Free Summer Attractions by Beth Bolden

bay. Apparently even stories didn’t deter her. The afternoon sun shone on her face and lit up her features. It didn’t even feel like a lie to tell her, “I’d much rather admire it from here.”
    Jemma didn’t say anything but Gabe was pretty sure he saw her flush as they continued down the boardwalk toward the Festival.
    Getting in was easy. Jemma just had to flash her press pass and as she’d shoved her phone and ID into her pocket, they didn’t have to stop for any security checks. But once they were inside, it was clear how crowded it was, and how much more crowded it would likely get.
    Gabe wasn’t the biggest fan of crowds, but he told himself that this wasn’t about him. He was here as a friend and as protection. And if he stood a little bit closer to her, felt a little bit calmer if she was nearer, that didn’t mean anything at all. He was just doing his job.

    Jemma couldn’t wait to dive into the Festival. There were tents set up all over the beach, selling Olympics merchandise and Brazilian goods; food trucks with delicious smells wafting out of their windows; sponsor booths promising everything from meeting Olympic athletes to trying your own hand at an Olympic sport.
    “Keen to try?” Jemma pointed with a giggle, indicating the tent that had all sorts of rhythmic gymnastic apparatus to try—from the hoop to the ball to a floating gold ribbon.
    His default expression flickered for a second, but he still gave her a nod which surprised her to no end.
    He must have seen the astonishment on her face as they headed over to the booth. “Figure I might as well try it before I knock it,” he explained, a sudden smile lighting up his face and revealing that he was actually enjoying this more than he let on.
    It turned out that he’d taken some juggling lessons in school, because he was extremely adept with the long, slender clubs, tossing them up in the air with an effortless grace and catching them just as easily. Jemma, on the other hand, struggled with the long sparkling ribbon, proceeding to tangle it all around her body as she tried to toss it and twirl it as the video displayed on a flat screen TV demonstrated.
    She was hopelessly lost when he glanced over and laughed, holding three of the clubs in one big, capable hand and making her stomach heat. “Let’s get you untangled,” he said with amusement. “Just turn for me, darling.”
    She turned and he unwound the ribbon from her hair, plucking it carefully from her curls, not tugging or jerking them once. His deft fingers skimmed across her body and made quick work of the ribbon, finally depositing it on the table next to her. “All free now,” he said and she turned to face him, her heart racing in her chest as she realized how close he’d come to her. She fit just under his chin, her shorter, curvier body a perfect complement for his long, muscular leanness.
    “Thank you,” she said, not even the tiniest bit embarrassed over how breathless she sounded. After all, they’d had sex twice already. He already knew she wanted him. It wasn’t exactly a big secret.
    They stayed for another half an hour, and Gabe earned all sorts of brownie points for standing quietly in the corner of the tent as Jemma tried out the rest of the apparatuses, and then proceeded to quiz the sport ambassadors who were manning the booth.
    “Find something to write about?” he asked as they left the tent in search of something to drink after Jemma had complained about how tough juggling was and how hot it had made her. “If you didn’t spend nine tenths of your time running after the bowling pins,” Gabe had teased.
    “It wasn’t hard at all!” she marveled.
    He did a double take as they headed toward a lemonade stand. “No, I mean, rhythmic gymnastics is impossible ,” Jemma said. “But finding a story didn’t turn out to be very tough.”
    “There’s a lot of material here,” Gabe observed as he handed over some bills to the attendant, who then handed