“Have you ever considered moving there?”
“No. Illinois is home, and my mom is here. I could never go too far. We’re all each other has.”
“Probably for the better. That’s a city for outdoorsy people. No offense, but I don’t take you for the outdoorsy type.”
I laugh with a nod. “You’re observant. I might not like to hike or ski or any of that. I do like to sit and watch. A spectator.”
“Oh, really? And what have you thought about me?”
“This feels like a trap.” I sit back in my seat, eyeing him suspiciously.
“I promise I won’t be upset by anything you say.”
I bite my lip and consider his request. “Like your mom said, you’re a typical Libra. You’re the life of the party, and while you have a Rolodex of friends, you enjoy stopping by my apartment because there’s something about hanging with an introvert like me that you find soothing.” I pause to make sure I’m not offending him in any way before I continue, “You’re very stylish, and you enjoy the finer things in life. Case in point: your trendy T-shirt costs more than my entire outfit. Which makes me wonder why you do things like come to Navy Pier with me.”
“I don’t look like a Navy Pier kind of guy?”
“Um, no.”
“So, why do you think I’m here now?”
“Because you’re a people-pleaser. You’ll do anything to put the company you keep at ease.”
The corner of his mouth tilts with an appreciative smile. The wind lifts my hair and flips it in front of my face.
He leans forward and brushes it back, pushing it behind my ear. “Let’s get you up in that wheel.”
We make our way to Centennial Wheel and wait in the long line. I offer to leave because of the wait time, but Jake takes it in stride. We laugh and joke as we inch forward, making the time go fast until it’s our turn to board.
Taking a seat across from him, I marvel at the glass enclosure that gives a panoramic view of the lake ahead and the skyline behind me. The ride slides forward just enough to let other passengers on in the gondolas following us.
The car starts to move, and my belly swims with anticipation. I’m all for trying new things, but heights aren’t my favorite. Looking down, I see the Tilt-A-Whirl ride and wonder if we should have tried that instead.
“You okay over there?” he asks when he sees my wary expression.
“Yeah. Just a little anxious. Not the biggest fan of heights. I was hoping the enclosure would make me feel more protected.”
“Not doing the trick?” he asks as the car jolts, rising to the top.
“No. But I’ll be good. I might be nervous, but I don’t back down from fear easily.”
He flashes a smile. “That might be what I like most about you.”
“Mmhmm,” I utter as I look down. Wow, this is high. I keep my sight set on Jake and the dark abyss behind him. “Have you ever seen the movie Fear? The one with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg?”
He gives me a questioning expression. “They did a movie together?”
“Yeah.” I laugh. “We were pretty young when it came out, but I remember seeing it on TV when I was in junior high. It was right when I was in those impressionable years with boys.”
“I’m all ears when it comes to the impressionable years.”
I kick his ankle. “Yes, and I’m about to tell you the first time I remember wanting to feel that rush with a boy.”
He leans back in his seat and tilts his head with a smirk. “I’m listening.”
I roll my eyes. “In the movie, Mark Wahlberg plays a bad boy.”
“Before Hardy, was he your muse for the bad boys in your books?”
A sharp laugh escapes my lips. “No way. I’ve never written a bad boy like Wahlberg in that film. He was psychotic actually, but that’s beside the point. There’s this scene where they ride a roller coaster together.”
Just then, the ride stops with a jolt, and the car rocks back and forth. We’re dangling high in the air—way too high from the ground.
I grip the edge of my seat as I continue with a swallow, “So, Reese’s character is this good girl who starts dating the bad boy, who her dad doesn’t approve of.”
“Sounds about right.”
“Of course. But when they’re on the roller coaster, they get a little close together, and some things start to happen.”
“What kind of things?” His thighs widen, his teeth skimming his lower lip.
“While the ride is going up the track, he sticks his hand up her skirt and starts to finger her right there. He gives her a mind-blowing orgasm with the wind in her hair and the movement floating in her body. I remember thinking how fun that would be.”
“That does sound fun. Have you ever tried it?” The deep baritone of his voice makes my chest tighten. He’s staring at me, daring me to tell him more. To want more.
The ride starts to move again.
I lick my lips as I turn to stare out at the pier below with its bright lights and people scattered about as the ride swings by the people standing, waiting their turn, and starts its ascent back up.
When I don’t answer, he leans all the way forward, and I find myself doing the same. Our mouths are close as he places a hand on my leg, moving upward until his thumb is rubbing the inside of my thigh ever so gently.
“Has that fantasy ever been fulfilled, Lacey?”
I shake my head. “I’ve never had an orgasm while on a roller coaster.”
“What about a Ferris wheel?”
In the reflection of
