Page 57 of Rushing Into Love

“Great job!” I high-fived her. Her cheeks were flushed with the excitement, making her even more damn adorable.

“Four darts left, little lady,” the booth master said, motioning to his watch like he didn’t have all day.

“Right,” Bree said, lining up again. She threw out the next dart and popped another balloon.

“Good job!”

She beamed and threw the next three darts, clearing the board.

“I did it!” she screamed, shocked by her newfound skill. Grabbing her by the waist, I pulled her to me and kissed her.

“Great job,” I murmured into her lips.

“Beginner’s luck,” the booth master muttered.

“No, I had a great teacher,” Bree said, staring into my eyes. I grinned at her.

“Pick your prize, little lady,” the booth master urged.

“What would Charlie like?” Bree asked, turning to me.

“That’s sweet of you,” I said, touched. “Probably the football would be my guess.”

Bree pointed to the football and the booth master hooked it, handing it over to her reluctantly.

“Thanks for teaching me to play darts, Ryder. Now we’ll have to go head-to-head, teacher vs. student.”

“All in due time, grasshopper,” I teased, pulling her in close to me. “All in due time.”

We played a few more fair games, went on a hay ride, shared a funnel cake, and bought my mom and Brooklyn some apple cider jam, all before the sun started to set.

Eventually, the air turned chilly and Bree started to shiver.

“Thin California blood, huh?” I said, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her in close to my body.

She giggled. “Something like that.”

“I should probably get you home anyway, my mom’s been watching Charlie all day.” I leaned over, kissing her lightly on the top of her head.

She sighed. “Too bad. I hate for today to be over. I had a great time.” She looked up at me, her eyes glittering.

“I did, too. I gotta hand it to that smart relationship expert—going out in public, on a real date, went better than expected.” I grinned at her and she laughed.

“So far, so good,” she said, as we walked through the town square back to the lot.

“I’m going to go ahead and call the date a success,” I said, holding the car door open for her. She climbed in, grinning.

We drove through the center of town, past several neighborhoods, then we were at Brooklyn’s. I shut my lights off as I pulled into the drive, cut my engine.

Bree turned to face me. “Thanks for taking me to the festival, Ryder.”

“Thanks for coming.” Leaning forward, I cupped her face, lightly kissing her on the lips. Her lips were soft and warm and sweet, like funnel cake. My body tensed, wanting more. I moved my hands down her neck, trailing them over her shoulders, lightly grazing her breasts. She let out a soft moan and I knew she wanted more, too. She pressed her chest up against mine and I let my hands wander lower, skimming her torso, her hips, until they found her firm butt. I cupped her there for a few minutes, then moved around to the front of her hips, stroked her thigh, tiptoeing up the seamline of her jeans to the center of her body. I held her in my hands for a second, felt her warmth. She let out a soft groan, then pulled away.

“You’re such a tease, Ryder McCauliffe.”

“Hey, you’re the one breaking away,” I said, flashing my dimples.

“Well, unfortunately, we’re sitting in my sister’s driveway and I’m not altogether convinced she’s not peeping out the blinds at us right now.”

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