Page 29 of Rematch
Audrey
“Please don’t fall,” Gianna said. She was standing on the ground beside the stool I was using as an impromptu ladder.
I climbed up here a minute ago to fix the fallen corner of our banner.
For the carnival fundraiser tonight, Gianna and I were assigned one of the bean bag toss booths. We’d already glued the buckets onto the plywood board and hung up the plush prizes around the booth. The main thing giving us problems was this damn banner.
“Don’t worry,” I heard Carter’s voice. “I’ll catch her if she does.”
I glanced down to see he’d joined Gianna’s side.
His company tee shirt hugged his muscles in all the right places, and the smile he was offering was charming enough to make any woman smile. He and his company have been here since the morning, assisting the event staff with setting up the booths for the vendors. He’s been by this way often to check on Gianna and me. His timing was perfect this time around.
“Can you help us with this banner?” I asked. I carefully stepped down from the stool, still clutching the other end of the cloth and the stapler in my hand. “It has a personal vendetta against us.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I got you.”
Easily, he hopped up on the stool and stapled the banner into its proper place. His position on the stool offered a perfect view of his arms and torso, sculpted from the raw labor he put in at his job. Underneath the soft pink light from the setting sky, his light brown skin glistened like a pile of shimmering gold. I couldn’t help but take the moment to admire the beautiful man he was.
He caught my stare as he climbed back down. A smile spread across his face. “You like what you see?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Hm,” he hummed, stepping closer. His hands slithered over my hips and he tugged my torso against his. Between our clothes, I could feel the subtle poke of the bulge in his pants. “It’s all yours whenever you’re ready to take it.”
My cheeks burned as his eyes fell to my lips, and desire flooded through his irises. I almost melted underneath the heat of his gaze.
In my peripheral, I noticed Gianna doing her best to pretend she wasn’t paying us any mind.
Carter dipped his head down to my ear. “Will tonight be good for you?” He asked, his voice dropping to a husk whisper. His hands slid from my waist down to my thighs. “After all this is over, I can take you back to my place. We can order some food, watch a movie - or let the movie watch us.”
I opened my mouth to tease him with another maybe. But, Gianna nudged my back.
“Mayday, mayday,” she whispered under his breath. She was staring in the opposite direction of Carter and me, eyes widening with every passing second.
Confused, I turned my head to follow her gaze. I instantly caught sight of a man with dark brown skin and locs pulled up into a neat ponytail.
“Davis,” he exclaimed as we locked eyes. “Long time, no see!”
I didn’t need to look to know who was a few steps behind him.
I quickly broke out of Carter’s embrace and turned to face the two of them as they approached our booth.
“Hey, Tony,” I greeted. I looked at his companion. “Hey, Max.”
I doubted he even heard me. His eyes were already on Carter, flicking from his hands to his head. As if wondering which one he was going to break first.
Tony opened his arms wide. “Come here, girl! Don’t act like I’m a stranger!”
Smiling, I hurried around the counter of the booth and into his arms.
He squeezed me tight for a second before pulling away to do a once over. “Look at you! Grown and gorgeous! No wonder my boy’s head hasn’t been straight. Tight as shit, aren’t you?”
Max barely spared a glance at his trainer, his gaze still fixed on my current beau.
Behind me, I could feel the heat of Carter’s body change from lust to something else. Not quite anger, but still burning with animosity.
Shaking my head, I said, “We’re still friends. Right, Max?”
