by Mari Carr
“No, no.” He could tell Ryder was trying to shake himself awake. “That’s no problem. How’s your dad?”
“They’re doing some more tests at nine and then I need to run out to the farm to take care of stuff there. I’m going to be home in a little while to shower and change, but I was wondering if—”
“You don’t even have to ask. I’ll take the day off and man the fort. Shit, it’s the least I can do. You’ve been covering for me for weeks. You take care of your dad and I’ll handle things here.”
“Thanks, Ryder.”
“I’ll see you when you get here.”
They hung up and Leo felt the tension in his shoulders relax.
“Everything good?”
He nodded. “Ryder’s going to take care of the boys today.”
She smiled. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Old Leo, the friend, would have given her some sort of smartass reply to tease her for being so cocky.
New Leo couldn’t summon anything more than gratitude. He kissed her. “You’re brilliant, amazing, the smartest person I know.”
It looked like the old friend part of Yvonne was struggling with new Leo. She gave him a suspicious expression, clearly waiting for the punchline. When it didn’t come, she flushed slightly, and he could tell she was touched by his kind words.
Of course, old or new, Yvonne could never pass up the chance for a joke. “Are you sure I still can’t convince you to put some of that in writing? You have no idea how handy something like that would be around here.”
“I’ll consider it.” Leo sighed. “I guess I should get dressed and head home for a little while.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
He didn’t stand up. Couldn’t leave her so soon, not after the night they’d just shared. He glanced down when she ran her fingers over his upper arm, tracing his tattoo. He could just about make out a faint bruise beneath the ink.
“Lay down, Vonnie.”
She did as he asked, though he could see she was surprised by—and curious about—the request.
She was partially covered by the sheet, so he tugged it down, baring her completely. Then he ran his eyes—and hands—over her, memories of how roughly he’d taken her downstairs niggling at his conscience.
Yvonne didn’t mistake his actions as foreplay, her eyes narrowing slightly when he told her to roll over to her stomach.
“I’m fine,” she said, not moving.
“I’d like to see that for myself. I was pretty rough with you.”
“God, you’re not going to start apologizing, are you?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Because I’m not sorry.”
“Good. Wait!” she said, as her eyes filled with horror. “You’re not going to promise not to do it again, are you?”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
She let loose with a long, loud sigh of relief, then she did as he asked, rolling to her stomach. She gave a little mewl of pleasure as he ran his hands softly over her slightly pink ass cheeks. There were some faint red marks on her back that he assumed had been left when he took her against the wall.
“You sure you’re okay?” The gentleman in him couldn’t stop from asking the question, even as the too-dominant lover reveled in knowing she’d feel the effects of their lovemaking all day long.
“I’m better than okay.”
“I’m afraid I lost control with you.”
She shook her head. “No. You didn’t. There’s a difference between losing control and letting go.”
He’d already discovered that for himself last night.
“And if you didn’t have to leave, I’d push you to your back, sink down on that thick, hard cock of yours and ride you until I convinced you to let go again.”
“Dirty talk,” he murmured, leaning over her to place a kiss in the center of her back. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any sexier.”
She shivered when he traced her spine with his tongue, traveling downwards until he reached the line between her ass cheeks.
“I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty good at dirty talk too,” he murmured, nipping her ass.
“Prove it,” she whispered.
“Next time we’re together, I’m going to bend you over this bed and finger fuck that tight little asshole of yours. Then I’m going to push you to the edge of an orgasm and make you beg for hours on end before I finally take you from behind and let you come.”
“God,” Yvonne said, the word all breath, no sound. “You win.”
He chuckled, then regretfully forced himself to push away from her. “I hate leaving you.”
She flopped to her back. While he was fighting hard to rally, she was losing her fight to sleep. “I’ll text you later.”
“Okay.” He kissed her on the cheek, then stood and got dressed. “Get some rest, baby.”
“Mmmm.” Her eyes were already closed, her speech slowing when she said, “I’m going to have very sweet dreams.”
Chapter Eight
“Hey, Vonnie. We’re going to the fair!”
Yvonne turned around at the sound of Clint’s voice. She managed to brace herself mere seconds before the sweet little boy launched himself into her arms. “The fair? No way! I love the fair.”
“Good. You’re coming with us.”
She glanced up at the sound of Leo’s voice and found him just inside the entrance to Sunday’s Side, standing next to Vince. Both of them were smiling at her.
It had been two days since she’d seen Leo, though they’d texted quite a lot. Actually, last night, it was more accurate to say they’d sexted…and it was fucking hot.
“To the fair?”
Leo nodded, and she could see he was a hell of a lot less excited about it than Clint. “My folks promised to take the boys, but…well…Dad’s bypass surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow and Mom insisted that I take the boys instead. She hated disappointing them. They’ve been looking forward to it all summer.”
“Can you come with us?” Vince asked hopefully.
“Weeellllll…” Yvonne looked around the restaurant and spotted her dad talking to two customers, then she turned back to Vince and gave him a wink. “Let me see if the boss will give me the afternoon off.”
Vince grinned. “That’s your dad.”
She crooked her finger at him. “Yeah, but he’s one tough customer. Come with me. If he sees I’ve got a hot date, he’ll never be able to say no to me.”
Vince laughed but followed her across the restaurant.
Her father saw them approaching, smiling when he saw Vince. “Hey, Vince. Long time no see.” He glanced behind them, waving to Leo and Clint. “What are you guys up to?”
“We’re going to the fair, and we wanted to know if Vonnie could come with us.”
Yvonne hated leaving her dad shy one waitress on short notice, but so far today, business had been damn slow.
“I think that would be fine. If we get in a pinch, I’ll call around and see if one of the other waitresses can come in for a few hours.”
Yvonne kissed her dad on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Have a good time, Vonnie.”
She took off her apron, then excused herself to run upstairs to grab her purse and sunglasses while the guys waited for her in the pub, chatting with Padraig.
“Ready,” she said, when she joined them again.
Leo held the door to the pub open for all of them to leave but didn’t reach for her hand. She suspected he was playing it cool in front of the boys. They hadn’t discussed what they’d say to Vince about what was going on between them.
Of course, they hadn’t talked much at all beyond what sexual positions they were going to try the next time they managed to steal five minutes alone.
Leo opened the passenger door of his truck and helped her in while the boys clamored into the backseat.
Leo crossed to the driver’s side and fired up the engine. His old Ford F150 had seen better days,
but according to Leo, it still “did the trick.” They drove to the Maryland State Fair with the windows down, country music blasting on the radio, grinning like fools as they chatted about all the fair food they were going to eat.
The boys were determined to try fried Oreos, Yvonne was looking forward to her funnel cake. Leo told them they could gorge themselves on the desserts if they wanted, but he was getting a jumbo Italian sausage with the works.
Once they arrived, Vince and Clint immediately dragged them to the stand to buy tickets for rides. Leo plopped down a twenty, and then he and Yvonne followed them to the Tilt-A-Whirl.
“Wanna give it a spin?” Leo asked.
Yvonne shook her head. “No thanks. Me and spinning in fast circles do not agree. I have a date with a funnel cake that I’d like to keep.”
They waved when the boys got on the ride. Once the ride started spinning, Leo slid his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him for a kiss that was probably skirting the boundaries of “fair appropriate.”
“God,” he murmured against her lips. “I’ve been waiting to do that for days.”
She grinned. “I admire your restraint in front of the boys. And…my dad.”
“Guess we need to figure out what we’re telling people about us,” he mused.
“What do you want to tell them?”
Leo’s hand slid from her waist to her ass for just a split second, giving it a playful squeeze. “I want to tell everyone you’re mine, but…”
Leo glanced toward the ride once more. It was starting to slow down, which meant there were two very dizzy little boys about to head in their direction.
“But there’s no rush,” Yvonne said. “We’ve only just crossed the line from friends to lovers. Let’s keep it to ourselves for a little while. Just to be sure.”
“Sure of what?”
Yvonne shrugged. “I guess that it’ll stick.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “You think it won’t?”
“I’ve wanted this since I was fourteen, and if it was up to me, I’d start carving our names into every tree on the planet, then I’d skywrite it for good measure. But…” She crinkled her nose. “I think we have to do that silly adulting thing, take things slow because if it doesn’t work out…”
She didn’t want to finish that sentence because her heart didn’t want to consider this wasn’t forever, but Kelli’s words about her possibly hurting more than just Leo kept coming back to her.
“If it doesn’t work out, there’s more than just you and me getting hurt.”
She wanted to ask Leo if he’d ever talked to Vince about the future, about the possibility that Leo may start dating and even get married, but there wasn’t time. Vince was already off the ride—unsteady on his feet, but grinning from ear to ear. He helped Clint down, then the two of them raced back to Leo and Yvonne.
“I don’t know where they find the energy,” Leo said.
“Can we play some games?” Clint asked.
“Sure.” The four of them meandered through the tents, trying to decide which to play. Actually, she and Leo were looking at the games. Clint and Vince were eyeballing the prizes, trying to decide which ones they wanted to win.
Yvonne pulled up short when they reached the Strong Man game.
“Want to test your strength?” Leo asked her.
“Nope. Want to test yours.”
Leo shook his head and started to walk on, but Vince and Clint blocked his path.
“Do it!” Vince urged.
“Why don’t you give it a try?” Leo asked his son.
Vince shook his head. “I’m not as strong as you. I bet you could ring that bell.”
There were several other young men in the line ahead of them, and so far none of them had managed to strike hard enough to win.
“I’ll buy your Italian sausage if you do,” Yvonne said, adding more incentive.
Leo considered that. “I want the works, remember?”
She laughed. “You haven’t rung the bell yet.”
They got in line, watching as two more men failed to win.
“Thing is probably rigged,” Leo muttered.
The moment Leo said that, the man just before them struck hard enough to ring the bell.
“There goes that excuse,” Yvonne teased.
“I’m going to make you pay for this later,” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she threw back with a sultry wink.
From the suddenly hungry look on Leo’s face, she knew her taunt had been effective, and she wondered if she’d catch a glimpse of anything bulging in his pants if she snuck a look below his belt.
The guy running the booth called Leo up and he took the mallet.
“Go, Dad!” Vince called out as Clint bounced up and down on his toes excitedly.
Yvonne had definitely had an ulterior motive when she’d suggested this game. As Leo threw the mallet back, she got a peek at his muscular arms bulging beneath his T-shirt. One of these days she was going to run her tongue along every single line of the tattoos that painted both of his upper arms.
Leo swung hard and rang the bell.
She, Vince and Clint cheered as the man asked Leo what prize he wanted. Leo pointed to Yvonne. “Ask her.”
Yvonne glanced at the large array of stuffed animals, then consulted with Clint. “Which one do you think I should get?”
“The Pokémon!” he shouted.
She selected the Pokémon—Pikachu, to be exact—then thanked Clint, who gallantly offered to carry it for her.
“Come on,” Leo said. “Somebody owes me a sausage.”
They ate their fair food as they walked along the lines of arts and crafts and canned goods on display, but that foray was brief, the boys too impatient to return to “the fun stuff.”
“Let’s do more rides,” Vince said.
Leo led them back to the rides, and he and Yvonne snuck kisses as the boys rode the Swing Ride and the Orbiter.
“Okay,” Leo said when they returned. “Four tickets left. What should it be?”
Both boys were looking a bit green after the last ride, so Yvonne wasn’t surprised when they elected for something a little tamer.
“What about the Ferris wheel?” Vince suggested. “You and Vonnie can ride on that one too.”
“Sounds like fun,” Yvonne said. “Clint and I can—”
“You and Leo should ride together,” Clint said. “I’ll ride with Vince.”
Yvonne tried to sneak a peek at Vince’s face to see what he thought of that suggestion, but he didn’t appear to be listening, his attention snagged by three girls about his age who were walking by.
She’d told Leo he didn’t have to worry about Vince’s hormones until high school, but she was suddenly revising that opinion.
“What do you say, Vonnie? You and me?” Leo asked.
Yvonne nodded and the four of them got in line. The boys climbed in first, then they got into the car directly behind them.
As the Ferris wheel began spinning, Leo slipped his hand along the back of their seat, drawing his fingers over the nape of her neck.
She sighed contentedly. “I can’t thank you enough for inviting me along today. This brings back so many great memories. My family never missed the fair when I was a kid.”
“Funny. I was just sitting here thinking eighteen was too old for my first visit. It’s definitely more exciting when you’re a kid.”
Yvonne twisted to look at him. “You’re kidding, right?”
Leo shook his head. “My family subscribes to that saying, ‘All work and no play.’”
Yvonne waited for him to finish, but he didn’t. “You realize there’s more to that saying, right?”
“Not in my family.”
“The fair feels like something you would do. Aren’t there contests for vegetables and canning and stuff like that?”
“If we’d come to the fair, we would have had to close the stand. My dad never closes the stand. Always s
aid that was what fed us and kept a roof over our heads.”
“I thought it was your parents who’d promised to bring the boys.”
Leo laughed. “There’s a big difference between parents and grandparents.”
“I get that.”
“I think I’m always giving the wrong impression of my parents. It wasn’t like we begged to come to the fair and they said no. We were homeschooled, so there weren’t other kids telling us about the rides or the cotton candy or stuff. I didn’t realize how cool it was until I started school. I think it was you, actually, who turned my head. You brought me a candy apple on the first day of school my senior year, said you’d gotten it here, then you proceeded to tell me about the games and the rides. I came with Lochlan for the first time, the summer after we graduated. He was trying to cheer me up about my breakup with Denise.”
“Did it work?”
Leo rolled his eyes. “You know me, Vonnie. I’ve always been a miserable bastard.”
She bent toward him and kissed him on the cheek. “If that were true, I wouldn’t be on this Ferris wheel with you.”
“I guess all I’m saying is, there wasn’t anything horrible about my childhood. My parents loved us, but no one could accuse them of spoiling us. I’ve watched them with Vince, and I think maybe they realize there was too much work and not enough fun when we were growing up. They’re mellowing a little with age.” He sighed. “Now if only Josh would.”
Leo was the baby of his family, and there was a fairly large age gap between him and his siblings. His sister, Marie, was ten years older than him, his brother, Josh, five. He’d admitted once that his sister had always felt more like a second mom.
“Fruit didn’t fall far from the tree with your brother, I’m afraid.” Yvonne had been around Josh enough to know the man had zero sense of humor and even fewer people skills. He was gruff, judgmental, and pretty unforgiving.
Leo shrugged. “I’m afraid nothing I’ve ever done has been good enough for Josh. At least I figured that out a long time ago, so I stopped letting it hurt me.”
“I guess I was lucky. Only child. And super spoiled.”
Leo wrapped the arm resting on the back of the seat around her shoulders and pulled her close, placing a kiss on the side of her head. “You can say that spoiled thing again.”