20. Cade

"What the hell, man?" Ty demands as I stroll into the camp. "Where've you been?"

I smirk. "Sorry, got caught up."

Suspicion flickers in his eyes. "Don't tell me you're still terrorizing that girl?"

I can't help but chuckle at his choice of words. "I don't thinkshe'dcall it terrorizing whenshewas screaming my name and coming on my cock for the seventh time," I retort.

Ty raises an eyebrow, and a hint of admiration appears. "Nice," he concedes, clapping me on the shoulder. "But seriously, we've got work to do. I can't have you slacking off, chasing tail all day," he adds sternly, making it clear I need to refocus on my job.

I nod, pushing thoughts of my angel from my mind. "You're right, Ty. Let's get to work."

We head to the Tilt-A-Whirl, which has been making some concerning noises.I grab my toolbox and inspect the ride while Ty looks for kids trying to sneak onto the stationary rides.

After about an hour of tinkering, I have the Tilt-A-Whirl running smoothly again. Ty gives me an approving nod. "Good work. Why don't you take a break? Grab some food from the vendors."

My stomach rumbles at the suggestion. I realize I haven't eaten since yesterday, thanks to having to bury that worthless piece of shit last night. Then, there was my eagerness to visit Lily this morning. "Yeah, sounds good."

I wander through the fairgrounds, the smell of popcorn and hot dogs filling the air. My mind keeps drifting back to Lily, though. The way she gasped and arched her back when I?—

No, stop it, I tell myself. Focus on work. There will be time for more of that later.

I buy a corn dog and a Coke, then sit down to eat. Lars joins me with his own corn dog. "Hey man, Ty mentioned you've been spending time with one of the local girls?"

I grin. "Yeah, you could say that. She's a sweet girl who works at the diner in town. Her name's Lily."

Lars raises an eyebrow. "And?"

"And I fucked her brains out. Took her virginity too,"I admit.

"Shit, really?"Lars looks impressed. "How'd you manage that so fast?"

I chuckle. "It wasn't hard. She resisted at first, but I could tell she wanted it. She needed a strong man to show her what she's been missing."

Lars nods, but I can see a flicker of concern in his eyes. "So what, you're banging her while we're here?"

"Nah, it's more than that."I take a big bite of my corn dog. "She's mine now. I'm going to take her with me when we leave."

"Seriously?"Lars frowns. "Don't you think that's a bit much? You just met her."

I shake my head. "Doesn't matter. I knew the second I saw her that she belonged to me."

"Will she agree to come with you?"he asks.

That is where things get tricky.

I take another bite of my corn dog as I consider Lars' question. Convincing Lily to accompany me won't be easy, but I'm confident I'll succeed.

"She'll come around,"I say casually. "I need more time with her. She won't want to let me go once she knows how good I can make her feel."

Lars still looks uncertain. "I don't know. Girls don't usually take well to being forced into things."

I bristle at the implication. "I'm not forcingherinto anything,"I say defensively. "I'm helping her see what's best for her."

Lars holds up his hands. "Hey, no judgment. All I'm saying is to be smart about it. Don't get yourself into trouble over a girl."

I nod, seeing his point. One wrong move, and I could losemy angelfor good.

"I'll be careful,"I assure him. "Believe me, I don't intend to let her slip away. She's perfect for me. I have to make her see that."

Lars seems mollified by this. "Alright, man, as long as you know what you're doing."He stands up, having finished his food. "I should get back to work. The graviton has been acting up again."

"Yeah, I should head back too,"I say, crumpling my empty food wrappers and following Lars back toward the rides.

My mind is already racing ahead to tonight when Lily agreed to visit me. This time, I'll make sure we're not interrupted. I lick my lips in anticipation, imagining how I plan to claim her again tonight.