Page 48 of Claiming Xan
“Ready to blow this popsicle stand?”
“Ready whenever you are,” he replied, and the two of us headed back in the direction of where I’d parked, a block away, in the packed lot of a bank. Seemed everyone in Greymercy loved Summerdaze.
Then, as we were leaving, something caught my eye. Something big and colorful and shiny.
“OHMYGOD!” I cried out, spinning back around to point at the giant pastel rainbow unicorn cat plushie hanging from a hook at the front of one of the carnival stalls. “I need it! Win it for me? Pretty please?”
River scrunched his nose, glancing between me and the obscenely-large plush toy, before shrugging. I clapped my hands together and bounced on my heels. “Yay!”
We hurried over to play the game, where you had to push a bowling ball on a metal track with just enough force to make it go over the groove and hit the buzzer, but not too much, or it would spring back at you.
Spoiler alert: We sucked.
River began getting frustrated and using more and more force, until finally, he snarled a curse and stomped over to the carnie manning the game, who’d been goading us the entire time. That was his gig, after all.
“Look, man. My mate really wants that giant cat plush. I’ll give you twenty-five bucks.” River pulled out his wallet, but the guy just laughed at him.
“You gotta win the game to win the prize,” he drawled, waggling his stubby fingers in River’s direction. “Maybe your mate needs an Alpha with a bit more finesse.”
River growled. “I can’t win the fucking game,” he snapped back. “I tried! The damn thing’s rigged! Surely the prizes don’t cost that much.”
“It’s the fact of the matter,” the carnie said. “We don’t sell the novelties. They’re prizes.”
“Fifty bucks,” River countered. “No one has to know.”
“Sorry pal. No can do.”
River blew out an exasperated breath. “Fuck.” Kicking at a rock, he turned away, coming back over to me empty handed, and I couldn’t help but feel bad.
“Hey. It’s okay,” I assured him. “It’s just a toy. I don’t need it that bad, Riv. Sure it’s cute, but…” I gazed up at the fluffy unicorn cat one last time, then sighed and laced my fingers with River’s. “C’mon. Let’s go get a lemon shake-up before we leave.”
We began to walk away, when a voice called after us, “Wait, kid!” I turned to find the carnie jogging over to us, the unicorn cat plush in his arms. Puffing out his ruddy cheeks, he offered it to me. “Here.”
I stared at him, my eyes widening. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, take it,” he said, all but shoving it into my arms.
River pulled out his wallet, but the man waved him off. “Nah, it’s yours. On the house. I’m feeling generous tonight. Last night in town, after all, and what my boss don’t know won’t hurt her.” He chortled. “Just promise to come back next year and play again, you hear?”
With that, he spun on his heel and jogged back over to his booth. I squeaked and squeezed the stuffed cat to my chest. “Look at it! It’s so cute!” I rubbed my cheek against the velveteen fur.
“It is.” River smiled, but he was looking at me, not the plush.
My cheeks warmed up. “Oh, hush. I’m naming him Mr. Sparkles.”
“Okay, but Mr. Sparkles better not come between us in bed or he’s getting chucked to the floor,” River replied.
I snickered. “Jealous of a toy, Riv?”
“Hardly. I just don’t wanna fight that colorful monstrosity to kiss my boyfriend, that’s all.”
He leaned in, past Mr. Sparkles, and planted a kiss right on my lips. A tingle raced down my spine and I sighed happily.
“Fair.”
28
RIVER
