"I thought capoeira was a liqueur." Our feet shuffled in the sawdust of the carnival as we headed over to the big tent full of people. Floodlights illuminated the entrance in the dark of a late fall night. Cool, but not cold. Busy, but not crowded. A just-right evening.

"No. It's a Brazilian dance-art-fight thing. I don't totally get it, but I mean have you SEEN Brazilian men? It's worth watching it just for the ogling possibilities." Stacey took a sip of her horchata in the Styrofoam cup. "Should we go in?"

A large family passed us, going into the tent. Six kids filed behind the parents like baby ducks, each holding a stuffed animal they won at the midway.

I nodded and plucked a sticky pink mini cloud of cotton candy from the paper cone I held, shoving the feather light wad of sweetness in my mouth. It melted on my tongue, evaporating and leaving behind the sugary taste. The granules lingered behind on my fingers, and I sucked each finger one at a time. I went to look for a trash can, but then I caught his eye.

Hanging next to a fence over by the chainsaw jugglers and the dunking booth, a tall, built, bearded man with dancing blue eyes stared at me. Not in a leering way. Not creepy.

In a way that made me feel appreciated. After all, not everyone looks like me.

Acknowledging him with a nod, I went inside the tent with my friend, but something about him gave me a jolt.

Okay, it was because not only was he super cute, but he had an air of sexy about him. One of dominance.

Maybe it was his height. Maybe his beard. But he made me want to go to him and find my way around his body.

Every. Part.

Or at least that beard.

Stacey and I found seats in the bleachers inside the tent and settled in to watch the exhibition of martial arts from all around the world. Performers aged from tiny kids on up to gray-haired adults took their turns showing off. While these kids were amazing—and the Brazilian men hot—I kept thinking back to the beardy man outside.

The seat behind us rustled halfway through the show. I turned around and there he was.

He smiled.

OH MY GOD THAT SMILE. That smile could single-handedly keep panty manufacturers in business. Neat, even teeth meant he took care of himself, and I'd be willing to be there was a dimple or two under that beard.

"I'm Levi."

OH MY GOD HIS VOICE. Rough, assured, and cheerful.

I stuck out my hand. "I'm Amber. And this is Stacey." He gripped my hand firmly. Prominent veins popped on the back of his hand and his long, slim fingers seemed very clever.

Very clever indeed.

"You live here?" he asked.

I nodded "Yeah. We go to the university." Stacey gave me a look, telepathically communicating that yes, he was hot, and yes, he was my type, and yes, it was okay with her if I left with him. She turned around to watch the show. "Do you?"

"No. I'm with the carnival. In charge of operations." He bent down closer to talk to me, his whiskers brushing against my ear.

A carnie. What did I think of carnies?

I scolded myself. I shouldn't judge. He was super cute not only in looks but in manner. "Wow. That means you're constantly traveling?"

"Pretty much. We pull up tomorrow. On to the next town." Now that I looked closer, his eyes held some tiredness in them. Like he'd seen too much and been to too many places. Somehow, though, he still had an aura of innocence, although I was certain he wasn't at all innocent.

He knew what he was doing, and so did I.

"How do you have any sort of stability with everything moving all the time?" I asked, tracing my finger up his forearm.

"The only constant is change, babe. You know that."

"Yeah. You're right."

He reached down and touched my cheek. "So you have to grab onto those moments when you can and enjoy them. Then search for a new moment."

"Like now?" I whispered.

"Like now."

He tilted his head to the side. And I knew what he meant. I said in Stacey's ear, "I'll find you."

She gave me a knowing wink.

I left the tent with Levi, holding his rugged hand. "Where are we going?"

"The night is ours, Amber. What do you want?"

"This." And I reached up on my tiptoes in the middle of the midway and crushed my lips to his. The sweet taste of cotton candy mixed with his taste—kind of minty and wet. A strong tongue and gentle pressure.

Oh HELL yes.

Then he took over the kiss, reaching down and grabbing my ass. I couldn't help it, I headed south to his pants and stuck my hand in.

Fucking yum.

This was gonna be a fun night.

The Book+Main Bites Challenge:

Photographer Cory Stierley (@lovebytes) gives Leslie a photo he took, three words, a flame rating, and a word count up to 1000 words.

Leslie writes a bite.

Challenge ONE:

Model Matt Carothers

Words: Chainsaw, cotton candy, capoeira

Flame rating: Three

840-865 words

#lovebytesleslie #coryleslieproject