Kissing Trouble (13 page)

He grinned. “Hey.”

Looking over the mess and the hotdog eating contest Shaun and Dustin seemed to be having, Julie chuckled. “Hey. What’s going on here?”

Mason hopped to his feet and pivoted on his heels so he stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

“Well, what happened was that Dustin claimed he could out eat Shaun, which,” he leaned in so his shoulder bumped hers and, in a loud whisper, said, “is impossible because Shaun is a pig—”

“Fuck you, man!” Shaun garbled around a mouthful of mashed hotdog.

Mason flipped him off.

Julie grabbed his hand and forced it down. “The children!” she hissed, jerking her head to where Wendy and Rick had climbed onto the bench on either side of Shaun to watch the show with great big smiles on their faces.

The hand she held turned and he threaded his fingers through hers. Her heart gave a lurch when he pressed their palms together. The muscles in her stomach tightened with a fluttery anticipation that zapped all the moisture from her mouth.

“As I was saying,” he murmured, his face suddenly inches from hers, so close she could smell the pepperoni and tomato sauce on his breath brushing over her upturned face and count each thick eyelash surrounding his darkened eyes. “You smell amazing.”

Her heart tripped over her lungs and the air in her throat hitched. “That’s not what you were—”

He drew her to him with a practiced tug of his hand. “I know. You’re very distracting.”

Blissfully paralyzed by the predatory glint in the shadowed pools of his eyes, Julie could only stare with open mouthed wonder as he got uncomfortably close. Her cheeks warmed at his closeness. His body was a heater prickling her skin. Her lips were parted by the merciless hunger of his attention on her mouth. Something feral and unmistakably self-satisfied flared behind his eyes, like her submission to his wordless command pleased him immensely. But it was also this that speared Julie back to the present. She crashed unceremoniously into the shrieks and whirs of people and machines all around her, to Wendy and Rick’s chanting for Dustin to win the hotdog eating contest, to her breathing, hot and heavy in her ears.

Furiously numb, Julie pushed away from him and his immobilizing embrace. The weakness in her knees nearly took her to the ground, and she just caught herself on the corner of the picnic table and pulled her arms tightly around herself, inexplicably chilled now that he was no longer warming her.

“Did you guys have fun?” she asked, desperate to change the subject.

He seemed to draw himself up like her detachment of him had somehow cut him deep between the ribs and only sheer stubbornness kept him from crumpling to his knees. His nostrils flared with his dragging inhale and he squared his shoulders by stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Yeah, we did. You?”

Julie nodded weakly. “We did. Thank you.”

Desperation and something she was too scared to look too closely at shot across his face like a lit arrow. The muscles in his jaw twitched and he eyed her with a look of pained misery.

“Julie—”

Whatever Mason was about to say was halted by Wendy’s squeal of delight as Dustin crammed the last piece of hotdog into his already over stuffed mouth. He punched the air above his head in victory, bits of chewed bread falling from his barely shut lips as he howled his triumph. His cheeks glowed pink with exertion and victory. Shaun flicked the last bit of his hotdog at the boy, but there was no malice on his face, no anger. For the first time ever, Julie saw Shaun without his habitual scowl. His handsome features were open, bright with the laughter he was suppressing. The sight of it had Julie staring, too awed by the possibility of it to look away. She honestly hadn’t thought Shaun Ryan capable of any other facial expression.

“I want to go next!” Rick’s arm shot into the air, nearly knocking Shaun upside the head.

Chuckling, Julie set her hand on the boy’s thin shoulder and nudged him back into his seat when he started scrambling up to stand on the bench. “Maybe when you’re as old as Dustin,” she said.

Rick wrinkled his nose and slumped down so his chin rested on the table top.

Shaun nudged him with his elbow. “I bet I can finish an ice cream cone before you can.”

Rick perked. Round eyes shot up to Julie, asking without words.

She ruffled his hair. “One, but after you guys have eaten something.”

Glowing pink, Rick turned to Shaun with narrowed eyes and a furiously determined expression. He pointed a stubby little finger right in Shaun’s face, almost touching his nose, and growled out in a
Hulk
voice, “You’re on!”

“You’re very good with them,” Mason murmured when Julie stepped back.

She shrugged, watching Dustin high five Rick from across the table. “They’re good kids.” Her gaze went to where Luis sat, head still on the table, breathing shallow. “Is he okay?” she asked, pointing with a jerk of her chin.

Mason snorted. “He tried to get in on the game, even though I warned him not to.”

“How many hotdogs did he eat?” she wondered.

Mason grinned. “Four.”

“Oh!” Julie covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. “That’s really horrible.”

“I can hear you guys,” Luis grumbled. He raised his sweaty, slightly green face.

Still biting her lip, Julie looked over at Rick and Wendy. “Are you guys hungry?”

“I want ice cream!” Wendy cheered.

“I want candy apples,” Rick added.

“How about we start with actual food?” Julie suggested. “Pizza or a hotdog?”

Both kids wrinkled their noses.

“Pizza,” they muttered on unison.

“Pizza it is.”

Leaving the group at the table, Julie moved to the brightly lit food stand. There were six in all, each one offering a different food item. She went to the one with the longest line. Apparently she wasn’t the only one with the idea to get food.

With a sigh, she got behind a couple with their arms wrapped tightly around each other. They were passing the time by sharing long, slow kisses that made Julie shift uncomfortably and look away. She busied herself pulling out her change purse from her back pocket and picking through the loose coins and few crumpled bills. Anything to avoid the slow roll of tongues from the couple in front of her.

“Mm.” Mason slid up alongside her, hands clasped at his back, watching the two with dry amusement. “A thrill for everyone,” he remarked, mimicking the park’s moto. “They certainly mean it.”

Julie stifled a chuckle.

The line shuffled up. The pair stayed rooted, every inch of their fronts touching and slightly grinding.

A warm flush tightened the skin on Julie’s face. Her gaze darted to the figure standing next to her, curious to see if he’d noticed.

He had and he was smirking.

The two were practically glowing when they finally pulled apart. The girl giggled and rested her head on the boy’s shoulder.

Julie hated them a little, which was irrational. They hadn’t done anything to her, nor did she even know them, yet she wanted what they had. She wanted to be kissed like that until she forgot everything but the hot mouth conquering hers. She wanted blunt hands on her hips cradling her to a strong chest. What’s more, she wanted it all to be with Mason.

“What?”

Julie must have made a sound, because the bane of her existence was watching her.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Thankfully, he didn’t push. They stood in silence as the line moved up, one customer at a time.

When it was finally her turn, she bought two slices of cheese pizzas, cans of soda and two bags of chips. Mason took the chips and drinks while Julie balanced the two paper plates on the palms of her hands.

“Thank you,” she said to him as they headed back to the table.

Mason inclined his head. “You’re welcome.”

Julie noticed the change immediately. In the fifteen minutes that she had been gone, their group had shrunk by one.

Wendy was gone.

T
he pizzas fell to the floor as she spun on the spot, searching the wave of people moving in all directions. But there was no sign of the girl, nor did Shaun or Luis know what happened.

“She was right here,” Shaun said dully, half rising from his seat.

“Mason!”

It was a mystery why his name was the first thing she could think to say around the numbness creeping like ice water through her.

“It’s okay.” He grabbed the hand she had no recollection of reaching out to him. He squeezed the trembling fingers. “She can’t have gone far. Luis, get to the ticket booth, tell them a child is missing. Give them her description and tell them to call the police. Shaun, you and I will—”

“No.” Julie came to herself, her responsibility overruling her desire to break down in a mess of hysterical tears. “I’ll go.”

Mason didn’t argue with her. “Take that way,” he told her, gesturing left. “Shaun, stay with Rick and Dustin. If she comes back, keep her here.”

Julie didn’t wait to hear the rest of the instructions. She bolted through the crowd, calling for Wendy. Cold sweat plastered her clothes to her skin and glued bits of hair to her temples and neck. People shouted as she weaved through them, eyes scanning every face, every movement. Horrific thoughts of Wendy being kidnapped and hurt burned through her mind, intertwining with the gnawing sense of guilt. Why hadn’t she paid closer attention? The girl had literally been five steps away from her. How had she not noticed when Wendy left? If anything happened to her, it would be Julie’s fault. Maureen would be devastated. She would never trust Julie again.

“Wendy!”

Her voice was snatched up as though she had done nothing more than whispered the name and was swallowed by the cacophony swirling around her louder than a tornado. Families and couples streamed past. Some cast her a curious glance as she shoved her way past them, but not one actually stopped to ask if she needed help.

Rows upon rows of tables and booths lined a path that was illuminated by arches of light overhead. The sound of cheering and balls hitting glass bottles followed her up the lane, seemingly coming from everywhere all at once. Children ran in and out of sight. Each new one that darted by that wasn’t Wendy had Julie’s heart sinking an inch lower in her chest until it was somewhere around her knees.

Please, God, please let her be here!
Julie prayed.

“Julie!”

That single voice seemed to cut through every single second. It froze the entire world as Julie grappled with disbelief and relief.

Up the trail, standing at a booth with water and plastic ducks, Wendy waved at her, oblivious to the terror she had caused. Julie would have sunk to the ground had her legs not been pumping, propelling her straight to the girl.

“Wendy!” Julie scooped her up and crushed her in a fierce embrace, not letting her go until Wendy squeaked and started struggling. She pushed the girl back by her thin shoulders and bore wildly into Wendy’s face. “What are you doing here, Wendy? Why did you leave?”

Confusion shimmered in the girl’s blue eyes. “I wanted to see where he got that bear.”

Julie shot a glance around them at the stream of people flowing past them. “What? Who?”

Wendy gestured behind her. “The man.”

Weak all over with barely suppressed rage and the steady flow of fear still coursing through her, Julie staggered unsteadily to her feet. One hand remained clasped firmly on Wendy’s shoulder, like she was afraid the girl might somehow mysteriously vanish again.

“Who?” she said again.

Wendy shrugged. “I don’t know. He was right there.”

The space around the tank of ducks was empty except for the boy manning the booth and he was too busy staring at his phone to notice anything. It was by far the least occupied stand along the game strip, like no one really wanted to go fishing for ducks with little magnetic strips attached to plastic fishing poles. But she could see which bears Wendy was referring to. They were plush, red bears hugging satin pillows with the words
I love you
in white stitching. It wasn’t remotely unique, or all that eye catching, but Wendy was still just a little girl and a stuffed toy was a stuffed toy. Nevertheless...

“What are the rules, Wendy?” Julie rounded on the girl. “You told me in the car that you knew them. What are they?”

Wendy’s shoulder’s slipped up around her ears and her back hunched as she deflated into herself with shame. “Not to go anywhere without you?”

“Yes!” Julie practically roared. “You never, ever go anywhere with someone you don’t know, Wendy. You know better. What were you thinking?”

Tears shimmered in Wendy’s eyes. “I wanted a bear—”

“A bear?” Barely contained rage shook her voice. “Do you have any idea...?” Breathing hard, Julie stood, not trusting herself not to start screaming, or worse, shaking the girl until her teeth clacked. She took Wendy’s hand tightly instead and, without a word, hauled the girl back to the table.

Halfway there, Mason came barreling out of the crowd, dark hair flipping across his brow. His cheeks were pink with exertion and his blue eyes were bright with relief when they spotted her, then Wendy.

“Wendy!” He scooped the girl up and crushed her to his chest. His  large hands nearly covered her entire back as they fisted in the fabric of her shirt. He buried his face into her shoulder. “Thank God!”

“I’m sorry.” Wendy’s face shriveled and her bottom lip began to tremble. “I only wanted to see the bears.”

Mason pulled back just enough to peer into her shiny eyes. “Bears? You scared the hell out of us, kid. Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did was?”

“I’m sorry.” She was sobbing now. Her tiny frame shaking violently. “I only wanted a bear.”

Mason set her down gently and cupped her face. He smoothed away her tears and peered closely into her eyes. His gentleness was endearing and, any other time, Julie would have been touched, but she was still struggling to bring her own emotions under control.

“You don’t ever go anywhere without me, or Julie. Something really bad could have happened to you.”

Fear and apprehension shone across the wet surface of her eyes. “Are you going to tell Mommy?”