Just This Once (The Kings)

The dark corridor of the fun house closed in on us as the floor shifted beneath my feet. I kept one hand locked on the railing and the other on Emily’s hip. Wrapped in the safety of darkness, I was free to touch her. My hand slipped down to grope her ass.

“Watch it.” She smirked over her shoulder as she ducked under the wall that led to the next turn.

“Oh, I’m watching it.” I palmed her butt again, letting my hand slip between her thighs. “I like what I see.”

In the next section of the fun house, Emily stood with her shoulders hunched forward, facing the wall. “What about now?”

I stood behind her, taking in her reflection in the fun house mirror. I laughed at the way the convex mirror distorted her image to a short-legged, very rotund version of her typically lithe self.

“I don’t know . . .” I stood next to her, watching my own reflection bend and change as I moved. “I kind of like it.”

Emily covered her mouth to hide her laugh. “You know, if I tilt my head like this, you kind of look like Dickie Johnson.”

My face fell, and I anchored my attention on her with a dead stare. “Don’t. You. Dare,” I teased. I ran my fingers over my lower lip. “I don’t even have a flavor savor.”

Her squeal of delighted laughter floated above the music, and I grinned before wrapping her in my arms. Our reflection stretched in the mirror, distorting the top of my head to the ceiling. “Would you still like me if my head was this huge?”

Her arms covered mine and squeezed. “Well, it would finally match your overinflated ego.”

I nipped at her neck with a growl and grinned. Sparring with Emily was always a highlight.

When a couple of teenagers walked past us and disappeared around the corner, I got an idea. “Come here,” I whispered against her soft skin.

Pulling her backward into a dead end, I held her close. Tucked away in the corner, the dull hum of the festivities continued just past the walls of the fun house. Surrounded by mirrors, we were exposed, but my skin was dry tinder, and Emily was the fire that threatened to consume me.

I pressed her back against the mirror, savoring the way her body instantly molded to mine. “I could take you. Right here with the whole world waiting outside, not knowing if someone will come walking up and find us.”

She hummed and pressed against me. “That would be unfortunate.” Her eyebrow lifted in challenge.

“Do you think I wouldn’t try?” I challenged.

“Well . . .” Emily’s voice was a breathless whisper as she leaned in close to my ear. “You’ll have to catch me first.” With a peal of laughter, she ducked under my arm and disappeared around a corner.

“Little shit,” I grumbled and took off after her, bumping into a wall and having to feel my way around it.

The labyrinth of mirrors continued, each turn heightening the suspense as I pursued her. Laughter echoed, distorted in the reflective surfaces, and all other sounds became a distant symphony. My heart raced, not just from the chase, but from the undercurrent of something more, something building between us.

I squeezed past an elderly couple with a mumbled apology until I finally cornered Emily in a dead-end alcove. Our breathless laughter mingled, and the charged atmosphere enveloped us. She looked at me with playful defiance, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I closed the distance between us, reveling in the electricity that crackled in the air.

The carnival’s ambient noise blurred into the background as I pressed Emily against the mirrored wall. The distorted reflections made the moment surreal, like a dream where reality bent to the whims of my desire. Her breath hitched as our eyes locked, the world outside disappearing.

“I could catch you anytime I want,” I whispered, my voice a low rumble that mirrored the distant roars of ancient rides. The tension between us was palpable, a magnetic force drawing us closer.

A daring smile played on her lips, and she challenged me with her eyes. “Then go ahead and catch me.”

In pursuit of the game, I lunged forward, but she slipped away, navigating the maze with an agility that left me both frustrated and captivated. The mirrors twisted reality, creating a kaleidoscope of images as we danced through the labyrinth.

Emily finally reached the exit and leaped off the fun house platform. Without missing a beat, she continued her escape across the matted grass and through the crowd. Our chase led us to the outskirts of the carnival, behind a ring-toss game, where the lingering sounds faded into a muted hum. As we darted into a secluded corner between two games, the atmosphere shifted. The coastal air was alive with an unspoken tension, and Emily’s laughter softened into a shared secret between us.noveldrama

Breathing heavily, I caught her arm and spun her around, pushing her back against a quiet, darkened trailer wall. The carnival’s pulse lingered in the background, but here, in the shadows, it was just us.

“I knew you⁠—”

Mid-sentence I gave in—my mouth crashed to hers.

The world ceased to exist for that stolen moment. The subtle taste of funnel cake lingered on her lips, and the thrill of chasing her intensified. As I pulled back, our eyes met, and the realization of just how far gone for her I was hit me.

In the silence that followed, Emily’s sea-blue eyes locked with mine.

My body screamed: She is everything.

Movement caught my eye, and I became aware of a figure standing beyond the shadows in the main walkway of the carnival. My eyes widened as I met the stern gaze of Chief Martin. The echoes of laughter seemed to mock me, turning our night into a high-stakes game with consequences I hadn’t fully anticipated. I stilled, suspended in a moment of uncertainty, as the energy surged around us, a jumble of emotions swirling in the air.

Emily’s father’s gaze bore into me, and my heart pounded. I swallowed hard, searching for words that eluded me.

“What is it?” Emily looked around, still laughing and breathing hard from the intensity of our kiss.

Time seemed to stretch as I stood there, caught in the headlights of a realization that this game, this chase, had consequences beyond the fun house walls. The air thickened with a deafening silence, the carnival sounds now far off whispers.

Emily saw her father, and her eyes widened, mirroring the shock that gripped me. We had wanted to keep our date a secret, away from prying eyes, but now the secret was out, exposed in the dimly lit alley. Our energy had shifted from excitement to a tense uncertainty.

“Whip,” said the chief, his voice low and measured, cutting through the quiet like a knife. My name hung in the air, heavy with disapproval and an unspoken threat.

I took a step back, distancing myself from Emily, but the weight of the situation pressed on my shoulders. The carnival, with its flashing lights and spinning rides, seemed to dim around us. I searched for words, any words, to salvage the moment, but they eluded me like ghosts slipping through my fingers.

“Dad.” Emily smoothed her palms down her jeans as her father stepped forward, his expression a mix of anger and disappointment. “I thought you were at dinner. I––”

“Your mother wanted to see the carnival.”

My pulse throbbed in my ears, a discordant rhythm to the scene unfolding. The silence between us stretched.

“I thought I made myself clear,” he said, his voice now a controlled but seething force. I wasn’t sure if he was speaking to Emily or to me.

I struggled to find my voice, my mind racing to comprehend the depth of the situation. Emily stood beside me, her eyes pleading for understanding, for a way to defuse the impending storm. But the whirling lights and festive chaos had turned into a silent witness to our unraveling secrets.

“Sir, I . . .” My words faltered, and I felt the weight of Chief Martin’s gaze. The laughter in the background mocked me, a reminder of the freedom and joy we had sought in coming here.

The silence hung heavy, a thick fog enveloping us. Emily’s father took another step forward, and my instincts screamed at me to escape, to run from the storm. But my feet were rooted to the ground, entangled in a web of secrets and consequences.

And then, just as the tension reached its peak, the lights flickered, casting the alley into momentary darkness. In that fleeting obscurity, I glimpsed a knowing smile on Emily’s face. A glimmer of mischief danced in her eyes, and before the lights fully returned, she whispered, “Run.”

As if pulled by an invisible force, I broke into a sprint, gripping Emily’s hand. The energy surrounding me grew to a frantic pulse, urging me forward. I navigated through the twists and turns of the parked trailers, the darkness my ally in our unexpected escape.

The world around me blurred as I ran, the echoes of Emily’s laughter and her father’s stern voice fading into the night.

We spilled into the parking lot, vibrant lights welcoming us back into the whirlwind of the fun. My heart pounded, and I cast a quick glance over my shoulder, half expecting to see Emily’s father in pursuit. But the alley remained silent and empty.

Emily huffed and bent to catch her breath. “Oh my god. I can’t believe we did that!”

I held the sharp pain at my side, then pointed at her as I paced. “You . . . are trouble.”

She laughed and swatted a strand of hair from her face. “I don’t know what came over me. I just saw his face and freaked out. He looked pissed.”

She was laughing. Why the hell was she laughing?

“It’s because he was pissed,” I huffed.

And confused.

Betrayed.

The kaleidoscope of colors and dizzying rides had returned to their carefree facade. Yet the encounter in the alley lingered like a shadow, a reminder that secrets had real consequences, even in the midst of a night that was supposed to be fun.

The blinking lights and laughter were a bittersweet backdrop to the tumult of emotions swirling within me. The night had taken an unexpected turn, the highs of the fun house chase now tempered by the sobering reality of our less-than-secret rendezvous.

I planted my hands on my hips. “Why are you laughing?”

Emily sighed, and her face twisted in amusement. “Because it’s funny? Whip, we got caught kissing by my dad and we ran.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted into the night sky, “How’s that for checking something off my list, Dad?”

Emily chuckled again. “We ran like a bunch of teenagers.” Her deep sigh filled the air. “Oh my god, he was right. This feels so good. I haven’t had this much fun in forever.”

I couldn’t shake the image of Emily’s mischievous smile in the darkened alley and how fire sparked in her eyes when she whispered run. It was a smile that held promises of future adventures, of challenges yet to be faced.

“A King doesn’t run. We take our beatings with heads held high.” My jaw ticced.

Emily sauntered past me into the parking lot, playfully brushing her finger over the tip of my nose. “That’s fucked up.”

I sighed and let my hands drop. “Yeah, I guess it probably is.”

“I’ll talk with my dad tomorrow.” She walked backward, seemingly unfazed by the outing of our secret relationship. Emily crooked her finger. “Now get over here.”