As soon as the whirling motor sucked the dollar inside, Lucky sat down next to her on the small seat. Embarrassed, she tried ineffectively to scoot over, only to find herself pinned between the wall and Lucky’s imposing body. She noticed his T-shirt was short-sleeved, and his large biceps were highlighted by the tattoos covering his arms.
When his hand covered her throat, turning her to face him, Willa froze for a split-second before her survival instincts screamed at her that he was about to kiss her. Putting her hands on his chest, she tried to place some space between them. A kiss from Lucky was something she had never expected to experience, and she was pretty darn sure it would be more than she could handle.
“Have you been kissed before?” His low voice had her trying to wiggle away from him, but his body merely leaned closer until her breasts were flattened against his chest with her hands caught between them.
“Of course.” She tried to turn her face away but Lucky gripped her chin, denying her a chance to avoid the deepening intimacy that he was weaving between them.
His mouth moved closer until she felt his lips brush hers when he talked. “Who?”
“None of your damn business,” Willa said defiantly. There was no way she was going to tell him it was Lewis who had managed to kiss her in high school. It had been a terrifying moment which she’d had nightmares about for several months afterward.
The tip of his tongue traced her bottom lip.
“Don’t, Lucky,” Willa pleaded, seeing the flash of the camera.
“Why not? Don’t you want a taste? I want to taste yours,” he groaned. “I want to see if it’s as sweet as your frosting.” His mouth pressed harder against hers, parting her lips that she tried to keep closed, and her nails pressed into his flesh.
“You taste like vanilla,” he murmured.
“Please, Lucky…”
“What do you want, Willa? Do you want me to stop?”
Willa saw the flash go off again, and her head fell back against the wall of the booth. She’d had every intention of stopping him; instead, she had lost all control when Lucky deepened the kiss, driving all caution from her mind.
“Please … don’t,” she breathed into his mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you there isn’t anything redeemable about me?” He caught her lips again, exploring her mouth with his tongue as she went limp against him, letting him take what he wanted from her, guiltily aware she wanted it also. However, she wasn’t brave enough to give in to the desire he was wringing from her tense body.
Willa saw another flash across her closed eyes before Lucky tore his lips from hers and pressed his thumb down on the pounding pulse at the base of her throat. Then he gave her a hard look before standing abruptly, leaving her alone in the photo booth.
Willa gathered her composure, straightening her blouse before pushing back the curtain and stepping outside. Although Lucky was thankfully nowhere to be seen, Rachel and Cash both gave her curious looks as they approached the photo booth.
Willa wanted to press her palms against her flushed cheeks, but she forced herself to keep her hands to her side.
“Having fun?” she asked the couple.
“Yes, Cash is still bummed out about losing the cake walk, but I promised him a few of your cupcakes the next time I tutor Sissy.” Rachel gave her a mischievous grin.
“That works for me.” Willa spoke to the couple for several minutes before excusing herself, going in search of Rider.
She found him sitting on the bleachers, watching the little girl eat a candy apple warily. He couldn’t hide his relief when he saw her.
“Thanks, Rider. I appreciate you watching her for me.”
“It’s cool. I babysit for Beth and Lily occasionally. Not often,” he hastened to add, “but enough to take care of them for about an hour. I always shove food in their faces.”
“That always worked on me,” Willa joked.
Rider’s eyes turned frosty. “Why do you always put yourself down?”
Willa shrugged. “Rider, it’s pretty obvious I like food.”
“I like it, too, but I don’t put myself down because I do.”
Willa surveyed his muscular body. “There’s a big difference between your body and mine.” Willa couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. She liked Rider. He was sweet and uncomplicated.
“Yes, there is.” His eyes went to her breasts.
She burst out laughing, unable to help her reaction to his sense of humor.
“If I had a brother, he would be just like you,” Willa complimented, guessing from the thunderstruck expression on his face that it was the first time he had been placed in that category.
Rider stood up, brushing down his jeans before straightening. “I’m going to go mend my broken heart with those two women about to go into the haunted house.”
“You do that. I’m sure they’ll appreciate your help through the maze. Winter told me it goes through eight classrooms.”
