His voice was low and tender, such a contrast to the voice he'd used in the garage.

"I love roller coasters." I gulped, and the ragged smile that whipped out with my trembling voice made him laugh.

I couldn't keep my eyes off him when he smiled and laughed like that. There was something weirdly contradictory about Rafe Stryker. He seemed-- at least in his professional life-- to be very punk sophisticated. I would have been intimidated by him, just knowing about him, but the fact that I'd actually met him before I knew who he was-- well, it changed my perspective. He was like a kid, but a really confidant man also. What was it about him? Something tender and willing, and eager to please, at the same time as being very worldly and knowledgeable.

"I love roller coasters too. When we're done on this we'll go do the coaster. Then we can get a pop and some cotton candy. Do you like cotton candy?"

I wiggled my shoulders in a take it or leave it kind of assent. "Yeah."

He looked out over the ocean and smiled kind of whimsically. "I'd like to plaster cotton candy all over your stomach and chest and eat it off."

"You did not just say that." I was terribly embarrassed and shocked.

He snorted and wiped his hands across his eyes. "What do you think I said?"

I stammered. Had I miss-heard him? Let's hope so. "Well, what did you say?"

"I like the way the lasers in the middle of the wheel are hitting your stomach and chest and we're about to get off."

I stared at him. There were lasers and other brilliant neon lights flashing and hitting us both as we went. The darkness around us was complete. And-- we were about to get off.

His hand on my elbow steadied me. I noticed how he also made sure the attendant guy was steady, as he'd seemed to stumble there for a second. The guy looked at him fairly carefully and I saw his mouth drop open. It was obvious he'd been recognized.

Rafe grabbed my hand and pulled me along, quickly, until we were running through people milling about and lines that were waiting for treats. He was serious and I was laughing. We arrived at the line for the roller coaster just as it finished loading and we were the next in line to get on. He turned to me, both hands on my hips and his grin was entirely too sexy. His eyes-- his lips-- gees, this guy really had that charisma.

He pulled me up to him, close, my hands rose to his-- what? Not over his shoulders, but along the top of his chest. Through the hoodie he was still quite well muscled. I thought of the tattoos earlier. My hands would have been above the design and near where a chain circled.

"You look at me like I'm ten feet tall." He ground out, pulling me still closer. "Are you serious that we're not going home to make love?"

His words really startled me. Was that all that was on this guy's mind? It couldn't be, he barely knew me.

Maybe I was noticing it more just because I'd never been attracted to anybody the way I was to him.

His question did not need an answer.

"I guess I will have to watch your music videos. You said they were the entryway to your psyche or something."

"Yeah, you want to get know me better?"

"At least one side of you. Yeah." I whispered, still holding his heated gaze. I knew that what he'd said on the Ferris Wheel had been what I'd heard and not his flimsy excuse words. My cheeks reddened.

"Well, they're not for the faint of heart, or for the kiddies."

I cocked my head and stared up at him. His palm covered one of mine against his heart, the fingers rubbing back and forth with far too much pent up energy. He looked in that moment-- in those flashing neon lights and lasers-- harmlessly dangerous.

He started humming. It was a song I knew. He sang the words softly-- naughty words-- sexy hot words. But the tune had been catchy and the song had gotten a lot of air play several years ago. One of his songs. And having him sing it right there to me--

Well, there was only one thing to do. I joined in, softly, falsetto, harmonizing.

Rafe's eyes closed and he sang just to me, tapping his foot against mine, his thigh pressed to mine, tense with energy. The heat off him was palpable. I sang with him-- thinking as I did-- I'm singing Rafe's song with him! Right here, right before we get on the roller coaster on Venice Beach I could feel his stomach muscles tightening, his legs full of the energy it took to run. His arms, his hands were so gentle and deceptively soft-- were tense with it.

He stopped and I kept on singing for a few more seconds, finishing the chorus, which was naughty sexy but appropriate in that moment.

He pressed his forehead to mine and started singing again, a ballad, a sweet not sexy love song, romantic loss song. It was even older than the first, and I knew it as well. I hummed and he nodded, against me, rubbing my sides imploringly, moving up to my arms, gripping me as we sang together softly.

Others had come up-- the coaster zoomed by-- we swayed to our own little tunes. Swayed and tapped and felt that incredible pent up energy that was Rafe Stryker. That was what made him so irresistible. That lightning energy.

We got on at the next ride, sat in the back, the very back and he held my hand up as we took off. He let out this howl as we jerked and dipped, faster, faster and over the ocean. We went upside down, jerked some more, I screamed, he howled, and we laughed as we jerked to a stop.

Rafe still crackled with unshed high tension. It was his signature trademark. He grabbed my hand.

"You up for more?"

My eyes were wide, my grin exuberant.

He laughed like crazy, throwing back his head, drawing attention. I grabbed his arms as he threw them up and howled again. I was laughing so hard. He picked me up, high, and I threw back my arms and we both howled.

"Again!" He commanded, so we howled together. People had stopped to watch as he twirled me around. Lights and flashing blurred by as we circled, dizzily. "Again, Aubrey!"

I was laughing almost too hard when he howled. Camera flashes were going off. I tried to tell him we'd been caught, but he didn't seem to care. He howled again and then slid me down his body, stopping me on my tip toes with his lips next to my ear.

"I needed this tonight, Aubrey."

"Yeah, you're on fire with energy!" I laughed back.

He held my face to his, I felt the scratching of whiskers, the brush of lips, and turned just slightly till those lips were touching mine.

"I can't hold still." He whispered as he kissed me, his lips searching hard, as if our connection wasn't a first kiss, but a continuation of the fiery energy we'd been building up. I barely even registered that he was kissing me--- it was all just a part of the feelings elicited--- a full ten seconds of pure head splitting dazzling time warp!

He was panting, his eyes opened just as mine did and sanity seeped into us. The crowd that had gathered was applauding and cameras were flashing. Rafe threw back his head and howled again, and then bowed low, his legs twisted one behind the other, very much in control of himself and me--

He still held my hand and pulled me along as we ran back to the Segways. He stopped me as we got to them. "I needed cotton candy, did you see a vendor?"

I looked back toward the booths that were lining the area that was considered the artist's area, graffiti walk. I nodded and jerked my head that direction. He turned me to him, holding me again, and his hand ran down my side to my butt, and--

I shook my head. He clutched me harder, pulling me up to feel his body. My eyes held his. I'm a virgin, but I'm not naive. I pried his fingers off me.

"Shit!" He yelled with a huge laugh, throwing his head back.

I cocked my head to one side and then took off down the sidewalk. My heart was beating frantically from his kisses, and my mind was screaming with his allure. I'd felt passion before, but this wasn't just passion. I knew he wanted me. I knew he was dangerous. I knew I wanted him too, which honestly had never happened to me before.

I found the cotton candy place, he helped me lock up and we approached it holding hands, completely in control, relaxed, no reference to the frustrated howl of a few moments before. He bought it-- pink and blue and swirled and sticky, and he walked a few feet onto some grass where the graffiti car was located. He ripped off a piece and put it in my mouth before I could even tell him no---

And then he plopped a huge bite into his mouth and swooped down and kissed me with it between us. He wasn't being circumspect either, he wasn't holding back because we were in public. He was laughing against me, licking, sucking, and eating the cotton candy that was melting. Then while kissing me, and making me stand there, he put more in our mouths. The sensation was ----

Electrifying.

I heard the noises he was making-- hungry kind of moaning, as if what he was eating was more delicious than anything he'd ever had--- ever. Then he simply dropped the cotton candy, and wrapped me in his arms, taking a staggering step, holding my back so I wouldn't fall. There were words, but I couldn't distinguish them, just knew that they meant he was very turned on.

His hand was beneath the hoodie, against my skin. His fingers moving against me rhythmically, desperately. I pushed him back slightly, as he kissed me harder than I'd ever been kissed.

"Aubrey...."

I pushed back hard enough to get his attention. "Not like this, Rafe."

He pulled back. "No, I know. Shit, I know!"

"Can you please, pretty please, stop cussing?" I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand to get some of the much-smeared cotton candy, and I saw him struggle with the decision not to lick it for me.

He shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. His eyes slid to mine. He nodded. "Yeah, yeah."

I got back on my scooter, feeling a little shaky. Rafe Stryker as a friend was incredibly fun and un-celebrity-like. Rafe Stryker as a pop rock artist singing with me on a Ferris Wheel to distract me from my fear of heights was wonderfully compassionate. Rafe Stryker turned on and acting all punk bad boy was a little intimidating.

He pulled up beside me looking contrite and apologetic. I glanced at him. "You're not upset with me?"

"No!" I called, covering my shaky feeling with a big grin. "Going a little fast for me."

He grinned back, clearly liking that we were going too fast--- and not on the scooters--- too fast in a relationship--- any relationship. "Are we done here?"

"No, there's more to see if you want to."

"I'd like to take you dancing."

"There's dancing." I craned my neck back in the general direction of the pier.

He nodded and swerved back that way, so I followed, wondering if I could keep my head if we were dancing together. I'd danced with a lot of guys... all kinds, big guys, guys with no wandering hands, guys with wandering hands, and guys I liked and guys I didn't. But no one--- not one who I felt about the way I was feeling about Rafe.

We locked up near the pier and went out on it, holding hands very neutrally, not looking at each other, and only talking to point out something. There was a raised stage area, and seating and crowds close around a very loud rock/ pop band.

"They're good." Rafe said distractedly, listening carefully, holding me. I admired his control. He was easily a gazillion times better.

He eased us closer so we could see. Kids were everywhere, people dancing in front of the stage, waving their hands in the air. I saw the band, four guys, and a girl. Rafe was squinting at them closely. He turned with a big grin.

"I know them. That's my friend, the lead guitarist is Silas Timons. I went to school with him. Come on!" He yanked me closer, pushing past people now, and the way he did it.... I have to explain--- if I was trying to get through the crowd, I would say excuse me, perhaps tap somebody--- I wouldn't just barge through-- and neither did Rafe, but he sidled, and grinned and twirled and talked and mesmerized people all the way through. I shook my head at his easy way with folks and considered it a wonderful gift.

He went all the way to the front where he obviously knew people in charge of the band or helping the band would be situated and he went right to them and started talking to them. In seconds, a message had been relayed to Silas and the next set my new friend Rafe Stryker was on stage. The band was only too willing to accommodate him, the crowd was only too excited and had begun screaming. And they--- the band--- were backing him and he was singing, and I was dancing, and he was singing----

To me. Except to close his eyes, he never took them off me.

His voice was as mesmerizing as his personality. His song choice was well known--- but now singing it for me--- I felt---

The song was over before I could even think about it, and with a small moment of consultation, they were singing together--- Rafe and the girl--- Taylor Swift's Blank Space---

I was swaying--- the crowd was going crazy. Big mall cops on segway scooters showed up, and crazy lights were turned our way. The song ended and another one started--- some hip hop, some rap, some Train, some Fray.... some Axis.... and then he had jumped off the stage after hugging his friend, and high fiving so many people, up high, down low, he hugged a bunch of girls, kissing their cheeks, accepting their praises, as he made his way back to me.

Did he think we were getting out of here alive?

*****