Page 76 of Fairground

She knows well that Cash has spent the night at her house a few times, sneaking in after the boys have gone to sleep, but we still haven't had a conversation about it. I’m not sure if she’s waiting for me to bring it up to her or if she’d rather not know. Either way, I’m glad she hasn’t pressed because I don’t know what I’d say.

That my heart is falling for him? That I want to be more than just another one of his casual hook-ups? That I realize now there’s much more to him than just his silly, flirty personality?

That I don’t know what this means for how long I’ll stay here?

She raises a brow but doesn’t press. Instead, she shrugs off three folding chairs strapped to her back and plops them onto the sidewalk. “

Well, I can’t wait to see your mayor float. Break a leg!” she says, pulling me in for a quick hug before settling in with the boys.

I weave through the bustling crowd toward the float lineup. Ours is near the front—just two spots behind a massive eagle float that leads the parade and the wobbly coffee mug float from the mom-and-pop shop I visited my first week here. Apparently, that thing’s been in every parade for the last thirty years, duct tape and all. Explains the poisonous drinks they make.

Reaching our float, I climb the small steps into the giant pumpkin centerpiece and immediately spot the two ladders leading up to the opening at the top. I frown, muttering to myself, “We could’ve thought this through a little better,”because looking at it now in this light, well that looks like a fall risk waiting to happen.

Cash laughs from behind me. “It’s perfect,” he says, joining me in the center of the pumpkins' belly. “Though I might need to hold onto you the whole time, just to make sure you don’t fall off.”

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why," I say with a smirk. I hoist myself up, popping my head through the top opening and look around at the crowd. There's a faint breeze in the air, that sharp crisp that welcomes autumn and it feels like it, too. Cash squeezes in beside me, his broad shoulders bumping the edges. I glance at him with an amused grin. “Yeah, we definitely didn’t think about accommodating your linebacker build.”

He wiggles his shoulders playfully, bumping into me each time, then his hands find my hips under the cover of the pumpkin where no one can see us. His grip is steady, grounding, and he pulls me closer. “Don’t worry,” he murmurs with a soft, mischievous smile. “I’ve got you.” And just like that I forget all about where we are and who’s going to be watching us.

Lawson snaps us out of our moment as he hops into the truck at the front of our float and turns it on. “Hang on, you two! And don’t forget to smile and wave!” he calls out with a cheeky grin as we lurch forward.

The crowd erupts into cheers as our float comes into view, rounding the first bend alongside the others. It’s absolutely ridiculous—something I’d never have pictured myself doing—but I can’t stop the huge grin that's spreading across my face as I wave to the people lining the streets, eager to catch a glimpse of their two mayoral candidates. People are waving flags wildly, and you can feel the energy that's propelling us towards the State Fair and the gem of our small town.

“That’s a pretty big smile you’ve got there, Emily,” he murmurs in my ear as we wave and smile.

“Emily?” I ask, still grinning ear to ear like a wild woman despite the fact he just messed up my name.

“Yeah. Emily. From theCorpse Bride.”

I laugh, shaking my head as his grin widens. We barely make it through the first stretch of street at a slow crawl when I feel his fingers on me again. I’m wearing a casual-but-cute short, black sweater dress, and under the cover of the pumpkin’s opening, his hand is dancing along the hemline of it, teasing me.

“What are you doing, Cash?” I whisper, careful to keep my lips from giving anything away.

“Just keep waving at the crowd, baby. I got you.”

My legs nearly buckle as his fingers creep higher, brushing against the cotton band of my underwear. He swipes across my pussy once, deliberate and teasing, before finding my clit with uncanny precision through the fabric and pressing down firmly.

“Cash,” I hiss, trying to maintain my composure as he grins at me like the devil himself.

“Bet you didn’t think I could find that without looking.”

I laugh, light and shaky, but before I can respond, his fingers roughly push my underwear aside, leaving me exposed to the cool air inside the pumpkin.

“What if someone opens the door?” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the noise of the parade.

“What if someone…” he swipes his fingers across my soaked opening once, twice, “opens the door to a moving, gigantic pumpkin float,” his tone is all mockery and amusement as he swirls a finger around my clit again, “…and tries to climb insideof it?” Then, without warning, he plunges one finger into me, hard and firm, curling slightly as he drags it back out and then pushes back in with a satisfying squish.

“Oh, God…” My breath catches, and suddenly the crowd, the music, and everything else fade into the background.

“Well, I locked the door,” he murmurs, voice low and dangerous, “and even if someonedidtry, that’d be some impressive dedication to watching me bring you to orgasm, don’t you think?”

“Be serious, Cash. There’s no way I can orgasm right now,” I whisper, though it comes out more like a moaning beg as his second finger slides in, working me steadily, his thumb brushing over my most sensitive spot with wicked strokes.

“I’m dead serious,” he says, his voice dropping even lower. “Serious about making you come right now while no one knows what's happening beneath here.”

My legs wobble, and his other hand abandons the charade of waving to the crowd, steadying me under the pumpkin’s cover. “Careful there. Can’t have you falling off this ladder before you finish, yeah?”

My lips part, my breathing becomes ragged as his fingers pump deeper, faster. His palm slaps against my clit with just enough pressure to make me see stars. I bite my lip to keep from crying out, my vision blurring as I try—and fail—to maintain the illusion of calm and regal. And just as my orgasm coils tight in my core, ready to explode in front of the whole town, he stops.

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