Page 10 of Faithless Vows

We get in line, and when our turn comes, we each take a car. The ride jolts to life. She grips the wheel with both hands and tries to steer away from me, but she barely makes it a few feet before turning too late and clipping another car. I catch her from the side, and she shrieks, jerking the wheel as she tries to get away again. After that, it turns into a chase. She keeps trying to lose me, and I keep cutting her off, bumping her every chance I get. When the bell rings, she twists in her seat and looks at me, eyes wide, like she can’t believe I spent the wholedamn ride chasing her. I climb out and meet her at the gate, still grinning at the look on her face. Her ponytail sits a little crooked from the ride, some of her hair falling around her face.

“That was mean,” she says, trying to sound put out as she tucks the loose strands behind her ear.

“You loved it,” I tell her, still catching my breath from laughing.

She opens her mouth like she might argue, then presses her lips together and looks away, but not before I see her trying not to smile.

“That’s what I thought,” I say, reaching for her hand. “C’mon. Let’s go on the Tilt-A-Whirl next. It was my favourite growing up.”

She lets me lead her past a few more rides until the Tilt-A-Whirl sign comes into view, bright bulbs glowing around the painted letters. Alannah stops beside me, and when I turn to check on her, her eyes are wide and fixed on the ride as the cars spin around the platform, tossing everyone inside against one another while they laugh and scream.

“That was your favourite when you were a lad?” she asks, and it comes out in a squeak.

I smirk. “You scared, doll? We don’t have to go on if you don’t want.”

She looks from the ride to me and clears her throat. “No. It’s your favourite. Let’s go.” Then she heads straight for the line, pulling me with her, like standing there any longer will make her lose her nerve. We take our place at the end, and I bite back a grin when her fingers tighten around mine. Every time the riders scream, her eyes dart to the cars, then away again, but when our turn comes, she still climbs in beside me. The second we’re seated, she takes hold of my arm and doesn’t let go.

The ride jerks us forward the second it starts, hard enough to knock her shoulder into mine. She gasps, thenlets out a startled laugh, and I can’t help grinning as the car spins and throws us sideways across the seat together. Every sharp turn has her fingers digging into my arm. Then the car spins hard, throwing her into me again, and she shrieks as she buries her face against my shoulder, gripping me tighter. When the ride finally comes to a stop, her cheeks are flushed, and she’s still pressed against my side.

We climb out, and she wobbles the second her feet hit the platform. I catch her by the waist before she can tip sideways, keeping hold of her until she finds her balance. “Okay?” I ask.

She nods, breathless. “That was… a lot.”

I huff out a laugh and take her hand as we step back into the crowd. A few booths down, I spot a taffy stand with glass jars lined along the counter, each one filled with bright twists of wrapped candy. Taffy’s one of her favourites, and I’d been hoping there’d be some here, so I steer us over.

“Go on,” I say, nodding toward the jars. “Pick what you want.”

She grins and leans over the counter, taking her time as she points out one flavour, then another. The woman behind the counter drops each piece into a small paper bag, and when Alannah’s finished choosing, I pay and hand it to her. “Thank you,” she says, smiling down at the bag before fishing out a peppermint one, unwrapping it, and slipping it into her mouth.

She holds the bag out to me as we keep walking. I pick out a lemon one and pop the candy into my mouth. Ahead of us, the Ferris wheel comes into view, taller than anything else on the grounds and turning slow against the darkening sky. Alannah tips her head back as we get closer, her eyes following the cars as they lift people above the crowd. “That’s high,” she whispers.

“It is,” I agree. I lift my hand to her face and tip her chin up, waiting until her worried blue eyes meet mine. “But I’ll be beside you the whole time.”

Her lower lip catches between her teeth, but she doesn’t look away. After a moment, she gives a small nod. “Okay.”

The line moves fast. Before long, we’re stepping into one of the swinging cars, the metal seat creaking under our weight as the safety bar drops across our laps with a solid click. Thewheel begins to turn, lifting us off the platform, and her hand closes around mine, her short nails pressing little half-moons into my skin. I turn my hand beneath hers and hold on.

“It’s fine,” I murmur. “I’ve got you.”

We climb higher, the fairgrounds spreading out beneath us—strings of lights, moving crowds, the dark line of the harbour beyond. The noise below starts to thin, and then, near the top, the wheel slows... then stops.

Alannah’s grip loosens as she leans forward, taking in the fair spread out beneath us. “Oh.” She lets out a quiet laugh. “You can see everything.”

I’m not looking at the view. I’m looking at her. The wind lifts a few strands of her hair across her cheek, catching the glow from the lights beneath us. “Yeah,” I say. “Best view in the place.”

I ease my hand free from hers and slide my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer as I kiss her. It starts gentle, but when she lets out a little gasp against my mouth and opens for me, I press closer and deepen the kiss, my tongue brushing against hers. She tastes like peppermint taffy, sugar and mint on my tongue. She’s shy at first, but she follows my lead, leaning into me, her body soft and warm against mine. I slide my hand up into her hair, fingers slipping under the silky scarf that’s holding it in place. God, she feels good. Right here with me.

The car sways gently with the breeze and voices drift up from below, pulling me back to where we are. I reluctantly break the kiss.

She opens her eyes and looks at me, a little dazed. “Ronin,” she whispers.

“I’ve got you, doll,” I say, and press a kiss to her forehead.

The wheel starts moving again, carrying us down toward the platform. The noise of the crowd rises as we descend. By the time our feet touch solid ground, she’s smoothing her hair, smiling to herself, and I’m still tryingto pull myself together. That kiss has me worked up, blood still pounding. I force myself to think about the stack of invoices waiting on my desk and the leaky kitchen faucet I keep forgetting to fix. Anything to calm the hell down.

We step off the platform together, and that’s when I see him.

Mick.