A Fair to Remember

Something about the way she said that. “You don’t believe in it?”

Her gaze met his before bouncing away. “Kinda hard to swallow, don’t you think? That two people could fall in love that fast?”

Wes’s heart thumped. Yeah, ridiculous notion, love at first sight. He fiddled with his smelly jacket. The girl backed up a step, then stopped.

“You know, I only live a few blocks away if you want to get cleaned up.”

New definition of crazy: going to her house.

“You might even fit into some of Charlie’s—my brother’s—clothes.”

Ah, see now that sounded safe. She lived at home yet, and he could think of nothing better than getting out of these clothes. Well, except for…his gaze swept down and up, noting the sexy tank, low cutoffs, chain belt, and each of her tattoos. A quick shot of adrenaline left him tingling.

Crazy.

“You wouldn’t mind?” he asked, actually hoping she’d rethink an offer to a complete stranger and save him from himself.

“Of course not, especially since it’s our fault. My parents are here tonight, and Charlie’s working a double with the rescue squad—which is why I have Sugar—but I’m sure I can find something for you.”

He fell into step alongside her, but still tried to talk himself out of it. “I can just go to the store, I have a rental car—”

Her nose wrinkled. “You’ll get the car dirty, and besides, you can’t go smelling like that.”

How nice of her to remind him he stunk like dog barf. He’d been trying to ignore it. “You mean like you?” he tossed back with a half-grin.

“Yeah.” She glanced down at her shirt with a grimace, and he noticed her cheeks were pink again. It was cute, and so out of character with the tough girl persona that the tattoos and sexy tank top implied. Wes jerked his attention back to the sidewalk.

They didn’t say much on the way, but it really wasn’t that far. When she walked down a side path to the backyard gate of a huge two-story house, he followed with raised brows. Nice house, nice homey neighborhood. She must be the rebel child. He knew all about that, only he’d gone the opposite direction, from gang member to college student and now investment broker/financial planner.

His mother would’ve been proud, but his father would turn in his grave if he could see Wes now—if the stories he’d heard growing up were true. Rival gang members had knifed and shot Wes’s father when Wes was only four, so he didn’t remember much except what the brothers had told him of his father’s legend.

Miss Crazy Beautiful stood aside for him to go first, then latched the gate behind them and let Sugar loose. The dog b

ounded around the yard as they continued to the back patio.

She paused with a hand on the door. “I’ll be right back—what size shoes do you wear?”

“Ten and a half.”

So, he wasn’t invited in? Wes felt a familiar stab of resentment until common sense knocked him upside the head. What did he expect, she didn’t even know him. Come to think of it, she didn’t even know his—

“Between Dad and Charlie, I’ll find something.”

When the door clicked shut, Wes turned to face the yard again. The sun had dropped below the trees during their walk, but the temperature still held at a comfortable level. All other things aside, it seemed they were in for a nice summer night.

He rolled his shoulders, trying to unstick his cotton shirt from his back without success. Suddenly the smell and thought of what clung to his skin was too much, and he stipped the shirt over his head in one fluid motion. The arms caught until he yanked so hard the cuff buttons popped off. His squishy shoes and disgusting socks were next, and when he noticed chunks of food on the bottom of his pants, they followed.

And now that he’d finished his impulsive freak-out, he thought about when she came back outside. With a shrug, he decided big deal. If they’d met at the beach, he’d have been wearing pretty much the same thing. Of course, he never went to the beach, and now he had a bullet scar on his back.

He distracted himself by wondering if she wore bikinis or a one-piece.

Chapter 3

Tara reached to slide the patio door open, then paused at the sight of… Oh, God, she didn’t even know his name!

How about Sexy, with a capital S and full sizzle. He sat in a patio chair in his boxer shorts, watching Sugar’s antics with a hint of a smile on his face. A face that had taken her breath away earlier when he’d laughed and those incredible light blue eyes of his crinkled at the corners. Now, looking at the body, well, the man certainly had nothing to be shy about, that’s for sure. He must work out, or play sports—lots of fat-burning, muscle-building sports.

Then she spotted the tattoo on his right shoulder. Her stomach gave a funny little flip at the sight of a dragon head, blended in blue, purple, teal and green, spitting orange and red flames that wrapped around his bicep. Wow. Even from here, she could see the incredible artistry.