Page 103 of Mark my Words

The ride to the airport was quiet, Diana prepping us for the next city, Los Angeles, and the back-to-back appearances over the next three days before a much-needed day off.

“You’re coming to Disneyland with us, right?” Chase whispered as she leaned her head over the middle seat of the hotel’s airport shuttle, leaning into Evan’s side.

Glancing over at Sam, who was pretending to be reading his text messages while the toe of his shoe was rubbing up against my calf suggestively, I shrugged, unsure what we were doing on our day off. He’d dragged me out of my hotel under duress in Chicago, but I was much less hesitant to spend my downtime with him after the last few weeks. If I could concentrate long enough to submit my manuscripts, I’d gladly spend every waking moment with him.

“Sam?”

Chase smirked as I looked at him askance, her eyes bouncing between us before she laughed. “Well, I was asking you, Kristine, but we’ve got four tickets, so Sam is welcome too. This is supposed to be part of Adrian sucking up for the hotel mishap.”

“Nice to know you’re all thinking of me,” Sam said, the sarcasm clear in his voice.

“You know you’re not the hard sell. I figured you’d want to join us. It is the second happiest place on Earth, you know.”

“Ew,” I cringed, not wanting to know what she considered the first as I saw the back of Evan’s neck slowly turn red. He avoided eye contact with all of us, pretending to read a book, but I could tell from his rigid posture that Chase’s hands were busy in their seat.

“Disney World, you pervert. Disney World is the first,“ she giggled, but Evan’s posture was still tight as she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek and whisper something in his ear.

“Sure, whatever you say,” Sam laughed as he shook his head.

“Fine,” I sighed, knowing I’d agree to go too. My secret love affair with roller coasters would cement it if my growing addiction to Sam’s presence didn’t. I was interested to see if Sam would join me on them, knowing I’d be hardcore judging him if he didn’t share the same passion for adrenaline at a theme park. “If it makes you happy, I’ll fricking go.”

My phone buzzed in my hand, Sam’s name flashing across the screen as Chase turned back around.

Sam: Faker. I bet you secretly dressed up as all the Disney princesses as a little girl.

Biting my lip to hold back my smile, I responded without looking in his direction.

Kristine: The only princess I ever dressed up as was Princess Leia. I didn’t need a prince to rescue me.

Sam: She had Han.

Kristine: She also had a blaster and a kick-ass blue lightsaber. She didn’t need a grabby old pervert to rescue her. And he most certainly wasn’t a prince. I bet you dressed up as Superman more times than you care to admit.

His lips twitched as he tried to hold in a laugh, my comment hitting the mark. I could picture a tiny, messy-haired, bespectacled Sam pulling off the perfect Clark Kent.

Sam: Cavill’s got nothing on me.

Kristine: You keep thinking that, oh, delusional one. I reserve my right to make a judgment until I see you in spandex from the neck down.

Sam: All you had to do was ask.

Kristine: Is your suit of steel on under your jeans? Is that why you changed in your room this morning?

Sam: Something under here is like steel. But I changed in my room this morning to escape your grabby hands. We were already running late.

Kristine: Maybe you should have gotten me off faster in the shower.

Sam: So greedy.

Kristine: Don’t worry. I might let you try again later.

Sam: Oh no, don’t threaten me with more orgasms.

Kristine: Who said you’d be having any?

He couldn’t hold in his laugh, looking over at me with an amused grin, a challenging eyebrow arched in my direction.

“I think they’re finally asleep.” The stubble on Sam’s chin tickled my neck as he whispered in my ear from across the armrest between our seats on the airplane.

---