He followed her gaze and chuckled when he saw a heavy-set man cursing as he slammed a metal mallet against the platform. The meter shot up to Borderline Wimp, making high-pitched ringing sounds, as the man’s date laughed in delight.
“I’d suggest you try it but we both know what a big, strong guy you are, don’t we?” The suggestive tone of her voice caused a rush of warmth to pool in his groin.
So apparently the game was on. All throughout dinner he’d been wondering when Ellie would turn up the heat.
Hiding a smile, he took her hand and stroked it softly. Then enjoyed the way her eyes widened. “Why don’t you pick the game then?”
Mischief danced across her face. “Okay, how about that one? Will you win me a goldfish?”
He followed her gaze to a nearby game stand, which required tossing a ring over a small fish bowl. “Not unless you plan on carrying that bowl around for the rest of the evening.”
“Hmmm. You’re right. Forget it. What should we do then?”
He gestured to the shooting range. “How about you win me a stuffed animal?”
“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
He shot her a grin. “I just figured that a feminist like you would like to do the winning.”
“A feminist?” She huffed. “All right, I’ll show you how it’s done.”
They walked up to the counter, where Ellie paid the man and then reached for one of the shotguns. She looked at the owner warily. “These things aren’t real, are they?”
“No, ma’am. They shoot BBs.”
Awkwardly holding the gun, she turned her head. “The feminist confesses she’s out of her element.”
Well, well, it wasn’t like Ellie to admit defeat. He took a step toward her. “Here, I’ll show you how to hold it.”
Unfortunately, in his line of work, carrying a firearm came with the job, and he’d taken dozens of weaponry courses over the years. He didn’t like it, though. He’d never been comfortable with the power holding a gun wielded.
He approached Ellie from behind, and put his arms around her, clasping his fingers over hers. As his chest grazed her back, he heard her breath hitch, and the soft sound nearly caused him to keel over. It pleased him to no bounds how he got that reaction from her.
“Okay,” he murmured. “Put your hands here.” He moved her small hands over the gun. “Lower your head so that you can look through the scope. That’s how you aim.”
She lowered her head, the movement causing a stray strand of her hair to tickle his chin. “It’s heavier than I thought.” She twisted her head to shoot him a look hot enough to melt a glacier. “Harder, too.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?” he returned roughly.
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “A good thing, of course. I like it hard.”
Instant erection. Luckily his body was pressed against Ellie’s back, shielding his enormous hard-on from carnival-goers. Then he had to rethink the word lucky as Ellie wiggled her ass against his crotch in obvious enjoyment to his predicament.
“What now?” she asked, turning to face the targets.
Now I take you to bed.
“How do I shoot?”
She’s talking about the gun, you sex-crazed idiot.
“Now pick your target, check your aim, and gently squeeze the trigger.”
“Do I have to be gentle?”
Luke thanked the lord above that she couldn’t see the expression on his face. “Yes.”
“Fine then.” The gun made a quick popping sound as Ellie squeezed the trigger. She connected with one of the targets—a small milk bottle—and it toppled over with a crash.
“I hit it!”
The owner of the booth handed her a monstrous pink stuffed bunny and she held up her prize in triumph. Then she gave a slight frown. “I didn’t think this through,” she admitted with a glance at the enormous prize. “I’m not sure I want to carry this thing for the rest of the night.”
He extended a hand. “I’ll do it.”
“No, I have a better idea.” She took a few quick steps and intercepted a passing couple. With a smile, she bent in front of the little red-haired girl standing beside her parents and said, “Hey there, sweetie, how would you like to take this bunny off my hands?”
The girl, who couldn’t have been older than five or six, looked up at her mother with big blue eyes. “Can I, Mama?”
The couple seemed less than thrilled at the prospect of carting that stuffed animal around but obviously neither one could say no to their daughter’s angelic face. Ellie handed the bunny to the girl and the small family strolled off. With another smile, she turned to Luke. “Those parents probably hate me.”
“They didn’t look excited about the three-foot-tall bunny,” he agreed.
Ellie just shrugged and let her gaze roam the lit-up grounds. “Okay, what should we do next?”
“How about the Ferris wheel?”
She blanched. “I’ll pass.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t like Ferris wheels.”
“No, Ferris wheels are fine. It’s heights that bother me.”
He couldn’t keep the challenge out of his voice. “Ellie Dawson, scared of heights? Scared of anything, for that matter? Shocking.”
“Everyone has their weakness.”