Worth It All (The McKinney Brothers #3) (8 page)

Paige smiled at him, nodding in agreement, but he could see her mind was somewhere else. He wanted it back here, with him. “So you think I’m hot, huh?”

That did it.

Paige sucked in a shocked breath that drew his eyes to her rising chest. She started to look at him, then changed her mind and stared straight ahead.

“I didn’t say that. Jenny said that.” She licked her lips.

“Oh. So you don’t think I’m hot?” He’d never had fun with a woman, not this kind of fun, and the blush staining her cheeks was sexy as hell. So was the obvious guilty expression.

“You know what you look like. Women would wallpaper their bedrooms with your face,” she muttered. “I bet you have plenty of women to tell you that.”

“Not in a while.” He grinned. Was she jealous?

He could stand here all day, staring down into Paige’s upturned face. Her expression guilty and embarrassed, a little exasperated, and if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a good bit of desire in those blue eyes as well. Her cheeks were pink and the sunlight hit her eyes at just the right angle to make them sparkle and he shook his head. He wanted to say that he couldn’t look at her without wanting to kiss her, without needing to. But the ride slowed and the swings descended. “I’ll go get Casey.”

Paige stood there, heart pounding, eyes glued to the spot Jake no longer occupied. The way he’d looked at her just then caused a ripple straight through her heart and lower. It happened every time he looked at her too closely or brushed against her. The feeling that there was something rippling and building between them.

A minute later, he came toward her, smiling. The sight of Jake holding Casey on his muscled forearm, her daughter’s little arms wrapped around his neck, made her heart swell. But seeing Casey also reminded her she was in no position to lose her head dreaming up things she wasn’t even sure existed.

“Hey, sweetie. Did you have fun?”

“Yes. It was windy.”

Paige touched her sun-pinkened cheek. “I guess that’s a good thing for a ride to be.”

With Casey still in his arms, they moved on to a game, walking together in a little pod through a sea of people.

A tall man in a blue and white striped shirt and red suspenders drew players to his game. “Step right up, step right up. Ring the bottle and win a prize.”

Jake handed over the required tickets he’d purchased, insisting this day was his idea and his treat. Casey took the rings from the man. Jake held her way out over the railing to give her a better chance; flinging them without aim or precision, all three bounced off the glass bottles. She scored a plastic whistle just for playing, which was all she cared about.

The next game required them to hit moving-duck targets with baseballs. Paige missed the first three. Not even close. The crowd bumped her closer to Jake, which amped up her heart rate and didn’t help her game. “Aren’t there any games that don’t involve throwing?”

“Maybe try closing your eyes. You might hit more.”

“Ha-ha.” She narrowed her eyes at his teasing and shoved at his rock-hard shoulder. It didn’t budge him, just served up memories of what his upper body felt like under her hands. As much as he had her emotions on the edge, she was having fun. She liked this playful side of Jake she hadn’t seen much of before today. “Are you always competing?”

“I’m the youngest of seven children. I came out of the womb competing. Come on. Close your eyes, feel the Force.”

No way would she close her eyes and channel Luke Skywalker. She might kill someone.

Then it was Jake’s turn again. “Aren’t you going to close your eyes?” she challenged.

He flashed her a quick grin. “I have skill. I don’t need the Force.”

She rolled her eyes, but his voice was so deep and sexy and she shivered. No doubt he had a lot of skills.

“Come on, Jake,” Casey encouraged from her perch on his left arm. “You can do it.”

Jake aimed at the first target and hit it dead center, then did the same with three more.

The gamer whistled. “One more and you win the grand prize.”

“Did you hear that?” Casey took his face in her hands, making certain he got the importance. “It’s the
grand prize
!”

They didn’t know what that was exactly, but it didn’t matter. The man had said it was grand and Jake was the one winning it.

Casey smacked a kiss on his cheek. “That’s for luck. Mommy, come on! You have to kiss him too so he can win!”

Jake’s hot gaze held hers. There were hundreds of people milling around them, not to mention Casey’s expectant eyes just inches away, but everything faded into the background. Their easy camaraderie turned into sizzling tension in just a few beats. It shouldn’t be anything to kiss his cheek. Except it was, because she couldn’t be this close to his mouth and not want to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders and press her lips to his.

She raised up on her toes, unsure where to place her hands, knowing how badly she wanted to run her palms all over his solid chest. Someone bumped her and she grabbed onto his upper arms, and pressed her lips to his cheek. It was warm from the sun and a tiny bit scratchy, and good Lord, he smelled good. Then it was over. Barely a whisper that couldn’t have lasted more than a second, but she felt it all the way to her toes.

“Last one,” the gamer said, interrupting her moment. “Wind it up!”

“Okay, this is for the big win,” Jake said. “You have your eye on a prize, Short Stuff?”

“Yes! That purple bear at the top. I need that one!”

“Well, if you need it, then I better not miss.”

He smiled affectionately at Casey and that, more than anything, went straight to her heart. She hadn’t given much thought to Casey having a father, but her daughter blossomed under his attention. She had to admit, there was a calm, a warm reassurance being with him. Something she wouldn’t have known how to explain until she felt it. It had been like that all day, mingling in a crowded flock of people, but under Jake’s protective wing.

He drew back his arm with the last ball, hurled it at the farthest target. He hit it dead-on and was rewarded with Casey’s squeal of delight. Her daughter’s smile when she hugged the bear to her chest was her own reward.

Still feeling a little off-kilter by a simple kiss on the cheek, she suggested a food break. After all, it had been at least an hour since they last ate.

They found a shady spot and Casey sat between them, licking the edges of her soft-serve cone. She and Jake shared a jumbo pretzel with loads of salt and a zigzag of bright yellow mustard.

She watched Casey mashing her mouth into the ice cream, making lip prints, but she felt Jake staring at the side of her face and she turned her head. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“What? Do I have stuff on my face?”

Jake shared a look with Casey, and she giggled.

He pointed at her cheek, but his eyes were on her lips.

Her hands were full of pretzel and drink so she reached for it with her tongue. The hot look in Jake’s eyes made her stop.

“You could lick it off,” Casey suggested to Jake. “Like a cat.”

Jake’s heated gaze flared, then his eyes widened like he’d been caught doing something naughty. He looked from her to Casey and back again, and she laughed. Really, really laughed and kissed Casey’s cheek. “I love you, but you are the worst chaperone ever.”

The sun finished its slide beneath the horizon, and the fairgrounds were transformed into twinkling light. Jake suggested one last ride before leaving the fair to the younger crowd. By the time they reached the line for the Ferris wheel, their chaperone had fallen off the job completely. Casey’s head rested on Jake’s shoulder with one arm hanging limply down her side and her other small hand tucked under her cheek.

And she hadn’t thought he could be any more attractive. Wrong. So wrong.

They shuffled forward a few steps at a time as the previous riders exited and new riders got on.

“Should we wake her?” he asked.

“Nah. I hate for her to miss it, but waking her could go very, very badly.” And she wouldn’t mind having Jake to herself for a few minutes.

His hand grazed her lower back as they took another step. She’d never considered herself lonely, but she felt especially not lonely when she was with Jake.

The Ferris wheel spun and their turn came. Jake ushered her in first, holding out a hand, which she took, bypassing the attendant’s. He scooted into the small space on her left until they pressed together shoulder to thigh. When the small door was closed and secured, they were lifted into the air before stopping to let new riders on behind them.

Jake adjusted Casey in his lap so that she was sitting on his left knee, her head lolling against his chest. She wouldn’t mind being snuggled against him with his arms wrapped around her. “You sure you don’t want me to take her?”

“She’s fine,” he said, a soft smile on his lips as he looked down at her daughter.

The picture they made was sweet and she found herself smiling too. She didn’t know that Casey had ever been held by a man before. She’d had male doctors, but there was no father or grandfather or uncle in her life. He glanced up and their eyes met, because while he’d been looking at Casey, she’d been looking at him.

His chocolate-brown eyes met hers in a way that brought out her rambling. “She’s out. I think she’s had all the fun she can stand for one day.” She brushed the unruly waves back from Casey’s face. “She’s still a pretty good napper,” she went on. “So I’m not surprised. I hope she doesn’t drool on you. Or throw up.” They both glanced down at Casey’s face. “I don’t even want to think about what she ate today.”

“Partly my fault,” Jake said.

“Yes. It is,” she agreed with a smile. His fault because it had been a day of yeses. Anything Casey wanted. Balloons—two, and both had gotten away—games, rides, food. There hadn’t been a single no.

The ride continued to move and stop until finally they were making a slow cycle into the air. Small globe lights bordered the game stands, a few stars twinkled above them. Jake straightened his right leg as much as he could and squeezed his thigh above the knee.

She watched his hand move on his leg, wishing she could make it feel better. “Does it hurt?”

“No. My muscles just get a little sore from walking.”

“And you’ve been carrying her most of the day. I’m sorry.”

Even though she’d walked right beside him for hours, she’d almost forgotten about his leg. Maybe the fact that she’d spent most of her time looking up at his face. His chest. His arms. God, he had beautiful arms.

She peered over the side at the ground below. She hadn’t thought about the height factor when he’d suggested the Ferris wheel. The arms again. “We’re really high now.”

“Yep. You okay?” She heard the teasing in his voice, but also kindness.

“Oh yeah. Sure. It’s not really a ride, just a…giant bunch of metal pieces welded together. I’m sure it’s fine with all the bolts and all.” She looked over the side again.

“What was your favorite game as a kid?”

She turned her head. If she could just stare at his face for the next ten minutes, she wouldn’t think about the ride at all. “Are you trying to distract me?”

“Maybe.”

It took great effort not to get carried away by his thoughtfulness or the sexy, boyish grin that turned her completely upside down. She’d already told him the only fair she’d ever been to was her school carnival. “I used to play the cakewalk. Every single ticket, every single year, and I never won.” It was still a little disappointing.

“Wow. You really wanted a cake.”

“I know. I really, really did. I mean, what are the odds you can play the same game fifty times and never win? I’m not sure why it mattered, maybe I just wanted to win, and the more I lost the more I couldn’t believe I never won.”

“So I guess we should keep you out of the casinos?”

“Probably.”

Without warning the wheel jerked to a stop and she slapped her hand down on his upper thigh. She couldn’t say who was more shocked, and they both stared at her fingers gripping him mere inches from his…area. “I’m sorry.” Her face burned, but their bucket swung lightly in the air and her fingers refused to loosen.

“You’re fine.” He covered her hand with his own and for a second she didn’t know which way he was going to slide it. Super-naughty zone?—no, he wouldn’t—or safe zone? He did neither, instead slipping his fingers under hers until he was holding her hand.

It was warm, slightly rough, and so much bigger than her own. Paige willed her heart to slow, which was never going to happen with their joined hands resting on his thigh. Was this dating? Was this what she’d never wanted or considered? It didn’t feel anything like what she’d thought dating was. It felt the world had just disappeared from under her feet and she was falling.

The giant wheel started again, rotating slowly, bringing them to the highest point and her fingers tightened around his. It might not have been all about the ride.

She bit her lip at the perfect moment. More than perfect. All too soon they’d be back on the ground and these quiet moments in the night sky with Jake would be over. It was magical and she was acting like a silly girl, but that was part of the perfection. It felt really good to be young and silly for just a few minutes. And she had this crazy thought of the wheel stopping exactly at the top, of Jake taking her face in his hands and kissing her senseless like he’d done before. His fingers would slide into her hair while her hands roamed over his chest and shoulders. She knew how it felt to be pressed tight against him and she wanted that again.

But the Ferris wheel didn’t stop again and he didn’t kiss her, which in some weird way made it even more perfect, more special. The only guys she’d ever known would have tried to get as much as they could, but Jake wasn’t like any other man and he wouldn’t do what another man might do. She liked that. There were so many things to like about Jake McKinney. Too many.

When they got off, he took her hand again as they made their way to the parking lot. Probably because it was crowded and he didn’t want her to get left behind. But something inside her sparked, maybe a tiny, forgotten piece of some faraway girl who used to believe in fairy tales. Because Jake had a way of making her want things she didn’t even believe in.