Chapter 16

Conall was waiting for me by the entrance of the parking lot when I arrived at the circus grounds. He looked so fucking delicious in his tight black button-up and jeans that seemed to hug every curve of his body.

"How was work today?" I asked when he got in the car. He leaned in, and I met him for a sweet kiss.

Goddess, I missed the taste of him. I never really had cravings for sweets before, but I couldn't get enough of his honey flavor.

"It was good! I covered the dunk tank today. There were too many people with good aim. I'm just glad to finally be dry," he replied and settled back in his seat.

"I'm glad you're dry too. And can I say the outfit you changed into for our date?" I let my eyes roam up and down his body. "You look too sexy for words."

Conall grinned, his chin tilted up with pride. "Thanks! I spent a long time planning my outfit last night. You don't look too bad yourself." He spoke the words casually, but I could tell he was shy by the slight tinge of pink on his cheeks.

I leaned over again and pressed a kiss on his cheek, feeling the delicious heat of his blush on my lips. Before sitting back in my seat, I reached over and buckled him in again.

"Thanks. And I can do it myself, you know?"

"I know, but I like taking care of you," I replied.

"Then you have to let me take care of you too. Tonight's date is my treat. It's only fair," he said with determination. He didn't seem like he was going to take no for an answer.

I smiled and took his hand. "Then I can't wait to see what you have in store for us," I said with a smile.

"Have you gone bowling before? I looked online last night and found a couple places nearby with good reviews."

"I haven't. Sounds like a plan," I said, then had him punch in the place on my phone's GPS.

The entire drive there, Conall rested his hand on my thigh, not in a sexual way, but like he wanted to claim me as his. I was surprised by how much I loved his possessiveness.

The bowling place wasn't far from the circus grounds. I was a bit hesitant to put my feet in the smelly rental shoes but eventually did, considering they wouldn't let us bowl without those damn shoes.

"So how badly am I about to have my ass kicked?" I asked as I watched Conall test the shiny balls in his hand, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. He picked up a blue ball and weighed it in his hand before nodding in approval.

"Don't worry, no ass kicking tonight. I promise," he threw over his shoulder before rolling the ball. It raced down the lane and cleared out all the pins. I haven't bowled before, but even I knew that wasn't an easy feat.

Conall threw his arms in the air and let out a whoop. He turned around with a huge grin. "Maybe just a little ego bruising," he said, positioning his pointer finger and thumb a pinch apart.

I laughed and crossed my arms. "You're gonna have so much fun teasing me tonight, aren't you?"

"Does that bother you?"

I paused, pretending to think about it. "Depends. What will I get if I let you make a fool of me?"

He walked closer to me. "First of all, nobody's making a fool of anybody." He went on his tiptoes and whispered in my ear. "We're both going to walk away champions tonight." When he pulled back, he brushed his lips quickly against mine, but I wasn't going to let him get away so easily.

I grabbed him and captured him in a kiss again. Conall laughed and surrendered himself to me.

The deep clearing of a throat had us breaking apart. I turned around to find the middle-aged man working behind the desk giving us a look of disapproval. When I found Conall hiding his face in my chest in embarrassment, I shot a glare at the worker.

Conall shouldn't have to feel bad for a simple kiss. It wasn't like we were about to get naked in the middle of the bowling place, for fuck's sake.

"Forget about judgmental asses like him. We have a date to enjoy. And I really hope you planned on teaching me how to bowl or else I'm really going to look like an idiot out there."

That got a smile out of him. "Come on, little one. You have much to learn," he said, reaching my hand out for mine.

I snorted but let him lead me to where the bowling balls came out. He taught me how to pick out one that wasn't too heavy or too light for me, then brought me to the edge of the lane to explain the point I should aim for if I wanted to get a strike.

My favorite part was when he got behind me, his body contoured flush against mine as he showed me the ideal position to throw the ball. Having to suffer with nasty shoes was definitely worth it.

Conall might be a lot smaller than me, but he somehow molded against my back perfectly. It was very hard to stay focused with his heat spreading to me and his hot breath whispering instructions in my ear. He seemed to notice as well.

"Did you get that?" he asked with a grin as he took a step back. I instantly missed his warmth.

"Mmhmm. If you wanted me to pay attention, then you should have kept your hands to yourself," I said, not ashamed of the fact that I'd been completely distracted.

He looked exasperated but also amused. "My bad. I should have known," he deadpanned.

"Don't worry, how hard can it be, anyway? Isn't it just throwing the ball?" I commented, then positioned myself according to what little I'd actually retained while Conall had been pressed against me, and made my move.

The ball rolled straight down the middle of the lane. I was about to get excited, thinking that I actually did well on my first try, but the ball suddenly made a sharp curve and basically ran itself into the gutter.

"How the fuck..." I cursed, and Conall busted out in laughter. I turned to him with a scowl.

"Ready to listen now?" he asked with a glint in his eyes.

"You were right. My ego is definitely bruised," I grumbled, which brought another chuckle out of him.

"Don't worry, we'll make a bowler out of you yet," he teased, then explained how I should position my body again—without touching me this time. Smart man.

An hour later, Conall won by a landslide with a perfect score. I'd managed to get one strike, but my points were still far behind his.

"How are you so good at this?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Must be because I grew up with the circus. I spent my childhood playing different games, so I picked up tricks on how to beat any game."

"So you're telling me I need to avoid anything game-like for all our future dates if I don't want my ego bruised every time?" I wrapped my arms around him and hung my head on his shoulder for comfort.

Long,rhythmic strokes fell on my back, making me want to melt deeper in his arms.

"I'll go easy on you?" Conall said it like a question. "So even with your ego bruised, did you have fun?" His hands faltered a bit, trembling, as if he was nervous about my answer.

I pulled back and looked him straight in the eye. Sure, I sucked ass at bowling, but not everything was about winning. Through all the encouragement from the pins I'd missed and the cheers when I made that one strike, I found myself laughing and really enjoying my time tonight. And I knew a big reason for that was who I was experiencing this all with.

"I did. I think I'll have fun doing anything with you."