Page 45 of Fairground

I nod. “Yeah, the one that our town’s named after. It’s a rite of passage for you to see it.”

“I’ve seen it from a distance.”

“But you haven’t seen it up close. Not on Colt’s land. Molly’s working patrol tonight, and Colt’s tied up at the distillery for a few more hours. I want you to experience it for yourself.”With me.

“Oh… okay. That sounds good.”

I smile, relieved it’s not a no, then nudge the salad bowl toward her again. “Eat.”

A few minutes later, I’m upstairs in the shower, scrubbing off the dirt from my day working with the chicks and at the fairgrounds. I’m not sure how tonight will unfold, and maybe it’s a mistake to get too hung up on Rae but I want her. I like her. She’s my rival, after all, but at this point, I'm not questioning what I'm feeling and just rolling with it. I’m not thinking about fucking her of course, I just want a taste of her.

I think.

The hot water runs over me, the steam filling the bathroom as I grip my shaft, jerking myself with one hand, the other planted firmly against the shower wall. My mind runs wild with thoughts of what she might be wearing under those thin joggers.Something lacy and black, maybe to match her whole spooky vibe. My pulse picks up at the image—hell, the thought of her body and how good I bet those soft curves would feel in my hands. I wonder what it’d feel like to spank her thick ass, or maybe even give her a soft bite her.

She’s got so much to offer, so much to give. It’d be incredible to feel her on top of me, her body moving with mine while she grips my neck.

I jerk harder, the tension building in my sack as I picture her even more clearly.

It's been a while since I've fucked, about three months since I've made the time for it and cared enough to make the effort, and I don't want to do something embarrassing so I figure I'll get this one out of the way so that I can think more clearly.

I run my hand along the smooth underside of my shaft, feeling it swell in my grip until my balls tighten, and my spine tingles. Finally, long, streams of cum shoot from my tip all over the shower floor with her name on my lips like a prayer. I quickly rinse off, making sure there’s no mess left behind for Regan to find, then get dressed in a simple, long-sleeved cream colored shirt and sweatpants before heading back downstairs.

When I enter the living room, now thinking much less with my cock and more with my brain, I find my dad settled in his favorite recliner watching the nightly news. Rae’s seated beside him on the couch, still laughing and chatting easily.

It’s the most I’ve seen her smile since the night that I first met her. And that’s Kent Marshall for you—he has a way of making even the darkest clouds part and getting people to relax.

I stand there for a minute, just watching them, enjoying the way they've become best buds, then decide I’m feeling greedy with her attention and walk over to her.

“Hey,” she says, flashing a genuine smile and catching my eye. “You good?”

“Yeah. Let’s go,” I reply, taking her hand and guiding her toward the back door.

"O-okay. By Mr. Marshall!" she calls out but he's already asleep in his chair, smiling easily like he was waiting for me to come down before he could clock out of his shift.

We head out to the deck, and I point at the souped-up golf cart. “We’re taking this to the creek.”

She hops on and I take off through the night, the wind whipping around us as I drive and think about how I'm going to get her to open up to me tonight.

Chapter 18: Rae

It’s so dark out here tonight. The kind of dark that feels alive and wraps you in a heavy blanket under its cover. The only light comes from the golf cart’s headlights, cutting through the thick trees as Cash drives—erratically, I might add.

I can’t decide if he’s just a bad driver or if he’s swerving on purpose to get a reaction out of me. Either way, it’s working. My pulse jumps every time we lurch around a bend and I'm gripping the handlebar at the top of the vehicle like my life depends on it. I tug my jacket tighter around me, trying to block out the bite of the crisp autumn air that's whipping past, tangling my already unruly hair.

“You all right?” he shouts over the hum of the cart, a boyish grin lighting up his whole face.

He looks like a kid in his element—pure joy and reckless excitement as he navigates the winding path towards the creek. Meanwhile, I’m struggling to relax, torn between laughing and yelling at him to slow down or he’s going to get us killed. His deep, unrestrained laugh rolls out into the night, and somehow, it makes it easier to breathe.

What is it about this guy? Everything with Cash just… flows. Effortless and unforced. My guard’s usually ironclad—especially with new people—but with him, it keeps slipping. I still don’t totally get his angle, but maybe that’s because there isn’t one. Maybe this is just who he is. A genuinely kind guy who makes everyone around him feel at ease.

I catch myself smiling back at him without even thinking. His energy is impossible to resist—like I’ve had two shots of espresso and somehow slept ten full hours on the comfiest bed. For the first time since moving to town I feel light. Happy.

Talking to his dad earlier felt like getting a glimpse at an older version of Cash, and I loved it. Every bit of it. Kent Marshall is a man who doesn’t stop talking but somehow also makes you feel heard. He reminds me a little of my nephews with his endless stories full of tales that you aren’t sure are true, except he’s more measured—like a man who’s lived, loved, and learned. A family man through and through.

You can tell by the way he talks about his kids and this town that he’s proud. Not just in the casual, parental sense, but in that deep-rooted, everything-I-have-is-because-of-them, way. When the conversation shifted to politics and the upcoming mayoral race, he told me more about his eldest son, Troy. About how proud he is of the work Troy’s done for North Carolina—ousting a corrupt mayor, rising to governor, making real change in New York and now here. His voice lit up when he spoke about it. You could hear the joy woven into every word, the kind of pride that lives in your bones.

But then he surprised me.

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