His Sweet Reward Page 4

  “Okay.” I was in such a hurry to see him my solo focus was on changing and getting to the door.

  He shakes his head at me before he grabs me and pulls me into his body. My hands rest on his chest as his mouth comes down onto mine. That’s when I forget about everything else in the world and enjoy the feel of him against me.

  “Dash.” I moan his name as he pulls his mouth from mine.

  “Do you always taste this good?”

  “I don’t think I taste as good as mint chip,” I tease, earning a smile from him.

  “You taste better. I promise.” He takes my hand. “Lock your door and let’s go.”

  “I’m normally good about the door, but I was distracted, which is completely your fault.” I do as he says and we take the elevator downstairs.

  “I guess you’ll have to move in with me so I can keep an eye on you. I can’t let your lack of safety go unchecked.” When we get outside we walk over to the same car from last night and he opens the door for me. “Since it’s my fault.”

  “We are getting married and having an imaginary baby. I suppose that’s the next logical step.” I laugh as I get into the back of the car and he follows in after me. This fake baby and marriage sounds way too good for a second date.

  “How was school?” He grabs my hand again and his fingers intertwine with mine.

  “Good, we spent a lot of time coloring before I broke out the bubbles. It was too nice out today to stay in the classroom. How was your day?” My days normally pass quickly, but today dragged on. It was fun sneaking texts to Dash, but time felt as though it was standing still most of the day. I wanted to see Dash so badly my eyes kept drifting back to the clock. That was another reason I’d taken us all outside—distraction.

  “Long.” He lifts our locked hands and kisses the back of mine. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too.” I lean over, wanting another kiss, but I remember we have a driver. “Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?”

  “Have you ever been to a renaissance festival?”

  “No.” I smile, enjoying another first with Dash. I think it’s going to be the start of many.

  Chapter Eight

  Dash

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Brooklyn stops at the entrance and looks at me with wide eyes.

  “Is that a good reaction or a bad one?”

  Her smile grows until she’s beaming at me. “This place looks like a castle! How did I not know about this?”

  We walk towards the ticketing booth and I pay for the two of us. “It’s seasonal. They only come once a year, so if you don’t get here while they’re open, you have to wait until next season.”

  “You’ve been here before?” This time she’s the one to reach out for my hand and I tuck her in close beside me.

  “Yeah, my parents brought me here a few times as a kid, but I haven’t been back since then. I realized last night that it’s that time of year, and I looked it up. I saw they’ve only got a couple of days left, so I wanted to make sure I got you here before it closed.

  “I’m already having the best day ever and we haven’t even walked in yet.”

  “Glad to know I’m outdoing last night.” I wink at her as we give our tickets to the woman dressed as a maiden.

  “Good sir and gentle lady, you are not dressed for our fair lands,” the woman taking our ticket says.

  “We’re on our way to remedy that.” I tilt my head in a bow and she allows us to pass.

  “Oh my gosh, is everyone here in character?” Brooklyn looks over her shoulder as we walk through the trees and into the village.

  “I think you’re going to enjoy this,” I say, more to myself than to her. “All right, princess. Let’s get you properly dressed for today’s events.”

  “What?” Before Brooklyn can process what I’m saying to her, I turn her to face the store that carries costumes.

  “This way.” She laughs as I lead her inside to where an older couple is standing behind the counter.

  “Welcome, sire, are you and your fair maiden here for proper attire?” The man bows to us and the woman curtsies.

  “This is incredible,” Brooklyn whispers.

  “We are. My lady will have whatever her heart desires.”

  Brooklyn looks at me with wide eyes as the woman comes over and takes her by the hand. “This way, m’lady.” She takes her to the back of the store, where I see tons of dresses and costumes for the festival.

  “This way, good sir,” the older gentleman says, and I follow him to the opposite side.

  It takes a little while for me to decide on what I’m willing to wear, but I want to play along as much as possible if for no other reason than to see the look on Brooklyn’s face. Once I’ve settled on a leather vest and chaps and a medieval axe I can hang from my belt, I step out of the dressing room and wait at the counter. A few moments later I see the older woman come around the corner and then ring me up for the total. I pay for the both of us and then look around to find Brooklyn.

  “This way, m’lord,” the woman says as she leads me to the other side.

  Standing there in front of a row of mirrors is my girl, and I’m stunned at how beautiful she looks. She’s gorgeous in a sweatshirt and leggings, but seeing her in a pale blue maiden’s dress with flowers in her braid makes her look breathtaking.

  “Oh my god, you look like Westley from The Princess Bride,” she laughs as she comes over and kisses me. “Except bigger and more intimidating.”

  It shocks me, not because of what she says but because it feels so natural and perfect. Like we’ve joked together all our lives and I’ve kissed her a thousand times. There’s nothing new and awkward, yet when I feel her against me I’m alive for the first time in my life. I kiss her back and then I stand there looking her over and smiling. When was the last time my heart felt so full? Has it ever?

  “You look like Buttercup on her wedding day.”

  “Let’s storm the castle.”

  I shake my head as we say goodbye to the older couple and walk out into the village. The fair is in full swing with people at the blacksmith watching someone make a sword, and a booth right beside it for making candles. There are jugglers and people singing and even a jester on stilts.

  “Oh, they have face painting.” Brooklyn points to the children in line waiting their turn.

  “Do you want to do that?” I squeeze her hand and she shakes her head.

  “No, but my kids would love it.”

  She tells me about her students and I watch her light up. She’s so proud of them and it’s as if they are partly hers. I guess with the amount of time she spends with them, she feels that way, and I can understand her connection to them.

  “I never really wanted kids,” I admit, and she looks up at me.

  “Really, why?”

  “I was afraid I wouldn’t be a good dad.”

  She reaches up and touches my chin as she shakes her head. “I think everyone has that fear. But the way you said it made it sound like you used to feel that way. Do you still feel the same?”

  “No, not anymore.”

  “You’ve had a change of heart?” She cocks her head to the side.

  “Something like that.” I lean down and kiss her as I slide my hands around her waist.

  “Is that your axe or are you happy to see me?”

  I laugh as I press my erection into her belly and squeeze her close. “Oh, I’m very happy to see you.”

  Her eyes widen and then her cheeks blush as I kiss her once again. The sound of cheering nearby reminds me we aren’t alone and I force myself to release her. I see a few men at the tavern hold up goblets of ale and shout “huzzah” as we pass.

  We walk around and look at all the different things being made and we decide to get a turkey leg to share. Watching Brooklyn walk around holding a giant leg of meat as she talks excitedly about everything she sees makes this whole day perfect.

  After a few hours of eating and then watching
the joust, we make our way to the axe throwing area.

  “I’ve always wanted to try that,” Brooklyn says as we move through the crowd.

  “Really?” I’m surprised, but then again, I can see her being a little competitive. Especially after witnessing how she cheered at the joust for the red knight to kill the green one.

  “This is going to sound crazy, but I always thought I’d be really good at it.” When I laugh, she holds up her hand. “I know, I know, but I’m serious. I’ve never done it before, but I have this feeling like I could dominate.”

  “Okay, let’s do it.”

  “What do you mean?” Suddenly she’s looking at me like I’m the crazy one.

  “When have you ever had the chance to prove this theory? Come on, Buttercup. Let’s get you an axe.”

  I grab her hand and we weave through the people watching. I can hear a few protests from her, but not enough to actually make me stop. I don’t know why I have this pressing urge to make all of her dreams come true, but damn it, I’m going to do it.

  When I get to the fenced-off area I see a guy in the corner keeping score.

  “Hey, my lady wants to throw,” I tell the guy, and he looks at me and then at Brooklyn.

  “Does she know how?”

  “N—”

  “Yes,” I say over Brooklyn’s protest. “And I’ve got a thousand dollars that says she beats your best guy.”

  “Dash!” I feel Brooklyn tug on my arm, but when I don’t turn around she tries again. “Dash,” she hisses, but I just wink at her.

  “It’s okay. You got this.”

  “Let me check with the boys, but we’ll take that bet,” the guy says as he opens the ropes for us. “Right this way.”

  He puts the rope back in place and walks over to the group of guys next to the axes.

  “Dash, I can’t do this. Oh god, me and my big mouth. We need to go.” She tries to walk away but I snag her by the wrist.

  “Hey, where is the confidence you had two seconds ago?”

  “I think I’m going to barf it up with my turkey leg.”

  I smile and shake my head. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

  “Besides accidentally cutting my own head off?”

  “Yes, besides that,” I tease.

  “Umm, losing a grand?”

  “I’ve got you covered. And let’s just say if you lose, you can work it off for me later.”

  I pull her close and kiss her hard enough to make her forget her fears. The crowd behind us cheers and whistles, but I just ignore them. Right now, my focus is to make Brooklyn remember we’re here to have fun.

  “Seriously. Throw a few and see what happens. Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re not. But it’s going to be fun for me either way.”

  She nods and takes a deep breath as the rope guy walks over to us. “All right, it’s a bet. Take your place over there, and she and the champion will alternate turns.”

  I turn to Brooklyn and give her another kiss before I lean back and touch her cheek. “Good luck.”

  “I can’t believe I’m about to do this. It’s crazy, right?”

  “But fun.”

  “I know!” she squeals as she gets into place and I move off to the side.

  The rope guy ends up being the announcer for the axe throwing contest and he gets the crowd hyped up. He introduces the champion as Sir Jamie and the crowd cheers. After Jamie waves to the crowd, he looks over at Brooklyn and his eyes linger a second too long for my taste. I remind myself that this is supposed to be a fun competition for her, and I try to let it go.

  Then the announcer goes over to Brooklyn and asks her a question. After a second, he laughs and then turns to the crowd. He introduces her as Princess Buttercup and they all cheer even louder than they did for Sir Jamie.

  Sir Jamie wins the coin toss and so he elects to go first. He takes his axe and dramatically shows it off to the crowd before he lines up in front of the block of wood. There’s a big round target a good distance from where they’re supposed to stand and it’s shaped like a bullseye. Depending on where the axe sinks in, the closer to the middle, the higher the points.

  He takes his time and breathes deep before he raises the axe over his head and lets it fly. There’s a quiet pause from the crowd before it erupts, and then Sir Jamie holds his hands out and bows to them. I look at the block of wood to see he’s just shy of the bullseye and earned ten points. The axe in the target is taken away and Sir Jamie’s points are recorded.

  Suddenly I’m nervous for Brooklyn, but to my surprise she doesn’t look the least bit rattled. In fact, she looks as confident as ever as she winks at me and picks up her axe.

  The crowd is quiet and Brooklyn doesn’t make any kind of show as she steps up to the line. She plants her feet and lifts the axe over her head, and I hold my breath as she launches it at the target.

  With a loud thunk, it lands just on the inside of the bullseye, a hair closer than Sir Jamie’s, earning her twenty points.

  I’m the first to throw my hands up and cheer, and she looks at me with complete shock and disbelief on her face. Her mouth is hanging open and I’m practically jumping out of my skin as everyone loses their minds.

  All except Sir Jamie.

  This time he loses the showmanship as he stomps over to grab an axe. The crowd barely has time to become quiet as he steps up and chucks his axe at the target. Bullseye.

  Once he’s landed his mark he turns around and the crowd cheers. Maybe I’m biased, but it’s definitely not as loud as it was when Brooklyn got it. She looks over at me and I give her a thumbs-up.

  “You got this, Buttercup,” I call out to her, and I can see her fighting a smile.

  Sir Jamie gets a little too close for my taste as he walks past her. Brooklyn doesn’t let it affect her as she takes a deep breath and lifts her axe.

  This throw isn’t as strong as the first, and the axe goes a little sideways. She manages to hit the target and it sticks, but just outside the bullseye. She gains ten points by the skin of her teeth and she and Sir Jamie are tied.

  The announcer tells the crowd that each contestant has one final throw. I don’t miss the look he gives me when he tells everyone that in the event of a tie, the win goes to the reigning champion Sir Jamie.

  Sir Jamie is once again playing to the crowd as he steps up to the line and holds his axe up for everyone to see.

  “Yeah, we get it, you’ve got a fucking axe,” I say under my breath because I’m annoyed with this guy.

  I hold my breath as he throws it and I hear the blade sink into the wood. The crowd cheers and I wait for the judge to call the points. He’s missed the bullseye by a hair and only gets ten points. Sir Jamie looks rattled for just a second before he covers with a smug smile. He cocks his head at Brooklyn and holds out his hand as if telling her he’ll allow her to go now.

  I clench my fists and have to force myself to stay back because all I want to do is kick his ass for trying to intimidate my woman. But to my delight, Brooklyn ignores him and grabs the last axe on the table.

  This time she turns to the crowd and holds up her axe just like Sir Jamie did and there are cheers as well as laughs because we all know what she’s doing. Sir Jamie looks pissed as he steps back and I cheer above the crowd.

  She blows me a kiss before she takes her place, and in that moment, I know she’s going to beat him. Just like she knew she’d be good at this, I know with every fiber of my soul she’s going to hit that bullseye.

  I cross my arms over my chest and watch as she plants her feet, draws back the axe, and launches it straight and true to the middle of the target.

  “There’s my girl,” I say as the crowd erupts and she stands there in shock.

  I run over to her and sweep her up in my arms as I spin her around.

  “Holy shit, did I just win?” she shouts above the noise, and I kiss her like a sailor home from a month at sea.

  “Yeah, I think you did,” I say when I finally break the kiss.
br />   “I’m shaking,” she laughs and puts her hands over her face. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

  The announcer comes over with a roll of cash and hands it over to me. “If you ever want a job here, let me know,” he says to Brooklyn. “I could use the eye candy to get the crowd going.”

  Suddenly my good mood takes a nosedive as I move her behind me. “She’s not interested.”

  “Just saying, with a piece that sweet, you and I could both make some cash.”

  I take the money out of his hand and then step closer to him. “Unless you want to see how good I am with an axe, I suggest you back the fuck up and keep your eyes off my woman.”

  He holds his hands up and backs off slowly as I stand there blocking his view of Brooklyn.

  “Why was that hot?” she whispers from behind me, and I have to fight a smile as I grab her hand and leave the axe throwing area.

  “Are you kidding me? Watching you kick that guy’s ass has me ready to pound nails.”

  “What?” she asks, but I shake my head.

  “Nothing, Buttercup. Let’s go get a shepherd's pie,” I say as I kiss her neck and we walk toward the village again.

  Chapter Nine

  Brooklyn

  My head rests against Dash’s shoulder. I’ve got my arms wrapped around one of his as we sit in the backseat of the car. The night is over, but I don’t want to go home. It was one of the most fun days of my life and I don’t know how, but I’m falling in love with Dash after such a short time.

  I smile when I feel him kiss the top of my head. Dash is turning out to be too good to be true. There has to be a flaw to him or something that I’m missing.

  “I wish you didn't have to work tomorrow.”

  I tilt my head back to look up at him. “Me too, but it’s only for half the day so I’ll get out early.”