Page 20 of Penalties and Proposals

He chuckles, quickly pulling his shirt back over his head, but not before giving me one last, all-too-smug wink. “You think anyone got a good look?”

“Oh, I think they got more than a good look,” I say, shaking my head. “You’ve just become the highlight of the festival.”

Trying not to be awkward, I attempt to turn our attention back to the photo booth.

“So, photo booth. Looks like they have fun fall props for you to hold onto.” The words coming out of my mouth are like foreign objects. Why do I get absolutely ridiculous when I’m nervous?

Noah watches me, his lips twitching at my anxiety. Lips I need to stop looking at and fast.

He stands next to the booth, grabbing some corn stalks asprops and putting on a hat that is clearly meant for a scarecrow. “Should I wear it?”

Putting the lens to my eyes, I crack up. “Perfect. Serve me some looks.”

“How’s this?” He puts on a pout as he picks up a jack-o-lantern and acts like he’s kissing it.

“I like it, but maybe you should”—I point to the actual photo booth—“go inside and do some of the photos there?”

“Okay, but I have one caveat.” He takes off his hat and looks at me, hazel eyes wide with sincerity. “You take at least one photo in there with me.”

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being on the other side of the camera. But for a good picture, and to keep our fun train rolling, you can bet I’ll do it.

“Fine. One.”

“One set of pictures.”

“One picture.”

“You can’t do that, Willa. You have to stay in there while it does its time. And that’s usually for four pictures.”

I take a big breath in and let it out, slowly. “Okay, but they aren’t ever shown to anyone, okay?”

“Wow, I don’t know how you ended up so mad at photos of yourself, but okay.” Grinning, he pulls back the curtain and holds a hand out. “After you, m’lady.”

Rolling my eyes, I grab the scarecrow hat and a stuffed black cat and crawl inside the booth. Noah squeezes in beside me, grabbing a handful of hay. As the first flash pops off, we’re staring at each other, I’m pointing at the hay as he pets the stuffed cat in my clutches.

“What are you doing with that hay?” I ask, realizing as I say it what he’s doing. A second before the next flash goes off, Noah tosses the hay in the air, the photo sure to be a good one with the both of us giggling as hay floats to the ground around us.

I can feel the hay in my hair, and when I look at Noah, he’s got a cluster of it stuck to the side of his head. Without thinking,I reach out and begin to remove it at the same time he does, our hands touching in midair. His touch sends a heat across my flesh that makes me freeze in place, a statue without a pedestal. Pop! The flash goes off, causing me to blink my eyes.

When I open them, I’m thrilled to find that he’s looking at something he probably shouldn’t be. My lips.

Pulling his gaze up to meet mine, my heart skips a beat. Like a magnet, I feel my body being pulled closer to his as he’s leaning in closer to me. I can feel the heat of his breath on my cheek, there’s a citrus smell mixed with cedar that has to be his cologne, and the way he’s looking at me says more than any words ever could … when my phone rings.

We both jump in the air as the flash bulb pops, and the moment is broken. Holding on to one another, we fall out of the booth laughing and my phone stops ringing, so I choose to ignore it. We’re both still catching our breath a few minutes later when the strip of photos shoots out of its slot on the side, giving us a chance to see ourselves in a different light.

The pictures in my hand say a thousand words. There is no denying it, there’s something happening right here, right now. Even I can see the chemistry between us,especiallyin the last shot. A shiver flutters across my flesh as I’m transported, even momentarily, to a few mere moments ago when we were alone, squished into that photo booth, sitting almost on top of one another.

A flash of heat stirs inside and I feel flushed, so of course I’m super thankful when a few kids run up to Noah and ask him for his autograph. Gives me a chance to breathe through what almost happened and get a grip.

The atmosphere around us is vibrant with laughter, the scent of cinnamon and apples filling the air. As he finishes his last signature, he turns my way.

“I thought I saw hayrides,” Noah says, winking. “Feel like going on one?”

Smiling, I’m about to answer when my phone rings. Again.Glancing at the screen, I see it’s Mom once more, so I decide not to answer. Only Noah notices and can’t resist commenting.

"Not going to answer that?” he teases, raising one eyebrow. “What, are you dodging your mom now?”

I can hear the teasing in his voice as I roll my eyes and slip the phone back into my pocket. “Oh, trust me, you don’t want to get in the middle of that. She’s probably calling to ask if I’ve met any ‘nice young men’ at the festival.”

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