I roll my eyes. “Yeah, not so much anymore. Hey.” I lift my hand in greeting, and they both lift their chins in acknowledgment.
“Your parents cut you off?” Eros asks, one eyebrow lifted in question.
“Nah. My dad got hurt a couple years ago. Hasn’t been able to work since.” It’s the closest to the truth I’m willing to admit to a handful of strangers.
“Don’t worry. We’ll show you how the other side lives.”
One by one, I watch the carnival rides shut down as the hordes of people make their way to the exit.
“I don’t think I’m ready for another urban exploration adventure.”
Eros laughs. “Beers by the bunkhouse?”
Sebastian steps on the forgotten mermaid, the air leaving it in a sad hiss, as we make our way back toward the bunkhouse.
Two hours of sitting around the fire pit and three beers later, I can barely keep my eyes open.
“I should get home,” I say, stretching my arms out in front of me. Not that my parents will even notice I’m gone. Mom is still working the night shift, and my dad probably doesn’t even know what year it is. I grab my phone out of my purse, starting to dial the cab company.
“What are you doing?” Sebastian asks.
“Calling a cab.”
He snatches the phone from my hand, hitting the red button to cancel the call. “I’ll take you.”
“No, that’s really okay,” I insist, reaching for my phone, but Sebastian raises it out of my reach.
“I’m not letting you take a cab, Evan.”
Too tired to fight, I give in, secretly relieved that I don’t have to shell out more cash to get home. I let Sebastian pull me to my feet, saying my goodbyes to the guys. Eros gives me a giant bear hug, and Tres and Lathan give me a wave.
When we approach a bike, I stop short, cutting my eyes at Sebastian. “Don’t you have a normal vehicle? Preferably one with four wheels?”
“I could take one of the trucks,” he starts. “But then I wouldn’t be able to feel those legs wrapped around me. Where’s the fun in that?”
For the second time tonight, he’s managed to render me speechless. At least when he was a jerk, I knew what to expect. Now, it’s all a guessing game. I squirm under his gaze and he smirks, like he knows what’s going through my head, and then closes the distance between us.
“Do you trust me?” he asks, just like he did the first night we met. He takes my eye roll as a yes and lifts me by my waist, depositing me on the back of his bike. His hands linger on the sides of my hips as he settles into the space between my legs, causing my dress to ride up.
His teeth scrape along his bottom lip as he looks down at me. I need him to kiss me. I need to see if what I felt that first night was just a fluke, or if it’s something only Sebastian can give to me. What if I’ve just been romanticizing the whole thing for two years?
Going for bold, I grab a fist full of his dirty white T-shirt and pull. Sebastian doesn’t hesitate. He kisses me like he’s been waiting just as long as I have. The second his lips hit mine, I know. It’s not a fluke. Not just some little girl reeling over her first kiss. It’s him. It’s in the way his hands move up to grip the back of my head, angling me where he wants me. It’s in the way he bends his knees to deepen the kiss. It’s the way he groans when my tongue touches his.
“Get a room!” Eros yells. I pull away, breathless, but Sebastian isn’t done yet. He raises his middle finger in their direction without looking and dives back in for more. “Or, you know. Give us a free show. That’s cool, too.”
This time Sebastian is the one to pull away. The way he swivels his head and glares at Eros is like something out of a horror movie, but Eros only laughs.
“Let’s go.”
I nod, biting my bottom lip that’s vibrating with his kiss. Sebastian disappears for a minute before returning with a helmet in hand. I pull my hair tie out, letting my hair fall down. The curls from earlier are still hanging in there, reminding me that I graduated today. I almost forgot. Why does spending time with Sebastian and company always feel like I’ve taken a trip into an alternate reality? It only now occurs to me that maybe that’s exactly the reason I find myself seeking out the carnival every chance I get.
Unlike the first time I was on the back of Sebastian’s motorcycle, it’s too warm for a jacket, even at this time of night. He straddles the seat, kicking the kickstand back in place. Reaching back for my hands, he brings one and then the other to wrap around his waist. His shirt sticks to his sweaty skin, and I can feel his heat through the fabric.
“Is this a different bike?” I ask. Something feels different.
I feel his chest shaking with laughter. “You’ve got a lot to learn, Princess. Last time, you rode on my dirt bike. Lightweight and high torque for the cage. This is a sport bike. Faster. And this one is street legal,” he tacks on. He may as well be speaking another language.
“It’s black and it has two wheels.” I shrug. I’m surprised I noticed a difference at all.