Page 71 of Brick

Jonathan must’ve been on the same wavelength because he got a burger on Texas toast. He ate it in four man-sized bites while he drove one-handed. Though not as fast as him, she polished off her sandwich in minutes. It had the perfect amount of mayo, enough to moisten the bread without making a sloppy mess. They’d just finished their shared order of fries when they completed their fifteen-minute journey up Highway 183.

Amicalola Falls boasted majestic views, hiking trails, and the state’s highest waterfall. It was too hot for a hike, but they got a parking spot near enough to the top they only had a short walk to view the falls.

It took her breath away. The water trickled over the rocks going down, down, down. Trees lined either side, their foliage thick and green. People loitered along the wooden walkways, taking videos and selfies, but as Jonathan wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, they all disappeared.

He kissed the side of her neck and goosebumps prickled her skin. She turned toward him, her lips seeking his. His mouth brushed hers, feather-light.

“Don’t tease me.” She grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him closer, only for a second kiss as chaste as the first. “Please, Jonathan.”

He pulled her away from the falls onto an almost-deserted trail, and this time when he kissed her, she got everything she wanted. Heat. Passion. Ownership. His tongue swept into her mouth and tangled with hers. God, how she wanted this man. All too soon, he pulled away and tucked a strand of her loose hair behind her ear. She liked him growing more comfortable with touching her.

“You don’t have to call me that, you know.”

She traced her fingers over her lips, still feeling the tingles left by his kiss. “Hmm?”

“You can call me Brick. Everyone does.”

“Do you want me to call you Brick?” she asked carefully.

He shook his head slowly.

“Good. I don’t want to call you that either. It’s not how I think of you. You’re Jonathan. In here.” She tapped her head, then slid down her hand down to rub her chest. “And here.”

Covering her hand with his own, he grasped her fingers and slowly pulled them toward his mouth. His breath fanned hot over her skin as he kissed her palm.

Something tightened low in her stomach. Her lips parted.

And a passel of kids came tearing down the path, one screaming he was about to make the other “it.” The boy leading the charge ran so close to Liv, she had to sidestep quickly in order to avoid being run over.

Effective as a bucket of ice water in killing the moment. Kids must be united in some kind of cock-blocking mission today.

She growled at the intrusion, but it only made Jonathan chuckle. Raising her eyebrows, she cocked her head to the side.

He rubbed his big hand across his forehead. “If they would have come through five minutes later, we might have traumatized them for life.”

“Fine by me,” she muttered, but she didn’t mean it. She had no desire to put on a show for a group of eight-year-olds.

Jonathan tugged her toward the truck. “Now you’ve gotten me all hot and bothered, let’s cool off in the a/c.”

The truck may have looked old, but thankfully, the air conditioner worked fine. She stuck her face right in front of the vent.

“Why go-kart racing?” He shifted in his seat. “Don’t get me wrong. I had a great time. Was it another one of the places you went with your dad?”

The cool air, which felt like a relief a moment earlier, now felt icy cold. She leaned back and looked out the window. “No.” She exhaled. “It was kind of a promise to a friend.”

He waited for her to continue.

Damn.I guess we’re going to do this now.

“I told you about the cancer.” He nodded. “I met my best friend in treatment. You met her once at Moe’s. Her name is—was—her name was Carol. She died.”

The air turned warm again. Or she was warm, but the air was cold. Fuck. This sucked. “Anyway, when we finished our chemo, we made a list of all the things we wanted to do.”

“A bucket list,” he acknowledged.

“Yeah. I thought she was better, like I was, but it was a lie. She knew she was dying.” She could hear the bitterness in her voice. She shook her head, trying to find her center. “We called it the Dare to Dream list. The first thing on it was cliff diving.”

His fingers latched around her knee. “Please tell me you’re not jumping off a cliff.”

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