Roustabout (The Traveling #3) Read Online Free Page B

look up and see Kes’s sister watching me. I thought she’d be hanging with her brother. I was amused to see that her eyes were glued to my chest where my shirt clung to my skin, damp in the summer heat.
    She sat in her little summer dress and her long, blonde hair looking sexy and classy.
    But off limits.
     
    Tera
    I’d been watching Tucker for a while, probably like some creepy stalker, except I wasn’t trying to hide. He’d been so absorbed in his work that he hadn’t noticed me. I let my mind wander, imagining how I’d go about executing a hookup with my brother’s best friend.
    I sighed, staring around me at the scrubby field and the carnival slowly rising skywards.
    As a child, my parents had never let me near a fairground. Not that many of the girls from my school visited fairs either, but those that did talked about awesome rides, scary tattooed carnies, too much cotton candy and funnel cake. I’d had to stay home and pretend it didn’t appeal.
    Now I understood the reasons why my father wouldn’t take me—but as an adult, I wasn’t sure I saw the fascination anyway. The rides looked tired and dangerously worn; the carnies were hard-eyed and clannish; and the fatty, sugary, over-priced food was a stroke waiting to happen.
    And yet . . . there was no doubt in my mind that when my brother performed his amazing stunts, there was magic in the air. The looks on the faces in the crowd, men, women, and children—you could see in their awed expressions that they were witnessing something special. I’d seen some of Kes’s videos with the Daredevils on YouTube: they were absolutely terrifying!
    Aimee said he wasn’t able to do all of the big stunts—yet—but I’d seen some of his practice runs before they went on the road. Few people were allowed close enough to see the blood, sweat and tears. I’d seen all of those things, and I knew the cost.
    But watching Tucker check the ramps, his worn, ripped jeans clinging to his sculpted ass, I had to admit that sweat had never looked better.
    If I was going to branch out from my safe, boring life, he’d be perfect: one night of mindless pleasure—it sounded good to me. I’d thought about him a lot since the night we met, but this was the first time I’d been able to get away to visit. My imagination hadn’t let me down—he was just as hot as ever.
    He’d changed in the three months since I’d seen him. His skin was more tan now, but the most noticeable difference was he’d cut off his hair so it was shaved around the sides and only slightly longer on top.
    I imagined running my hands over his smooth skin, tangling my fingers in his hair.
    If only.
    I’d never done anything like this before, but I figured that a man I was powerfully attracted to like Tucker . . . this was the place to start living my life.
    But then I wondered if sleeping with my brother’s best friend was such a smart idea after all. I’d have to see him every time I visited: awkward. I’d just about convinced myself it was a bad idea and was losing my nerve when he finally spotted me. A huge smile spread across his face and he seemed genuinely pleased to see me. A small shiver traveled up my spine as he let his eyes wander across my body.
    “Lookin’ good, sugar. Real classy.”
    The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I slowly turned, as if I’d only just noticed him, my head cocked to one side.
    Tucker walked right up to me and was standing so close, I could see every one of the golden hairs that stubbled his cheeks and chin. His t-shirt clung damply to his chest and he was carrying a red helmet.
    “Do I know you?”
    He grinned at me.
    “Aw, don’t be like that after all that time we spent together—you and me, alone under the stars.”
    I snorted dismissively. “That’s not how I remember it. We had a two-minute conversation . . .” and then you left to hump some other girl, “with fifty other people present. And it was twilight.”
    He smiled broadly. “See, I