The Difference Read online

  “Two hours.” She holds up two fingers. “If they have not found us in two hours, we’re calling Lucas, and we’re going to tell them where we are.”

  “Fine,” I concede. I have a feeling they’re going to find us. Neither one of them appear to be men who back down from a challenge. Lucas, I’m sure will be on the lookout for the simple fact that I insinuated he needed to find us.

  “What are we eating first?” she asks as we step up to the gate.

  I’m relieved she seems to have forgiven me. “I’ll leave that up to you,” I concede.

  “Definitely getting a lemonade,” she says, pointing to the first food booth we see. We’re standing in line when I feel hot breath against my ear.

  “Found you.” His deep timbre causes chills to race up my spine.

  Turning to look over my shoulder, I see Lucas smiling at me, his face still close. So close I could lean in and kiss him. “How long have you been here?” I ask him.

  “Not long.”

  I look over to see Justin and Harper already deep in conversation. He has his phone out, and my guess is he’s getting her number. “You could have sent him on his own,” I tell Lucas.

  He steps back, but I can still smell him all around me. “And let you be the third wheel all by your lonesome? What kind of guy would I be if I did that? Besides, everyone loves a good festival, and on the off chance we didn’t find you….” He shrugs.

  “Are you trying to tell me you have a nice guy in that bad-boy exterior, Lucas Prescott?”

  “Depends.” His voice dips low.

  “Yeah? On what?” I ask, amused and if I’m honest, a little turned on.

  “Which one you prefer,” he says huskily.

  “Hmm.” I tap my index finger to my chin pretending to mull over my decision. We both know I want the bad boy. Lucas is sexy as hell with all his bulging muscles and tattoos. We both know it. “Gonna have to pass on that one.”

  He places his hand over his heart. “You wound me, Addy.” He grins a boyish grin that he pulls off flawlessly.

  “Wow, moving onto nicknames now, are we?”

  He shrugs, nodding to our friends. “Looks like it.”

  The line moves, and it’s my time to order. “Hey, Justin, you want one?” I point to the teenage boy waiting to take my order.

  “Yes.” He reaches for his wallet, but I wave him off.

  “What about you?” I turn to look at Lucas. His wallet is already out, and he’s handing money over for four large lemonades before I can protest. “Here.” I try to hand him some money, but he glares at my hand.

  His answer is to hand each of us our lemonades. “Now what?” he asks.

  “We’re starving,” Harper blurts, then blushes.

  “Lead the way,” Justin says as they move on to the next booth with Lucas and I stepping in behind them.

  We end up getting walking tacos, finding a nearby picnic table to sit and eat. “Have either of you ever been here?” I ask the guys.

  They both nod. “A few times,” Justin confesses.

  “It’s a shame it only happens once a year,” Harper speaks up. “Then again, it’s probably a good thing. I would want to eat here every day. That’s not good for the figure,” she says, blushing.

  It’s an anomaly for me, seeing her like this. Harper is usually the most outspoken of the two of us, and I’ve seen her blush more today than I have the entire time I’ve known her. Well, it seems that way at least. We’ve been thick as thieves since pre-school That’s how I know she’s really into him. I’ve been there, so I know the rush of finding a guy you click with. However, for me, it always ends in some kind of drama, and I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

  “Someone is looking out for us, Harper,” I say, laughing.

  “Right?” She turns to Justin and Lucas. “You guys plan on sticking around? There’s a concert later,” she tells them.

  “Anyone we know?” Justin asks her.

  “It’s a cover band. Addy and I saw them a few months ago. They cover pretty much any genre.”

  “Luke?” Justin asks.

  “I’m in.”

  “Great. How about we walk some of this off?” Harper asks.

  “After you.” Justin stands from the table and holds his hand out for her.

  I do the same gathering our trash. When I turn around, Lucas is standing so close, I bump into him. “What do you say we give them some time?” He motions toward our friends.

  “If this is some play to get me alone, you’re wasting your time.” I say the words, but I must admit, it’s a pretty good plan, if that’s what this is, for both Justin and Lucas.

  “Well, this is a festival of thousands.” He grins. “Come on, let’s give them some time. They seem to be hitting it off.”

  “Yeah,” I agree. “Harper’s really into him.”

  “That’s good to hear. Justin has had a rough time. He needs normal.”

  “Sounds like my life,” I mumble.

  “Where to first?” he asks.

  I smirk. “You tell me.”

  A knowing grin crosses his face. “Are you challenging me, Addyson Stafford?”

  I shrug. “You think you can hold my interest?”

  He leans in close. “You and I both know I can.”

  Goose bumps break out across my skin. Why does he affect me so much? Why now of all times, when I’ve declared a break on dating, does he fall into my life? Regardless, I’m sticking to my guns. No dating, nothing serious. This girl needs a break, and so does my heart.

  Chapter Four

  Lucas

  * * *

  The beautiful Addyson is more affected by me than she lets on. She says she’s on a break, but damn if that doesn’t make me want to change her mind. It took restraint to not text her this week. I had to keep reminding myself that she says she’s not interested and that I was reaching out to her for my boy. Then I saw her today. Her black hair pulled back in a ponytail, exposing her long slender neck. Like now, when I lean in close, I want to trace the column with my tongue, taste her.

  “Challenge accepted,” I say, tossing my arm casually over her shoulder.

  “What did I get myself into?” she asks dramatically, rolling those big brown eyes.

  “You, my dear Addy, have just signed on to have the time of your life.”

  “Wait.” She stops walking, which causes me to stop too since I still have my arm over her shoulder. “Should I buy some boots?” She looks up at me.

  “Boots? Why would you need boots?”

  Her smile is devious. “You know, shit’s starting to get deep, and I just had my toes done.” Her smile widens to a grin, unable to prevent it even though I know she tried from the twitch of her lips.

  “Funny girl.” I shake my head.

  “I’ll be here all night,” she quips.

  I want to kiss the smile right off her lips, but I’m not about to press my luck. This beauty already has me in the friend zone, no need to make it worse.

  “All right, let’s see.” I look around the festival trying to decide our next move when I see a mechanical bull. “Feeling adventurous?”

  “What do you have in mind? I’m not bungee jumping or anything extreme.”

  “How about a mechanical bull?”

  Her eyes light up. “You think you can ride eight seconds?” She lays down the challenge.

  “Oh, sweetheart.” I smile down at her. Lifting the arm that’s not around her shoulders, I flex. “I can ride all night. Question is, can you?” My voice is husky just thinking about her riding me. Her mind must also go straight for the gutter. Her cheeks pink ever so slightly, causing my cock to perk up and take notice. Shifting my feet, I discretely adjust.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she finally fires back.

  “We can test that theory. You tell me when you’re ready.”

  “The bull, Lucas.” She laughs, sliding out from under my arm and pushing me toward the tent with the mechanical bull.

  “Call
me whatever you want, Addy, as long as I get to show you.”

  “Show me up there.” She points to the bull.

  We get to the tent, and there are two teenagers who are just finishing up. Otherwise, it’s just the two of us. “Who’s going first?” I ask her.

  “You.”

  I nod and hand the attendant my five dollars. “Hold this.” I hand her my phone and wallet, and head toward the gate. Sure, it’s unorthodox to give her my wallet, I barely know her, but something in my gut tells me I can trust this girl.

  “You ever ride?” the greasy-haired roadie asks me.

  “Nope.”

  “Climb on. You can only hold on with one hand. You stay on for a full eight seconds, you get your money back.”

  “Easy. It’s eight seconds,” I boast.

  “We’ll see about that,” Addyson calls out from her spot just outside of the ring.

  “Don’t distract me, woman,” I tease.

  She makes a big show of zipping her lips and tossing away the key. Her brown eyes are sparkling with laughter as I climb on and settle myself on the fake bull.

  “Wait!” she calls.

  The roadie and I both turn to face her. “Should we make a wager?” she asks.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Hmm, you win, drinks are on me the next time we see each other.”

  “And if you win?” I ask her. I want to tell her I’ll make her scream my name all night long no matter which one of us wins, but I bite my tongue. “Drinks are on me.”

  “Deal.” I nod my okay for the roadie. He steps up, making sure my feet are secure. Once satisfied, he takes his place at the controls, and slowly the bull begins to move. It’s slow and easy, and I know I’ve got this in the bag. That is until he picks up the speed. My body is jostled this way and that and I’m struggling to hang on. When the bull spins, I know it’s the end for me. I feel myself slipping as I fall into the inflated pillows below. I lie here on the inflatable mat trying to catch my breath. I’m not sure if it’s the fall or the laughter, but regardless, I’m winded.

  “Five seconds,” the roadie boasts.

  “That. Was. Awesome,” Addyson cheers through her laughter. “I-I recorded it.” She bites down on her lip to hide her amusement and all I can think about is my teeth replacing hers.

  “Let’s see what you’ve got,” I say, handing the attendant five dollars for her ride.

  She hands me my phone and wallet, then hands me her purse. “It’s go time.” She bounces into the ring as if she’s done this a thousand times.

  I watch as the roadie's gaze roams her, his creepy eyes eating her up. “Hey,” I call out and they both turn. “She’s mine,” I tell him, giving him a look that lets him know I was watching and will continue to do so. Addyson looks confused, but the look quickly disappears as the roadie faces her and gets straight to business. I hear him ask her if she needs help climbing on, and I’m ready to jump this wall to help her, but she waves him off. She grabs the horn of the saddle and swings her legs over like a pro.

  The bull starts to move, her hand goes in the air, and she’s smiling. When the bull pitches to the side, and she goes flying off, I jump over the wall, her purse in hand and rush to her.

  “Hey, you can’t do that,” the roadie scolds me.

  I give him a look that dares him to stop me. “Addy,” I say, rubbing her back. She’s lying on her belly on the inflatable mat shaking. “Addy, hey, tell me what’s wrong?” I ask, starting to freak the hell out. “Addyson,” I say. This time she must hear something in my voice. She rolls over, and what I thought were tears causing her to sob is laughter.

  “I have to do that again.” She grins up at me.

  Standing, I offer her my hand and help her from the mat. “You scared the hell out of me,” I tell her. “Took five years off my life.”

  “It’s like a big pillow.” She laughs.

  Snaking my arm around her waist, I pull her into me. “Yeah, but when I saw you flying through the air, my instinct was to protect you,” I confess.

  She looks up at me under those long eyelashes. “You trying to sweet talk me, Luke?”

  “Nicknames, huh?” I tease her like she did me earlier.

  “That’s what friends do.” She shrugs.

  Right. Friend-zoned. Pulling my wallet out of my back pocket, I hand the attendant a five-dollar bill. “You heard the lady,” I tell him. “She wants to go again.” Bending down, I whisper in her ear, “Try not to give me a heart attack this time, will ya?”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” She winks and mounts the bull like a pro for the second time.

  This time when the roadie makes his way to the controls, I hold my breath. I count the seconds in my head. One one thousand. Two one thousand. Three one thousand. Four one thousand. Five… she slides off the side and lands on the air mat. She’s face up and her smile is blinding. I exhale when I see that she’s okay and watch as she bounces to her feet.

  “You want to go again?” she asks.

  “Yeah.” I hand over my five dollars when an idea hits me. “We allowed to go at the same time?” I ask the attendant.

  He shrugs. “Sure, she’s a tiny thing,” he says, looking at her.

  I hand him another five and pass through the gate. “How do you feel about mixing things up?” I ask her.

  “What ya got in mind?”

  I bend, placing my lips next to her ear, partly because I love the way she smells. The lavender scent assaults my senses. The other part is I just like being that close to her, and the way she can’t hide her reaction to me. “We ride together.”

  “Is that safe?” she asks, and I can tell by the sparkle in her eye, I’ve sparked her interest.

  “Completely. Give me a second.” I walk to the roadie and hand him a twenty. “Take it easy, yeah?” I ask him. He nods, his dirty hands grabbing the twenty and shoving it in his pocket. Walking back to the bull, I climb up just as Chase Rice’s “Ride” blares through the speakers. Funny, I didn’t even notice there was music until that song started to play. It’s sort of fitting considering. Offering my hand to Addyson, she waves me off. I move back, giving her room. Just like the pro she apparently is, she mounts with no problems.

  I don’t waste any time, sliding up close to her, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other on the horn of the saddle.

  “What do I hold onto?” she breathes.

  “Place your hand on mine,” I whisper. I wait until she does. Then I reach out for her other hand and place it on my thigh. “Hold on tight, Addy.” She nods. I pull her back against me, feeling her tight little ass nestled against my cock. I give the roadie a nod, and the bull starts slow and easy as Chase croons through the speakers. She bounces when the bull jerks and I’m hard as steel. What once was a good idea might be an embarrassment when I climb off this bull.

  Round and round we turn. And I’m content to have her bouncing on my cock, even through our clothes.

  She calls out, “Are you taking it easy on us?”

  The roadie nods.

  “Don’t,” she calls out in laughter.

  He shrugs, ignoring the fact that I just slipped him a twenty to do just that and turns the knob. We twist faster, front to back, side to side. With each movement, we seem to be moving faster. Addyson’s grip on my thigh is tight, but her laughter is anything but. Knowing that we’ve been on here more than eight seconds due to our slow start, I eye the roadie as he smirks and turns the knob again. We’re starting to slip. I release my hold on the saddle and wrap her tightly in my arms, just as we slide off and fall to the inflatable mats. I break her fall, which was my intention, but the breath whooshes out of me as we land.

  Her sweet laughter greets me. She rolls over on top of me and smiles. Placing her hands on my chest, she pushes herself up, and now she’s straddling me. If she didn’t feel how that ride affected me before, she sure as hell does now. Her eyes widen, and the vixen rolls her hips.

  “Addyson,” I warn her.
<
br />   “Luke.” She grins. “Looks like we both got our eight-second ride.” She jumps to her feet. Standing over me, she offers me a hand. I let her pull me up, and when my feet are steady, I pull her into me.

  “You need to stay close, but don’t touch me,” I say just for her. My voice is gruff.

  “Everything okay?” she asks sweetly.

  I pull her even closer, letting her tight little body align with mine. “I’m pretty sure you already know the answer to that question.”

  She sucks in a breath. “Yeah,” she breathes.

  “Time’s up,” the roadie calls out.

  Looking over my shoulder, I glare at him, but it doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. Turning Addyson around, I keep her close as we exit the ring. “Now where?”

  She looks over her shoulder and up at me. “You need a minute?”

  “That would be nice.”

  “Over there.” She points to the side of the building. Walking with her tucked in close in front of me, we make our way to the side of the building.

  As soon as we’re out of sight, I release her and lean back against the wall. My eyes close just as her cell rings. I listen as she talks to I assume Harper, telling her we’ll meet them somewhere.

  “That was Harper,” she tells me when she hangs up. “I guess there’s a show before the show. They’re saving us seats.”

  “Seats?”

  She laughs. “Translation is they bought a blanket and are offering to share their real estate.” Her eyes drop to my dick. “After that.” She nods, cheeks blushing.

  “Now she blushes,” I mumble. I don’t bother to hide it when I grip my dick and adjust so I’m more comfortable. “Ready?” I ask, pulling myself from the side of the building.

  “You good?”

  “I will be.”

  “You sure?” She eyes my dick again. Her tongue swipes over her lips, and I have to bite back my groan.

  “Not if your sexy ass keeps looking at me like that.”

  “Y-you think my ass is sexy?” Her question isn’t coy or her begging for compliments. It’s as if she doesn’t understand how incredibly gorgeous she is.