Clutching Chrissy’s hand in one of hers, she tried to button her top with her other hand.
“Where are the other three tonight?” Lucky’s hoarse voice had her taking an involuntary step backward.
“Charlie is with his friends at one of the booths, and Leanne and Sissy are both at home. They said they were too old for school carnivals.”
“Neither volunteered to help you with their cousins?”
“You know teenagers …” Willa began to defend the two older girls.
“Yes, I do, and they’ll take advantage if you let them.” Lucky’s eyes were still pinned to her trembling fingers trying to button her blouse.
“I wanted to give them some free time.” His nerve-wracking observation of her fumbling attempts made her even clumsier.
“Exactly when was the last time you had any?” He took a step forward, brushing her hand away then fastening the button for her.
Her mind went blank as she stared into his hazel eyes. “Wh-What?”
“Free time?” This time, a small smile played on his sensuous lips.
“Oh.” Reason gradually returned when Lucky reached down, picking up Chrissy and placing her in Rider’s surprised arms.
“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.#p#分页标题#e#
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.