Page 20 of In Your Dreams

“What’s the game?” I ask.

“Land four out of five balls in the baskets and you win,” he says. “It’s that simple.”

Uh huh. I gesture for the balls and hand the guy a five dollar bill, as indicated on the sign. The first one I toss does in but bounces out. I’m not worried. I expected that. I use it to gauge just how much force to use. The second ball lands where the first one did but stays put. The third goes in too. The fourth one, rocks a little, but ultimately stay in the basket.

I look over at her just before I toss the last ball and wink. The fifth and final ball lands like a brick, staying exactly where I aimed.

“Winner!” the guy yells out.

Poppy claps and bounces up and down. The guy hands me a fluffy pink bear and I turn to her. Her excitement is adorable and she may be getting the stuffed animal, but I feel like I won the prize.

I press the bear into her hands as she squeezes it to her chest. “As promised.”

“Thank you,” she says. “I feel like I should give you something now.”

My eyebrows perk up. “Oh yeah? What?”

“Well, I’m nowhere near coordinated enough to win you a stuffed animal,” she says, laughing. “But…” Her words trail off as her eyes lock with mine.

Poppy holds the bear in one hand, bringing the other up and gripping the back of my neck. She moves in close to me, her body pressing into mine. Her chin tilts up ever so slightly and she doesn’t have to say anything.

My hands snake around the bare skin of her waist, fingertips gripping the softness of her. I lean down, my mouth hovering no more than an inch from hers. I don’t know how many times I’ve dreamt of this exact moment. I’ve lost count. And I’ll be damned if I fuck it up.

I press my mouth to hers, gently at first. I feel her body sink into me as her lips part. My tongue laps against hers as the kiss deepens. My left hand grips her waist tighter as my right finds her jawline, my thumb running over her chin.

Poppy moans in the back of her throat and it does things to me. She tastes so fucking good. I bite and sucks her bottom lip between my teeth, wanting nothing more than to keep kissing her just like this. Despite the fact that it’s adult night here at the carnival, I don’t necessarily want us to become a spectacle.

I break the kiss, peppering her mouth and jaw with light kisses. I’m quite positive I look drunk. I know that’s how I feel. Her eyes flutter open, cheeks flushed pink.

“Wow,” she says, in a hushed tone as she bites her bottom lip.

Yeah.Wow.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

POPPY

Damn. That was a damn good kiss. I felt it in the backs of my knees. Honestly, I felt it everywhere. Parker is skilled. God, his lips are perfect—soft but firm—and he definitely knows what he’s doing.

“Did that give you tingles, too?” He whispers against my ear.

“Yes,” I say, nearly breathless. It’s the first mention of anything related to the texts we exchanged last night but it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. Rather, I like it.

“Good,” he says, stepping back to put a little space between us.

But I don’t want him to go. That kiss has me wishing we were alone. Which worries me because am I ready to be with a man like that? Is it too soon? I feel like society would tell me it is. The judgy old ladies in town would not approve. Then again, I’ve always done exactly what those kinds of people expected of me. The right, proper thing. And look where that got me.

I’m standing here with this beautiful man in front of me and he makes me feel good about myself. He makes me feel seen. He’s so sweet with all the kids and Aiden. He seems so centered and assured. Yet, there’s this hint of the boy I knew in high school who always had a comforting presence. He was a little awkward at times but it never bothered me. Maybe it’s just time for me to do what makes me feel good.

“Where were you ten years ago?” I ask.

Parker’s face turns a hint of sullen, his expression more serious. He lets out a long sigh, clenching his jaw.

“I was doing all the wrong things back then. Not telling you how I felt was the dumbest thing I ever did. But I can’t regret it,” he says.

“You don’t regret it?” I ask, surprised.

“Aiden is a wonderful kid. And you’re a beautiful mom. And if I had told you… if things had been different, well, he might not be here. And that’s just not right,” he says.

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