Page 30 of Sin

She looked between them. “I don’t want to intrude on your date night.”

“Hey, no intrusion whatsoever.”

“Oh!” Her eyes widened. “I forgot. You’ve got to see my car.”

“You bought a car?” Livia stood up and gestured for Courtney to follow.

“Hunter and Ares took me to this guy named George and forced him to sell it to me for cheap.”

Courney snorted. “Fucking George. Sleazy car salesman.”

They stepped outside and she proudly pointed to the cute little car. The cherry-red paint gleamed in the late-afternoon light.

“Wow,” Livia said, sounding impressed. “I love it.”

“Me too. Now I can drive myself and not bother you two, so please don’t worry about me.”

Livi frowned. “Of course, I’m going to worry a little. We need to get you a cell phone.”

“Maybe when I get my first paycheck. This car pretty much depleted my money. Let’s go and have some fun!”

A few minutes later, she pulled behind Courtney’s motorcycle as he led them along winding roads until they reached the fair. Event staff directed her into a large field where all the cars were packed like sardines. She slid her purse under the seat after grabbing some money in case she wanted something to eat or drink.

The only fair she’d ever attended was a fund drive her father put on every year, that basically consisted of a bunch of homemade desserts, arts and crafts, and a few bouncy houses for the children. Adira walked through the crowd, eyes wide as she took in all sorts of rides and game booths. What caught her eye immediately was the large Ferris wheel in the center. Just as she stepped in line to buy tickets for it, an arm slid around her waist and pulled her into a muscular chest. She recognized Hunter’s scent and relaxed into his embrace.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she turned her head to look up at him.

“Courtney texted me and Ares where you were going.”

This perplexed her. “Why? It’s Saturday night.”

He didn’t answer as they reached the ticket booth. A book of twenty tickets was the cheapest one she could buy, but before she could slide her money over, Hunter slapped down a twenty-dollar bill, grabbed the book, linked their fingers together, and led her over to the Ferris wheel. He thrust the entire book at the attendant.

“We’re staying on for a few rounds. Got it?”

The poor kid gulped. “Y-yeah. Sure, man. No prob.”

They sat in one of the seats and Hunter brought the safety bar down. Then he turned toward her and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck to yank her into him and kiss her passionately. For the first rotation, all she felt was him. The world centered around Hunter. When they finally came up for air, she realized they were at the top. The exciting drone of the fair below was nothing more than a buzz. She and Hunter were in a cocoon and she snuggled against his chest.

“I wasn’t going to come,” he admitted softly. He brushed fine hairs around her temple. “I’m supposed to be working. But when Courtney texted me, I was uncomfortable with the idea of you being by yourself at a fair.”

She thought that was sweet but didn’t want to break the mood between them.

“Thank you,” she said.

He kissed the top of her head. “For what?”

“Being here.”

The wheel went around again and again. By the time Hunter motioned to the kid at the controls that they wanted off, twilight had faded to night. He took hold of her hand, twining their fingers together. It was no surprise that he was an excellent shot and won her a little stuffed dragon. She indulged in all sorts of unhealthy food, like funnel cake and cotton candy. They caught up with Courtney and Livia once, to say hi. She let Livia know she was heading back to the house, and Livia blew her a kiss. Then Hunter led her back to her car and made sure she was secure before leaving to find his bike.

Adira realized she was going to have to be very careful not to fall for him and Ares. She didn’t want her heart to break any more than it had.

Chapter Fourteen

Sunday evening rolled around and Adira went to work at her scheduled time. As she clocked in, her name was called out and she turned to see Sarah waving at her. Returning the wave, she hurried to reach her.

“Hi.”

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