The ride started and into the lair of psychedelic painted creatures we went. Bears ate honey with loud music pounding, and my mind ran away with fucked up ideas like how the honey would taste on Morina’s skin.
“This is a whole different type of aura,” Morina whispered, her blue eyes wide. “Oh, my God, Bastian, look at that!”
I leaned back and watched her turn into this bouncy girl, completely entertained with a kid’s ride.
Her hands fluttered around, and the rings she’d put on today glittered with topaz and other jewels I had no understanding of. “I thought this was going to be hoaky!”
It was definitely still hoaky, but they’d put in more detail than I’d expected–probably more than most parks. And who was I to ruin her fun? She bounced next to me and our shoulders knocked together enough that I put my arm on the back of her seat.
We’d have looked like a couple to anyone watching but no one was. They watched the moving plastic creatures and the bright colors, and if anyone did glance at us, they’d have been caught up with the stars in her blue eyes.
After a while, the boat tilted backward as the bottom hooked onto the ramp that inched us up, up, up to the big drop.
“This is going pretty high!” She squealed and glanced at me. Her face fell a little. “Oh, right. This is probably where they take the picture too. I’ll just…lean into you here, I guess.”
Something about her face falling, about the way she lost the little girl inside to take on her responsibilities had me wanting to bring back the emotion. Or just feel an emotion with her.
I gripped her chin in a way I shouldn’t have. I murmured, “Smile for the cameras, Morina.”
“Bastian.” She whispered it like she knew what was coming, like she had any ability to stop it.
I leaned in and took her lips in mine.
Morina’s aura was rubbing off on me.
Her kiss ran through me, those lips so soft reminding me how soft she felt everywhere. My finger dragged down her neck and she shivered and nipped at my lip just as the boat went over the edge. She gasped and I pulled her closer, taking the opportunity to dive deeper.
I was in the psychedelic state of Morina.
And I needed to get out of it before we found ourselves in a fucked up situation.
21
Morina
He kissed like he owned my mouth, the ride, the butterflies in my stomach and the whole aura around us.
I went with the flow. I tried not to get too riled or feel anything too deeply. It was easier that way.
Yet, Bastian captured a moment on that ride where I was feeling a little too alive and then he injected himself into the equation, amping my emotions to catastrophic levels.
I’d dropped 49 feet with one of the most powerful, yet questionable businessman in the state making out with me.
I didn’t even feel the splash of water at the bottom.
I was lost in the way his lips commanded the kiss, the way his hands tracked down my throat and then gripped onto me like he had a right to.
My heart beat like a jackhammer on high speed and that jackhammer chipped away at the idea of having him as just a fake husband for six months.
His mouth would be so underused, and his hands—so strong as they gripped my neck in our kiss but gentle when he dragged his fingertips over my collarbone—wouldn’t get to make anyone feel that good for a long time.
I moaned as I shifted in the seat and tried to get closer to him. We’d passed the point of a photo and now I was just being greedy as my fingers threaded through his hair, and I kept taking what really wasn’t mine.
As the songs faded and we emerged from the cave of wondrous animation, returning to the sunlight, Bastian pulled back.
I snatched my hands back and covered my mouth, looking away.
“Sorry.” I’d taken it too far by biting his lip and trying to practically climb him, despite the bar in my way.
As it lifted, I jumped out like the ride was on fire. Our part of it was.
I didn’t even glance his way as I hurried toward the exit. I shouldn’t have expected us to be able to forget and avoid the topic so easily though. As we weaved through barriers on our way out, there on shiny, big screen TVs were the photos of the drop.
“Guess we didn’t disappoint in taking advantage of that moment, huh?” Bastian pointed to us.
His hand was on my neck and mine were in his hair. We looked absolutely, disgustingly in love. Nothing in me should have twisted and coiled around the idea. I chanced a look at him. That set jaw, the lines of concern on his face, and his pursed lips definitely weren’t showing any signs of enjoyment as he stared at us.
“There’s a few people behind us that will most likely buy that photo.”
“What, like for evidence of us being together?” It sounded absurd.
“Exactly.” He nodded. “Want one for our penthouse? Could put it on the fridge for guests.”
I bit my lip. This display was beyond a show for me, and that exposed something I wasn’t sure I wanted to stare at frequently.
“I don’t need it if you don’t.”
He hummed, his signature sound as his hands went to his pockets and he rocked on his heels. “Why don’t you go get something in this little gift shop for Ivy? She’ll probably want a snack and a toy by the time we meet up with her. I’m going to go fight the cameraman to make sure our photo stays up for a few more people to see.
I nodded and took him backing away as a sign that he wanted a little time on his own. Fair enough, since I’d practically mauled him.
I hurried to a sliver of mirror near some cheap sunglasses on display and smoothed my hair down. My lips looked swollen and happy. The blush on my cheeks appeared fresh. “Get it together,” I grumbled and went to find a bear stuffed animal for Ivy.
Bastian met me at the counter and handed his card over before steering me out of the store.
Cade and Ivy met us with smiles on their faces. Cade’s tattoos on his hands and arms and up his neck were probably one of the things that deterred people from us. It could have also been that following Cade and Ivy were three large men in suits.
While I stared at them, Bastian leaned in. “They’re completely unnecessary. Most everyone here is trying to make sure their kid doesn’t scream to go on the next ride before the line moves. We’re surrounded by families and that’s not a place for anyone to do anything.”
“Would you be nervous about that otherwise?” I tried to gauge what my grandma had said to me before: these were businessmen now, not vicious, ruthless men.
“Not really anymore.”
“The food truck?” It still presented to me like something out of a movie. Would they have tortured me or got straight to killing me?
“That wasn’t someone like us. Underground and completely unorganized. It’s been taken care of.”
I didn’t ask further questions. I let our day unfold instead.
“Uncle Bastian, will we stay for the fireworks tonight?” Ivy asked about a minute later. “The castle lights up and then fireworks come and another little girl said they play all the music from the movies.”