Page 88 of Mark my Words

“You just want to stare at my ass,” I laughed and jumped forward when he mimed grabbing it and growled at me. “Pervert!”

“You like it,” he smiled, taking my hand and pulling me back down the sidewalk toward the entrance to Navy Pier. “Let’s go. We’ve got places to go and people to do.”

“I think it’s supposed to be people to see, Sam.”

“Eh, I like my version better,” he smirked, tugging me behind him again. Every time he reached for my hand, I found myself resisting less and less, enjoying that he’d planned this entire day for us to do something fun. His comments about me relaxing and letting my hair down had hit a sore spot with me before the tour had begun, but he was right. Sam away from the office, was funny and charming, relaxed in a way that I craved. He’d even played amateur tour guide on our walk north from the pier, pointing this way and that as he talked about nearby places.

A half-hour later, I followed Sam into yet another elevator, relaxed and content, forgetting that I was supposed to be keeping my distance from him. The reasons I’d given myself weeks ago didn’t matter anymore. I liked spending time with him; he made me laugh, teasing me when I started taking things too seriously. Outside the pressure of the office, I craved Sam’s attention, and when I wasn’t afraid of someone from the office seeing us together it was easy to forget my reasons for pushing him away.

“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” he asked as he pulled my back into his chest in the corner of the crowded elevator. I’d seen the signs when we were entering the doors to the old Hancock Center for the Chicago 360 observation deck.

“Little too late for that now,” I laughed as I watched the numbers rise rapidly on the panel next to the elevator doors.

“Just making sure,” he whispered as his fingers brushed my sweaty hair off my shoulders. His lips traced the curve of my shoulder, and I closed my eyes, leaning back into him as his hands settled possessively on my stomach. “I should already know you’re not afraid of anything.”

He was wrong, though. I may not have been afraid of heights, but I was acutely terrified of falling for him. Every kind action, every patient smile, every time he did something goofy to make me laugh, and every sarcastic comment drew me in, reminding me that all I had to do was let him in, and he could be mine.

“It’s even more impressive in the dark,” Sam smiled as his long fingers traced my palm in line for Tilt, the ride that featured a movable bank of windows that leaned forward over the city.

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” I laughed, shaking my head.

“You’re the only girl I’m interested in impressing, in the dark or otherwise.”

Warmth spread through me at his low chuckle, and I bit my tongue, afraid I’d confess how impressed I already was with him.

As I looked out at the bustling city moments later, adrenaline coursing through my system as the glass tilted forward, I tried to catalog this feeling. So I could look back on it when I inevitably fucked up again. Sam’s companionship already meant more to me than any promotion, but I’d never tell him that. How could I explain that he made me the person I wanted to be and keep my distance at the same time?

After this book tour, I knew I would either love or hate him, and I wasn’t sure which possibility was more terrifying.

“Oh, come on. Just try it. I promise it’s good,” Sam laughed as I held up the piece of food he’d called a pizza in front of my face, studying the thick dough piled high with toppings.

“This is not pizza,” I frowned, sniffing it experimentally. It smelled alright, but I was a New Yorker. Our pizza was thin and crispy, not whatever this was.

“Open your mouth,” he urged, pressing his thumb in the center of my bottom lip. “You know you want to try it. Just a little. You can do it. I know you can. Just slide those sexy lips open for me, baby.”

Heat flared through me at how he was staring at me and the deep voice he was using to coax me into doing what he wanted. A man trying to force-feed me shouldn’t be sexy, but with Sam...everything made me think of sex. Especially when what he said would get me hot in another context.

“Fine,” I sighed, covering his hand with mine and opening my mouth.

“That’s it,” he whispered, leaning close, his hot breath on my neck. “Take it. Just a little more.”

“Mmm.” I hummed as I bit down, and the flavors rushed along my tongue. It still wasn’t what I was used to, but it was good. The spicy sausage and rich tomato sauce teased my taste buds for another bite.

“Good girl,” he hummed, laughing when I took another bite and pushed my palm into his forehead as I pried the slice out of his hands. Narrowing my eyes, I finished the whole piece, enjoying his loud laughter as I grabbed another. “What did I tell you?” His voice was so smug, but he was right. Chicago-style pizza was better than I expected.

Instead of responding, I grabbed a large piece of pepperoni off his abandoned pizza, quickly shoving it in my mouth as I turned and flipped him off.

“Hurry up,” he chuckled, watching me chew. “We’ve still got places to be.”

“No,” I shook my head as Sam grasped my hand, pulling me back toward him.

“Oh, come on, I won’t show anyone. Please,” he pouted as he wrapped his arm around my waist and held me against his chest. “Just for me. I won’t post it anywhere.”

“This is a little too touristy.”

He tucked his face into my neck, rubbing his stubble against my cheek. “I hate to break it to you, but you’ve been doing touristy things all day.”

“Yeah, but there’s no evidence.”

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