Page 22 of Dopplebanger

“That’s what happens when you’re tricked into riding death traps in the name of ‘fun.’”

Evan lowered his lips to mine, and the way my stomach dipped and my skin hummed was a hundred times better than any thrill I could get from even the most insane carnival ride. “And now to wow you with my other talents.”

The guy handed him five balls for his five dollars, and Evan lined up for his throw. He launched the ball through the air, and while the speed and the way it smacked the bottles was impressive, they didn’t go down.

Since I like to be super helpful, I said, “See. Rigged.”

Evan quirked his eyebrow at me, then picked up the next ball and threw it. Another hit, but the bottles barely wobbled.

“I gotta be honest, I was more wowed by the kissing.”

He pinched my side, his grin bringing out the sexy grooves in his cheeks. Determination set his jaw as I handed him the next ball. Three more throws, three more times the stack wobbled but didn’t go down.

“One more round?” the guy working the booth asked. Then he looked at me. “How about I give the lady one throw for free? I won’t even straighten the bottles.”

He pulled a bright-red ball out from under the stand, and with a shrug, I reached for it. Not like I had anything to lose. I studied the ball, noticing it looked bigger than the ones Evan had been using, and it felt heavier as well.

The guy working the booth gave me a secretive smile I quickly returned.

“Do you need me to wrap my arms around you under the pretense of teaching you to throw?” Evan asked.

“Hmm. While I like the thought of that, I think it’d be safer for everyone if you gave my throwing arm a wide berth.”

He took an exaggerated step back and placed a protective hand over his package.

“Very funny.” I sucked in a deep breath, cocked my arm, and threw for all I was worth.

The ball collided with the bottles, and they went down with a loud clatter. I jumped up and down and added a maniacal laugh. The guy working the booth pointed at the stuffed animals I could choose from.

“Way to show me up,” Evan teased as he came up behind me, wound his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my shoulder.

I glanced back at him. “What prize do you want?”

“You won it for me, huh?” he asked, and I nodded.

“I want you to have a souvenir to show off to your friends when you brag about how well I take care of you.”

He moved his lips to the column of my neck and dropped a kiss there, and my entire body broke out in goosebumps. “Then I want the unicorn riding the rainbow, of course.”

“Oh, sure. Promisemea unicorn, then rub it in my face whenyouget one.”

The guy handed me the colorful stuffed creature, and I studied my prize as we walked away. “This unicorn’s more than riding the rainbow; he’s totally humping it.”

Evan’s soft chuckle sent happiness pinging through me. “Horny magical creature.”

That made me snort-laugh, and I hugged the dirty unicorn to my chest, already sure it was going to be my all-time favorite souvenir.

As Evan guided us away from the flashing lights and noise of the carnival, I rested my head on his shoulder. I loved how securely he tucked me against his side, his hand wrapped firmly around my hip, so he could easily maneuver us around the clumps of people.

This wasn’t just the best date Evan and I had been on, but the best one I’deverbeen on. It seemed like we were under some kind of magical spell, and I couldn’t help worrying it was one with an expiration date. That I’d be left standing in a tattered dress and pumpkin guts at the end.

It’s just your trust issues flaring.I’d been in a relationship that seemed perfect before, only to discover how blind I’d been, and it made it hard to not only trust people, but also to trust my own instincts.

My brain chose that moment to remind me about the mini rough patch we’d had after he used the wrong version of my name. We’d turned the night back around, though, and if anything, that showed we could handle a few bumps, right?

If I really wanted to see if Evan and I could work long-term, I needed to go all in. Fully commitandgive our relationship everything I had, which included trusting myself and trusting him. Then maybe there wouldn’t have to be an end.

“You look like you’re thinking real hard,” he said.

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