target and floated to the ground, leaving a perfect hole where the star once was.
Ben glanced up at the scowling man’s face. “Most people would call that cheating.”
He turned toward Gabriel to read the response on his lips. “Most would call you a scam artist,” Gabriel said, cocking an eyebrow. He turned toward Ben and spoke as he signed. “You want that rabbit?”
Ben’s gaze swept the stand again. In the back corner, something else caught his eye. The perfect reminder of everything that had happened today and what it meant to him.
A smile twitched his lips. He looked back at Gabriel and shook his head.
“You’re getting better at saying no,” Gabriel said as he signed. “Pick whatever you want.”
Ben looked at the waiting man and pointed up to the corner behind him. The man pointed and Ben shook his head, until finally he nodded when the man grabbed the stuffed animal he wanted.
There, buried under the big yellow bird and rainbow-colored unicorn was a small brown bull.
Ben took the plush toy in his arms and held it against his chest like a cherished treasure. He grabbed Gabriel’s forearm and took a few steps back, distancing them from a mob of teenagers who suddenly raided the game stand.
He glanced up, Gabriel’s expression tense and questioning, his chest heaving with each harsh breath.
Ben tucked the small bull under his arm for safekeeping and signed, “Now, when I miss you, I’ll still have my bull.”
His pulse skipped a few beats when Gabriel took a step into his space, closing the distance between them. He closed his eyes when large, warm hands cupped his face and a whisper of breath skated across his lips.
He waited.
Then waited some more.
His eyes sprung open and stared into that deep brown gaze.
Kiss me, dammit.
Gabriel didn’t move. He didn’t blink. He just stared with an expression full of pure control.
Control Ben wanted to demolish. He wanted Gabriel to show him that this energy thrumming between them was mutual.
“We’re running at your speed.”
Ben reached up and ran his fingertips down the side of Gabriel’s face. Desire for this man and the wish to cash in on all those promised firsts pushed his worries aside. He flattened his hand against the side of Gabriel’s neck and leaned forward, pressing their lips together in a kiss.
Electricity sparked and zipped through his body.
The grip on his face tightened. One tender kiss, then another, and another. His top lip, then his bottom, then both at once. Ben tilted his head back, welcoming the drugging sensation.
A strong hand slid down his back and tugged him closer to the heat of Gabriel’s body. His lips parted on a gasp as he arched closer to the warmth. The vibration against his palm felt different, almost deeper. Fingers dug into the back of his hair and held his head in place as a tongue slipped between his parted lips.
A moan escaped him. Maybe a whimper. He slid his tongue alongside Gabriel’s. He sucked and teased, hoping like hell he was doing everything right.
Gabriel tore away from the kiss.
Jarred, Ben opened his eyes and caught Gabriel’s glare over his shoulder as a crowd of teenagers passed by.
Gabriel turned back toward him, his pupils flared so wide his eyes looked almost black. He threaded their fingers together and pulled Ben to follow. “C’mon.”
Ben yanked him back and released his hand. He shook his head and stayed firmly planted in place. “No, we’re not leaving,” he signed. There was zero chance he was walking away from this now.
A smile curled the corner of Gabriel’s kiss-swollen lips. “We’re not leaving, Mr. No.” He stepped closer and gave him a tender, slow kiss. “I want to be alone with you, but even the walk to the parking lot is too far right now.”
He didn’t argue when Gabriel took his hand again and led them through the thinning crowd. He followed, kept his small bull tucked under his arm, and replayed the kiss in his mind.
Gabriel handed tickets to the ride worker as they settled into one of the Ferris wheel seats. He looked as if he was shaking the man’s hand and saying something, but the dazed fog in Ben’s mind made it tough to focus on reading their lips. Gabriel trapped the plush bull between them as the safety bar lowered and the seat lurched forward, sending them up into the air.
Nearing the top of the wheel, the ride stopped. This high, Ben swore he could touch the stars. He peered down