He raised the curtain, propelling her forward before stepping inside with her.
“I don’t want my picture taken,” Willa protested.
A hand on her shoulder had her taking a seat as Lucky put a dollar into the slot. As soon as the whirling motor sucked the dollar inside, Lucky sat down next to her on the small seat. Embarrassed, she tried ineffectively to scoot over, only to find herself pinned between the wall and Lucky’s imposing body. She noticed his T-shirt was short-sleeved, and his large biceps were highlighted by the tattoos covering his arms.
When his hand covered her throat, turning her to face him, Willa froze for a split-second before her survival instincts screamed at her that he was about to kiss her. Putting her hands on his chest, she tried to place some space between them. A kiss from Lucky was something she had never expected to experience, and she was pretty darn sure it would be more than she could handle.
“Have you been kissed before?” His low voice had her trying to wiggle away from him, but his body merely leaned closer until her breasts were flattened against his chest with her hands caught between them.
“Of course.” She tried to turn her face away but Lucky gripped her chin, denying her a chance to avoid the deepening intimacy that he was weaving between them.
His mouth moved closer until she felt his lips brush hers when he talked. “Who?”
“None of your damn business,” Willa said defiantly. There was no way she was going to tell him it was Lewis who had managed to kiss her in high school. It had been a terrifying moment which she’d had nightmares about for several months afterward.
The tip of his tongue traced her bottom lip.
“Don’t, Lucky,” Willa pleaded, seeing the flash of the camera.
“Why not? Don’t you want a taste? I want to taste yours,” he groaned. “I want to see if it’s as sweet as your frosting.” His mouth pressed harder against hers, parting her lips that she tried to keep closed, and her nails pressed into his flesh.
“You taste like vanilla,” he murmured.
“Please, Lucky…”
“What do you want, Willa? Do you want me to stop?”
Willa saw the flash go off again, and her head fell back against the wall of the booth. She’d had every intention of stopping him; instead, she had lost all control when Lucky deepened the kiss, driving all caution from her mind.
“Please … don’t,” she breathed into his mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you there isn’t anything redeemable about me?” He caught her lips again, exploring her mouth with his tongue as she went limp against him, letting him take what he wanted from her, guiltily aware she wanted it also. However, she wasn’t brave enough to give in to the desire he was wringing from her tense body.
Willa saw another flash across her closed eyes before Lucky tore his lips from hers and pressed his thumb down on the pounding pulse at the base of her throat. Then he gave her a hard look before standing abruptly, leaving her alone in the photo booth.
Willa gathered her composure, straightening her blouse before pushing back the curtain and stepping outside. Although Lucky was thankfully nowhere to be seen, Rachel and Cash both gave her curious looks as they approached the photo booth.
Willa wanted to press her palms against her flushed cheeks, but she forced herself to keep her hands to her side.
“Having fun?” she asked the couple.
“Yes, Cash is still bummed out about losing the cake walk, but I promised him a few of your cupcakes the next time I tutor Sissy.” Rachel gave her a mischievous grin.
“That works for me.” Willa spoke to the couple for several minutes before excusing herself, going in search of Rider.
She found him sitting on the bleachers, watching the little girl eat a candy apple warily. He couldn’t hide his relief when he saw her.
“Thanks, Rider. I appreciate you watching her for me.”
“It’s cool. I babysit for Beth and Lily occasionally. Not often,” he hastened to add, “but enough to take care of them for about an hour. I always shove food in their faces.”
“That always worked on me,” Willa joked.
Rider’s eyes turned frosty. “Why do you always put yourself down?”
Willa shrugged. “Rider, it’s pretty obvious I like food.”
“I like it, too, but I don’t put myself down because I do.”
Willa surveyed his muscular body. “There’s a big difference between your body and mine.” Willa couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. She liked Rider. He was sweet and uncomplicated.
“Yes, there is.” His eyes went to her breasts.
She burst out laughing, unable to help her reaction to his sense of humor.
“If I had a brother, he would be just like you,” Willa complimented, guessing from the thunderstruck expression on his face that it was the first time he had been placed in that category.
Rider stood up, brushing down his jeans before straightening. “I’m going to go mend my broken heart with those two women about to go into the haunted house.”
“You do that. I’m sure they’ll appreciate your help through the maze. Winter told me it goes through eight classrooms.”
“You’re not jealous at all?”
“Nope.” Willa couldn’t miss the amused twinkle in Rider’s own eyes.
“It’s a sad day when a woman refers to me as brotherly.”
“I’m sure you’ll recover,” Willa mocked.
“I might be heartbroken … You just don’t know.” Rider’s mouth twisted mischievously. Before she could react, he brushed his mouth over hers in a brief kiss. Raising his head, he stared down intently at her. “Nothing?”
“Sorry, but no.”
“Woman, you’re heartless,” Rider groaned. “I guess it’s the haunted house after all.”
“Don’t get lost,” Willa teased to his retreating back, not missing the one finger salute he turned and flipped her.
“Ready?” Willa took Chrissy’s hand, helping her down the bleachers before going in search of the other two children.
She found Charlie coming out of the haunted house and Caroline helping Winter at the fish pond.
“Leaving?” Winter asked.
“Yes, I need to go home and get started on tomorrow’s orders.”
“I would tell you to take a vacation, but I think the town would lynch me.”
Willa always felt a spurt of pride about her baking skills. It was the one thing she did well.
“I see you went to the duck pond.”
Willa’s hand went to the blue beaded necklace around her throat. “Yes, and the photo booth.”
“I’m glad you had fun. Where are the pictures?”
“Pictures?” Willa stared at her blankly.
“That is what the photo booth is for. I should check and make sure it’s working if you didn’t get photos.” Winter frowned. “No one has complained…”
“I forgot to look. I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll go check, and if anything’s wrong with the booth, I’ll text you.”
“I would appreciate it. I can’t leave the table right now.”
“I’m happy to help.”
Willa hustled the children away, dismayed she had left the pictures for anyone to see. She would die of embarrassment if anyone saw her and Lucky kissing, and she didn’t imagine he would be any happier.
When Willa found the slot where the pictures came out empty, she even looked around the floor to make sure they hadn’t fallen out.
“Can we take a picture?” Charlie asked.
“All right.” Willa lifted the curtain, hoping against hope that it wouldn’t work.
She smiled as the camera flashed, the children all making silly faces.
When it was over, Charlie jumped up. “Let’s get the pictures.”
Willa lifted Caroline and Chrissy off her lap, praying the slot would be empty. The children eagerly waited for the thin strip of pictures
to emerge, and she swallowed hard when it did. Charlie picked them up, showing them to his sister.
“I guess it’s working fine. Let’s go home.”
As they left, Willa felt as if everyone’s eyes were on them yet knew it was a figment of her imagination. Her last hope was that someone had seen the pictures were left behind and thrown them away. She was tempted to search the trash can closest to the photo booth, but she knew it would look ridiculous.
“God, could you please, please destroy those pictures? Maybe make sure that one strip didn’t develop? Or a tiny, little fire?” she mumbled.
“What did you say, Willa?”
“Nothing, Charlie. I was praying to find something I lost.” That tiny strip of photos in someone’s hand would be humiliating if they surfaced.
“I’ll pray, too.” Charlie climbed into the backseat when Willa opened the car door.
“Me, too,” both girls chimed in as she buckled them into their car seats.