Page 74 of Just This Once

I preened, knowing that maybe Whip also thought Craig lost something when I left. I bumped my shoulder into his. “You know, I liked you better when you hated me.”

“Liar.” He laughed. “Besides, I never hated you. But maybe I hated the way you made me feel.”

Tingles spread through my chest. Light danced across his features as I stopped to face him. “How did I make you feel?”

His jaw ticced and my heart rate spiked. “Like I’d burn down my entire world just to have you.”

My brain fizzled and my blood buzzed. I pointed a finger toward his nose and grinned. “See. Reckless.”

With a laugh Whip grabbed my finger and pulled me closer to him. We stood on the outskirts of the carnival, surrounded by neighbors and strangers, as the world moved around us. Tension crackled between us. My attention bounced from his lips to his eyes. His tongue darted out to wet his lips.

A shove from behind sent me crashing into him. I turned to see Robbie Lambert with his hands in the air.

“Oh shit! I mean shoot. Sorry, Miss Ward.”

I gathered myself and smiled. “Hey, Robbie. It’s okay.” My eyes flicked from his new shoes to his face, and my heart sank. I narrowed in on a bruise coloring his high cheekbone with shades of deep purple seeping into a putrid greenish-yellow edge.

I reached my hand out but snatched it back when he retreated a few steps. “What happened to your face? Are you okay?”

His fingertips brushed along the bruise. “Oh yeah. It’s nothing. Just messing around. See you later, Miss Ward.”

“Bye...,” I let out weakly as I watched him jog toward his friends and rejoin his group.

“You okay?” Whip asked.

I shook my head. “Fine, it’s just... did you believe him? About his bruise?”

Whip looked ahead to where Robbie and his friends had disappeared into the crowd. “Sure, why not?”

Something more sinister scratched at my brain. “I think his dad hits him.”

Whip frowned. “Do you have proof? Has he ever told you that?”

My lips pressed together. “No, it’s just a feeling. He’s had some bruises on his arms before but never on his face. That bruise looked fresh and painful.”

“You could always talk with Principal Cartwright.”

I shook my head and set my shoulders. “I’m a mandated reporter. As a teacher I am required by law to reportanysuspected abuse.”

He paused, his eyes slightly widening. “I just meant to get a second opinion. That’s all. A lot of those kids play tackle football on the beach. We used to catch a stray elbow every once in a while. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I think I’m just worried. There’s something about his dad that gives me a bad feeling.”

“Pokey Lambert is a hothead and a prick, but I don’t think he’s a child abuser.”

I chewed the inside of my lip as I searched the crowd for one last glance at Robbie. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

He was lost in the crowd, so I set aside the gnawing feeling. My mood lifted, and my eyes lit up when I spotted the fun house entrance ahead. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

WHIP

The dark corridorof the fun house closed in on us as the floor shifted beneath my feet. I kept one hand locked on the railing and the other on Emily’s hip. Wrapped in the safety of darkness, I was free to touch her. My hand slipped down to grope her ass.

“Watch it.” She smirked over her shoulder as she ducked under the wall that led to the next turn.

“Oh, I’m watching it.” I palmed her butt again, letting my hand slip between her thighs. “I like what I see.”

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