DirtyBeautiful (9 page)

Dylan helped her sit up and held on to her a fraction longer
when she wavered. “Wow,” was all she could say.

Dylan hooked her hair behind her ear then cupped her cheeks.
He kissed her. A gentle kiss that paid homage to her. It made her heart
flip-flop at the way he marked each corner and claimed her mouth. He pulled
back and gazed into her eyes.

“You’re so beautiful,” he rasped.

Erica could almost believe him. She glanced down at his
erection and boldly stroked his length. Dylan groaned and snatched her hand
from him. “No, peaches. This is all about you.”

Her chest now had butterflies. It fluttered almost painfully
at the sight of his need. He was so giving. Erica pressed a hand to her chest
to suppress the strange mixture of elation and tenderness. Dylan’s eyes
narrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line. He raked a hand through his hair
and chuckled. “You better fix that. I’m having trouble holding on to my
promise.”

Erica did as asked, then pushed off the table. Her legs
struggled to take her weight, but she managed to hold on. A distinct smell of
burnt chocolate filled the air. “My brownies!”

She hurried over to the oven and opened the door. Pulling
out the batch, she grimaced at the acrid smell. She slid the tray onto the
stovetop and waved a tea towel over it. Assessing the damage, she let out a
hopeless sigh. Although it wasn’t charred, it was overcooked and would be hard
and bitter. With a disappointed
tsk
, she dumped the remains into the
trash. Time to start again.

“Going ahead with your plan to overtake the world?”

Erica snapped out of her irritation over spoiled brownies.
“What?”

Dylan indicated to the line of ingredients scattered over
the bench.

“Oh that. I’m making some brownies and other goodies for the
school Octoberfest. It’s on tonight. Maybe you want to come?”

Interest flared in his eyes. “That sounds real nice. It’s a
date… I mean, I’ll be there.”

Erica’s heart dropped a little at his backpedal, and she pasted
an overly bright smile on her face to hide her disappointment. “All right. I’ll
be leaving here at five thirty. So I’ll see you here?”

Dylan nodded. “Sure thing, peaches. Well, I’m gonna go home
and see if Bud is talking to me yet. See you later.”

“Bye.”

With that he turned away and left the house. Dreamily, Erica
worked on another batch of brownies. Still high from her orgasm, she ignored
the small voice that cautioned her attraction to Dylan. Deeming it of no
importance, she focused on the task at hand, eagerly counting down the hours
until Dylan showed up at her front door.

Chapter Five

Dylan pulled his truck in one of the vacant spots on the
edge of the field. Light shone down from stadium lights rented for the
festival, a Ferris wheel and various rides spotted with little colored lights
lined the oval. Beside him sat a couple of platters of brownies and chocolate
fudge. His cab smelled like a confection shop. He glanced over at Erica in the
darkness. She wore a colorful, pleated garden-print dress with a ruffled hem
that swung becomingly just below her knees. The flower belt cinched at her
waist emphasized her curves and impressive breasts. Desire took root once more
and he shot his attention above her chest. Her eyes glittered and her hair
curled around her heart-shaped face, held back only by an elastic headband. She
looked like an earthy beauty sent to tempt man to sin. And boy did he want to
be tempted.

He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “Ready?”

She nodded and picked the plate off her lap, unaware of how
close she came to finding herself on the ground and him inside her. Dylan
sucked in a fortifying breath, his focus on the mundane to bring his erection
under control. Confident he had it all in hand, he opened his door and carried the
other trays, shutting the door with his hip. Erica walked around the vehicle
with a shy smile. He leaned down and buzzed a kiss on her lips. She was simply
too gorgeous to resist.

Wide eyes peered up at him, the shock giving way to delight.
Silently they walked toward the front of the gate. As they drew closer the
music sharpened into specific notes. A country band sang somewhere within the
crowd and shrieks for joy overlaid the circus music that accompanied every
sideshow.

They stopped beside the entry booth, Bill sitting inside
with a red-and-white striped vest. Dylan chuckled. “Taking it a bit far, aren’t
we, Bill?”

Bill thumbed back his straw hat. “The kids like it. Why,
good evening, Miss Erica.”

“Good evening. Two entry fees.”

“Ten dollars.”

Erica juggled her brownies and riffled through her handbag.
Dylan slipped one of his platters on the counter and pulled out his wallet. He
found the cash and handed it over. Bill winked at him and grinned. “Have a nice
time, y’all.”

“I’ll pay you back,” Erica promised as she walked down
toward the stalls.

“Think nothing of it.”

They passed a fairy floss machine with kids lined up eager
to get their sweet tooth satisfied. The fellow working the machine waved at
Erica. “Hi, Miss Bracken.”

“Hello, Rob.”

Dylan briefly assessed the man and his handlebar moustache.
He didn’t seem like Erica’s type. He quelled the urge to preen like some
misguided rooster and instead followed Erica to a stall filled with baked
sweets like biscuits and cupcakes. The Hispanic lady behind the counter looked
up and put her book aside, her brown eyes filled with relief. “Erica, thank God
you brought your brownies. We’ve already had a few requests.”

Erica put the platters down on the counter. “Sorry I’m late,
had a cooking disaster.”

Dylan wanted to kiss the lovely blush on her skin. Instead
he settled for placing his hand on the small of her back.

The woman looked at him. “You must be Dylan.”

“I am. My reputation precedes me. I’m sorry I don’t know
your name,” he said turning on all his charm and a high-wattage smile.

The woman giggled and swatted a hand at his statement.
“Ramona. My goodness, Erica, you didn’t tell me he was such a sweet talker.”

Dylan stared at Erica, surprised he was a topic of
conversation for her. “You gossip about me?”

Ramona’s assessing stare flicked between them. “Oh it was
all nice things she had to say.”

Guilt flashed in her eyes. “Ramona asked about you and I—I—”

Dylan chucked her chin and this time had to forcibly stop
himself from kissing her again. “Think nothing of it. I’m flattered. Really.”

Something broke off inside his chest at the sight of her
relief and acute embarrassment. She was so transparent and utterly beautiful.
“Come on, I’ll win you a stuffed animal.”

She brightened at the idea and he hooked his arm around
hers. “All right, but I have to be back here in an hour.”

“Not a problem.”

They strolled down the various aisles and eyed some wares up
for sale. Erica slowed at a stall with several beaded jewelry items on display.
She fingered one that had a number of tightly woven fine straps cinched into
the fixture at the back of the necklace. It had an orange, black and yellow
pendant perched within a polished brass casing that hung heavily from the
straps. After asking the price, she purchased it and put it on. “What do you
think?”

The pendant sat snug between her breasts. His focus was
drawn downward and to the need to touch her again. His dick stirred to life and
fried his language neurons. He wanted to pull her into the darkness, spread her
legs and hear her moan like she did in the kitchen. Jesus, he never knew she’d
sound so God damn good.

A little boy jostled between them as he ran after his
friend.

“Sorry, Miss Bracken!” he said without missing a beat. “I
got a new dog!”

“That’s wonderful, Cameron!”

She laughed at his gleeful exuberance as he ran as fast as
his little legs could take him. “Why is everyone calling you Miss Bracken?”

Erica wrapped her arm around his and tugged him along.
“Because I teach elementary school.”

Oh crap. Now he knew he should definitely steer clear of
her. His stomach churned a little. “Is that right?”

“Yeah, I just adore kids. And I get to make a difference in
their lives. It’s very rewarding. What did you do before coming here?”

What did he do? Jesus, what didn’t he do? He did women
almost every way conceivable. “I… I, uh, was in the entertainment industry.”

A mixture of curiosity and excitement animated her face.
Shit! Why couldn’t he have said waste management or public servant? The apples
of her cheeks flushed with color. “Really? Did you meet any famous actors?” She
sighed beatifically. “It must be so wonderful to see them at work. I’d been in
a few school plays before. I really enjoyed doing it. But I’m sure it’s not up
to the caliber you’re used to.”

Dylan coughed into his fist. No one cared about the quality
of acting in the porn industry. All that mattered was if you could get it up
and keep it up. “I’m sure you’re wonderful.”

Erica laughed, palming his forearm and sending sparks of
awareness through his body. “You haven’t seen me act. But it’s nice of you to
say. Maybe you can show me some of your work sometime?”

“Oh I don’t know. Most of my stuff was B-grade films.
Probably hard to find.”

“Oh,” she said, disappointment heavy in her tone.

They wandered by a milk bottle game. The plastic bottles
piled up until they formed a triangle and the angler waved him forward. “Step
up, sir. A dollar for three throws. All you gotta do is knock down these pins
and you can win your lady a fine prize.”

“All right.”

Dylan paid the man and accepted the three baseballs. He
palmed them, the feel of the seams reminded him of his days spent on a baseball
field as a child. In pitcher mode, he eyed his target and noted the distance
and possible velocity for the best result. He wound up and threw the ball hard.
It clipped the side, the top bottle tumbled down along with the two supporting
it. Once the pyramid was set up again, he took aim. It hit dead center. The top
and middle tier tumbled free, but the bottom remained strong. What the hell?
Again he carefully aligned the shot and threw hard. It smashed through the
bottles and sent them to the ground. Dylan punched the air in triumph and Erica
clapped in delight, cheering him on as though he’d won the world cup.

The vendor pulled out a large stuffed purple dog with big
eyes and long ears. “Here you go.”

Erica hugged it to her body, her eyes alight with joy.
“Thank you.”

Dylan’s chest puffed out and he felt as though he’d given
her a diamond bracelet rather than a cheap toy. “Come on, let’s get some roasted
nuts.”

He crossed over to the lone vendor serving popcorn and
sugared and roasted nuts. He ordered two packets, one sugared for Erica and
salted for himself. They strolled through the festival, watching families and
couples enjoy the night’s entertainment. Dylan chewed on a nut, the savory
flavor skipped over his tongue. The country music grew louder as they turned
the corner and walked into a crowd of people dancing before a stage. They stood
at the edge of the throng and he enjoyed the music while Erica swung to the
rhythm of the guitar.

He was sharply aware of every move she made. The sway of her
skirt and the tinkle of her bracelets, although innocent, created an erotic
song. Erica sung to lyrics with gusto, off tune yet beautiful in her passion.
The band broke into a banjo and guitar solo and the crowd cheered. Dylan’s gaze
trailed over people and he felt like one with the community. The song ended and
before long the lead singer slipped into the melody about the love of a genuine
woman.

“Want to dance?” he asked.

Erica beamed. “I would love to.”

She plopped her prize and food beside an elderly couple and
walked into his arms. His hands settled over her waist while her arms wrapped
around his neck. Firm breasts pressed against him and desire shot through his
body. He tightened his grip over her hips and they rocked to the rhythm. In the
semi-darkness, her green eyes glistened with desire. The gloss on her lips made
them look plump and his will crumbled. He bent his head and kissed her.
Immediately the world receded until nothing existed but Erica. Her smell and
her spirit filled his lungs until he couldn’t breathe. The kiss had turned from
a mark of sexual prowess to one filled with reverence and humbling need. An
ache started in his chest, a twinge he was unable to describe and yet made him
feel inexplicably vulnerable.

He broke off the kiss, their breaths intermingling.
Something significant had just happened and he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Erica’s glazed look revealed how deeply the kiss affected her also. The song
ended and he pulled away from her. He cleared his throat and checked his watch.
It was still a while before she had to return to the stall, but he knew with
all certainty that if he stayed he would take her in the grass, somewhere beyond
the blazing lights. She didn’t deserve that. Not a woman who was passionate
about children and their education. He couldn’t defile her like that.

“I better take you back to Ramona.”

She glanced at her watch and her shoulders drooped. “All
right.”

They ambled back to the front of the carnival, the air thick
with unspoken questions. Questions he didn’t know the answer to. Finally they
stopped several feet from the stall and Erica hugged her dog to her, chin on
its head. “Thank you for coming.”

“You’re welcome. I had a good time.”

“I’ll… I’ll probably see you around?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back to pick you up after your shift ends.”

She nodded then returned to the stall. Dylan watched her go,
wanting desperately to pull her to him and lay claim upon her body. His fist
clenched and he whirled around. He really needed to curb this fixation on her.
With a growl, he decided to try out the arm wrestling competition. If anything
he’d wear out his arm and his dick could just go to hell.